Jesus made it clear that he wants his followers to go into the world and “make disciples of all nations” (Mat 28:19). Often, however, it can be daunting, awkward, and difficult to share our faith with others, including the students in our ministries. We hope that the following articles and podcasts will ease any burdens you feel as you navigate what it looks like to share the good news of Jesus with unbelieving students, friends, or family.
Articles
What Chris Pratt’s Acceptance Speech Teaches Us and Our Students about Evangelism by Josh Hussung
Someone considered a bigot couldn’t pull off saying the things [Pratt} has said. Christians can learn from this by making sure that as we share our faith, we place a high priority on valuing people and living consistently.
How Can Parents Train Teenagers to Evangelize? by Katie Polski
First and foremost, it’s essential that we know and understand the gospel as parents and that we are teaching it to our children. This is not just a one-and-done conversation, but an ongoing, beautiful telling and retelling of what Jesus has done and how His saving grace impacts every single aspect of our lives.
Rubbing Elbows with Grace and Nonbelievers in College by Russell Galloway
The first step in evangelism to non-believers is not actually a “step;” rather, it is a descent to the knees.
Using the “Two Ways to Live” Model to Help Teenagers Know Jesus by Michael Weeks
“Two Ways to Live” is not a gimmick, nor is it some sort of evangelism magic. If you are anything like me, sharing the gospel will still feel awkward and somewhat clumsy. But it is a good resource that can help you to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with your students.
Ask Rooted: How Do You Minister to Unchurched Teenagers?
While we recognize that many of the teenagers in our youth ministries may not be walking with Jesus yet, it can be especially challenging to know how to reach out to their friends who don’t have a church background. We asked Rooted writers to share how they are seeking to grow in sharing the gospel as they reach out to teenagers who haven’t grown up hearing the gospel in their homes.
Podcasts
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Michael Kruger who serves as the President and Samuel C. Patterson Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Charlotte campus of Reformed Theological Seminary. He shares from his latest book, “Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College”, which addresses common objections to the Christian faith—the exclusivity of Christianity, Christian intolerance, homosexuality, hell, the problem of evil, science, miracles, and the reliability of the Bible.
Syler Thomas on Building a Youth Ministry that Strengthens Christians and Welcomes Non-Christians
In youth ministry, some of us have been told that you can only do one thing or another at one time. You can either disciple your Christian students or be a place that targets those outside the church. But what if you could do both? What if your youth ministry could be a place where Christians are strengthened, outsiders are welcomed, and God is central? Drawing on 19 years as a youth pastor in suburban Chicago, Syler explains how you can have it all!
In addition to our blog and podcast, our Rooted Reservoir subscribers have access to all of the past training videos we develop for our Rooted Regional Groups. This month we invite subscribers to view Cameron Coles’ video on “The Language of Evangelism.” If you’re a subscriber, head on over to the Rooted Reservoir site and you will find it in your library within the Rooted Regional Group Videos. Find out more about our upcoming Rooted Regional Group on April 20, 2023.
