Article

Organic Outreach for Ordinary People

A book review.

Most evangelism books are riddled with gimmicks. Ask this question. Say this prayer. Give this speech. Maybe that’s why Organic Outreach for Ordinary People: Sharing the Good News Naturally (Zondervan) by Kevin G. Harney is so refreshing.

Organic Outreach for Ordinary People: Sharing Good News Naturally Kevin G. Harney Zondervan, 2008 256 pages; $14.99, paper

Harney urges readers to toss the scripts and concentrate on fostering red-hot excitement for the gospel in their own lives, and then to share the faith in natural language. He stresses that evangelism isn’t the exclusive domain of the “superspiritual, the velvet-tongued, and the hyperextroverted.” It’s for average Christians willing to incorporate biblical practices into their daily lives.

Harney illustrates his thesis will stories of ordinary outreach done by regular folks. He also challenges readers to determine their “outreach temperature” and engage in activities (such as praying, telling stories, contemplating eternity, etc.) to raise their temperature one degree per day. OK, that’s a little gimmicky, but it’s an evangelism book. What did you expect?

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal.Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.

Posted October 1, 2009

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