The Bartender: A Fable about a Journey written by Michael McNichols is inspiring, encouraging and profound. A wonderful story about a Pastor and his leadership struggling with the issue of “evangelism.” Specifically, how do they bring their congregation to a place of being intentional about sharing their faith with consistency and intentionality that will result in people coming to faith in Christ. This is a concern for most pastors and congregations and even denominations – at least those that would label themselves evangelical.
If you are a frustrated pastor or church leader lacking either the energy or ability to ignite your constituency to do evangelism or join your most current outreach program, this book is for you.
If you are feeling that doing evangelism is something for those more qualified, biblically literate, and professionally trained, or that if I do this I’m in need of more training, this book is for you.
If you find yourself terrified at the prospect of sharing your faith with another individual, or you believe your faith is a private matter, this book is for you.
If you don’t want to be identified as an over zealous Christian radical who wears a sign-boards, this book is for you.
If you have someone you would like to share your faith with, but just don’t know how, this book is for you.
If you believe that God is already out there preparing a way for you to engage your culture and community, this book is for you.
If your stuck in what some refer to as the “Evangelical Bubble” and wanting to escape, this book is for you.
If you want to discover new ways of living out the implications of your faith, this book is for you.
The story that McNichols tells, is not about a new programmatic ways and means to share one’s faith, but what a natural expression of God’s grace looks like in the lives of those who take serious their responsibility in being salt and light in their respective worlds.
If this story could be embraced and applied to the majority of those who identify themselves as Christian, we would all soon find ourselves living in a better world.
