Western society is now a very different, very difficult mission field. In such a situation, the mission of evangelism cannot succeed with an attitude of "business as usual." This volume builds a theology of evangelism that has its focus on the church itself. Darrell Guder shows that the church's missionary calling requires that the theology and practice of evangelism be fundamentally rethought and redirected, focused on the continuing evangelization of the church so that it can carry out its witness faithfully in today's world. In Part 1 Guder explores how, under the influence of reductionism and individualism, the church has historically moved away from a biblical theology of evangelism. Part 2 presents contemporary challenges to the church's evangelical ministry, especially those challenges that illustrate the church's need for continuing conversion. Part 3 discusses what a truly missional theology would mean for the church, including sweeping changes in its institutional structures and practices. Written for teachers, church leaders, and students of evangelism, this volume is vital reading for everyone engaged in mission work.

In this first in-depth and wide-ranging history of Christian conversion, David Kling examines the dynamic of turning to the Christian faith by individuals, families, and people groups. Global in reach and engaging recent methods and theories in conversion studies, the narrative progresses from early Christian beginnings in the Roman world to Christianity's expansion into Europe, the Americas, China, India, and Africa. Although conversion is often associated with a particular strand of modern Christianity (evangelical) and a particular type of experience (sudden, overwhelming), when examined over two millennia, it emerges as a phenomenon far more complex than any one-dimensional profile would suggest.

Pope John XXIII said that "Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously." He also said we need to "Discover ways of teaching the faith more effectively." Largely in response to these types of directives from our Catholic Church leaders, Catholic author and guest speaker, Sean McVeigh, has written The Conversion Book: How to Effectively Help Protestants Convert to Catholicism. It provides a unique, modern, and powerful approach to Catholic evangelization. The Conversion Book is intended for adult and young adult Catholics of all levels of religious and evangelization experience. Whether the reader is a seasoned evangelist or someone who has never talked to another person about God before, The Conversion Book is specifically designed to help that person improve his or her ability to effectively share his or her belief in Jesus Christ and the teachings of Jesus' Holy Catholic Church. As each reader discovers very early in this publication, the process of training for effective evangelization begins with an intense focus on one's own prayer life and spiritual discernment. After the individual is spiritually prepared, Sean takes each reader through a very specific and systematic approach to evangelization that is sure to surprise many of the evangelizer's listeners. Ultimately, through using this approach, there will be many Protestants who will realize their need to leave some of their current theological ways of thinking behind in order to more fully embrace the truth that Jesus wants them to know and follow. The author believes there will be a massive exodus of people leaving the Protestant belief system in order to become Catholic once they have had the truth presented to them in an extremely effective and mature way. However, this exodus will only happen if Catholics at large intensify their evangelization efforts while implementing the most effective methods possible in helping Protestants convert. Lastly, this publication is a great resource for Protestants who are interested in learning more about the core differences between the Catholic and Protestant faiths.

This volume offers much-needed theological reflection on the phenomenon of conversion and transformation. Gordon Smith provides a robust evaluation that covers the broad range of thinking about conversion across Christian traditions and addresses global contexts. Smith contends that both in the church and in discussions about contemporary mission, the language of conversion inherited from revivalism is inadequate in helping to navigate the questions that shape how we do church, how we approach faith formation, how evangelism is integrated into congregational life, and how we witness to the faith in non-Christian environments. We must rethink the nature of the church in light of how people actually come to faith in Christ. After drawing on ancient and pre-revivalist wisdom on conversion, Smith delineates the contours of conversion and Christian initiation for today's church. He concludes by discussing the art of spiritual autobiography and what it means to be a congregation.

Does what a church believes about how people become Christians change how we do evangelism? In this concise book, Michael Lawrence explains the doctrine of conversion and helps us consider the relationship between what we believe about how people are saved and our approach to sharing the gospel in the context of the local church. Readers of this book will understand how the local church should participate in the conversion process through ordinary means, such as biblical preaching and intentional relationships.