Panel Discussion on Evangelism with Keller, Pippert, Tice, Raymond at TGC Conference

D.A. Carson, in his Foreword to Rico Tice’s new book Honest Evangelism, writes:
“Christians are increasingly dismissed as intellectually inferior, narrow and blind, who should be ignored and, perhaps, suppressed … In a polarized culture where Christian convictions are not in good odor, where are courage and joy in Christian witness to be found? What does Christian witness look like—both in the hard times when the mockery becomes savage, and in the good times when people are transformed by the gospel?”

The progress of the States, and indeed the whole of the West, toward a post- Christendom directed by increasingly assertive secularism and atheism represents both a challenge and an opportunity for gospel-loving churches. In a way that American believers have not had to contend with for generations, to live as a Christian—and particularly to speak as a Christian—is going to be costly. Whether we are pastors or church members, we need to be realistic about that. But equally, as the message of the gospel becomes stranger, it will also become more thrilling—truly, wonderfully counter-cultural. And we all need to be equipped to respond to that.

So in this new world, with its new moral majority, it won’t be enough for churches to assume people will come to us; or to look to the “professionals” to do the evangelizing. We will have to go to them; and we will have to do so as ordinary individuals in our workplaces, our gyms, at playdates and so on. The Great Commission needs to be obeyed in offices and factories and coffee shops and backyards and kitchens of Boston and Birmingham as much as in the forests of Brazil and the rice-fields of Bangladesh. It will not just happen. Gospel teaching, gospel loving churches need to be gospel sharing churches—confident in speaking the truth in everyday life in a way that is loving, relational, winsome yet challenging.

How can you do this? How can we witness ourselves, and encourage and equip every member of our churches to do the same? What does effective Christian witness look like in the times in which we live?

At The Gospel Coalition National Conference in Orlando next Wednesday morning, we’re delighted to be hosting a discussion where you can hear from, and put your questions to, four experts in the area of equipping churches for evangelism:

• Tim Keller, Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Manhattan, will moderate the discussion and give his own wisdom, gained from pastoring a church in one of the most secular cities in the US.
• Rebecca Manley Pippert, author of Out of the Saltshaker and Uncovering the Life of Jesus, has been training churches in evangelism in every continent, and has seen incredible fruit from her approach to sharing Christ.
• Rico Tice, Senior Minister (Evangelism) at All Souls Langham Place, London, and founder of Christianity Explored Ministries, is working to help people proclaim the gospel in a post-Christian city.
• Erik Raymond, writer and presenter of Gospel-Shaped Outreach and TGC blogger, is a church pastor who is challengingly committed to maintaining his own personal evangelism.

You can join Tim, Becky, Rico and Erik from 8-8.55am in Wekiwa 3-5 on Wednesday April 15. This is not a ticketed event, and space is limited. Footage will not be livestreamed, but will be made available subsequently through this blog.