Book of the Day
Get the Word Out
John Teter
FOREWORD
Taken from Get the Word Out by John Teter. ©2003 by John
Teter. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove,
IL 60515-1426. www.ivpress.com
In his introduction to this book, John Teter dares to include the following prayer: It is my prayer that this book will help you begin your own Word-based evangelism ministry. Why? Because he fervently believes that what he says in this book can do just that. But there is a catch. He goes on to say, “If you are willing to commit to God to be his witness, he will be faithful to shape and lead you.” John Teter can pray that prayer and make that claim because he has seen it happen on college campuses.
John was a student of mine several years ago in a course called “Lifelong Development.” As I read his personal case study, I was impressed with who God was shaping John to be. I saw that John had a heart to study God’s Word and allow it to permeate his own thinking. In addition, I knew he was doing some experimenting with evangelism on campuses—both residential and community colleges. He had become aware that a new movement was in the making. A new student population was emerging—one that was open to exploring the gospel. What John needed was some way of reaching them. Out of his heart for studying the Word and his desire to communicate it evangelistically on campuses, John developed exploratory Bible study groups based on a long tradition within InterVarsity of investigative Bible discussions. InterVarsity called these studies GIGs—Groups Investigating God. As a result of these studies, John began to see people coming to Christ—lives changed. He knew he was on to something. So he began to pass on what he was learning to others.
About two years ago he came to me with a question: “I want to share with others what I have been learning about evangelism on campuses. The Gospel of John is a core book for me, and I want to write a book for InterVarsity Press on evangelism using the communication principles embedded in that great book. Would you mentor me in my study of John’s Gospel?”
So we set out on a study project. For over a year John diligently studied the Gospel of John, observing the breakthrough communication principles in Jesus’ ministry. He intuitively knew that those communication principles were at the heart of his GIGs approach.
Get the Word Out is the result of that foundational time in the Gospel of John. The ideas from John’s Gospel are interwoven throughout the book. John is not kidding when he uses the phrase “Word-based evangelism.” John’s experiment continues to grow. Others have caught the dynamics of GIGs as he communicates them in his inspirational sermons, personally disciples others in the approach and then leads InterVarsity campus workers and students in training seminars and workshops. This book is another means for John to inspire even more people to challenge others to explore the claims of Jesus. The highlights of the book include
- a strong biblical base—it is filled with material from John’s Gospel (this book is worth its price just for the insights into John’s Gospel)
- dynamic communication principles—ideas that can be transferred to anyone’s ministry
- illustrations from actual experiences on campus—the kind that inspire yet teach (the illustrations alone make the book worthwhile)
- an author who models what he is teaching to others and is transparent—both successes and failures punch home his emphases
- pithy summaries with a personal growth challenge at the conclusion of each chapter
So become an answer to John Teter’s prayer. Read this book. Be inspired to start your own Word-based evangelism ministry. See lives transformed. And like John Teter, pass on to others what you learn.
Dr. J. Robert (Bobby) Clinton
Professor of Leadership
School of World Mission
Fuller Theological Seminary
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