outreach

Use These Outreach Books (5 Zondervan Authors Honored with Outreach 2012 Resources of the Year Awards)

 

The 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year were announced today in a press release from Outreach magazine, honoring twenty evangelism-themed resources from the last year. Five of these resources are by by Zondervan authors.

The Outreach Resources of the Year series celebrates of "the best outreach-oriented books and curricula," says the magazine, which selects titles in "areas such as evangelism, compassion and justice ministries, missional living and cross-cultural ministries." Here is the magazine's Editor, Brian Orme, on the goal of the series:

These resources deserve accolades, but Outreach Resources of the Year is about more than that… We strive to help churches share God's love, reach their communities and change the world. Drawing their attention to the best resources available each year is one way we do that.

 

We at Zondervan couldn't agree more with Orme. Of course we're thrilled for our authors when they receive awards — we love our authors, and it's exciting to see their excellent work honored by others. But the chief reason we celebrate today is this: we're blessed to work with authors who help people share God's love and transform the world.

 

Here's the scoop on these five award-winning Zondervan authors and their books:

USE THESE BOOKS:
Five 2012 Outreach Resources of the Year

1. Evangelism

Learn more about One Thousand Gifts

The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited
by Scot McKnight (@scotmcknight)
Evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the message of personal salvation. This book makes a plea for us to recover the old gospel as that which is still new and still fresh. (From the synopsis)
Read Excerpt
Learn More about The King Jesus Gospel

2. Church & Culture

Learn more about Understanding World Religions

Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women
by Carolyn Custis James (@carolynezer)
James unpacks three transformative themes in the Bible that raise the bar for women and calls them to join their brothers in advancing God's gracious kingdom on earth. (From the synopsis)
Read Excerpt
Learn more about Half the Church
Visit James's Blog

3. Children's Outreach

Learn more about Ocean Adventures Book

The Nature of God: Ocean Adventures Book & DVDs
by Peter Schriemer (Follow @peterschriemer)
With rich and age-appropriate content based on & supplementing the presentations of Peter Schriemer in the DVD collection Nature of God, readers learn more about God's creation of eco-systems, flora, and fauna specifically found in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. (From the synopsis)
Learn More about Ocean Adventures Book
Visit "The Nature of God" Page on Facebook

4. Youth Outreach

Learn more about Sticky Faith

Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids
by Kara Powell (@kpowellfyi & @stickyfaith)
Based on Fuller Youth Institute findings, this easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children's spiritual growth so that it will stick to them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. (From the synopsis)
Learn More about Sticky Faith
Visit the Sticky Faith Website

5. Small Group Curriculum

Learn more about The Christian Faith

Muslims, Christians, and Jesus DVD: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships
by Carl Medearis (Follow @carlmedearis)
Medearis, an international expert in the field of Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations, provides American Christians background info on Islam and tools for sharing Christ with their Muslim neighbors. (From the synopsis)
Learn More about Muslims, Christians, & Jesus DVD

If you would like to send one of these authors congratulations on their achievement, leave your comment on Zondervan's EngagingChurch Blog. My coworker, Andrew Rogers, has graciously volunteered to forward everyone's messages to the authors!

The full list of 20 award winners are featured in the March/April 2012 issue of Outreach. Now we've covered five of Outreach's favorite books on evangelism. What's your favorite?

 

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan. Big tip of the hat to Andrew Rogers.

 

(This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives; the writer's opinions are his own, and are only intended for information purposes. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

 

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Scared to Share Your Faith? 4 Good Reads on Evangelism

 

Evangelism has been on my mind this week, ever since I saw the results from Zondervan Blog's "Am I a Christian Atheist?" Quiz. Of the 402 people who took the quiz so far, two responses have proven especially popular. Take a look:

Christian Atheist Quiz Results
 

By a long shot, the top two picks are "I worry often" and "I am hesitant to share my faith with others."

Do these results surprise you? Not me. I can worry about anything, including evangelism. So I thought about some reasons I've been nervous about outreach (i.e., I didn't know how the other person would react; I didn't want to sound judgmental; I was afraid I would get branded as a religious weirdo; I just didn't know what to say!). Since I'm not alone in these fears, I wanted to share some books that have helped me take steps into more actively sharing my faith.

Does the following list leave out your favorite book on evangelism? Drop your recommendation in a comment on this post.
(-Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team)

 

4 Good Reads on Evangelism

1. The Faith
by Chuck Colson and Harold Fickett
If you find it difficult to answer questions about some of Christianity's basic truths (Who is God? What did Jesus do for us on the cross? Why do Christians trust the Bible?) then you will find The Faith both interesting and useful. Here's a key quote from the book: "We pray that the Kingdom of God will rule in our hearts and once again transform the places in which we live. That will happen only by knowing and living the faith. To the best of our ability, then, here is what Christians believe, why we believe it, and why it matters." Read Excerpt

 

 

The Faith

2. The Best-Kept Secret of Christian Mission
by John Dickson
The best-kept secret of Christian mission is that there are more ways to promote the gospel than verbal outreach. While not all Christians are called to become full-time evangelists, we are all called to promote the gospel through a wide range of activities that include prayer, good deeds, godly lives, public worship, financial stewardship, daily conversation, and more. This practical, biblically-based book will help you discover how you can be involved in spreading the good news of Jesus. Read Excerpt

 

The Best-Kept Secret of Christian Mission

3. Just Walk Across the Room
by Bill Hybels
Hybels shows us simple steps that can make huge differences in peoples' lives. Central to Hybels' book is what he calls "Living in 3D" — Developing friendships, Discovering stories, and Discerning appropriate next steps. I haven't read this book myself, but I know several people who've said it helped them get over what intimidated them about evangelism. Read Excerpt

 

 

The Prodigal God DVD

4. Organic Outreach for Ordinary People
by Kevin Harney
"The starting point of effective outreach is not a system, a program, or a specific presentation," says Harney. "It is a heart deeply in love with God and with people." Staying true to this belief,  Harney's book offers insight into how you can fully embracing God's love, then share it in ways that fit your own personality and unique calling. The related Organic Outreach for Churches comes out this fall. Read Excerpt

 

 

Has Christianity Failed You?

PS – I recently discovered Lee Strobel is kicking off a newsletter about investigating the reasons for faith. Learn More

 

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Reaching Out to Your Mormon (LDS) Neighbors

What does the Book of Mormon teach? How does it compare to the Bible? Why does this book appeal to many people? Former Mormon Ross Anderson addresses these and other questions in Understanding the Book of Mormon, guiding readers in an exploration and assessment of the Book of Mormon and offering a Christian response to its teaching. In the video below, Ross explains how his book can help you reach out more effectively to your Mormon neighbors.

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Un.orthodox | Tommy Kyllonen 2008 Outreach Awards Finalist

More Information about Un.orthodox by Tommy KyllonenUn.orthodox: church. hip-hop. culture. by Tommy Kyllonen is a Finalist in the 2008 Outreach Awards.  Un.orthodox is written by a man who is both a hip-hop artist and lead pastor of the first church ever to target hip-hop culture.  Un.orthodox shares unique, inside perspectives on how to reach today’s urban culture with the message of Jesus. Fascinating, troubling, inspiring, and moving, this is a powerful resource for engaging today’s unchurched, thirty-five-and-under generation. Click here to read a sample chapter: 

More Information about Tommy KyllonenTommy Kyllonen (aka Urban D.) founded the youth ministry at Crossover Community Church in 1996 with just four teens. Over the next six years he and his wife developed a first of its kind Hip-Hop Youth Ministry which grew to 200. The adult ministry on Sunday remained much smaller as the different pastors were always bivocational. In January of 2002 Tommy became the lead pastor at Crossover and a new vision was birthed to specifically reach the hip-hop culture. The church became Purpose Driven in their structure and began to truly engage the culture in their community. Without compromise they carefully incorporated many elements into their worship context and campus with music, dance, visual arts, media, and relevant messages. The ministry has seen incredible growth as their weekend attendance has jumped from 40 to over 400 in less than four years. Their youth services reach hundreds more. 

Below is a video overview of Un.orthodox by Tommy Kyllonen:

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