Over one million people have experienced the groundbreaking evangelism training course Becoming a Contagious Christian — a proven resource designed to equip believers for relational evangelism. Now revised and updated, it avoids stereotyped approaches that feel intimidating to many Christians—and to their friends! Instead, it shows ordinary believers how to share the gospel in natural and effective ways being the person God made them to be. This leader's guide is designed for use with the revised and updated Becoming a Contagious Christian kit and its components. This guide will enable you to conduct the Becoming a Contagious Christian sessions with confidence and skill. It has been carefully designed to combine thoroughness with ease of use. At one glance, you can view the leader notes and teaching text, timed activities, corresponding pages in the participant's guide, as well as timing for using PowerPoint displays and DVD segments (all found in the kit). Each session's exercises will help you gain confidence and equip you to: Discover your own style of communicating about Christ Build spiritually significant relationships Direct conversations toward matters of faith Tell your own story of coming to faith Use easy-to-remember gospel illustrations Pray with someone to receive Christ, and more!
Authors
Bill Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, a non-denominational church with eight regional locations in the Chicago area. He is the bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Simplify, Axiom, Holy Discontent, Just Walk Across the Room, The Volunteer Revolution, Courageous Leadership, Too Busy Not to Pray, and Becoming a Contagious Christian. Hybels launched Willow Creek Community Church in 1975 with his wife, Lynne (Berry), and a group of friends who gathered in rented space in a movie theater with a vision of helping people from any faith background (or no faith at all) become fully devoted followers of Jesus. Utilizing contemporary music, the arts, relevant teaching from the Bible, and a small-groups community focus that has revolutionized how people experience community in the local church, Willow Creek has grown to more than 25,000 attendees, one of the largest churches in North America—and one of the most influential. In 1992, Hybels launched Willow Creek Association, a not-for-profit organization that equips, inspires, and empowers leaders around the world. In 1995, he convened WCA’s first Global Leadership Summit, an annual two-day event featuring top leaders from all perspectives and areas of expertise—both faith-based and secular (past speakers include Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Bono, Melinda Gates, Andy Stanley, Jim Collins, Ed Catmull, Tyler Perry, Sheryl Sandberg, Nicholas Kristof, David Gergen, and Brené Brown). Telecast live from Willow Creek’s 7,000-seat South Barrington auditorium each August, more than 400,000 pastors and community leaders attend the Summit at hundreds of locations across North America, and around the world at 675+ sites in 130 countries and 60 different languages—making it the largest event of its kind on the planet. “Everyone wins when a leader gets better,” Hybels says. Hybels holds a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Trinity College (now Trinity International University) in Deerfield, Illinois. He and his wife, Lynne, have two grown children and two grandsons.
