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Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others
Contagious Faith will prepare you to share God's love with others in a way that's authentic, comfortable, and impactful. As disciples of Christ, we are called to share the gospel, but few of us are naturally comfortable with evangelism. We wrestle with internal fears, a lack of preparation, and the sense that reaching out to others might force us to act like someone we're not. What if we could find a way to talk about Jesus that fits our personalities, makes us feel confident, and ignites a fire in others? In Contagious Faith , bestselling author and teacher Mark Mittelberg introduces five approaches to evangelism and helps you determine which of them fit best with your unique personality and He also explains in a down-to-earth fashion several key skills that will help you talk about Jesus effectively, illustrating his message with real-life accounts of ordinary believers who applied these principles for extraordinary impact. With inspiring stories, fresh approaches, and timeless biblical wisdom, Contagious Faith will equip you to make a spiritual impact in the lives of the people around you—even in our increasingly resistant culture.
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 5, 2021
84 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Mark Mittelberg
51 books23 followersMark Mittelberg is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and a leading strategist in evangelism and apologetics-oriented outreach. He is the primary author (with Lee Strobel and Bill Hybels) of the updated Becoming a Contagious Christian Training Course, through which more than a million people have learned to effectively and naturally communicate their faith to others. Mark’s newest book, The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask, is based on a survey of 1000 Christians commissioned through the Barna organization, and deals with the ten issues that believers most want to avoid—but must not! Prior to that Mark collaborated with Lee Strobel to develop The Unexpected Adventure, a six-week devotional designed to inspire Christians and churches to enter into the excitement of sharing Christ. His previous book, Choosing Your Faith ... In a World of Spiritual Options, strengthens the faith of believers and is a great resource to give to friends who are figuring out what to believe — and he’s developed a DVD study course for Christians based on that book, Faith Path: Helping Friends Find Their Way to Christ. Mark also wrote the articles for the Choosing Your Faith New Testament. His other books include the updated Becoming a Contagious Church, which sets forth an innovative blueprint for mobilizing churches for evangelism, and the classic best-seller Becoming a Contagious Christian, which he co-authored with Hybels. In addition, Mark was contributing editor for The Journey: A Bible for the Spiritually Curious, and a contributor to Reasons for Faith: Making a Case for the Christian Faith, edited by Norman Geisler and Chad Meister, and God Is Great, God Is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable & Responsible, edited by William Lane Craig and Chad Meister — which won the 2010 Christianity Today award for best book in the area of apologetics and evangelism. Mark was the evangelism director at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago for seven years and for the Willow Creek Association for a decade. He is a frequent contributor for Outreach magazine, and he was an editorial consultant and periodic guest for Lee Strobel’s Faith Under Fire television show. He and Strobel have been ministry partners for over twenty years. After receiving an undergraduate degree in business, Mark earned a Master's Degree in Philosophy of Religion from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. In recognition of his achievements in the areas of evangelism and apologetics, he was recently honored by the conferring of a Doctor of Divinity degree from Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mark and his wife, Heidi, have two teenage children, and live near Denver, Colorado.
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October 5, 2021
Many Christians feel ambivalence about evangelism. On the one hand, Jesus’ good news has captured their hearts, so they want to share it. On the other hand, they are unsure how to do so.
This uncertainty often arises because they have a mental picture of how to share their faith. Perhaps their church trained them in a specific evangelistic method, such as Evangelism Explosion or The Four Spiritual Laws. Such methods can be helpful and have resulted in people coming to faith. Unfortunately, method-based conversations can also feel forced and inauthentic.
Mark Mittelberg discovered this the hard way several decades ago when he and his wife Heidi traveled to England. Partnering with a local ministry, they knocked on doors, hoping to strike up scripted spiritual conversations. That didn’t go well. On hearing their American accents, one lady even said, “Why don’t you go home and pester people in your own country?”
The solution to forced, inauthentic conversations is natural, authentic ones. The central insight of Contagious Faith is that there are “a variety of natural approaches we can take to reach the people around us — things we can say and do that fit our own God-given personalities.” Mittelberg goes on to identify five “contagious faith styles” in particular.
The first is “Friendship-Building.” It focuses on “extending hospitality to others.” Mittelberg says that rather than being “cause-driven or issue-oriented,” friendship builders are “relationship-oriented, with their natural focus being on individuals and their needs.”
“Selfless-Serving” is the second style. Selfless servers are “naturally attuned to the needs of the people around them, and they find delight in meeting those needs.” This style overlaps with the first in that both addresses peoples’ needs, but the emphasis is different. The first style focuses on the person, while the second emphasizes the need.
Have you ever met someone who has a compelling testimony of salvation or healing? According to Mittleberg, they illustrate a third evangelistic style: “Story-Sharing.” He writes that story tellers are “skilled (or can become skilled) at articulating the details of their experiences with God and his grace.”
“Reason-Giving” is the fourth style. This is the style I resonate with, and it is Mittelberg’s own, too. “Some of just have to know!” he writes. “And when we interact with others, we’re generally more concerned about what they think and why they think it, than about how they feel about things.”
The final style is “Truth-Telling.” Mittelberg describes truth tellers as “bold, confident, and direct. They’re effective at getting to the point and bringing truth to bear in a variety of situations.” My mind raced to fire-and-brimstone street preachers when I read this, but they aren’t who Mittelberg has in mind. Instead, truth tellers are people who tell you the right thing — even the hard thing — at the moment you most need to hear it.
The danger in describing personality-based evangelistic styles is that people may excuse themselves from sharing their faith in situations that don’t jibe well with their personality. For example, reason givers might excuse themselves from selfless service because the person’s need doesn’t center on ideas. Or friendship builders might shy away from truth telling because it’s relationally uncomfortable.
Mittelberg recognizes this danger and includes a section on “Key Skills for Every Christian” at the end of each chapter. Reason givers need to serve selflessly, and vice versa. Friendship builders need to tell hard truths, and vice versa. Everyone needs to be prepared to share their story.
Still, it is encouraging to know that God made your personality, so He can use you as you are to share the gospel. Evangelism doesn’t have to be forced or inauthentic. It can come naturally to you.
I recommend Contagious Faith to pastors and church members alike. I read the book alone, but it might be more useful to read the book as a Sunday school class, small group, or book club. Mittelberg describes evangelism as a “team activity,” after all. As such, “we can each play a unique role (or several roles) in the divine effort God is directing to bring people into his family.”
However we do it, then, let’s share the good news!
Book Reviewed
Mark Mittelberg, Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2021).
P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.
P.P.S. This review is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.
This uncertainty often arises because they have a mental picture of how to share their faith. Perhaps their church trained them in a specific evangelistic method, such as Evangelism Explosion or The Four Spiritual Laws. Such methods can be helpful and have resulted in people coming to faith. Unfortunately, method-based conversations can also feel forced and inauthentic.
Mark Mittelberg discovered this the hard way several decades ago when he and his wife Heidi traveled to England. Partnering with a local ministry, they knocked on doors, hoping to strike up scripted spiritual conversations. That didn’t go well. On hearing their American accents, one lady even said, “Why don’t you go home and pester people in your own country?”
The solution to forced, inauthentic conversations is natural, authentic ones. The central insight of Contagious Faith is that there are “a variety of natural approaches we can take to reach the people around us — things we can say and do that fit our own God-given personalities.” Mittelberg goes on to identify five “contagious faith styles” in particular.
The first is “Friendship-Building.” It focuses on “extending hospitality to others.” Mittelberg says that rather than being “cause-driven or issue-oriented,” friendship builders are “relationship-oriented, with their natural focus being on individuals and their needs.”
“Selfless-Serving” is the second style. Selfless servers are “naturally attuned to the needs of the people around them, and they find delight in meeting those needs.” This style overlaps with the first in that both addresses peoples’ needs, but the emphasis is different. The first style focuses on the person, while the second emphasizes the need.
Have you ever met someone who has a compelling testimony of salvation or healing? According to Mittleberg, they illustrate a third evangelistic style: “Story-Sharing.” He writes that story tellers are “skilled (or can become skilled) at articulating the details of their experiences with God and his grace.”
“Reason-Giving” is the fourth style. This is the style I resonate with, and it is Mittelberg’s own, too. “Some of just have to know!” he writes. “And when we interact with others, we’re generally more concerned about what they think and why they think it, than about how they feel about things.”
The final style is “Truth-Telling.” Mittelberg describes truth tellers as “bold, confident, and direct. They’re effective at getting to the point and bringing truth to bear in a variety of situations.” My mind raced to fire-and-brimstone street preachers when I read this, but they aren’t who Mittelberg has in mind. Instead, truth tellers are people who tell you the right thing — even the hard thing — at the moment you most need to hear it.
The danger in describing personality-based evangelistic styles is that people may excuse themselves from sharing their faith in situations that don’t jibe well with their personality. For example, reason givers might excuse themselves from selfless service because the person’s need doesn’t center on ideas. Or friendship builders might shy away from truth telling because it’s relationally uncomfortable.
Mittelberg recognizes this danger and includes a section on “Key Skills for Every Christian” at the end of each chapter. Reason givers need to serve selflessly, and vice versa. Friendship builders need to tell hard truths, and vice versa. Everyone needs to be prepared to share their story.
Still, it is encouraging to know that God made your personality, so He can use you as you are to share the gospel. Evangelism doesn’t have to be forced or inauthentic. It can come naturally to you.
I recommend Contagious Faith to pastors and church members alike. I read the book alone, but it might be more useful to read the book as a Sunday school class, small group, or book club. Mittelberg describes evangelism as a “team activity,” after all. As such, “we can each play a unique role (or several roles) in the divine effort God is directing to bring people into his family.”
However we do it, then, let’s share the good news!
Book Reviewed
Mark Mittelberg, Contagious Faith: Discover Your Natural Style for Sharing Jesus with Others (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2021).
P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.
P.P.S. This review is cross-posted from InfluenceMagazine.com by permission.
November 5, 2021
When, as Lee Strobel puts it, “…one of the world’s leading authorities on how Christians can naturally talk about Jesus in a way that’s winsome and attractive,” writes a new book, I jump on it!
According to my Goodreads “shelf”, I’ve read nearly 50 books on the topic of evangelism, and I can honestly say, Contagious Faith is my new favorite.
As I read all 230 pages of this book, one word seemed to come to mind 230 times. It’s the word: liberating!
So many Christians consider their faith in Jesus worth dying for, but can’t seem to share it with friends who might die without it.
What if it was just a matter of discovering and embracing exactly who God has made you to be, and confidently leveraging that uniqueness to point others toward Jesus with our actions and our words?!
It’s liberating because there’s not just one way to share Jesus. That assumption has been scaring Christians away from sharing Jesus for far too long!
Mittelberg brilliantly presents five faith-sharing styles. I especially liked the template he used in presenting each one. That template includes:
• A story that offers a current example, followed by a biblical example, of someone who thrives in that particular style.
• A situation in which Jesus himself employed that particular style.
• “Key Skills” to help you become effective. Some of my favorites were:
Start and Strengthen Relationships
Initiate Spiritual Conversations
Invite Friends Into Life-Changing Environments
Use Questions to Draw Out Your Friend’s Spiritual Beliefs
Be Prepared to Give Sound Answers and Evidence
Get to the Central Message of the Gospel
Ask People to Respond to the Gospel
• And “Cautions” for each faith-sharing style. For example: “Serve without Conditions.”
After Mitttelberg walks us through the five faith-sharing styles, he then devotes several more chapters in the book to help readers gain confidence in communicating the gospel message.
Finally, he shares a long list of personally curated recommended resources on evangelism, apologetics, and other related opportunities. It’s gold!
Not only will this book help individuals understand their own faith-sharing style, but it will also help us understand the Christians around us. This has profound implications. As we determine not to project our own approach onto other Christians, we will learn to celebrate each person’s God-given uniqueness, and we will learn to work together as a team to have even greater impact!
It excites me to imagine what it will look like when this book is widely circulated.
It can greatly impact your life, your small group, your youth group, your college ministry, your church, and ultimately your relationships and beyond. And by “beyond,” I mean the nations. And generations to come. That’s what can happen when each one of us is faithful with the task God has given us!
According to my Goodreads “shelf”, I’ve read nearly 50 books on the topic of evangelism, and I can honestly say, Contagious Faith is my new favorite.
As I read all 230 pages of this book, one word seemed to come to mind 230 times. It’s the word: liberating!
So many Christians consider their faith in Jesus worth dying for, but can’t seem to share it with friends who might die without it.
What if it was just a matter of discovering and embracing exactly who God has made you to be, and confidently leveraging that uniqueness to point others toward Jesus with our actions and our words?!
It’s liberating because there’s not just one way to share Jesus. That assumption has been scaring Christians away from sharing Jesus for far too long!
Mittelberg brilliantly presents five faith-sharing styles. I especially liked the template he used in presenting each one. That template includes:
• A story that offers a current example, followed by a biblical example, of someone who thrives in that particular style.
• A situation in which Jesus himself employed that particular style.
• “Key Skills” to help you become effective. Some of my favorites were:
Start and Strengthen Relationships
Initiate Spiritual Conversations
Invite Friends Into Life-Changing Environments
Use Questions to Draw Out Your Friend’s Spiritual Beliefs
Be Prepared to Give Sound Answers and Evidence
Get to the Central Message of the Gospel
Ask People to Respond to the Gospel
• And “Cautions” for each faith-sharing style. For example: “Serve without Conditions.”
After Mitttelberg walks us through the five faith-sharing styles, he then devotes several more chapters in the book to help readers gain confidence in communicating the gospel message.
Finally, he shares a long list of personally curated recommended resources on evangelism, apologetics, and other related opportunities. It’s gold!
Not only will this book help individuals understand their own faith-sharing style, but it will also help us understand the Christians around us. This has profound implications. As we determine not to project our own approach onto other Christians, we will learn to celebrate each person’s God-given uniqueness, and we will learn to work together as a team to have even greater impact!
It excites me to imagine what it will look like when this book is widely circulated.
It can greatly impact your life, your small group, your youth group, your college ministry, your church, and ultimately your relationships and beyond. And by “beyond,” I mean the nations. And generations to come. That’s what can happen when each one of us is faithful with the task God has given us!
March 2, 2022
I am glad I found this book! I always thought evangelism was a talent that only few Christians get. Not I know I just have a different style of evangelism. This is very encouraging to me, and as a minister I will use this material to encourage others. Thank you!
April 10, 2025
Find Your Style for Sharing the Gospel
What a great resource! Mark Mittelberg provides a refreshing and motivating way for every believer in Christ to win others—family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers—to the Savior. And the secret? Not everybody does it the same way! But everybody can do it. Mittelberg describes five different styles of communicating to others the gospel that has the power to save. Identifying your personal style is a great step toward putting it to work to bring others to Christ. Of course, knowing the way you can best share your faith will not matter if you don’t put it to use. So, Mittelberg masterfully addresses the issue of risk, and he does so in a most inspiring way. If you’re interested in going beyond the book, Mittelberg has a video training course available as a follow-up. But even if you don’t go through the course, get the book, read it, and then put it to work.
What a great resource! Mark Mittelberg provides a refreshing and motivating way for every believer in Christ to win others—family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers—to the Savior. And the secret? Not everybody does it the same way! But everybody can do it. Mittelberg describes five different styles of communicating to others the gospel that has the power to save. Identifying your personal style is a great step toward putting it to work to bring others to Christ. Of course, knowing the way you can best share your faith will not matter if you don’t put it to use. So, Mittelberg masterfully addresses the issue of risk, and he does so in a most inspiring way. If you’re interested in going beyond the book, Mittelberg has a video training course available as a follow-up. But even if you don’t go through the course, get the book, read it, and then put it to work.
December 2, 2024
I loved the acknowledgement that there are different natural styles of evangelism. Too many times we focus on the greatness of the style that we possess not realizing how discouraging it is when we proclaim that our style is THE style everyone should emulate. This book will help you identify your natural style, ways to use your style, and pitfalls to watch out for. You'll also learn the spiritual benefits of sharing your faith, how to pray more effectively, and the adventure that awaits you as you're called on to share outside of your natural style as well. You'll develop an appreciation for other styles as you learn how these can effectively work together. God has created us on purpose, and it's a beautiful thing for His honor and glory.
March 29, 2025
This book was a fantastic read! The faith sharing styles Mittelburg had written about were well defined, explained and broken down. I really loved that he talked about the skills and how to strengthen whatever style you may have and mentioning things to be cautious of. This book was highly encouraging and comforting in the way that it wasn't just a message of 'get out there and share the gospel', but that he addresses that, yes, you will be scared to step out and talk to people, and sometimes people won't react well or how you hoped. Mittelburg also has plenty of resources that I'm excited to check out at a later time. Overall a really great book!
July 2, 2024
Incredibly practical for the Church today to see the value and diverse evangelistic 'styles' that exist within us as people, which are both inherently natural and strategically developed methods of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to our world- in a way that is genuine and uniting. For each of the five styles listed in Contagious Faith this book has biblical examples, personal stories, practical skill-building steps, and cautions. There is also a separate Contagious Faith small group guide covering the same information in a teachable way with lots of group discussion.
June 27, 2022
Encouraging book on sharing the gospel that matches your personality. My style is a combination of truth telling and reason giving. I felt convicted to do more research on apologetics to help prepare myself to give an answer to some people spiritual questions. I usually avoid disagreements about religion because it can escalate quickly. But that might not always be the case I might be missing the opportunity to share the gospel
March 4, 2022
An excellent, encouraging resource for anyone longing to grow in their ability to readily share “the hope that is within them”. The author walks through five different “natural styles” for sharing Jesus with others and recounts inspiring stories in the adventure of evangelism.
September 13, 2022
Great book
Great book. Well thought out. Great Resource. Highly recommend this book. Styles and approaches explained. You should read this book.
Great book. Well thought out. Great Resource. Highly recommend this book. Styles and approaches explained. You should read this book.
August 22, 2023
Good overview of various types of sharing faith:friendship, truth-telling, reasoning, selfless sacrifice, and storytelling.
May 7, 2024
Highly recommend!
March 28, 2025
great concept, but got too heady. better anecdotal parts than bible study. Audio book is really bad. Reader (author?) is monotone. Couldn't slug through audio. Need dynamic reader.
April 13, 2025
Good book. This book reiterates the need for evangelism and practical ways to approach this need. I specifically liked the story-telling method. The author seems knowledgeable throughout.
September 18, 2025
Helpful for finding your own style of evangelism
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews