Here are our Top Ten recommendations for outreach ideas, resources and ministries.
Matthias Media & The Trellis and the Vine
Matthias Media is a a gospel-centered publishing ministry well known for resources likeThe Trellis and the Vine and Two Ways to Live. They present their materials in four categories: Outreach, Follow-up, Growth and Training. They distribute over a million resources each year all over the world. Tony Payne, the director, speaks about the uniqueness of Matthias Media in a video on their home page: “We want to persuade all Christians of the truth of God’s purposes in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible, and equip them with high-quality resources, so that by the work of the Holy Spirit they will:
- abandon their lives to the honour and service of Christ in daily holiness and decision-making
- pray constantly in Christ’s name for the fruitfulness and growth of his gospel
- speak the Bible’s life-changing word whenever and however they can—in the home, in the world and in the fellowship of his people.
We’re not the slightest bit interested in adding to the already monumental pile of Christian books churned out each year by the Christian publishing industry. The world needs more Christian books like it needs more websites.
However, we are passionate about publishing resources that fuel, promote and support gospel growth. So our publishing criteria for any project is threefold:
- Does it meet a gospel ministry need?
- Is the content faithful to the Bible?
- Is the quality of a high standard?”
Matthias Media is one of the few publishers that seeks to offer a wealth of relevant, biblically-based outreach resources, both for the seeker and for the Christian who wants to grow in outreach. One category of offerings is “Raising Issues,” which includes 19 publications with titles like If I Were God I’d End all the Pain and Jesus for Sceptics.
If you don’t already know Matthias Media, check them out. And when you order for the first time, if you are ordering from the States, make sure you are on the US-oriented web site.
The Gospel and Personal Evangelism
by Mark Dever
This book is for everyone, but especially for leaders. Mark Dever, Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, answers such questions as “How should we evangelize,”. “What Isn’t Evangelism” and “What should we do after we evangelize”. Dever answers these and other questions with a theological and biblical depth characteristic of all his writing. We recommend buying this book at his web site and putting many of the other resources at that site to work as well.
from Covenant Fellowship Church
I haven’t used this small group resource yet, but I like what I’ve read and it comes highly recommended by a trusted friend. Chapters include “Becoming a Friend of Sinners,” “Breaking the Sound Barrier”, “Proclaim the Bad News”, “Proclaim the Good News,” among others. What I like about the course is the combination of catchy presentation and theologically careful content. It’s put out by one Sovereign Graces churches, Covenant Fellowship Church, in Glen Mills, PA.
Surprising Insights From Unchurched
by Thom Rainer
What’s surprising is the factors that draw unchurched people to church. Many think it’s the music, friendliness, parking lot signs, etc. But in reality….. well, you’ll have to read it. Thom Rainer, from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, interviewed 353 “formerly unchurched” people, and over 100 pastors of evangelistically fruitful churches. It’s an encouraging read for all those putting first things first
Evangelism for the Tongue-Tied
by Chap Bettis
Just because Chap Bettis is a friend, and is also a member of the board of Directors of the Philip Center doesn’t mean this recommendation meaningless. It’s not! This is a great book, written for ordinary people who struggle to know what to say about the gospel. Go to the website and check out the small group training courses that goes with it.
with Rico Tice
If you’re familiar with Alpha, you’ll find the format of this course to be similar. And this too, comes from England. But the content and the style are different. Here’s the blurb from the Christianity Explored website: “Developed over 10 years, Christianity Explored is an informal course for people who’d like to investigate Christianity, or just brush up on the basics. It explores who Jesus was, what his aims were, and what it means to follow him. You won’t be asked to pray, sing or read aloud , and you ask any questions you like. Or, if you prefer, you can just come along and listen.
This relatively short book (132 pages) was written to help Christians understand the thresholds that many people cross as they move toward faith in Christ. The five thresholds are: trusting a Christian, becoming curious, opening up to change, seeking after God and entering the kingdom. Though the subtitle suggests that these thresholds apply only to postmoderns, I see this pattern beyond those who are typically postmodern — including the spiritual journey of a friend who just trusted Christ this past month.
The authors (both long-term campus ministers) are careful not to reduce the work of salvation to “a psychological phenomenon, an inner event that can be controlled…if we preach the gospel just right” (19). “But just as no farmer would spend all her time scattering seeds, or all his time swinging a sickle, we see such one-trick evangelism as foolish spiritual farming. There are five distinct seasons of growth that we’ve noticed again and again. Realizing this organic way that people make their way down the path to faith frees us to respond to our friends’ particular needs at the time” (21).
by The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Both a curriculum for groups and a program for individuals, this training program is great! The youth in our church benefited from it a lot — and the teachers loved teaching it. The kit comes from The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and is rich in resources, online and off, and rich in biblical content. We highly recommend it.
by Bill Hybels
From Billy Hybels and Willow Creek , Just Walk Across the room is a book, DVD and workbook designed to encourage the average Christian to “walk across the room” and engage someone in conversation. Hybels’ relational approach is popular, easy to watch and a good place to start if you’re training a group in your church. We recommend it as an inspiration piece, no a comprehensive training program — it’s a little to short on Gospel content to be complete. But it’s great for helping Christians see that they can talk to non-Christians… and trust God to bring fruit from their efforts.
by W. Oscar Thompson
We’ve recommended this book for a few years now. I like it because it begins with the gospel in our hearts, and works outward towards evangelism. I recommend this as great reading for Ambassadors Fellowship , for a leadership or team, or pastoral staff. It’s relational, practical and supports the kind of evangelism that works the most – reaching to your friends and family.
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