Rick Richardson 
RRP $22.95

“Sometimes talking about Jesus with friends can feel like trying to close a deal on a sales call, pushing something on people they may not really want. What if it was more like inviting friends in a spiritual journey?

“Imagine being free to be yourself and free for the Spirit to work in you. Imagine that it doesn’t depend on your alone but that you can be an important part of a witnessing community. Imagine telling people stories instead of trying to download content. Here is your invitation to reimagine what evangelism could be for you.”  (From the Back Cover)

“I’m thankful for Rick Richardson and this book. If you read it – alone or, even better, with a group – you’ll find yourself more ready, and more motivated, to be there for people ...
I hope you’ll take this book to heart and put it to practice in your life.” (From the Foreword by Brian McLaren)

For a review by Alan Dutton, Rural Resource Minister, MRN

This is a book – with its associated DVD and Study Guide – that will be helpful for many, in a variety of contexts. It comes from the more conservative /evangelical end of the spectrum and not all of us will agree with all that Richardson has to say. Nevertheless, the book is refreshing, real, and practical.

The subtitle – inviting friends on a spiritual journey – indicates the flavour of Richardson’s approach. How might we be conversation partners with people on their spiritual journey? Are evangelists sales people or travel guides?

Richardson speaks to what he sees as shifts in practices and pictures of evangelism:

collaboration v activism
community v individual
friendship v agenda
story v dogma
the outside-the-box Jesus v the cliché Jesus
good news about God’s kingdom v good news about the afterlife
journey v event

There is a DVD and also a Participant’s Guide. In mind is a seven week small group experience, built around these seven principles:

do what you love with people who don’t know Jesus
use your gifts in the witness of the community
ask good questions of God and of people
respond to tough questions by rebuilding broken trust
share your stories of transformation
communicate the good news of God’s reign
invite a response to take the next step toward God

The DVD is built around conversations between Richardson and an interviewer, though there are also some animated cartoon-type segments and also some short open-ended role-plays.

In the Participant’s Guide, each of the segments includes questions that arise from the DVD, a Biblical passage plus questions, and questions that arise from the conversation with Rick segment on the DVD.

Alan Dutton
Rural Resource Minister
Mission Resourcing Network
Uniting Church in Australia,
Synod of South Australia