Evangelism Explosion

by D. James Kennedy

Evangelism doesn’t have to be intimidating―discover a practical method for building genuine relationships and asking important faith questions.

Churches will learn a biblically based method for sharing the Gospel along with motivating “on-the-job” training on how to share Christ and disciple new believers. This expanded fourth edition features a new section on friendship evangelism and how to build a vision for worldwide discipline. Through this book, churches will experience what can take place when its leaders and members take seriously the command of Christ to equip the saints to do the work of ministry.

A trusted resource for evangelism and discipleship, this book

Tested methods for recruiting and training the average church memberScripts so you feel confident bringing up spiritual topics like eternal life, sin, and salvation in conversationsGuidance on sharing your testimony effectivelyAnswers to common objections about God and Christianity
Evangelism Explosion gives churches the tools they need to take Jesus’ words seriously and “go and make disciples” in their neighborhoods, communities, and throughout the world.

Genres: Evangelism, Christian, Theology, Religion

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Dennis James Kennedy was an American Presbyterian pastor, evangelist, Christian broadcaster, and author. He was the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 1960 until his death in 2007. Kennedy also founded Evangelism Explosion International, Coral Ridge Ministries (now known as D. James Kennedy Ministries), the Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, the Knox Theological Seminary, radio station WAFG-FM, and the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, a socially conservative political group.
In 1974, he began Coral Ridge Ministries, which produced his weekly religious television program, The Coral Ridge Hour, carried on various networks and syndicated on numerous other stations with a peak audience of three million viewers in 200 countries. He also had a daily radio program, Truths That Transform, from 1984 on. During his lifetime, Coral Ridge Ministries grew to a US$37-million-a-year non-profit corporation.
In 2005, the National Religious Broadcasters association inducted Kennedy into its Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Charles van Buren]

Have you ever wanted to share the Gospel but felt inadequate to do so? The Evangelism Explosion book and program will help you build confidence in your ability to talk about Jesus to other people including strangers. Some would call this a canned approach to evangelism and I have heard criticism of the program based upon that complaint. I do not find the description or criticism to be valid. Peter tells us to stand ready to defend our faith. How can you be ready if you don't study and learn scripture? The program includes such things as common objections and the general lack of understanding about how one is actually saved. When participating in the program I learned that many who consider themselves Christian can not explain what the Bible teaches about salvation. When we went into the field, we learned the truth of that for ourselves. Sometimes those who are Christians, caught off guard, stumble over the answer but it is generally pretty easy to separate them from those who truly don't have a clue. I was really surprised at how many people answered with some variation of I try to live a good life. I've never killed anybody.

The book and the program are biblically based and recognize the key roles of scripture, prayer and the Holy Spirit in witnessing.

[Tim Hayes]

Good clear way to present Gospel

[Patrick]

Good book on evangelism. The thesis of the book is that having regular church members or "laymen" evangelize is how Christians can most effectively spread the Good News. Some of the information is out of date because the program was originally created in the 1960s, but most of it is still relevant and meaningful. This is a great choice for someone who wants something that's old school.

[Chris Wozny]

Very practical and convicting to get you off the sidelines.

[Cheryl]

Until I read this book, Christianity seemed to me to be a passive activity. Something that I didn't have to "DO" but just "ABSORB". I went to church because my parents drove me there. I joined the youth choir because there were other teenagers in choir I liked to spend time wit. I thought it was a good idea to become a Christian because it required very little effort or commitment on my part and if by chance, it was true that a personal relationship with Christ through faith was really important in order to spend eternity in heaven, I would be wise to make this decision. It was like buying insurance for free. It wasn't until I read this book, that I realized there is something I could and should be doing with this treasure called faith, while I was here living out my days on earth. Life changing. Highly recommend.

[Sandra]

The title states this is a book to "equip churches for friendship, evangelish, discipleship, and healthy growth." The book reads like a Church 101 book. It may be helpful for someone new to the church and/or someone who will be starting in adult Sunday School classes. It would help someone understand the steps to running a class --warmup, breaking the ice, conversations, overcoming objections, etc.

[Matt]

This book felt like a sales manual. I would not recommend using this approach to share one's faith.

[Dustin Stringer]

great book for reaching campuses