Evangelism Through the Local Church: A Comprehensive Guide to All Aspects of Evangelism

by Michael Green

Michael Green draws from a lifetime's experience in this seminal work on the theory and practice of evangelism. The best means of communicating effectively the good news of Christ is through the local church, he contends. He seeks here to stimulate vision and remove the hang-ups which so often accompany the very mention of evangelism.

Genres: Evangelism, Church, Christian, Church Ministry

606 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1992

About the author

Edward Michael Bankes Green, known as Michael Green, was a British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He served as the Canon Missioner of Holy Trinity Church in Raleigh, North Carolina through 2007.

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because it is one of two book Keller raves about constantly.

I did not read this cover to cover. I own the updated edition; the subtitle is very clear that this is "A Comprehensive Guide to All Aspects of Evangelism." This book is very much a guide and utilized as a guide. I think this can be a vital tool for those stepping into any form of pioneer ministry, whether that be domestic church planting or going abroad to the unreached.
Chapters 1-5 are fantastic for gaining a biblical view of evangelism, the necessity of the local church, the issue of pluralism, etc. This first section of the book is worth careful reading and the price you pay. In the middle portion of the book, part 2, Green has basic apologetics arguments and guides for communicating with skeptics, atheists, and agnostics. It is a helpful primer for those with no background in apologetics. It can also help people review some steps in communicating irenically with those who can be hostile. Part 3 discusses different aspects of church-based evangelism. I think one can pick and choose from this section for whatever is helpful to them. Green also includes several appendices that outline step by step how to plan for various outreach activities.

[Jeff Noble]

Evangelism Through the Local Church by Michael Green (?)

[Frank Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book decades ago, and because of its large size avoided it. This ended up being a mistake; I could have benefited from it greatly had I read it earlier. The topic – evangelism is one that I recognise the importance of while feeling personally inept. Since the author was one of the most talented in this area that I had ever met, I wondered if the book would end up being entirely depressing. It was not.

The first half of the book was a background to evangelism, covering basic theology (truth about God), and a wonderful selection of apologetics. This in itself was worth reading. The second half of the book was discussing evangelism, and was (unfortunately) mostly depressing, but not for the reasons I expected. The author was writing from the perspective of a country with a significant evangelical presence where churches would be large, prominent and with large amounts of resources. I haven’t lived in that type of environment for almost 20 years, so it was depressing to see how the authors advice and suggestions do not fit my context. Thankfully, there was a small section where the author provided advice to people like me, so he did a good job covering multiple cultural situations.

[James Bunyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading it and the author’s voice comes through really clearly. Passionate, engaging and clear.

Hard to know how useful it is for helping local churches change their culture and how much applies only to individuals. It is also quite heavy on advocating a certain program, one that perhaps may not translate universally.

But, let’s face it, this guy was a gift to the Church!

[William Bowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Green’s, Evangelism Through the Local Church, is a landmark text in the world of Evangelism. Practical and accessible, Green not only walks his readers through the basics of “What is Evangelism?”, but also provides church leaders with ample resources for applying his methods in their churches.