Don Everts is the content development manager in the Global Ministries division for Lutheran Hour Ministries. A poet and preacher at heart, Don speaks at conferences and churches across the country inviting skeptics and believers alike to gaze at Jesus and be thrilled. Don spent the last 10 years working in the local church and the 14 years before that working on college campuses with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Whether in the church or on campus, Don has walked with non-Christians as they discover the person of Jesus and has worked with Christians in being able to fruitfully do the same in their own relationships.
This week we’re talking with Don Everts about his book, The Reluctant Witness: Discovering the Delight of Spiritual Conversations.
You can find Don and his work on:
Or check out his work at lhm.org.
Resources
The Reluctant Witness by Don Everts
Lutheran Hour Ministries Courses
The Spiritual Conversation Curve
Episode Audio:
Chapter 1 - Why Doesn't the Church Have More Spiritual Conversations?
You’ve probably felt it before. It’s that guilty feeling that you haven’t been sharing your faith with others like you should. We’re all called to evangelize, right? So then why don’t we witness more? Why is it so hard to have spiritual conversations? In this chapter, Don opens up with us about his latest work in studying why Christians aren’t having as many spiritual conversations any more. We may come up with excuses or justifications for why we don’t talk about our faith with others. But could it be that there’s something deeper happening in our culture?
Chapter 2 - How to Become a Wise Witness
Step 5 in creating lifestyle of discipleship is to make other disciples. But this is often the step that causes us the most fear. We’re afraid of talking to a stranger about our faith. We don’t want to say the wrong thing, or be asked a question we don’t know how to answer, or be the one responsible for turning someone off to the gospel all together. And so we avoid spiritual conversations of any kind. But in this chapter Don Everts helps us gain some peace of mind by giving us a better way to think about sharing our faith and making disciples.
Chapter 3 - The 5 Myths About Spiritual Conversations
There are always reasons we don’t share our faith with someone. These reasons may or may not be true, but we can usually justify them in some way. When it comes down to it, spiritual conversations can be scary. You may be an introvert who doesn’t like talking to people. You may be afraid of rejection and public shame. Or maybe you just don’t know what to say. In this chapter, Don summarizes and debunks 5 myths he’s found people believe about spiritual conversations. So whether you’re afraid of talking to someone or you just don’t know what to say, Don has some good news for you. And sharing your faith may not be as difficult as you think.
Chapter 4 - How to Become an Eager Conversationalist
If you’re listening to this podcast right now, then it’s likely that you have a deep desire to grow in your relationship with Christ and to make other disciples. But if you’re like most Christians today, you struggle with talking to non-Christians about your faith. Well that’s okay, because our guest Don Everts used to feel this way as well. He was, what he calls, a reluctant witness. But he’s here to share with us how we can become eager conversationalists. How we can become disciples who are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities for spiritual conversations. And it starts with the right preparation.
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