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Socially Awkward Evangelism
Ebook
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Move Past Anxiety and Into Confident Witness
Are fear and anxiety holding you back from sharing your faith? Does the thought of evangelism make you uneasy or leave you concerned about making others uncomfortable? The biggest barrier to evangelism, Mark Teasdale argues, is not lack of training or information—it’s fear.
To overcome this fear, we must engage not just intellectually and spiritually, but also psychologically. In Socially Awkward Evangelism,Teasdale considers evangelism through the lens of psychology, helping you overcome the roadblocks that often accompany sharing your faith. Teasdale offers resources for dealing with anxiety and shame and helps you communicate in ways that reduce uncertainties in others, utilizing recent developments in understanding mental and emotional health.
Socially Awkward Evangelism:
Through practical exercises, theological foundations, and psychological insights, this book will guide you to thoughtfully attend to your inner life, your social context, and the heart of Jesus, helping you move beyond fear to embrace evangelism as the blessing it’s meant to be.
Whether you're a church leader or educator training others, a student eager to learn, or someone who struggles with the social anxiety often tied to evangelism, Socially Awkward Evangelism provides the tools to help you step into this sacred task with confidence and purpose.
"The gospel message is timeless, but Mark R. Teasdale equips us to share it in a rapidly changing world. Blending the best of scholarship with the realities of daily life, this book speaks to the deep hunger for hope. Much like the Ethiopian eunuch's question to Philip—'How will I know unless someone teaches me?'—this work reminds us that faithful guidance remains as essential today as ever."
Clare Biedenharn, board-certified chaplain, author of Heart to Heart, and founder of Your Listening Partner, LLC
"In Socially Awkward Evangelism, Mark Teasdale provides a rigorous and insightful account of Christian witness grounded in the conviction that God—through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit—is redeeming creation. Drawing on contemporary psychology, particularly Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), he addresses the realities of anxiety, shame, and fear that often hinder evangelistic practice. Evangelism here is envisioned as virtue-shaped and trauma-informed formation that resists coercion, honors dignity, and cultivates ethical persuasion in community. This timely volume offers Christian and faith leaders concrete pathways toward non-defensive, authentic proclamation of God's abundant life in Christ."
AHyunLee, licensed clinical professional counselor and associate professor of pastoral theology, care, and psychotherapy at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Introduction: When Jesus Calls Us to Be Socially Awkward
Part 1: Overcoming Our Anxious Thoughts About Evangelism
1. Evangelism, Anxiety, and Stigmatic Shame
2. A Fork in the Road
3. Aware of Ourselves
4.Awareness with Assurance
5. Accuracy and Virtue
6. Imagery Rescripting in Community
Part 2: Overcoming Our Fear of Harming Others
7. Powerful Persuaders
8. Evangelism as Feedback
9. Trauma-Informed Evangelism and Dignity
Conclusion: Socially Acceptable Evangelism
Acknowledgments
List of Online Appendixes
General Index
Scripture Index