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Organic Outreach for Ordinary People: Sharing Good News Naturally
When we really love something, we talk about it. This is true when find a great new restaurant, enjoy a sports team, or when we stumble onto a fantastic new product. We want to share the joy and tell others. We naturally 'evangelize' and invite others to experience what we have found. Organic Outreach is about living the kind of life that draws people to Jesus. With three decades of outreach leadership, Kevin Harney provides insights and tools that will enable you to reach out to others and reveal the good news of a loving God in a way that fits your unique personality and calling. Learn how to set fear aside and experience the fruitfulness of sharing God's love through authentic, organic outreach!
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2009
65 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 1, 2025
A great book to study and encourage authentic outreach for Jesus!
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January 22, 2016I'm about a quarter done and so far I really appreciate this author's perspective. He's given me lots to think about: "How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that eternal life is possible and not tell them that." Definitely puts outreach into perspective.
June 1, 2025
"Many people will never reach out and take our hand, no matter how much they might want to. They need us to stop and extend a hand to them. They need the touch of compassion that God wants to offer through the hands and hearts of his people "
"There is a careless streak in love... It is risky to put oneself out for another, to go out of one's way to help another person - when one is not sure of how to do it well. One may be misunderstood, deceived, hurt. We could flub our overtures of love and end up looking ridiculous. Moved by love, however, we overpower our fear and take the risk."
"If judgment was our goal, we could spend all of our time pointing out what is wrong with the world. Instead, our commitment to holiness means that we seek to model conduct and attitudes that reflect God's heart."
"Pray for broken families to be healed, shattered hearts to be restored, loneliness to be lifted, and needs to be met in the power of Jesus."
"How did Jesus know so much about people? He lived, walked, and talked with them and displayed genuine interest and concern for their welfare. He met people on the streets, on the hillsides, in the fields, at meals, at work in fishing boats, at prayer, at weddings, on the roads."
"Sharing our pains and struggles gives us a chance to witness to God who promises to be a shelter, a stronghold, and a mighty tower of protection in the storms of life."
"We may be able to provide reasonable answers to many of the questions that spiritual seekers raise, but sometimes the best response is to be honest and say, 'That's a great question, and I wonder about that sometimes too.'"
"There is a careless streak in love... It is risky to put oneself out for another, to go out of one's way to help another person - when one is not sure of how to do it well. One may be misunderstood, deceived, hurt. We could flub our overtures of love and end up looking ridiculous. Moved by love, however, we overpower our fear and take the risk."
"If judgment was our goal, we could spend all of our time pointing out what is wrong with the world. Instead, our commitment to holiness means that we seek to model conduct and attitudes that reflect God's heart."
"Pray for broken families to be healed, shattered hearts to be restored, loneliness to be lifted, and needs to be met in the power of Jesus."
"How did Jesus know so much about people? He lived, walked, and talked with them and displayed genuine interest and concern for their welfare. He met people on the streets, on the hillsides, in the fields, at meals, at work in fishing boats, at prayer, at weddings, on the roads."
"Sharing our pains and struggles gives us a chance to witness to God who promises to be a shelter, a stronghold, and a mighty tower of protection in the storms of life."
"We may be able to provide reasonable answers to many of the questions that spiritual seekers raise, but sometimes the best response is to be honest and say, 'That's a great question, and I wonder about that sometimes too.'"
June 25, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this book was fantastic for a practical, easy to read and understand book on evangelism. Faith books are a different kettle of fish and I often get bored throughout them compared to novel. There is nothing to grip you back in for another chapter. This one unfortunately is not any different in that case, but I did enjoy it once I was reading it each time. I have found I need to set aside time to read little parts each week or so.
November 17, 2023
Kevin gives an overview of relational evangelism, practical tips and strategies for building relationships, and concludes the book with several great ways to explicitly present the Good News.
Highly recommended for any evangelical Christian who would like to share their faith, but doesn't know where to start.
Highly recommended for any evangelical Christian who would like to share their faith, but doesn't know where to start.
July 15, 2023
Book 7 of Joshua's Men, this book has many well-written and easy-to-follow steps on how to share the Gospel's with others in a loving way without making it forced. It contains practical tools at the end of each chapter and is worth a slower re-read at a later time.
July 15, 2018
Very few Christians think that they have what it takes to be an evangelist or to do any type of outreach. Kevin Harney debunks that myth and shows us how it's done.
October 14, 2021
I thought this was a fantastic read for those interested in sharing their Christian faith in natural ways. I plan to reread this one and take more notes!
December 28, 2024
I read this book as part of a Bible study with other women. While he had some good ideas I didn’t love the idea of a “Matthew party”. To me outreach is living your life loving others.
July 8, 2020
The author is a natural - evangelism comes organically to him. The tenet of the book would be to make this just as natural for everyone and in this I feel he has slightly missed the point. Harney himself comes from a non Christian background, he came to Christianity in the most normal of ways - through a youth group, he has a natural gregarious personality; and what works for him isn't necessarily going to work for everyone. Others don't have this shift of worldview to fall back on, or became Christians with adult complications, or just can't see things so simply. His history and personality makes it personally real and natural to share in the way he describes, but in all honesty the results he describe don't seem anything out of the ordinary, with the actual "success" rate/results no greater than any Christian might see.
To be sure Harney has some good ideas such as the 'raise your outreach temperature by one degree', but what he has really put together is a manual of the grounding principles for outreach. All of this is good and very necessary to bear in mind. It might even be a good resource to review as a reminder before launching into any new evangelism endeavour. However surely what we need are fresh, relevant ideas for a world where outreach is getting harder and less fruitful. The sources Harney draws on are again solid well established and weighted heavily towards Willow Creek (resources and people) - not by any means a bad thing as they have broken ground and thought issues through well.
One of the basic ideas Harney encapsulates is that one size doesn't fit all, but herein also lies the problem. Firstly there is a cultural/historical divide - once the appeal of release from sin worked in western countries and indeed it remains effective in non western contexts, however I perceive that few in the west are conscious of sin as a concept and most definitely not of their own sin. There might be some intellectuals able to follow an apologetic/evidence approach, but by far the greater opening to Jesus is lostness/brokenness and Harney misses this approach altogether. Therefore telling people they need to receive forgiveness for their sins (no matter how it is delivered) is not really an organic outreach technique (rather something that probably comes later downstream). The New Testament (culturally more monolithic that the modern world), even the gospels, does not really present a single 'forgiveness of sins' approach to Jesus, so we too need new ways that work for today's people. The power of the Christian gospel is that it has fitted all people's in all times, but best when it has been presented in relevant ways (hence missionary endeavours that only kick-off when the first indigenous disciples start taking the gospel to their own people). What ways and words, work in the 21st century west?
To be sure Harney has some good ideas such as the 'raise your outreach temperature by one degree', but what he has really put together is a manual of the grounding principles for outreach. All of this is good and very necessary to bear in mind. It might even be a good resource to review as a reminder before launching into any new evangelism endeavour. However surely what we need are fresh, relevant ideas for a world where outreach is getting harder and less fruitful. The sources Harney draws on are again solid well established and weighted heavily towards Willow Creek (resources and people) - not by any means a bad thing as they have broken ground and thought issues through well.
One of the basic ideas Harney encapsulates is that one size doesn't fit all, but herein also lies the problem. Firstly there is a cultural/historical divide - once the appeal of release from sin worked in western countries and indeed it remains effective in non western contexts, however I perceive that few in the west are conscious of sin as a concept and most definitely not of their own sin. There might be some intellectuals able to follow an apologetic/evidence approach, but by far the greater opening to Jesus is lostness/brokenness and Harney misses this approach altogether. Therefore telling people they need to receive forgiveness for their sins (no matter how it is delivered) is not really an organic outreach technique (rather something that probably comes later downstream). The New Testament (culturally more monolithic that the modern world), even the gospels, does not really present a single 'forgiveness of sins' approach to Jesus, so we too need new ways that work for today's people. The power of the Christian gospel is that it has fitted all people's in all times, but best when it has been presented in relevant ways (hence missionary endeavours that only kick-off when the first indigenous disciples start taking the gospel to their own people). What ways and words, work in the 21st century west?
April 24, 2012
Excellent book! Was a true eye opener for me. Helps you find ordinary ways to share the gospel of Jesus with those around you. Made me more aware of the need for me to share my faith more often. Very motivating and interesting concepts to help you share your faith.
December 18, 2016
Very practical. Very helpful. Probably lacks the theological vision given by other works on evangelism (I'm looking at you Mr. Packer), but it's a worthwhile resource for anyone seeking help in the area of outreach/mission/evangelism.
January 1, 2013
Definitely encouraging and some fresh ways of thinking about outreach.
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April 30, 2013Not quite as good as Contagious Christian, but makes some points not covered by that work.
September 19, 2015
This book is the perfect roadmap for personal outreach
November 11, 2015
A very practical book on how to reach ordinary people, through ordinary conversations, wherever they may be in life.
March 21, 2016
Easy read. Straightforward and practical insight on how to naturally share your faith. Worth the read!
November 12, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It is practical and motivating. If you are looking to share your faith in Jesus Christ with others, this will help you do it in a natural way.
March 17, 2017
I am a huge fan of Kevin Harney. I am reading all of his books at this time. Essential read for every Christian. Pastors should read Organic outreach as well. I can't recommend highly enough!
December 14, 2012
A step-by-step to change you before you can share the gospel that changes others.
September 18, 2018
Informative and Challenging
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews