
Presence
Resilient Witness in Times of Retreat and Revival
Jon Thompson(Author)
Zondervan (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 8. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-310-18306-8 (ISBN)
Description
Effective evangelism requires we learn to open all the doors of witness.
In this very unique moment where the church is experiencing retreat and revival at the same time how do we keep reaching out well? The answer might not what we think.
Whether it's a Muslim having a dream about Jesus, a university student listening to a Christian Oxford professor discussing the historical validity of the resurrection, a sick person being loved, cared for, and prayed over by a Christian nurse, a sermon by the preacher, or a deliverance that breaks the power of darkness, the point is that in a pluralistic, multicultural, and socio-economically diverse world, love, word, and power are the keys to crossing the common ground we share with our neighbors.
But what does this feel like on the ground?
In Presence, Jon Thompson provides practical steps rooted in biblical story that reorient our lenses of evangelism by pointing to the need for the incarnation to once again become the focal point of our thinking and expression in witnessing, enabling us to reach different people and communities at the same time.
This powerful and incarnational approach examines the reasons behind our mixed responses to Christian witness and seeks to ensure that our message is clear and unambiguous, addressing the vital truths of who Jesus is, what the gospel is, and their profound impact on identity. Delving into the themes of love, word, and power, readers will discover that Gods desire for the church has always been to be a hospitable, intellectually engaging movement of encounterism.
In this very unique moment where the church is experiencing retreat and revival at the same time how do we keep reaching out well? The answer might not what we think.
Whether it's a Muslim having a dream about Jesus, a university student listening to a Christian Oxford professor discussing the historical validity of the resurrection, a sick person being loved, cared for, and prayed over by a Christian nurse, a sermon by the preacher, or a deliverance that breaks the power of darkness, the point is that in a pluralistic, multicultural, and socio-economically diverse world, love, word, and power are the keys to crossing the common ground we share with our neighbors.
But what does this feel like on the ground?
In Presence, Jon Thompson provides practical steps rooted in biblical story that reorient our lenses of evangelism by pointing to the need for the incarnation to once again become the focal point of our thinking and expression in witnessing, enabling us to reach different people and communities at the same time.
This powerful and incarnational approach examines the reasons behind our mixed responses to Christian witness and seeks to ensure that our message is clear and unambiguous, addressing the vital truths of who Jesus is, what the gospel is, and their profound impact on identity. Delving into the themes of love, word, and power, readers will discover that Gods desire for the church has always been to be a hospitable, intellectually engaging movement of encounterism.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Grand Rapids
United States
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-310-18306-8 (9780310183068)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jon Thompson is the senior pastor of Sanctus Church, a multi-site church in the Greater Toronto Area where he has been on staff for more than twenty-eight years. Jon holds a Master of Theological Studies from Tyndale Seminary in Toronto and a Doctorate in Missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary in California. Jon is married and a father to three kids. He speaks and teaches globally on the convergence of spiritual gifts, spiritual practices, and spiritual experiences in the life of the believer and the local church.