Using books evangelistically

The sun shone throughout my time at New Word Alive at Pwllheli in April but I still managed to find time to trawl the bookshop which was full of bargains and books by speakers at the conference and a lot more besides. The bookshop was being run by a team from 10ofthose.com. It was helpful that evangelistic books were grouped together with tracts nearby.

I managed to grab Roger and Jonathan Carswell and ask them for some ideas on using books for evangelistic purposes. Here are just a few ideas. If you have any more, why not write and tell us?

Wrap up a book with a birthday present for a friend or family member.
Leave a short evangelistic book with the magazines the next time you go for an appointment (e.g. doctor, dentist, optician, etc.)
Buy ten books and leave them by your front door at home. Give one out to people who call (e.g. milkman, window cleaner, etc.).
Post a book as a gift to a friend or relative whom you are concerned for spiritually.
Buy books to give away instead of wedding favours at a wedding.
Churches do ‘parish or neighbourhood drops’ – include a book together with a leaflet about the church.
Sponsor your street. Buy a Bible for every home.
Buy cheap books on discount and give them to a local shop (not a bookshop) on sale and return to sell at a slight profit.
Give books to children as presents.
Buy books and sell them at a discount at the Toddler Group.

The following are books that caught my attention and that I could envisage using in the coming months.

Testimonies

Three books by members of the Carswell family of stories showing God at work in people’s lives are all easy to read. Jonathan’s books are testimonies of students and international students respectively.

Live Wires: Powerful stories of changed lives
D.J. Carswell, Authentic Media, £6.99
ISBN: 978-1-85078-737-2

Uncovered: True stories of changed lives
Jonathan Carswell, Authentic Media, £6.99
ISBN: 978-1-85078-612-2

Uncovering the World: True stories of changed lives from around the globe
Jonathan Carswell, Authentic Media, £5.99
ISBN: 978-1-85078-667-2

Suffering

These books answer questions about suffering, the second of which is longer and more detailed.

Why Me?
Roger Carswell, Authentic Media, £5.99
ISBN: 978-1-85078-133-2

Where is God in a Messed Up World?
Roger Carswell, IVP, £5.99
ISBN: 978-1-84474-353-7

Questions

These books make people think, and answer some of the questions and objections they may have. The first book gives brief answers to the kind of questions that might arise during an evangelistic course and Roger’s book is a small hardback that could be given as a gift.

If You Could Ask God One Question
Paul Williams and Barry Cooper, Good Book Company, £4.99
ISBN: 978-1-90488-945-8