Growing Your Church through Evangelism and Outreach
Overview
The words evangelism and outreach often evoke guilt and anxiety. Church members feel guilty because they think they should do more of both. But the thought of doing more makes them anxious. Few people feel confident going into “all the world.”
How can church leaders instill passion for evangelism? How can they help their churches look outward?
Growing Your Church Through Evangelism and Outreach is not filled with “shoulds” and “oughts” but with grace and hope. Its authors, graduates of the evangelism-and-outreach school of hard knocks, write out of experience. They’ve found what works. They’ve helped grow churches through evangelism and outreach. Now, in a hard-hitting line up, are thirty chapters of expert advice.
Top Highlights
“Actually, I try to distinguish between three types of truth: absolutes are truths essential to the faith, truths that never change; convictions are beliefs about which orthodox Christians may differ; preferences are traditions or customs, like musical tastes, that may be compatible with the Bible but aren’t biblically based, and they may change with the culture and over time.” (Pages 32–33)
“In evangelism, people do not need admonishments as much as they need to be carefully heard. Once I’m listening, I sort through their arguments to find out where I can agree. Very often the ‘god’ they’re rejecting I would reject, too. Why not let them know that?” (Page 13)
“The old Indian proverb holds true: Once you’ve cut off a person’s nose, there’s no point giving him a rose to smell. We tend to think being kind and listening to the opposition implies we have sacrificed the message. But we need to learn how to handle critique, how to address an antagonist. Even while you wrestle with the ideas of an opponent, you must keep the dignity of the opponent intact.” (Page 24)
“Evangelism, like sanctification, takes time; therefore, we must take the time it takes.” (Page 12)
“We have to make room for people to struggle because the stakes are so big. We should not be too pleased if someone comes to Christ with little struggle—it may mean this is simply a compliant person, and the same compliance that eases them into Christianity may also ease them toward the next thing that calls for their obedience.” (Pages 14–15)
Product Details
- Title: Growing Your Church Through Evangelism and Outreach
- Author: Marshall Shelley
- Publisher: Moorings
- Publication Date: 1996
Marshall Shelley is editor-in-chief of Leadership Journal and editorial vice president of Christianity Today International (CTI). Shelley studied journalism at Bethel University and earned a Master of Divinity in theology from Denver Seminary where he subsequently served as a board member for nearly a decade. He has also studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Wheaton College Graduate School, served as a board member for the American Tract Society, and held pastoral staff positions in his hometown of Denver, Colorado.
Marshall joined CTI after developing his journalistic skills at David C. Cook Publishing Company and The Denver Post. He is the author of several books including Well-Intentioned Dragons, several volumes in the Fresh Ideas series, the Library of Leadership Development, and the Library of Christian Leadership. He also served as general editor of The Quest Study Bible.
Shelley and his wife, Susan, live in Wheaton, Illinois, and have five children, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren.