One size fits all? Uncovering multiple conversion avenues for effective evangelism.

摘要

Recent studies suggest that evangelical churches are struggling to foster conversions that result in consequential faith, and that they are largely unable to reach individuals who were not socialized in the Christian faith by their family members or through regular church attendance. Since the landscape of many societies has changed from Christian to post-Christian, there is a need to reassess the adequacy of the churches’ outreach practices. This study addresses the need to reevaluate how evangelical churches conceive the conversion process and the sociological spaces they create for this process, and it provides insights that will equip churches to reach people from a broader spectrum of walks of life.;Chapter 1 introduces the predicament faced by evangelical churches and shows their need to reevaluate how they conceive of conversion. Chapter 2 seeks to gain a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches regarding conversion. Chapter 3 provides a historical overview of how conversion has been understood from the Protestant Reformation onward, uncovering conversion avenues that will prove helpful in addressing predicaments evangelicals face today. Chapter 4 explores how modern revivalism has shaped how evangelical churches conceive of conversion and practice evangelism, affecting the conversion spaces they create. Chapter 5 presents a critique of evangelicals' ad hoc application of evangelistic methods rooted in modern revivalism for a post-Christendom context, and argues that there is a need to conceive of conversion as a process, not just as an instantaneous event. Chapter 6 presents the concept of a spiritual autobiography course as a new conversion avenue churches can effectively utilize.