Abstract
Many have expressed surprise to learn that the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has made an intentional effort to organize a handbook on evangelism. This book is specifically intended to serve as a textbook for theological education, preparing Christian workers to teach about evangelism in the fast-secularizing societies of Europe. The book is the fruit of a four-year process involving two consultations and two drafting meetings held in different European cities. Fifteen authors (six women and nine men) represent a variety of social, national (from England to Russia), and ecclesial (from Roman Catholic to Pentecostal) constituents of European Christianity, including immigrants. Only one author lives in Africa but actively conducts research on African Christian migrant communities in Europe.
The book is divided into four parts. Part 1, “Evangelism and Its Context in Europe,” has three chapters: “Evangelism: Scope, Limits, and Definitions” (Martin Reppenhagen), and “Evangelistic Mission in Europe: Seven Historical Models” and “Challenges and Opportunities in Doing Evangelism” (both by Stefan Paas). Part 2, “Evangelism and Theological Perspectives,” contains two chapters: “Contemporary Theological Discourse on Evangelism” (Reppenhagen) and “Theological Perspectives on Evangelism” (four different authors). Part 3, “Evangelism and Its Practice,” is the longest part of the book, containing three chapters: “Trends and Development in Evangelism: An Overview” (Francis Brienen), followed by “Evangelism in Cases Studies and Practices” (geographically divided by eleven authors) and “Theological Issues in the Case Studies” (six authors). Part 4, “Evangelism as Church in Transformation,” contains two chapters: “Toward a Missional Identity of Ministers and Church Workers” (Gerrit Noort and Paas) and “Toward a Common Understanding of Evangelism” (Noort).
The book is significant in several respects. First, it represents the consistent movement of the CWME (and the WCC itself) toward more consideration of the mandate of evangelization. Although it sounds natural as the continuation of the 1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference, for some time, evangelism had been considered merely part of an evangelical agenda. Second, the project was perceived to respond to the fast-eroding Christianity in Europe, the geographically immediate context of the CWME (that is, Geneva). The forces of the change include secularization, globalization, and migration, all of which are taken seriously in the book. Third, as a CWME project, the authors represent a wide range of ecclesial, racial, and gender diversity. Fourth, the book is designed to be useful, including both its theoretical and practical parts, for theologians and practitioners. The case studies (155–245) are extremely helpful in mapping the wide range of evangelistic approaches, from street pastors in England to online churches, faith communities in Italy and France, two Orthodox education programs, an international fellowship, and an African immigrant community. As the CWME has been conducting regional programs on evangelism, similar books may appear, grounded in those unique social contexts. The book should be commended as it also can serve as a useful example for fast-secularizing societies, not only in the West but also in the “rest.”