Lead Pastor Michael J. Paris

 

A child of God, Husband of Sue, Father, Grandfather, Pastor and friend.  Pastor Mike longs to lead men and women to live like they are God’s most treasured possession and grow in their faith all for the Glory of Him who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

 

Hey Church –

 On Sunday mornings, we have been working through an evangelism training course. We have looked at the practices of  Active Kindness and Active Listening and Active Wondering. These categories come from a book on evangelism called  Irresistible Evangelism (Steve Sjogren/Dave Ping/ Doug Pollock) (ISBN: 9780764426261). That is only one of the ones that I  have in my library. I thought I might share an annotated bibliography with you, in case any of you might like to read  something else on the subject.  

Becoming a Contagious Christian (Bill Hybels/Mark Mittelberg) (ISBN: 9780310210085) This book is the description of  Hybels and Mittelberg’s “formula” for effective evangelism. Maximum Impact for the kingdom of God comes from a  combination of High Potency, Close Proximity and Clear Communication.  

Building a Contagious Church (Mark Mittelberg) (IBN: 9780310279198) This is Mittelberg’s practical application of the  Contagious Christian book. It offers six stages of development of the church’s corporate effort in evangelism. Attention is  given to equipping each of the personal evangelism styles: confrontational, testimonial, interpersonal, invitational, and  serving. Read Contagious Christian first, then, Contagious Church. 

One to One: How to Share your Faith with a Friend (Michael Green) (ISBN: 9780345400895) A short (118 pp) practical  guide to doing evangelism. Friendship forms bridges over which the gospel can go. Green helps every believer feel equipped  to have conversations that lead friends, relatives, associates and neighbors across those bridges to Christ. He includes some  of the common responses to the gospel and how to handle them carefully. 

How to Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out (Jim & Karen Covell/Victorya M Rogers) (ISBN: 9781576737378) This book  employs a three-step process for sharing your faith. The authors refer to it as the three-story method. The book provides simple methods for explaining the gospel, including a one-verse method.  

Vertical Church (James MacDonald) (ISBN: 9781434703729) MacDonald works through what it would look like if people  experienced a church full of believers who were vibrantly living out their faith. He is convinced that the gathered saints have  a significant influence on their community. The first four chapters explore the biblical theology of church God’s dealing with  us and the church as the contact point with his people. The second four chapters deal with the four pillars of a church that is  all about God’s glory. Chapter 7, entitled “Unafraid Witness” is an evangelistically significant chapter.  

Here are a couple more that I haven’t referred to yet in the series but that might be helpful to you: 

The Outward Focused Life (Dave Workman) (ISBN: 9780801071508) “A collection of short chapters … [that offer] busy  people practical ideas that turn their thoughts from themselves to other people.” (From the book’s review on Amazon.) Workman’s subtitle is “Becoming a Servant in a Serve-me World”. The church ought to model this kind of worldview. After  all, Jesus said himself, “the one who wants to be great must serve others”.  

The Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive (Mark Dever & Jamie Dunlop) (ISBN:  9781433543548 ) This book discusses practical ways to form small group communities around the gospel. Dever and  Dunlop, pastors in Washington, DC have practiced these techniques in their own church. Their big idea is that a community  that glorifies God and edifies its people will also attract the lost. Chapter 11 offers insights as to how to evangelize as a  

church – a church “where a passion for the lost is core to its personality”. This is the magnet that is pictured on the book’s  cover. 

Corner Conversations: Engaging Dialogues About God and Life (Randy Newman) (ISBN: 9780825433238) This is a  “scripted” set of conversations that might happen around current issues. It reads like a play or a novel, but teaches like a  handbook on evangelism. Topics like why evil and suffering exist, can I trust the Bible, is there only one way to heaven, and  the problem of hypocrisy in the church are played out in “Turnersville”. Eavesdropping in on these conversations will help  you work out some of your own. Think of this resource as a role play for evangelism. This one is very readable! 

Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did (Randy Newman) (ISBN: 9780825433245) This  volume fleshes out Newman’s philosophy of apologetics – answering questions and handling objections — without a  prepared lecture. It is full of advice and tips on how to engage in meaningful ways with unbelievers. Newman wants to  train his readers how to engage hearts and prepare evangelistic soil, not just win a divisive argument over cultural issues.  While I haven’t quoted from this book yet, we may handle more of this topic after my vacation! 

As always, I believe the adage that “leaders are readers” and that discipleship is a commitment to lifelong learning. Picking  up a book or listening to a podcast series or hearing a sermon series on evangelism is not the end goal. Witnessing is the  end goal! So, I am praying that the raising of these issues on Sundays and even here in the newsletter will encourage you to  take the next step in your continuing education in the practice of the Christian life. May God bless your efforts to change  and grow!
 

Blessings,

Pastor Mike → pastormike33@yahoo.com, 607.220.9911, 99 East Ave, Attica NY 14011