Evangelism Interview with Eddie Roman: Closing Thoughts and Encouragement

Me: When you think about individuals or churches that want to start or further engage in evangelism, what resources would you point them towards?

I will mention that you’ve written a book called “Search n Rescue”. I’ve read through it and give it a high recommendation. I really appreciate the amount of thought and practical application that you give, so I want to encourage you in that. What are the other things you tell people?

Eddie: Thank you! When I wrote my book, I intended it to be used for individuals as well as small groups in churches. Its’ basically written for people who are not doing evangelism so they would understand the theology behind it and some practical advice on what to do. There’s actually a church up in Sacramento, the City Bible Church, where the pastor bought copies of the book and gave them to a lot of people in the congregation. He took them all through it and they have one of the most active group of evangelists that I’ve ever seen at a church. One big reason is that it was led by one of the pastors and he’s leading the charge. People tend to follow the example of their pastors. This pastor has his people out on the street 4 days a week. One day they are at a local college, the next day they are downtown, one night they are in an area with a lot of bars and restaurants, and one of the mornings they are down at a planned parenthood. They are extremely active in evangelism.

Another resource is the Living Waters Basic Training Course. It is a set of videos and a book that takes a person through the basic steps of evangelism and gives them assignments and challenges. For example, go out and talk to a person. If someone follows that they will be up and running as an evangelist in no time. Those would be two great resources I could recommend.

I also recommend the Living Waters website. LivingWaters.com has tons of videos and resources. A person could spend literally days watching the example of other people engaged in evangelism.

Me:   Ray Comfort puts up two videos a day with lots of examples anyone can follow. I watched a lot of those myself and several Way of the Master episodes. It really solidified a lot of things for me. I understand what’s being done, what’s being said, then it’s pushing yourself to go out and do it. You can practice with your family or a friend before engaging a total stranger.

Eddie: The average Christian, if they’ve been going to church for 2 years or more, knows more than enough to get into a conversation with an unbeliever. They know the gospel; they know a lot of the basics. If they’ve been reading the Bible, they know quite a bit more about God than the unbeliever. It’s the act of getting up and talking with someone that people have fear about.

Me: 90% of the conversations that I have at the booth or on the street are just about the basic explanation of the gospel. Almost every Christian can do that. It’s just a very small number of conversations that go in deeper into theological things or challenges from unbelievers or those from other faiths.

Eddie: I would agree, it is a very small percentage.

Me: Thanks a lot, Eddie. I really appreciate this time together. I hope it is an encouragement to others.

Part 1: Profile
Part 2: Defining Success in Evangelism
Part 3: Evangelism Ministry at Church
Part 4: Closing Thoughts and Encouragement