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The prospect of sharing the gospel with an unbeliever can be intimidating. One side-effect of the rise of street preaching and apologists is that evangelism appears more and more to be only within the ability of the extra gifted, not “everyday Christians.” When sharing the gospel is considered primarily as a one-time encounter, it’s not surprising that Christians feel that evangelism is not something they can do, even though they feel bad about not doing more of it. Thankfully, Sean McGever’s new primer on evangelism demystifies it and shows how it can be done well by normal Christians.

An installment in the Lexham Ministry Guide series, Evangelism: For the Care of Souls is a small book that can and should be taken up by all stripes of Christians. McGever balances doctrinal exposition and application with personal stories of evangelism—stories not of wild successes, but of his own learning process. This makes the book relatable and reinforces one of the messages of the book: Evangelism doesn’t have to be as complex and difficult as we think.

Evangelism is Connected to Discipleship

McGever hooked me from the start with this statement: “I argue one of the greatest tricks the devil ever pulled was convincing Christians they only need to hear the gospel once” (1). As he will say later, we really shouldn’t divorce evangelism from discipleship; if separated, the result is what he calls “hit-and-run evangelism.” Rather, “Evangelism is at the heart of the ongoing work of pastoral care, inviting outsiders into the flock of the church and reminding insiders of the heart of the ongoing life of faith” (3).

McGever, director of Young Life in Phoenix, clearly has rich experience in evangelism and his deep contemplation of it comes through on the pages of the book. He points out, for example, that just because a person came to faith at a particular event does not mean that it was because of the event. Typically, God has already been at work planting seeds before conversion. While what we say and do matters, we must remember that we are only the messengers and that “God’s the savior. Evangelism fails when we confuse the two” (18). In a discussion of Matthew 22:1–14, where the messengers, despite having a great message, fail to bring the wedding guests, McGever explains that there is freedom in resting on the Lord: “Our motivation is one of grateful obedience, of which we have no control over how the invitees respond. We announce and reannounce the message of the good news of King Jesus” (25).

Evangelism: For the Care of Souls has eight chapters, each bringing out important principles of evangelism. At the conclusion of the first chapter, McGever notes from the Matthew 22 parable that “the king did not blindly repeat his tactics. Instead, the king adjusted his approach” (26). This leads into chapter 2’s principle: Listening is a key skill to evangelism. Just as a doctor listens to patients describe their symptoms, “evangelistic care of souls begins with listening” (48). The third chapter reminds us not to credit or blame ourselves too much. McGever’s illustration is helpful: When you receive a great gift in the mail, you credit the sender, not the mail carrier! “In modern evangelism we celebrate, study, and idolize far too many messengers while minimizing the sender” (59).

McGever’s fourth chapter focuses on the communication of the Word of God as being central to evangelism and the care of souls. Ephesians 4 presents evangelists “as a part of a team in a church” that fights against the church being “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching” (91). Evangelists are not just going door to door with tracts; “Paul . . . expects Timothy’s evangelistic duties in the Ephesian church to center around authentic content and doctrine in the midst of what people erroneously want to hear” (92).

Another point that McGever makes in this chapter is that summarizing the gospel will feel incomplete (101). There is always more to be said about Christ, which again reinforces that the line between discipleship and evangelism is thin. McGever concludes that if you want to do better at evangelism, learn the Bible (109).

Catechesis and Hospitality as Evangelism

In chapter 6, McGever reminds evangelists that their labor is long-term. While mass-delivered messages are certainly worthwhile, “the gospel is best delivered personally and intimately” (116). Here McGever notes studies of conversion and evangelism that show that most conversions are not overnight, but over periods of time (123; cf. 157). This challenges common assumptions about evangelism that we have inherited from, among others, George Whitefield and Charles Finney (129). We need to educate people about the Christian faith as much as motivate—we need to catechize. This doesn’t downplay urgency: “I believe a commitment to a patient approach to evangelism shows the urgency and importance of the task” (134).

A church wanting to increase its evangelistic efforts can, in fact, do so relatively easily through hospitality. The evangelistic task is primarily “a missionary function of . . . [the] local church” (137). Instead of badgering people with blasts of impersonal invitations or tracts,

the best way to help a nonbeliever feel like they belong in the kingdom of God is to build relationships with people inside the church. In a day and age when the most dynamic sermons and worship songs exist online and not at your church, the necessity for personal connection and belonging are more important than ever.

In the final chapter, McGever tackles the passages in the Gospels where encounters with Jesus bring immediate results, noting that one might erroneously conclude that “the gospel message works . . . like an ultimatum” (150). But for each of those episodes, there are also biblical examples of people being told the same truths repeatedly.

No book is perfect, and the quibbles I have with this book are minor. McGever brought too much of his ecclesiastical background into it. The responsive reading between a bishop and congregation on pages 165–166, for example, seems unnecessarily parochial. And there was some repetition for a small book that can be read in two afternoons. For example, the comparison of evangelism to officiating a wedding was featured not only on page 5 but also on 112, and the post office analogy comes on page 59 and again on 115. These aside, I highly recommend Evangelism: For the Care of Souls. McGever’s brief but robust book will spur many on to evangelism by giving practical steps and reminding us of important principles—such as the profound reality that salvation is of the Lord.

The author is regional home missionary for the Presbytery of Central Pennsylvania.