Our church gives away lots of books. We give them away at the bus stop, Easter egg hunts, lunches for high school students, Christmas time, summer break, etc. It has become a evangelistic ministry for us, and I want you to consider how you can give away good books.
What kind of books should we give away?
Give short books. Longer books are not great for gifts because it feels like an assignment or work. Books as a gift should be under 100 pages. We get our books from 10ofThose and Matthias Media. We especially love the books The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller and Empty by Joshua Cooley and James Elston. The first is a great book for any teen or adult. Empty is a fun book for kids that explains why Jesus’ empty tomb is the best empty thing ever.
Give good books and avoid bad books that might be cheap or popular. Read them first. Pick ones that focus on the needs of your community, and pick ones that are clear about the gospel. There are many bad books in the world and many unhelpful books in Christian publishing. Think about it as your one shot to point people to Jesus. Make the most of your one chance to give a book away.
Why should our church give books away?
Giving away evangelistic books makes an event strategic. It turns a Halloween event into a chance to share the gospel. If you have a men’s breakfast or hunter’s dinner, give everyone a good book, and you can minister long after the event.
Books become an on-going witness, especially if they are kids books. Jonathan Carswell says that a children’s book is a witness to mom, dad, or a grandparent when a child asks them to read.
Books are better as gifts than tracts because it feels special. Tracts are great for personal evangelism in conversations, but books leave a longer impression. When we give Christmas books away, we wrap them as a gift.
How can we give away books?
Use the events that you have that attract unbelievers, and give away evangelistic books. We gave away Empty to every family at our town Easter Egg Hunt. Our church has done the event before, but it takes on an evangelistic emphasis when we send them home with a gospel book. When we hosted a lunch for the local high school, I put a stack right by the exit and told the students why they might want one of the books. The whole stack was gone by the end of lunch.
Even if you aren’t the leader of the church, you can figure out how to give away books in your ministry or circle. If you lead a men’s breakfast, give books away. If you lead a ladies’ night out, give books away. If you lead a sports ministry, give books away.
Maybe you wonder about the cost. How can we afford it? 10ofThose is a trusted site and publisher that makes it affordable to give books that share the gospel. They often have books to give away for $2-$5 and will even help you get the books you need if you can’t afford them.
How do you use books to share the gospel? Have you found great books to give away?
