Green, Sharing Your Faith With Friends and Family

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Michael Green, Sharing Your Faith With Friends and Family: Talking about Jesus Without Offending. Baker Books, 2005.

Referenced in: Approaches to Evangelism – Missionally Responsive/Evangelical

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

This comes from the same author as the modern classic, Evangelism in the Early Church, and other volumes such as these:

In this volume, Green very practically addresses how to have evangelistic conversations with those we are especially close to, which is more difficult than discussions with acquaintances or those we do not know. Green marshals his seasoned scholarship and keen awareness of the postmodern cultural context.

Nine chapters convey a process one may follow in these evangelistic discussions:

Getting Motivated – essential for any endeavor
Building Bridges – a postmodern way to communicate
Starting the Conversation – essential for meaningful dialog
Knowing the Good News – do your homework, be prepared
Becoming the Midwife – ultimately God does the real work
Handling the Responses – this chapter needs more depth
Offering the Aftercare – Green says emphasize this more
Avoiding the Mistakes – based on Green’s lifetime experience
God the Evangelist – don’t leave God out!

Discussion questions are provided at the end of each chapter. This book is very well-written, easy to read, and practical.

Green is strong in helping readers turn everyday conversations into evangelistic opportunities. The book is not as strong in how to deal with objections and answering questions of skeptics.

From the Publisher

Any Christian can talk about the Good News to a friend. Evangelism has even become a regular topic of conversation in religious circles. Furthermore, studies show that people who come to faith are more influenced by friends or family than anyone else. But still, there is surprisingly little action. So if we want to spread the word, we need to start talking!

Here is the help that ordinary, everyday Christians are looking for. Sharing Your Faith with Friends and Family is an easy-to-read, practical guide for any Christian who wants to know more about spreading the word. Green shares useful advice on how to talk about Christ to those closest to us and offers answers and fulfillment to our current culture’s questions and needs.

Back Cover

You don’t want to say something that would offend your father, yet you care deeply about his need for a savior. You don’t want your friend to think you’re pushy, but you realize how vital this decision is for her. You’re aware that an overwhelming majority of people come to Christ through their friendships with committed Christians, but you still struggle with how to share your faith with those close to you. In Sharing Your Faith with Friends and Family, Oxford scholar and evangelist Michael Green shows you how to approach and talk naturally with your friends about faith and God. Here you’ll gain a wealth of practical insights, from starting the conversation and presenting the gospel message to avoiding mistakes and handling common responses. Most importantly, Green shows how introducing a friend or relative to Christ is the most worthwhile and fulfilling ministry a Christian can have.

About the Author

Michael Green, one of the world’s leading evangelists, is currently Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford, England. Prior to that he has been Principal of St. John’s College in Nottingham, Rector of St. Aldate’s Church in Oxford, Professor of Evangelism at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Senior Advisor of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York on Evangelism. In addition to teaching at Wycliffe, he maintains a world-wide speaking and writing ministry.

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