April 18, 2018
Lifeway Research has shown that 79 percent of unchurched people would engage in a faith conversation if asked; however, only 39 percent of surveyed Christians have shared the gospel in the past six months. To combat this disparity and honor the life of renowned evangelist Rev. Billy Graham '43, the Billy Graham Center recently released its Our Gospel Story curriculum, a collection of free resources to help Christians share the gospel.
The four-piece curriculum includes interactive evangelism videos, companion training videos, a six-chapter downloadable curriculum, and a companion Spiritual Disciplines & Evangelism downloadable booklet. Dr. Jerry Root, Professor of Evangelism at Wheaton College and Director of the Evangelism Initiative at the Billy Graham Center, answers questions about evangelism with additional video content throughout the six chapters.
The Billy Graham Center began developing OGS a year ago, envisioning a video series that would allow people to imagine what they would do in a gospel-sharing conversation. The OGS content was designed for practical use by individuals, small groups, and churches alike.
“We have received amazing feedback so far and have thousands of hits to the website and resources,” says Laurie Nichols, director of communications for the Billy Graham Center and creator, developer and editor for the project.
Due to this great interest, the BGC plans to develop additional resources, including specialized curriculum and video for niche audiences such as those who serve in the workplace, reach out to Muslims, need more information on difficult apologetic questions or serve in children’s ministries. “The options are endless,” says Nichols, noting that they have also considered creating a podcast.
Nichols disagrees with the perception that our world is not interested in Jesus, and affirms that it should be the mission of Christ followers to show and share the love of Jesus to every single person we meet, whether in short conversations or long-lasting relationships. “Our Gospels Story is our attempt to get people to take that one step into a gospel conversation. We hope ultimately that it will change the lives of many in our world.”
To learn more about the Billy Graham Center’s evangelism initiatives, visit billygrahamcenter.com.