The Sacrament of Evangelism

by Jerry Root, Stan Guthrie, Lyle Wesley Dorsett

A recent statistic suggests that 15% of the churches in America are growing but only 2.2% are growing evangelistically. Much of the church in America has lost its evangelistic zeal and forgotten how to re-ignite it; this book is an attempt to light the fuse of the powder keg so that the church, long-distracted by so many things, might return to its primary mission in the world. We do not take Christ to anyone; He is already there. We go to make explicit what we see Him doing implicitly. It is not a question of whether God is at work in His world . . . Our hope is to see more of God’s people at work with Him! Learn about why we share our faith, Christ's role in our evangelism, the deep longings in all our hearts, and how to effectively live a sacramentally evangelistic lifestyle. We are offering a way of looking at life and the world that is open to God’s presence everywhere. This approach is called sacramental. And where better to experience God’s presence than in His workplace? This is the Sacrament of Evangelism.

Genres: Christian, Evangelism, Christianity, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Discipleship

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2011

Reviews

[John Wiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you (like me) serve in a Baptistic church, chances are you don't hear the word "sacrament" often. Though I don't have documented evidence to back it up, my guess is that if you were to go to your church and ask congregants what the word "sacrament" means, they would probably say it's something that Roman Catholics do in their services. In actuality, there are a lot of Protestant churches that are quite familiar with the word "sacrament" (i.e. Lutherans, Presbyterians, Reformed churches, and more). What is a sacrament? Usually, it would be defined as something that signifies the presence of divine grace. In other words, baptism and the Lord's Supper (often called "communion" in my circles) are these two precious sacraments. They were instituted for the church to first immerse or identify a believer into the body of Christ via baptism, and then continually rejoice in the sacrifice Christ has made in His atonement for sin by remembering the Lord's Supper. However, Jerry Root and Stan Guthrie have written a book called "The Sacrament of Evangelism." Now, evangelism is not often called a sacrament. And to be honest, I don't know that I would call it a sacrament, per se, but perhaps I would feel comfortable with calling it "sacramental," as Root and Guthrie often refer to.

What does it mean to be a sacramental evangelist? Basically, it is "an invitation to join God in His workplace" (SOE, 253). There have been multiple angles in which people have attempted to articulate an effective and biblical outworking of evangelism. J.I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God displays the marvelous, effectual grace of God in evangelism. Ray Comfort often points people to the 10 commandments, and consequentially, the provision of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection in The Way of the Master materials. William Fay has produced a very simple and clear introduction to evangelism, especially for those who are intimidated (see Share Jesus Without Fear). In high school, I went through Evangelism Explosion, a program especially designed for door-to-door witnessing and calling people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. All of these are wonderful and practical for any Christian. So why would it help you to read The Sacrament of Evangelism?
Well, the truth is, it may or may not all that much. If you've already read at least a few introduction to evangelism books, then there isn't much more this book would have to offer. However, if you want to get a good understanding on the "why" and "how" of evangelism, then I would strongly encourage you to consider The Sacrament of Evangelism. One other word of criticism is that I felt the outline of the book was a little confusing. Perhaps it was just me, but I didn't see a clear connection between chapters and sections of the book oftentimes. Though, there were efforts to bring chapters to the idea of evangelism being a sacrament.

What was wonderful about the book is that Root and Guthrie did write a book of substance, though it certainly was comprehendible. I applaud them for reminding the reader of the absolute foundation for what we need to do in evangelism without being overly flimsy in the evangelism presentation (i.e. forgetting the actual message of the Gospel and an invitation to respond) nor too subjective (i.e. a list of do's and don'ts in methodology that isn't scriptural). Likewise, the authors did write in a fairly intriguing manner. I especially thought the personal illustrations and lessons from philosophers were interesting and helpful.

In conclusion, if you haven't picked up a good read on evangelism, The Sacrament of Evangelism may be just right for you. I don't think you'll find weak theology or poor practical applications. But perhaps you're looking to branch out in further studies of evangelism. If that's the case, you might want to look into books on apologetics or rehash some classics on evangelism/missions. Wherever you stand, I don't think you would waste time in reading this book, as we all could probably use simple reminders and instructions on the likewise "simple" task of evangelism. If God is with us in evangelism, then who could stand against us?

[Kent Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

When believers are challenged with evangelizing, the first thing to emerge are the fears associated with the task. However, deeper than those fears and the questions they bring is the thought that evangelism is all about us--we open our mouths to preach and hope God has our backs. The truths of this book center around the fact that God has already gone before us. Seeing how God is working in the lives and cries of unbelievers’ hearts is part of what this book seeks to develop within each of us. “Answering the Charge of Hypocrisy” on page 181 is a must read. Each chapter ends with discussion questions good for small groups. This would actually be a good book for students to outline in a college course.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should be sharing the gospel. Everyone is a missionary. Look at Matthew 18 to see how that command for our lives. This book gives very practical and step-by-step ways to do this, no matter how nervous it may make you to put yourself out there and share how Christ died for our sins with a stranger, friend, acquaintance, or family member.

[Caleb Otto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an popular level book on evangelism. I appreciated their emphasis on the fact that God is at work, we join Him in His story. And the power of bringing the presence of God to people and situations.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short work on evangelism is highly readable and desperately needed for those of us in the Body who think wrongly that only a select few are gifted, and therefore qualified, to witness to a dying world of Christ's perfect love & sacrifice.

The contents of this book are divided thus: Part I - Preliminaries; Part II - Abiding in Christ; Part III - The Gospel and Humanity; Part IV - Content & follow-up. In the back there are helpful sections of notes, subject index and a scripture index.

Dorsett, who wrote the Foreward, sums up nicely the main theme of this book: "The Sacrament of Evangelism is a prophetic call for Christians to wake up and recognize that evangelism is a sacrament not a craft. They (Root & Guthrie) define sacrament as a place where God is present; and the sacrament of evangelism is celebrated because God is present with the witness and the person being witnessed to - and the Lord brings new life when He is met there in faith."

Some quotes I found particularly helpful:
"The sacramental presence of Christ is manifest in each act of obedience".
"The Great Commission must be adorned by the Great Commandment, whereby Jesus instructed His followers to love God and their neighbors".
"We will get further, faster in this vital task not by examining the fruit but by examining the root, that is, our character".
"If we deny the riches of His love in our own communities, we will be less likely to tell others about the grace of God".
"If we awaken to the depths and riches of God's love for us, then we too will want to share the story of His love with others". And many more like these...

So a main takeaway from this book I got was this renewed vision of seeing Christ as being present with the witness and the listener and equally working in both.

Obviously these thoughts aren't totally new or without precedent as others have proposed God's prior and active involvement in outreach (cf Richardson's Peace Child & Eternity in Their Hearts along with Blackaby's Experiencing God to name a few). However, the way Root & Guthrie treat evangelism removes the fear factor replacing it with a true understanding of our role within God's sovereign wooing of those whom He's foreordained and called into His kingdom.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two sentence capsule: God's workplace is the world, and he is always present. Either get busy about the work of evangelism or miss out on the chance to participate in what he is already doing around you.

I read this book in one sitting. With a more-than-passing interest in the subject matter, I looked forward to reading what my friend Jerry Root had to say (co-written with Stan Guthrie, who also seems to be a fine man.) There were many chapters I noted as exceptional, places to go back to myself or to suggest for other people who struggle getting out of the evangelism starting gate. The chapters called Prayer, Habits of the Heart, and Mirroring the Presence of Christ in the World all deserve a read.

My favorite part is the verbal triptych on Longing.

I have heard Jerry espouse many of these thoughts at other times, yet here they are assembled for careful reading and meditation. Definitely worthwhile.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are afraid to share your faith, if you don't know how to start, if you face any of the typical excuses or objections but want to be able to share your faith; this book is for you. The title sounds a little high-brow, but the book is anything but. His explanation for the meaning of sacrament tied to evangelism is enlightening and a breath of fresh air.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes in and out of brilliance. Some of the book is pretty traditional stuff on evangelism, but the nuances are just right. So often evangelism is a sales pitch or a battle, but this book hw lped me see the practical and blessing filled process of experiencing our faith by sharing it.

[Ben Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Interesting to thing of evangelism as a sacrament. Not your average book on evangelism.