John Piper and David Mathis, Finish the Mission: Bringing the Gospel to the Unreached and Unengaged. Crossway, 2012. Referenced in: Evangelism, Theology & Practice, Evangelical Theology of Mission, Evangelical LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is the published version of sessions from the 2011 Desiring God National Conference. It is a strong evangelical affirmation of the Great Commission
Henry G. Brinton, The Welcoming Congregation: Roots and Fruits of Christian Hospitality. Westminster John Knox Press, 2012. Referenced in: Greeting, Church Welcome, New Members Evangelism, Strategies LifeandLeadership.com Summary This volume shares the results of the author’s study of churches that are reputably hospitable, both in the U.S. and abroad: Iona Community in Scotland, Saddleback Church
Ross Barnett, Editor, Discovering the Mission of God: Best Missional Practices for the 21st Century. IVP Academic, 2012. Referenced in: Theology of Mission, Missionally Responsive/Evangelical LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is an exhaustive, substantive theology of mission from conservative evangelical scholars. Most of the authors live and work cross-culturally, with half of them still field-based. It covers
Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Crossway Books, 2011. Referenced in: Theology of Mission Evangelism, Theology and Practice Social Ministry, Theological & Philosophical Foundations LifeandLeadership.com Summary This comes from the authors of popular contra-emergent books such as Why We’re
Stephen Pate and Gene Wilkes, Evangelism Where You Live: Engaging Your Community (TCP Leadership Series). Chalice Press, 2008. Referenced in: Evangelism – Guides to Practice LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is an excellent description of Community-Based Servant Evangelism (CBSE), which is about “living out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in our network of relationships in
David A. Livermore, Cultural Intelligence: Improving Your CQ to Engage Our Multicultural World. Baker Academic, 2009. Referenced in: Guides to the Practice of Evangelism LifeandLeadership.com Summary One of Livermore’s purposes is to “draw from some of the most helpful material written for the missionary audience [on cross-cultural ministry] and apply it to ministry leaders working
Frances Adeney, Graceful Evangelism: Christian Witness in a Complex World. Baker Academic, 2010. Referenced in: Theology and Practice of Evangelism LifeandLeadership.com Summary This is a balanced look at the nature and practice of evangelism. Adeney begins by surveying definitions of evangelism, both the official definitions of church councils and denominations as well as ones that
George G. Hunter, III, Radical Outreach: How Christianity Can Reach the West…Again. Abingdon Press, 2000. Referenced in: Evangelism Approaches – Missional LifeandLeadership.com Summary This builds on the Celtic Way of Evangelism, discussing the mission drift of churches in America and Western culture generally, and compares/contrasts this to the apostolic emphasis on evangelism. In many ways,
Miroslav Volf, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve Common Good. Brazos Press, 2011. Referenced in: Evangelism in Contemporary Culture – Special Challenges LifeandLeadership.com Summary Volf offers a theological perspective on how Christians may interact in a pluralistic society (religious, political, philosophical, ethnic, etc.) by civil discussion and cooperative action for the public
Soong-Chan Rah, The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity. IVP Books, 2009. Referenced in: Theology of Mission, Localized Theologies LifeandLeadership.com Summary Though not written specifically for this purpose, The Next Evangelicalism is a great companion volume to Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom. Jenkins looks at how global shifts have moved “Christendom” to
