Landscape of Evangelism in America, with Andy Cook

Doug and co-host Daniel Goulding sit down with Andy Cook, Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, to unpack why relational evangelism belongs at the center of discipleship. Together they explore sobering stats (60% of U.S. churches are stagnant or declining), Gen Z’s surprising openness to spiritual conversations, and the practical rhythms leaders can model—from Alpha tables to breakfast-booth friendships.

Daniel shares church-plant lessons around decisions and baptisms, while Andy unpacks BGC research, revitalization cohorts, and the vision behind the Amplify Conference. Along the way, they wrestle with transfer growth vs. true conversion, the seeker-sensitive debate, preaching clearly into cultural issues, and how “radical alignment” mobilizes everyday believers. The conversation is actionable, hopeful, and data-informed.

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 The Sobering Statistic: 60% of Churches in Decline or Stagnant
01:03 Meet Co-Host Daniel Goulding and His Church Plant Story
01:21 Andy Cook’s Journey: From Willow Creek to Wheaton College
03:28 Daniel’s Radical Conversion: From Fraternity Life to Faith
06:43 Early Lessons in Relational Evangelism
08:03 Inviting Friends, Broken Hearts, and the “Lonely Bench” at Willow
10:33 Why Evangelism Must Begin with Leaders
13:32 Everyday Evangelism: Breakfast Tables and Baptism Stories
15:02 Making Evangelism a Regular Appointment on the Calendar
16:56 Why Andy Leads Alpha and Steps Outside the Christian Bubble
17:13 Inside the Billy Graham Center and Its Institutes
20:30 State of Evangelism in America Today
23:15 Transfer Growth vs. True Kingdom Growth
24:48 Why Evangelism Feels Scary—and Why It’s Still Biblical
26:20 Bad Evangelism vs. Good Evangelism: Learning Like Toddlers
28:56 Discipleship and Evangelism: Two Sides of the Same Coin
30:40 Can You Have Deep Discipleship Without Evangelism?

32:23 Gen Z’s Spiritual Openness and New Research Insights
34:46 Preaching Boldly into Cultural Issues
36:58 Calling Men to Biblical Masculinity
37:50 Convening Evangelism Leaders at the Billy Graham Center
39:18 Digital Spaces, AI, and the Future of Evangelism
40:18 The Amplify Conference: Keeping Evangelism Central
40:56 The Radical Alignment Assessment and New Data

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