Book Review: Soul Winning by David Shofner

A new family recently joined the church I serve. The husband is a former pastor and missionary with the "Foreign Mission Board" (IMB). He and his wife gave me a copy of a book that David wrote and published in 1981.

The "field" of evangelism changes pretty radically every few years. Everyone has a new idea of how best to reach people in their generation. I am all about trying to become more proficient at sharing my story with others. One of my favorite books on the subject is "Breaking the Missional Code" by Ed Stetzer. In it, he discusses that each church and each generation needs to examine the culture it works in to determine the best approach for them. Just because something works for one church in one place with one generation...doesn't mean it is effective elsewhere.

In recent years...there has been a push toward embracing "relational evangelism." Generally...I subscribe to the philosophy since I have bought into the "Barbecue First" Principle that Bill Hybels spoke of in "Becoming a Contagious Christian." Simply stated: People ought to know you care before you expect them to really listen to what you share.

David's book is a short, quick read. It is full of personal experience and contains a lot of examples from his days of "visitation" at his churches. Many churches don't do this anymore...ours included. Unfortunately...many churches don't do anything anymore. Some have gotten so caught up in the need to be "relational" that they (maybe) miss the opportunities to share that are right before them.

Here are my takeaways for the book. Nothing new to me...just good principles.

Be intentional. See yourself as an Ambassador of Christ. Take seriously the fact that He commissioned you to be a witness and intentionally seek opportunities to share your story and the gospel with people around you daily.
Be prepared. Think through your own story and the Scriptures that you know (or need to know) which help a person understand their need for God and how they can be saved.
Be fluid. Don't press an encounter with a person too far. If it is not flowing...you have no need to press it in order to get a "notch" on your witnessing belt.
Be contextual. Find a way to relate the Story in a relevant manner that is easily understood to the person you are addressing.
Be wise. The enemy will do his very best to stop you from sharing. He will strike fear in you, distractions in your environment, and objections in your audience. Share wisely...but share anyway.
Be bold. You have to take the initiative. No one is going to chase you down to find out if you are a Christian and if they can be one too. You must be willing to take the initiative and just do it.
Be honest. You need to understand that your sharing your Story is the only hope you KNOW that a person has. Don't assume that someone else has done it for you. Don't assume that by sharing your story...you will push the person away. Everyone starts "away" from God. Your witness is a chance for them to come home.

If this were a book on how to be successful at church visitation...I would never recommend it. It is, however, a book with an approach to sharing Christ with others and all of the reasons and encouragement to do so. If you are looking for a starting point...this is not a bad place to start.

My copy is available to loan out...or I imagine that he has others available for the asking.

Grace.