And Some … Evangelists

Based on Ephesians 4:11, this book is an appeal, by an evangelist, to not neglect the use of the evangelist in our churches. Roger Carswell is a British itinerant evangelist from my home town of Leeds. My wife and I had the privilege of working with Roger in tent meetings back in 1984 in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in Northern England. For the last quarter of a century brother Carswell has traveled extensively throughout the British Isles, and further afield, seeking to share the good news in tent meetings, university campuses, coffee mornings in homes, beach missions, or simply on street corners. Roger, a married man and father of four, has been blessed with his children sharing in their father’s love for the gospel. He has been much used by the Lord in reaching souls for Christ and throughout this book his passion for communicating the gospel shines through infectiously. In a day when the work of the evangelist is largely neglected among assemblies, this book will challenge us to seek to encourage these passionate men to make full use of their gift received from the risen and glorified Christ.

The book is filled with pithy sayings and quotable quotes, as well as much practical wisdom for any believer in Christ, not just the evangelist. It should aid to stir us up personally to do the work of an evangelist, whether that is our area of gift or not. The chapter on using the gospel tract as a tool is valuable to any Christian. Other chapters include the temptations of the evangelist, a look at evangelists throughout the Scriptures, and the great cloud of witnesses throughout church history. Controversial issues such as the evangelistic appeal, the use of music in evangelism, and itinerancy versus residency in the work of the evangelist are dealt with in a helpful and balanced manner.

Although our readers may not be in agreement with all that is written in this book (the author is from a background where the one-pastor system is normal and accepted), it is a book that all will find helpful and challenging. My immediate thought, upon reading it, was to purchase extra copies and send it to evangelists who are my friends and who would greatly benefit from the encouragement found in the pages of this book. It also burned in me a desire to order fresh tracts and rededicate myself to sharing the gospel at every opportunity. It is so easy to get out of the discipline of doing this. My prayer is that this book will enjoy wide readership and will cause us to pray, “Lord, give me a heart of compassion like Your compassionate heart for the lost world.”

To whet your appetite for “And Some … Evangelists,” here are a couple of choice quotations from the book:

Lord Beaverbrook, the founder of the British newspaper, The Daily Express, wrote: “The evangelist is the man who has the greatest capacity for doing good and, therefore, if I were in a position to influence the life of a sincere young man today, I would say to him, ‘Rather choose to be an evangelist than a cabinet minister, or a millionaire.’ When I was a young man I pitied my father for being a poor man and a preacher of the Word. Now that I am older, I envy him, his life, and his career.”

And Albert Knudson said: “There are two classes of preachers: the good preachers who have something to say, and the poor preachers who have to say something. But there is yet another and higher class. It consists of those who have something to say and have to say it.”

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