In leading a church into mission it helps to have a collection of books to share with your leadership team to they can understand what needs to be done. Here are some suggestions of good books to start with.
“Taking Every Opportunity – Conversations About Jesus” principally addresses the practicalities of Evangelism. “Preaching the Gospel Necessarily Includes Words” is a more academic essay defending that vital point in the context of Evangelism in Post-Modern Britain. “Prepared to Answer” is the course I am presenting to NSBC to enable Christians to talk about Jesus and explain their faith more intelligently, confidently and boldly. You may freely share and copy all of these materials with others, and any of these “42 Great Outreach Ideas”, provided you do not claim authorship for yourself. The Bibliographies from those three papers list the relevant books I have engaged with during 2015. These are followed by earlier reading which has shaped my thinking in related areas.
Idea15 includes a list of other books for Christians to read or to pass on to not yet Christians addressing some of the important questions about faith and spirituality which may come up in conversations.
Taking Every Opportunity – Conversations About Jesus – Bibliography
William Abraham The Logic of Evangelism Hodder 1989
Karl Barth Dogmatics in Outline Harper and Rowe 1959
Mike Booker and Mark Ireland Evangelism Which Way Now Church House 2003
Walter Brueggemann Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism Abingdon Press 1993
Mark Cartledge Testimony Its importance, place and potential Grove Renewal 9 2002
Tim Chester Mission Matters IVP 2015
Stephen Cottrell From the Abundance of the Heart DLT 2006
Stephen Croft (editor) Evangelism in a Spiritual Age Church House Publishing 2005
Evangelical Alliance, Church of England and Hope Together Talking Jesus www.talkingjesus.org
John Finney Finding Faith Today BFBS 1992
Mark Galli “Speak the Gospel Use deeds when necessary.” Christianity Today May 21, 2009
Pete Gilbert Kiss and Tell Evangelism as a Lifestyle CWR 2003
Michael Gorman Becoming the Gospel Paul, Participation and Mission Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 2015
Michael Green Evangelism now and then IVP 1979
Michael Green Evangelism Through the Local Church Hodder 1990
Michael Green You must be joking Hodder 1976
Steve Hollinghurst, Mission shaped Evangelism Canterbury Press 2010
Andrew Kirk Mission Under Scrutiny DLT 2006
Stuart Murray Post-Christendom Peternoster 2004
Pope Paul VI Evangelii Nuntiandi (encyclical on evangelization) 1974
Chris Radley Message on a Shoestring MARC Europe 1986
Share Jesus International Sharing Jesus 2014 at www.sharejesusinternational.com
Nick Spencer Beyond the Fringe Researching a Spiritual Age Cliff College Publishing/LICC 2005
Emily Stimpson Blog at http://www.catholicvote.org/pope-francis-and-st-francis-preach-the-gospel-always-and-for-the-love-of-god-use-words/
Laurence Singlehurst Sowing, Reaping, Keeping: People-sensitive Evangelism IVP 2006
Elmer Thiessen The Ethics of Evangelism Peternoster 2011
Preaching the Gospel Necessarily Includes Words – Bibliography
William Abraham The Logic of Evangelism Hodder 1989
Karl Barth Dogmatics in Outline Harper and Rowe 1959
Mike Booker and Mark Ireland Evangelism Which Way Now Church House 2003
Walter Brueggemann Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism Abingdon Press 1993
Tim Chester Mission Matters IVP 2015
Stephen Cottrell From the Abundance of the Heart DLT 2006
Stephen Croft (editor) Evangelism in a Spiritual Age Church House Publishing 2005
Mark Galli “Speak the Gospel Use deeds when necessary.” Christianity Today May 21, 2009
Pete Gilbert Kiss and Tell Evangelism as a Lifestyle CWR 2003
Michael Gorman Becoming the Gospel Paul, Participation and Mission Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 2015
Michael Green Evangelism now and then IVP 1979
Michael Green Evangelism Through the Local Church Hodder 1990
Steve Hollinghurst, Mission shaped Evangelism Canterbury Press 2010
Andrew Kirk Mission Under Scrutiny DLT 2006
Stuart Murray Post-Christendom Peternoster 2004
Elmer Thiessen The Ethics of Evangelism Peternoster 2011
Prepared to Answer – Bibliography
Mike Booker and Mark Ireland Evangelism Which Way Now Church House 2003
Walter Brueggemann Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism Abingdon Press 1993
Mark Cartledge Testimony Its Importance Place and Potential Grove Renewal 9 2002
Stephen Croft (editor) Evangelism in a Spiritual Age Church House Publishing 2005
Chris Duffet and Simon Goddard Big Hearted Gilead Books 2012
Pete Gilbert Kiss and Tell Evangelism as a Lifestyle CWR 2003
Michael Green You Must Be Joking Hodder 1976
Michael Green Evangelism now and then IVP 1979
Michael Green Evangelism through the local church Hodder 1990
Steve Hollinghurst Mission Shaped Evangelism Canterbury Press 2010
Bill Hybels Becoming a Contagious Christian Zondervan 1994
Andrew Kirk Mission Under Scrutiny DLT 2006
Steve Legg The A-Z of Evangelism Hodder 2002
Mark A. Paustian Prepared To Answer – Telling the Greatest Story Ever Told (Northwestern Publishing House 2004) with a companion volume More Prepared to Answer 2004
Rebecca Manley Pippert Out of the Saltshaker IVP 1979
Janice Price Telling our faith story Grove Evangelism 85, 1999 revised 2009
Lawrence Singlehurst The Gospel Message Today Grove Evangelism 100
Tim Sumpter Evangelistening Grove Evangelism 96 2011
Elmer Thiessen The Ethics of Evangelism Paternoster 2011
David Watson I believe in Evangelism Hodder 1976 Omnibus edition 1984
Hope the Heartbeat of Mission Hope08 Ltd 2013
Sharing Jesus from www.sharejesusinternational.com
The following books have also shaped my thinking on Mission, Outreach, Evangelism and Church Life over the years.
The Changing World And Our Response To It
Post-Christendom Stuart Murray-Williams (Paternoster 2004)
Faith in Suburbia Jane Gibbs (Grove Booklets P95, 2003) just 26 pages – essential reading!
The Gravedigger File Os Guinness (Hodder 1983)
The Shaping of Things to Come Frost and Hirsch (Hendrickson 2003)
After McDonaldiszation John Drane (DLT 2008)
Beyond the Fringe Nick Spencer (LICC 2005)
Foolishness to the Greeks Lesslie Newbigin (Eerdmans 1986)
Preaching In A Post-Modern World
Starting a Seeker-Sensitive Service Ed Dobson (Zondervan/Scripture Press 1992)
360 Degree Preaching Michael Quicke (Paternoster 2003)
Preaching to a Post-Modern World Graham Johnston (IVP 2001)
Confessing Jesus Christ – Preaching in a Post-Modern World David Lose (Eerdmans 2003)
Church Life
And now let’s move into a time of nonsense Nick Page (Authentic Media 2004)
Leadership Philip Greenslade (CWR 1984, 2002)
The Seven Last Words of the Church Ralph Neighbour (Broadman, 1973)
Transform your church Paul Beasley-Murray (IVP 2005)
I believe in the Church David Watson (Hodder Omnibus 1989)
Dynamic Leadership Paul Beasley-Murray (MARC Europe 1990)
Turning the Tide Paul Beasley-Murray and Alan Wilkinson (Bible Society 1981)
Church Growth And Church Planting
Growing Plans Lyle Schaller (Abingdon 1983)
I Believe in Church Growth Eddie Gibbs (Hodder, 1981)
Starting a Seeker-Sensitive Service Ed Dobson (Zondervan/Scripture Press 1992)
Local Church Planting Peter Nodding (Marshall Pickering, 1994)
Radical Church Planting Roger Ellis and Roger Mitchell (Crossway, Cambridge 1992)
Ten Growing Churches ed. Eddie Gibbs (MARC Europe, 1984)
How Do Churches Grow? Roy Pointer (MARC Europe, 1984)
Leading Your Church To Growth C. Peter Wagner (MARC Europe, 1984)
Emerging Church
Mission-shaped Church (Church House Publishing 2004)
Emerging Churches Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger (SPCK 2006)
The Emerging Church Dan Kimball (Zondervan 2003)