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What are the best books on evangelism?

Often our staff or students ask my recommendations for books about God, the Bible, and ministry. Below is a list of recommended books compiled by cru (aka Campus Crusade for Christ) for our staff training curriculum. I will add a few personal comments and recommendations as well. Please comment if you have read any of these or have another book you recommend and why.

Books on Evangelism:

  • Bright, Bill;  Witnessing Without Fear
    • Trent says, "I have read this but it has been a while. Bill Bright is inspirational and exemplary when it comes to sharing your faith. If you are not sure about this, look for his condensed version, The Joy of Sharing Jesus
  • Carson, D. A. (ed.); Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns 
    • I have not read this, but have read other works by Carson and have attended his seminary lectures. He is an excellent teacher overall and is one the key leaders in the Gospel Coalition.
  • Coleman, Robert; The Master Plan of Evangelism
    • This is a classic - but be warned, it is actually a book about multiplying discipleship which is the Master's plan for evangelism.  
  • Downs, Tim; Finding Common Ground
    • This is one of my favorites. Downs gives a compelling case for evangelism that is both relational and intentional. A great read for ministry leaders. Bill Boldt, Campus Director for cru at Auburn University (my alma mater, War Eagle!), often refers to this book and recommends it as well. We use a lot of the principles in Finding Common Ground in the design of our Greek ministry at Tech.
  • Green, Michael; Evangelism in the Early Church
    • I have not read this book. But, I think Green is a British Evangelical which means he probably knows a lot about holding on to the gospel in a challenging environment.
  • Hybels, Bill; Becoming a Contagious Christian
    • This is a good book about relational evangelism. One of the best features of this book is the guidance it gives for developing your personal style of evangelism. I also like Hybel's simple, clear gospel summary, "Do vs. Done."
  • McCloskey, Mark; Tell it Often, Tell it Well
    • A Campus Crusade author, thorough and clear, good book.
  • Newman, Randy; Questioning Evangelism
    • Another favorite - this book combines relational evangelism with clever apologetic methods that all of us can use.
 









  • O'Brien, P.T.; Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul: An Exegetical and Theological Analysis
    • Sounds solid, but have not read it... this must have been added to cru's list recently.
  • Sweet, Leonard; Soul Tsunami
    • Sweet was called a futurist a while back. I have not read this either.
Now a couple more not on cru's list but definitely on mine:

1. JI Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
I love essentially everything that Packer has written. He always points you to scripture and reasons with a warm heart for the Lord. This book does a great job showing how the promises of God's control over evangelism actually help rather than hinder our engagement in praying reaching out.


2. Outgrowing the Ingrown Church by  Jack Miller 
This book is not just about evangelism, but rather total renewal of life and ministry. It is particularly a wonderful challenge to ministers to renew their faith in Christ and the Gospel so that they overflow with love and power to reach the lost in their community. 


Have you read any of these titles? What did you think? What others would you add to your own list and why? 

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