Cover of my new book
I am thrilled, humbled, and honored to announce the release of the Evangelism Handbook: Biblical, Spiritual, Intentional, Missional (B&H) is only days away (October 1).
“Dad, how long did it take you to write a book 485 pages long,“ my sixteen year old Hannah asked the other day.
“It took me all 50 years of my life,” I replied.
Well, she knew better. But when E. M. Bounds said that it takes 20 years for a preacher to prepare a sermon because it takes 20 years for God to make the man, I see the same reality with writing. All my adult life God has been teaching me the things I wrote in this work.
My friend Thom Rainer enthusiastically penned the Foreword. In it he said many kind things, but most encouraging to me is this: “The publication of the Evangelism Handbook could not be timelier. The need for every word in this volume could not be greater. And the priority for the message of this book could not be more urgent.”
My PhD Mentor, my hero in the faith, Dr. Roy Fish, taught at SWBTS from his mid 30s until his late 70s. I am trying to follow his example at SEBTS. He said this in the Afterword he penned: “The reader cannot help but be impressed with the soundness of the biblical and theological aspects of this book. But Alvin has a way of making theology come alive, and one of the strengths of this book is the combination of inspiration and theology.” He added, “This is easily the most comprehensive book on the subject of evangelism I have ever read.”
I am humbled by the kind words of these men of God who have done so much good for the gospel.
The need of the hour is for the church to become more missional in her focus. I will give the rest of my life to this focus. That is why I wrote this book. While it is overwhelmingly my work and thus all the limitations are mine, I also had help from some remarkable men of God who added articles incorporated into the book. These include Tom Johnston of MWBTS on how translators have utilized the word for “evangelize,” Chuck Lawless of SBTS on spiritual warfare, David Mills or SWBTS on practical helps for personal witnessing, my colleague George Robinson on effective short term mission trips, Ed Stetzer of Lifeway (and a SEBTS visiting prof!) on church planting, and David Wheeler of Liberty University on servant evangelism and evangelism to those with special needs.
Here is a summary of what you will find in the book (excerpted from Chapter One):
“I hope to take you on a journey—a trek from Creation’s dawn to contemporary times, walking where giants in Scripture and history laid a path that will guide us forward. I seek to tell a story about The Story we are privileged to share. Our journey begins with a look at what the journey is about; in Part One I give an overview of biblical, foundational matters and how the church has practiced these in history. Our culture may have gone the way of relativism, but truth has not changed. Before talking about how to share Christ, we will spend time examining just what it is we share—the message of the gospel. Walking through the Bible, examining the great message of redemption, stopping to learn from Jesus, Paul, and the early church along the way, taking snapshots to form an album to guide our perspective of reality today. We will explore the garden of truth, considering vital theological matters related to our witness. We will walk through the valley of history, learning from both the mistakes and the victories of the church as she advanced this great movement of God from the time of the early church until our day.
“In Part II we cast our sails across the ocean of spiritual growth, charting our course through pitfalls that can hinder or help our witness, features too often overlooked. We can no more be effective witnesses without the Spirit than a boat can sail without the wind; so the work of the Spirit begins our course. Prayer’s role in evangelism strengthens us as the stars at night reflect His infinite might. Our testimony aids our witness as the map guides our way. We will see the place of character in our telling of the good news, as our lives must reflect the reality of a changed life as the sea reflects the sun. Finally, spiritual disciplines give us the ongoing fortitude to stay the course through the storms of this world until we reach our destination.
“Part III takes us on a journey toward intentionality, recognizing theory is of little effect if we are not intentional in our application of it. We head up the treacherous path through the mountain range of contemporary effectiveness. Many have lost their way in these parts, falling off the cliff of overemphasis on relevance on the one hand, or tumbling over the ledge of traditionalism on the other. Mountain climbing warrants both nimble feet, being able to adjust to the terrain, and a strong back, careful not to give in to fads. Capable leaders, like tested guides who lead people to hike the Himalayas, must guide our journey. We will climb to the summit of effectiveness not by blazing a new trail haphazardly or by going down older paths long considered unreliable. Instead, we will look at practical topics like personal and mass evangelism and the work of the church in the gospel with confidence and creativity. Blazing new trails of church planting will take us forward.
“Finally, we will journey through the forest of Today and the missional focus of the church. If we will reach our destination we will move from an attractional-based witness focused on the church as an institution to a missional approach from the view of the church as a movement. From examining paradigms that must be changed, to reaching various groups from the unchurched to children and students, to helping those blinded by false faiths, our journey will end at the place that is really the beginning—with a vision to reach the world with the gospel!
“I have enjoyed taking this journey myself. I hope you will as well.”
I live in several worlds: the world of my family, my neighborhood, my church, my seminary and students, and the world of all the churches, campuses, and conferences where I speak. I wrote this book for all those worlds: for the seminary student building a gospel foundation, for the busy pastor seeking a resource to help lead his church, for the godly layman eager to grow spiritually, and for the young person ready to change the world for the gospel.
I recently asked my small group to tell me something they would love to do in their lifetime, something that would stretch them. For me, writing a book was that thing. But I never dreamed I would be able to write many books, and that God would allow them to encourage many. Dare to dream great dreams for God, and He may just surprise you as He has me!
Alvin, thank you for your emphasis on evangelism. In the church today we have relegated evangelism to an EVENT. Thanks for your reminder that it should be who we are and not just what we do.