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GLO Mini Bible School
I really enjoyed the opportunity to be in Motherwell near Glasgow in Scotland to speak a the “GLO Mini Bible School”. GLO – which originally stood for “Gospel Literature Outreach”, is an amazing place containing a Bible College, bookshop, and a mission agency which sends trains and send people on evangelism and church planting missions all over Europe. It’s been doing that for fifty years now and is quite well-known in Scotland. In fact their director, Stephen McQuoid was a guest on our PEPTalk podcast a while ago too.
Every year GLO hosts a “Mini Bible School” and I was invited to speak at two sessions there this time. Despite the fact that on one of nights I was speaking there, there was a terrible storm, with high winds and lashing rain – around 150 people came, which was hugely encouraging! Equally interesting was that the organisers noted that the audience who came were younger than they often get. It was good to see lots of younger people there including plenty of students.
I ‘tagged-teamed’ the teaching with Stephen McQuoid. He began on the first night in Deuteronomy, with a series of lessons from that book about how we can live for Christ in a confusing and hostile culture. The Israelites were called to distinctive faithfulness to YHWH in the midst of all kinds of competing cultures, religions and worldviews.
So then in my first session I looked at the question of ‘worldviews’, such as atheism or Islam and how to understand them. I looked at the kinds of questions we should ask of other worldviews in order to understand what they teach and our friends who subscribe to them. I made the point that the way to get to the heart of a person or a culture is to really seek to understand them and what they believe.
In my second session at GLO, I looked at Acts 17, where Paul addresses the people in Athens. I looked at Paul’s method for engaging people there – and drew some lessons on how we can represent Christ well in our own ‘culture of confusion’ today. The way that Paul engaged the Greco-Roman world is hugely insightful for us in our own ministry today.
We then opened the floor to Q&A which was lively and engaged and then at lunchtime I spoke to the students at the Bible College there. I did a talk based on my new book, “How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like An Idiot”. One of my passions is that students don’t come to Bible College and just think about highfaluting ideas but also think through how to take what they have learned of the wonderful truths of the gospel and engage the world around them with those. So, it was really good to be able to equip them with some really practical tools for conversation. Hopefully as they go and serve and lead in churches around the world they will be able to take these tools and work practically.
It was a real privilege to be able to partner with GLO again this year – last year my colleague Gavin Matthews spoke there. We hope to be able to work with them again soon.
What If God Isn’t Real?
What if God isn’t real? Many people say they don’t think God exists, but haven’t really considered the implications if it’s true. Where can we find things like morality, human dignity or hope for the future if God isn’t real? Perhaps they aren’t real either. But Steve Osmond asks us to reverse the question, and discover all these wonderful things flooding back into the human experience.
Confident Christianity Lewis 2024
Thanks for coming to the Confident Christianity Conference at Back Free Church. As promised, you can find our slides from the morning — as well as recommended resources related to the talks.
Presentation Slides
Additional Resources
Launch Pad 17: A Community BBQ
Here’s the vision. Throw the doors of the church wide-open, provide great food and a hearty welcome, invite the neighbours in, raise money for a good cause and deepen links between the church and the wider community. All with the goal of breaking down barriers to the gospel.
One church we work closely with has been doing this for years with their community BBQs. The organiser, Gordy Mackay, explained that there are large numbers of friendly people on the periphery of the church community who welcome the opportunity to come a bit closer. Some are parents who bring their little ones to the toddler group, but have never been on a Sunday or met the wider church family. Others are parents who drop their kids off for midweek events or holiday clubs but who never stop to chat. The last community BBQ was timed to follow-on from the holiday club, when the church had high levels of community contact, and all the children carried invitations to the BBQ home with them.
The charity aspect is likewise very attractive for people. Gordy has links with Malawi and so ran the community BBQ as a fundraiser to supply clean water to a very needy community and hospital there. The target of £3K was smashed when £8k was raised. Gordy said: “Many outsiders only know or hear what the church is against; this event provided a positive witness about something the church is for!” Inviting guests to participate and in a sense ‘own’ what was going on was important.
“I didn’t realise you live in my street”, “I never knew you had children in the same school as me”, were just some of the conversations overheard during this year’s event. As the aroma of the hog roast filled the air and the fizzy drinks were poured, children played on inflatables while adults chatted.
The church is going to make the community BBQ an annual event, and in the coming year are going to use it to launch their Alpha course. When the community come in they will be welcomed, fed, and introduced to Alpha and invitations will go out.
What could your church do to create a low-key welcoming space in which to embrace and reach your local community?
Pray: Lord, please help us to make church an open, hospitable place for others. Amen!
Previously: Launch Pad #16 Put The E Into Evangelism!
Next: Launch Pad #18 Will be published soon!
UCB – Life Issues: Andy Bannister in conversation with Helen Lea
Andy Bannister recently joined Helen Lea on UCB radio for a lively discussion about sharing the Christian faith. They started talking about Andy’s book, “How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like Idiot“, and then the conversation went out from there! The whole of this hugely enjoyable programme is available online- click the UCB icon to get the programme.
PEP Talk with Roger Carswell
Steve Osmond and Kristi Mair are delighted to chat with a living legend of the British church, Roger Carswell. Roger reflects on over 40 years of sharing the gospel in different ways, with his trademark warmth and wisdom. HIs insights on the changing world, the consistent gospel, Christian literature and the heart of gospel preaching are so encouraging.
With Roger Carswell – PEP Talk
Our Guest
Roger Carswell is a travelling evangelist and author. He leads evangelistic church and university missions as well as speaking at Christian conferences. He has written a number of books including ‘And some evangelists’ and ‘Where is God in a messed-up world?’ and publishes numerous gospel tracts and booklets. He is married to Dot, has four children and lives in North Yorkshire
About PEP Talk
The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, Andy Bannister (Solas) and Kristi Mair (Oak Hill College) chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.
Launch Pad 16: Put the “E” into “Evangelism”
Hardly a day goes by without yet another product being updated, digitised, and relaunched with an “e” prefix. We’ve had e-mail, e-bikes, e-books, e-cigarettes and thousands more products. I even saw an advert for an “e-toaster” (which connected to your WiFi and would ping your phone when your bagel was done!) In our digital, highly-Internet-connected age, maybe we can do the same for “e-vangelism”!
Many of us have a complicated relationship with the Internet. Some of us spend way too much time on it! And others of us get sucked into the black hole of the culture wars waging online: I’m reminded of the cartoon of the man sitting at the kitchen table, staring bleary-eyed into his laptop and shouting over his shoulder, “Honey, I can’t come to bed yet—somebody is wrong on the Internet!”
But maybe there’s a better way of being a Christian online. If you’re on any kind of social media platform, what about trying some simple “e-vangelism” by getting into the habit of sharing good quality, thought-provoking content regularly online? Things that your non-Christian friends might be intrigued by, not wound up by? For example:
- You could post a Have You Ever Wondered? article or video. These are great little pieces designed to gently get people thinking about spiritual themes. (We heard recently from one man who had great success starting conversations by dropping these occasionally into his village WhatsApp group).
- Or try a Short Answers video. Don’t merely post it: put a little comment with it, maybe “I found this video quite thought-provoking: what do you think?”
- Keep on the lookout for Christian material that engages the issues of the day in a thoughtful way: for example, our friends at Seen & Unseen have some great resources.
- Share a Bible verse that has encouraged you (and say why). You could use a free tool like Canva to make it look attractive in a post.
- Talk about a film or TV show that’s raised a spiritual question for you. Or mention a good Christian one—The Chosen would be an excellent example.
And don’t forget to pray as you do this. Here’s a prayer you might use: Lord, please help me be neither addicted to nor afraid of the digital world, but to use it as a space in which to be a faithful witness for you. Amen!
Previously: Launch Pad #15 The Opportunities in Daily Routines
Next: Launch Pad #17 Will be published soon!
Back to Blair
Solas has had a long and warm relationship with Blairgowrie Evangelical Church, an independent fellowship which meets in the Perthshire town of Blairgowrie. Over the years we have spoken at various events and services for them, including some memorable outreach events in a hotel in the centre of the town.
I was delighted to be invited to go to up to Blairgowrie to give the church there an update on the ministry of Solas, and to preach for them as well. Our old friend Iain Craig (who works for Mission International in the adjacent office to us in Dundee!) led the worship, and I brought a message from the Bible to the church. Blairgowrie Evangelical are doing a series of consecutive sermons through the book of Acts. So I thought it would be a useful idea to bring a message which was complementary to that, without stepping on Derek (the pastor’s) toes in his consecutive studies. So we looked at the way the early church used their homes for ministry, both for outreach and fellowship. Drawing on various texts from the New Testament, and writers like Tim Chester – we thought about the way in which we are called to use our homes for God and his gospel (if we have one).
The audio (only) of the talk can be found here:
Solas places a huge weight on the importance of the local church, which is why we don’t run events in our own right – but only go and serve the church where we are invited. The local church is God’s biblically mandated instrument to take the gospel to the world – and so our job is to serve the church. That’s why going to towns like Blairgowrie is an absolute joy for us, to work with partners in the gospel, doing good, faithful gospel work in their communities. Please get in touch if it would be helpful for us to come to your church or community.
How Can We Get the World to Change?
Turn on any news channel and you will find no shortage of depressing stories of what’s going on in the world. There’s so much that’s wrong, so much that’s broken, even within ourselves. When we pause to consider all of these things, we often wonder how we can get the world to change – to be a better place. Do these feelings and intuitions actually point us to something more? In this Short Answers video, Steve Osmond highlights the Christian hope for real change in the world and how it can start with us.
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Short Answers is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose a free book as a thank-you gift!
Launch Pad 15: The Opportunities in Daily Routines
We’ve all seen those crime series in which a private investigator is hired to tail someone and figure out their daily routines. Which café they go to for their morning coffee, the route they take to work, the people they speak to and the school they fetch their kids from.
Now, ignoring the potentially sinister nature of that kind of profiling, it does raise a point – we all have a routine! We all have patterns and rhythms in our lives where we will use the same routes, and go to the same stores, car-parks etc. If we pay just a little attention, we will notice that we regularly cross paths with the same people as we go. This creates a great opportunity to slowly begin to build relationships, move from surface level conversations to deeper ones, offer friendship and ultimately share our faith.
Someone once spoke of the ‘ministry of dog walking’ – they recognised the great opportunity that dog walking presented as a way to meet new people, slowly build relationships, and get to a place where they could share their faith in conversation with people (see here and here for some tips on how to do that naturally).
So, thinking like a private investigator for just a moment, do a little assessment of the regular patterns of your life. What trends do you see? What places are you regularly visiting? Can you see the faces of some of the people you regularly pass along the way? Is it the guy in the yellow reflector vest walking his Alsatian along the same path, or perhaps the lady with the long pink hair walking her little ones to the same school that you walk your children to?
What might start with a courteous nod, can progress to a ‘hiya’, to ‘hey, how’s your week been?’. The great thing about this approach is that there is time to build a relationship slowly and meaningfully. We don’t know the stories of all the people we pass – but we know their need for a Saviour, the need we all have.
Pray: ‘Lord, please help me to see the patterns and rhythms in my life where there is opportunity build relationships and share your love and grace. Make me bold as I look to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those people you bring into my life’
Previously: Launch Pad #14 Create a Welcoming Impression of Church
Next: Launch Pad #16 Will be published soon!
“Have You Ever Wondered?” Book
Beauty. Justice. Identity. Love. Stories. Nature. Hope. These things intrigue us, move us and prompt us to ask big questions. Could there be clues in our deepest desires that point to life’s meaning?
Have You Ever Wondered? is an exciting new evangelistic book from Solas. Available in the UK direct from 10 Publishing.
Buy a copy, get the ebook free!
If you’re a church or a group you can bulk buy for as little as £2.50 a copy.
Special offer: buy one, get a free copy to give to a friend.
For our friends in the USA/Canada, Have You Ever Wondered? will be released in North America on 3 June 2024.
Have You Ever Wondered? invites you on an immersive tour through the issues that matter. This book is for anyone who has looked at a landscape and contemplated why we are drawn to beauty, or wondered why we are so insatiably curious about our universe, or even for those who have simply looked up at a million stars in the vast night’s sky and just wondered.
Contributors with backgrounds in science, law, linguistics, theology, bioethics, history, and more, reflect on how their questions have, in some cases unexpectedly, led them to a compelling Christian spirituality and a profound sense of meaning and purpose in life.
Featuring chapters by Andy Bannister, Gavin Matthews, Gareth Black, Andy Moore, Mary Jo Sharp, Andy Steiger, Michael Ots, Clare Williams, Anne Witton, and David Nixon, Have You Ever Wondered? is the perfect gift for friends, family, colleagues, or as a giveaway at events for churches. It’s designed to be a highly accessible, fun, and easy to read book that will help begin conversations about Jesus.
Confident Christianity – A Report from Hillview
It was a delight for three of us from Solas, and Liam our intrepid cameraman to head up to Hillview Community Church in Aberdeen for a morning of Confident Christianity.
Scott, Grant and Jonathan from the church were in front of the camera at the end of the event and recorded their reactions to the morning we spent with them. Scott is one of the pastors at Hillview, and he explains in the video why they invited us to Hillview, why they asked for some particular topics to be addressed, and how they are planning to respond to what we considered together.
We appreciated the warm welcome from the folks at Hillview, their slick organisation, engaged audience and really insightful questions that they raised in the Q&A time. We made new friends on our visit and met up some old ones too.
If you’d be interested in bringing something like this to your church, do get in touch – we’d love to speak to you.
PEP Talk with Matthew Mittelberg
If you know the life-changing experience of tasting traditional Japanese ramen, you know it is something you want everyone to experience. Is it the same with our Christian experience? Today on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with our ramen-loving guest about the roles of enthusiasm and duty in our evangelistic life.
With Matthew Mittelberg – PEP Talk
Our Guest
Matthew Mittelberg is an experienced Christian teacher and apologist, serving as Director of Content at Apologetics Inc. He has spoken to thousands at universities, churches, conferences and youth events in both the US and the UK and his talks have been seen online hundreds of thousands of times. Matthew completed his MA in Philosophy of Religion at Palm Beach Atlantic University, received his BA from Grand Canyon University, and a certificate in theology from Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University. Find Matthew on YouTube here.
About PEP Talk
The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, Andy Bannister (Solas) and Kristi Mair (Oak Hill College) chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.
Launch Pad 14: Create a Welcoming Impression of Church
Do your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours know that they would be welcome to come to church with you? Our instinct may be to just assume that everyone knows that people would be delighted to see them if they pitched up one Sunday, to the Alpha course, or a carol service.
But we might want to check that our assumptions are realistic or if they are detached from the actual experience of our friends.
Many of our colleagues and acquaintances might be aware that we go to something called ‘church’ on a Sunday, but because they’ve had no significant contact in their lives with the church, have no inkling that it has anything to do with them. What goes on at church might be completely unknown or mysterious to them in reality.
While we think it totally obvious that the doors of the church are flung wide open to welcome outsiders and that what goes on inside those doors is reassuring and familiar, our non-Christian friends or family may have very different perceptions. If they are two or three generations removed from any meaningful contact with the church it will seem as remote, and perhaps as daunting to them as visiting a mosque, betting shop or masonic temple might to most of us!
Just think about that for a moment.
We need to begin to create what one writer called a ‘culture of invitation’ in which we constantly send out the message to everyone that the church is not just open to Christians, but open to anyone who will come. We need to be crystal clear in all that we say and do that the church is welcoming to people with questions and messed-up lives, not least because we too have questions and messed-up lives! We cannot assume that everyone knows this – so we need to tell them.
“You know you’d be welcome to come with us to church any Sunday” is a simple sentence which could produce surprising results. More often than not when I have heard this said, the reply has been, “Not at the moment, but thanks for asking.” Sometimes though, it has been the gateway to a life-changing encounter with Christ and his people.
Pray: Lord, please help remind me to tell everyone I know that they’d be welcome at church. Amen!
Previously: Launch Pad #13 The Ministry of Chocolate
Next: Launch Pad #15 Will be published soon!
