A big part of the church planters’ responsibility is to share the gospel with unbelievers in the community. But this responsibility is not just for the church planters. All believers have been commissioned by Jesus Christ to share the gospel. Yet many of us feel inadequate to the task.
Here are 21 resources recommended by our Church Extension team that will give you confidence to share the gospel:
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer
If God is control of all things, what is the point of evangelism anyway? This short but powerful book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, explains how God’s sovereignty is not an excuse for us to get out of evangelizing, but is a motivation for us to share the gospel. Hands down this was the most recommended resource by our church planters.
Every Believer Confident by Mark Farnham
Diego Rodriguez, Hispanic Ministries Liaison, had Dr. Farnham as a professor at Lancaster Bible College. He learned so much from his class that he wishes everyone would learn! Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian provides a structure whereby any Christian can engage anyone they meet, move the conversation to spiritual matters, answer objections raised against the Christian faith, and present the gospel of Christ in all its glory and rationality.
Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman
Tim Zuck, church planter at Forks Community Church, says “This book influenced how I evangelize more than any other book! Questioning Evangelism is an approach of sharing the Gospel by engaging the lost the way Jesus did: through asking questions. For someone who never had much success with formulaic methods (nor enjoyed them), I found this conversational approach much more engaging, personal, and effective at paving the way to sharing Jesus as the Answer.”
Anyone but Me by Ray Comfort
Church Planter James Reff from Grace Community Church recommends anything by Ray Comfort including this book Anyone but Me: 10 Ways to Overcome Your Fear and Be Prepared to Share the Gospel. If fear is what is holding you back from telling unbelievers about Christ, this may be the book for you.
The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield
Rosaria Butterfield was a lesbian, feminist professor until some Christians invited her into their home, spent time with her, and made her interested in Jesus. Now as a pastor’s wife, Rosaria and her husband use their own home to get to know their unbelieving neighbors and share the gospel with them. Rachel Schmoyer, Church Extension office assistant, highly recommends this book for both men and women to think about how they could use their homes to share the gospel. Be encouraged by the testimonies Rosaria shares.
More Books
Los Morales, church planter at Christ Alone Fellowship, recommends the evangelistic resources from Banner of Truth. Here is a list of books from them. They have some Spanish language books as well as English.
Here are some more titles that are recommended by Director David Gundrum and church planter Dan Hoffstetter:
- Out of the Saltshaker & into the World by Rebecca Pippert
- Evangelism Handbook by Alvin Reid
- Complete Evangelism Guidebook by Scott Dawson
- The Jesus Plan by Bruce Dreisbach
- The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
- Multiply by Francis Chan
- Evangelism Explosion by D. James Kennedy
- You Found Me: New Research on How Unchurched Nones, Millennials, and Irreligious Are Surprisingly Open to Christian Faith by Rick Richardson
- Gospel Witness: Evangelism in Word and Deed by David M. Gustafson
- True Story by James Choung
- I Once Was Lost by Don Everts and Doug Schapp
Sermons on Evangelism
James Reff also recommends the sermon Hell’s Best Kept Secret by Ray Comfort. You can listen to it here.
Los Morales recommends Dr. Voddie Baucham’s DVD the Home is Key: the Centrality of Home in Evangelism and the Next Generation. There are many other evangelism podcasts and resources on the Wrath and Grace network.
Free Ebooks on Evangelism
Dan Hoffstetter, our church planter in Topton, PA, recommends the resources from Exponential, a church planting organization. They have mnay free eBooks including Gospel Intentionality: How to Live with Missional Purpose in Everyday Life.
Go Share the Gospel!
No matter what you read or listen to in order to prepare yourself to share the gospel, the results are up the Holy Spirit. Our job is to go and tell! Pray for God to give you opportunity to share the gospel. Pray that he will place unbelievers in your life for you to get to know and share Jesus with.
