This book is about using questions with people; and answering people's questions with questions. It's about what Newman calls "Rabbinic evangelism". He shows how Jesus spoke to people this way and encourages us to be more interested in others and willing to stop giving answers and start really listening to others.
Is this approach all soft and fluffy, you may ask? He does answer this complaint; for example: "Confronting someone with unpleasant truths doesn't work in sales, but it is essential in evangelism." (p.36) He writes that we aren't to just be annoying parrots or manipulative salesmen. I'm glad he makes that point.
The antithesis he's fighting in this book is using a real unnatural formulaic approach in evangelism. Or, being to quick to pull out our list of answers and give ourselves a gold star. This is a good antithesis. That sort of approach is not really loving or normal. But, I don't know how many of us actually struggle with that.....
I think that this book might be the best for 1. Someone really rude and argumentative - or someone who won't shut up. 2. A new Believer with a lot of non-Christian friends who is overwhelmed and needs to see that evangelism can be a really natural and easy thing. or 3. someone with no non-Christian friends who needs a non-threatening way to begin deep conversations with relative strangers. 4. Someone who doesn't understand the basic features of communication and friendship.
However, I think most people who relate to non-Christian friends are already probably asking a lot of questions. In that sense, I was reading this book and thinking, "tell me something I don't already know." I'm not saying that with a complete bad attitude. It's just that he keeps bringing up the antithesis of people using pamphlets and stuff, and i don't know anyone in this church that actually does anything like that.
What's good about the book = it's super cool how he uses the example of Jesus and the wisdom from the Proverbs to make an argument for being more wise and (as he says) "Rabbinic" in our approach to others. Also, he really touches on big questions that people have (i.e. about sexuality and marraige, problem of evil, etc..) and helps the reader think through how to be wise in the face of such concerns. And I like that he is telling Christians not to just be defensive, and answer whatever question comes up - but he's telling Christians also to be investigative- to push past people's defenses and see what it is that they really think about life and love and faith and reality. In that way, the book has a great message that I really enjoy reading about.
I also really enjoyed all the example-conversations. That does get the mind firing. In most books, I think the examples can be a waste of time - but not in books like this one.
So, overall - I do recommend the book, especially in certain situations (i.e. the 4 types of people i mentioned above). But, I don't think the antithesis he's fighting is one that our church struggles with. In fact, I think that people in this church naturally employ the techniques he's talking about if they have love relationships with non-Christians. This book is about the heart and soul of friendship evangelism - and not just that; but all relationships in general ----- being others-focused! And pushing past the surface of things with questions.
Showing posts with label evangelism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evangelism. Show all posts
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
"Out of the Comfort Zone" by George Verwer
I just skimmed a book about missions strategy by George Verwer called "Out of the Comfort Zone". It's a 152-page treatise on how to approach missions in a grace-based way. Written in 2000 - it's a pretty modern and on-target book.
Chapter 1 he talks about having a "grace-awakened approach to mission". He heavily quotes Swindoll's book on the topic. It's a good way to start out in thinking about mission.
Chapter 2 he speaks about witness - saying that "there is a 'being' and a 'doing' side to witnessing. Like so many things that people are arguing about in the church today, it isn't a case of 'either/or', but a case of 'both'." (p.21)
Chapter 3 is about being a missions leader. He speaks to the need for balance in leadership; for example = the balance between faith and common sense, the balance between discipline and liberty, the balance between authority and fellowship, the balance of life and doctrine, the balance between being decisive and firm while also gentle and broken, and also the balancing of the many priorities in the life of the leader (i.e. work and rest, family and time with God, etc..), lastly he reminds us to have a balanced view of God.
He also sets out 6 practices that the missions-leader needs to keep up on: 1. Keeping a Vision 2. Sensitivity and Understanding 3. People of Prayer 4. Encouragers of others 5. Committed to high standards in Communication 6. Readers
This chapter really spoke to me as a leader. I think it's quite good.
Chapter 4 is about being a missions mobilizer. He speaks to how to get informed and take ownership for world evangelism.
Chapter 5, called "Future Missionaries - From Where?" is dedicated to some of the controversies in the world of missions; such as western vs. indigenous missionaries, funding, insensitivity, redeployment, etc..
He believes that there should be Western missionaries in certain areas and indigenous missionaries in others. He believes in redeployment and in paying missionaries for missionary work (instead of having tent-makers). In fact, he belives it's poor stewardship to have a missionary doing a menial job that a non-Christian could be doing when they could be using their time to spread the gospel.
Verwer may be confident about a missions strategy; but he's also grace-based and warns against getting too "extreme" on this topic. As an example, he says that Brazil (which he predicts will be sending missionaries around the world by 2025) is a place that doesn't need Westerners; but suggests that if someone is having success there, that they stay - following the principle of spiritual expediency.
Chapter 6 is about funding - I'll be honest, I just skimmed over this chapter. But in the chapter before, I know he talks about the stewardship principle and the fact that a preacher/evangelist is worthy of a wage.
And the last chapter is called "Acts 13 Breakthrough" - he outlines what exactly he thinks needs to be done in missions in this new millinium. He includes numbers that are very informative and makes a plea for 200,000 new missionaries.
All in all, I think it was an excellent book. Great about missions, great about leadership and evangelism too.
Chapter 1 he talks about having a "grace-awakened approach to mission". He heavily quotes Swindoll's book on the topic. It's a good way to start out in thinking about mission.
Chapter 2 he speaks about witness - saying that "there is a 'being' and a 'doing' side to witnessing. Like so many things that people are arguing about in the church today, it isn't a case of 'either/or', but a case of 'both'." (p.21)
Chapter 3 is about being a missions leader. He speaks to the need for balance in leadership; for example = the balance between faith and common sense, the balance between discipline and liberty, the balance between authority and fellowship, the balance of life and doctrine, the balance between being decisive and firm while also gentle and broken, and also the balancing of the many priorities in the life of the leader (i.e. work and rest, family and time with God, etc..), lastly he reminds us to have a balanced view of God.
He also sets out 6 practices that the missions-leader needs to keep up on: 1. Keeping a Vision 2. Sensitivity and Understanding 3. People of Prayer 4. Encouragers of others 5. Committed to high standards in Communication 6. Readers
This chapter really spoke to me as a leader. I think it's quite good.
Chapter 4 is about being a missions mobilizer. He speaks to how to get informed and take ownership for world evangelism.
Chapter 5, called "Future Missionaries - From Where?" is dedicated to some of the controversies in the world of missions; such as western vs. indigenous missionaries, funding, insensitivity, redeployment, etc..
He believes that there should be Western missionaries in certain areas and indigenous missionaries in others. He believes in redeployment and in paying missionaries for missionary work (instead of having tent-makers). In fact, he belives it's poor stewardship to have a missionary doing a menial job that a non-Christian could be doing when they could be using their time to spread the gospel.
Verwer may be confident about a missions strategy; but he's also grace-based and warns against getting too "extreme" on this topic. As an example, he says that Brazil (which he predicts will be sending missionaries around the world by 2025) is a place that doesn't need Westerners; but suggests that if someone is having success there, that they stay - following the principle of spiritual expediency.
Chapter 6 is about funding - I'll be honest, I just skimmed over this chapter. But in the chapter before, I know he talks about the stewardship principle and the fact that a preacher/evangelist is worthy of a wage.
And the last chapter is called "Acts 13 Breakthrough" - he outlines what exactly he thinks needs to be done in missions in this new millinium. He includes numbers that are very informative and makes a plea for 200,000 new missionaries.
All in all, I think it was an excellent book. Great about missions, great about leadership and evangelism too.
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