This was a difficult list to put together, there are so many excellent books on evangelism available that it was difficult to narrow them down to just ten recommendations. I have tried to include a variety of books that cover different areas of the theology and practice of evangelism. biographies of evangelists, books on the gospel itself, evangelistic books/tracts, and volumes covering specific areas of evangelistic practice, such as apologetics, will get their own lists in the future, so what follows here are ten* great books (without no particular order) specifically about evangelism itself.
stay salty – rebecca manley pippert
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how to revive evangelism – craig springer
craig springer is the director of alpha usa, and in this brilliant resource he combines his own and others’ experiences and learnings from alpha with up-to-date research from barna on attitudes toward christianity and evangelism of those inside and outside of alpha. church. With research conducted in the United States, the application is biased to that mission field, but the general gist of the findings are applicable beyond US borders and make for informed, practice-changing, and practical reading. an excellent and timely resource.
evangelism as exiles – elliot clark
another book that is written with the us. uu. as its application context, but which is still applicable wherever you are reading it. Here, Elliot Clark combines his own experiences on the mission field with an extensive and faithful study of the scriptures (with 1 Peter as the overall focus) to reflect on the cost of being faithful witnesses to the gospel while reassuring readers about the hope we have. -both future and present- in our king. Equally challenging and inspiring, this book will help readers faithfully live and proclaim the gospel as “strangers in our own land.”
the logic of evangelism – william j. abraham
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This book was a game changer, the first serious and yet popular (sort of) level theological reflection on evangelism. Written in 1989, it still stands today as a seminal work for furthering discussion about what evangelism is, particularly in light of the kingdom of God. it’s heavy but not inaccessible, and anyone who wants to look at evangelism with a more serious theological eye would do well to start here.
bearer of history – phil knox
phil is an excellent communicator and it turns out that his verbal skills translate perfectly on the page. the bearer of history is a delight to read, not only because it is so well written, but because it encourages readers to bring god’s story, our story, our friends’ story, and culture’s story into a collision that it will impact the evangelism of the whole church in profound ways. this is a great book to give to people who think evangelism is for the preaching evangelist because it encourages an approach that can truly be outdone by anyone and continually reaffirms that those who have a friendship with a not yet jesus follower are almost always the best positioned to embark on a journey with them to him.
the master plan of evangelism – robert coleman
In this absolute classic, Robert Coleman explores Jesus’ own method of evangelism, which was to engage his disciples in such a way that they became the bearers of the message about his life, ministry, death, resurrection, and return. Robert Coleman reveals the biblical reality that the master plan of evangelism (in practice and outcome) is, spoiler alert, discipleship.
models of evangelism – priscilla pope-levinson
a relatively recent but long-overdue book that explores theologically and practically eight different models of evangelistic practice, from interpersonal conversations to platform preaching, online participation, and religious services. papa-levinson has done us a real service by deepening our thinking about the diversity of evangelistic method that finds its unity in the truth of the gospel proclaimed and the power of the spirit for the task. speaking of method, this is probably as good a place as anywhere to give a little nod to another classic, john wimber’s power evangelism, which explores the holy spirit in evangelism both as a model (signs and wonders) and as an ingredient essential in any effective testimonial.
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the scandal of evangelism – elmer john thiessen
a more accessible treatment of the same material that thiessen presented in his earlier work the ethics of evangelism. Here Thiessen presents a biblical and cultural analysis of the ethics of Christian proselytism before offering in the second half of the book plenty of practical advice on how to bring the good news to the world in a “good” way. if she’s worried about objections to evangelism conceptually or in practice, this is an excellent (if not always easy) read.
if jesus is the answer, what is the question? -benjack
It feels a little selfish to put one of my own books on the list, but truth be told, I don’t know of anything that does exactly what I set out to do in this little volume, so here we are. (although randy newman’s excellent questioning evangelism is in a similar zip code and highly recommended). if you are looking for something short, highly practical, and focused on turning ordinary daily conversations into extraordinary gospel opportunities (through the use of simple questions: five for us to use in preparation before testifying, five as models for our witness in practice) , then I’m sure this will help you (or your money back!**)
how to climb everest – kami rita sherpa
okay, this is the curve ball (every list needs one). This delightful little book, easy to read in 30 minutes, explains some of the process and effort involved in climbing Everest, written by the man who has climbed it more than anyone else in history. so why is this included in a list of books on evangelism? well when i first read it i couldn’t help but see so many parallels with sharing faith in our world and i’ve been using it ever since to get people to think creatively about evangelism, the joys, the challenges, the heights and minimal if you’re looking for something totally non-threatening (and highly engaging) to use as an evangelism conversation starter, then with a little creativity and preparation, this works as an unexpected but thought-provoking entry point. With this in mind, there are likely other prompts you can use in a similar way, so get creative, especially with those who might otherwise put off reading or talking about evangelism.
honorable mention: i believe in evangelism – david watson
David Watson’s brilliant little volume on evangelism is sadly out of print (and has been since the mid-1990s). A couple of years ago I tried (and have so far failed) to get a new edition ordered because, for my money, it’s still the best one-volume look at evangelism. david watson had a great gift for distilling rich truth into accessible and applicable teaching, and while some of it is a bit dated now, the approach to the subject, the range of content it covers, and the clarity it provides are so good that i yet to this day I have never read a book that explores evangelism in such a holistic, biblical, succinct, and accessible way. luckily you can still get your hands on second-hand copies of this gem (usually cheap too) and I’d definitely recommend you do, at least until the tide. stick with us until we can get that beautiful new edition out one day!
* I’ve technically included fourteen books here, but I told you it was hard to narrow it down! ** the publisher isn’t interested in this offer, so if the book doesn’t help, the best I can do is a rueful nod and a promise to try harder next time.
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