Book Review: Evangelism For The Rest of Us, by Mike Bechtle
August 15, 2006 by Joanne Brokaw
Evangelism For The Rest Of Us
By Mike Bechtle
(Baker Books)
reviewed by Joanne Brokaw
It’s unusual to find me writing a book review. My “to read” pile of novels and self-help tomes is a mile high, but if I had my way I’d be making a list of books to avoid wasting your money on rather than reviewing something you should read.
Ironically, the book that’s got me writing this month is one that I actually plopped down hard earned cash to read.
Evangelism For The Rest of Us (Baker Books), by Mike Bechtle is worth the cover price, if only to remind Christians that not everyone is cut out for the in-your-face, win ‘em to the Lord, street witnessing pushed onto us by more vocal, extroverted Christians.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not afraid to talk about Christ or share the gospel. And as Bechtle emphasizes, God uses both introverts and extroverts to further His kingdom. It’s just that He uses them in different ways.
According to Bechtle’s personality quiz, I’m probably an introvert with short bursts of extrovert-ness. Rather than trying to ram the Bible down some stranger’s throat, I’m more suited to long term relationship building.
On my last mission trip, for example, when half the team was falling over themselves to go stand on a Mexican street corner and share the gospel with total strangers, I was much happier hanging out at the campus with the construction workers, trying to converse in my limited Spanish about what we were having for lunch.
And some people looked down on that. Oh, they don’t say it out loud. But you introverts know what I’m talking about. The folks who lead dozens of people to the Lord in an hour brag about their numbers and tell you what a blessing you missed while you, who stayed back to peel potatoes or clean paintbrushes, believe the lie that they accomplished more for the kingdom of God than you did.
“God never asks us to be successful,” Bechtle writes. “He only asks us to be faithful.”
Amen, friends. Finally a book that doesn’t outline a ten-step program guaranteed to win the world for Jesus and cause guilt in the hearts of Christians who have a panic attack just thinking about approaching a stranger to outline the five spiritual laws.
“The biblical model for evangelism is primarily a process, not an event,” Bechtle writes. “The pattern involves meeting people at their level, developing a relationship, and moving them along a notch or two in their spiritual journey.”
If you’re not comfortable with street witnessing, or if the thought of drive-by evangelism makes you sweat, this is the book for you. You’ll learn that while you need to sometimes step out of your comfort zone, God gave you that comfort zone for a reason - and He loves and uses you just the way you are.
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