The Evangelism Institute

Today i met the founder of the Evangelism Institute. He and I share the same passion to teach and train evangelism. We’ve talked a few times over the years as to how we can work together, but our circles of influence don’t intersect much, so its just not happened. I’ve reviewed some of his material and find it can be very useful in churches. I invite you to browse his website to get a feel for what the Institute is. No ad revenue here, just check it out for yourself.


Also, today i got my copy of Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey, which i found on the Out of Url blog here. As i’ve been reading it today, i can tell that much of what he has to say has been running around in my mind for a long time.

For example, a model of evangelism that is evquivalent to closing a deal. Present the information, request a decision, and close a deal. Its a predominant form of evangelism. Its useful, and people do it all over the world. I do it when preaching in the streets or in the pulpit.

What bothers me is that this model feels like a sales pitch for Jesus, as if He’s another product, the solution to all your needs. Need forgiveness? Try Jesus. Need comfort, try Jesus. All these are true, but the presentation seems like a product placement for a miracle pill.

What i like about what I’ve read so far is the call to engage people in a spiritual conversation, respecting where they are and inviting them to discover God’s activity. I’m not a mystical newager, and don’t claim to water down the Gospel, but i want to help people DISCOVER belief, to ANSWER questions (or pose further questions). Evangelism is as much a process of discovery as it is a proclamation of a faith. Its both/and. This is part of what i like about some of the blogs i’ve begun linking to — Evangelism can be as ordinary as engaging in spiritual conversation and helping people discover God’s at work. Along the journey, we can encourage, help, and point out how to have a relationship with God, repenantce for sin, and all the other blessings of gospel.

I’ll keep reading over the next few days and share some more thoughts.