Growing Your Church through Evangelism and Outreach

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)