PEP Talk

In addition to podcasts ;) books and tracts can be great tools for sharing the gospel and helping you learn about evangelism. Our guest today leads a Christian publishing ministry. He shares some top title recommendations, insight into trends in reading, and top tips on getting printed material into the hands of those who need to hear the gospel message.Along the way, we mention "Scattering Seeds of Hope" by the late Jeremy Marshall and "Have No Fear" by Prof John Lennox. You can find our own "Have You Ever Wondered?" and plenty of tracts to give away on the 10ofThose website.Jonathan Pountney is the Editorial Director at 10ofThose, responsible for their publishing house 10Publishing. Prior to working in publishing, he taught Literature at the University of Manchester and he holds a PhD in American Studies.

Steve Osmond and Kristi Mair are delighted to chat with a living legend of the British church, Roger Carswell. Roger reflects on over 40 years of sharing the gospel in different ways, with his trademark warmth and wisdom. HIs insights on the changing world, the consistent gospel, Christian literature and the heart of gospel preaching are so encouraging.Roger Carswell is a travelling evangelist and author. He leads evangelistic church and university missions as well as speaking at Christian conferences. He has written a number of books including ‘And some evangelists’ and ‘Where is God in a messed-up world?' and publishes numerous gospel tracts and booklets. He is married to Dot, has four children and lives in North Yorkshire

If you know the life-changing experience of tasting traditional Japanese ramen, you know it is something you want everyone to experience. Is it the same with our Christian experience? Today on PEP Talk, Andy and Kristi speak with our ramen-loving guest about the roles of enthusiasm and duty in our evangelistic life.Matthew Mittelberg is an experienced Christian teacher and apologist, serving as Director of Content at Apologetics Inc. He has spoken to thousands at universities, churches, conferences and youth events in both the US and the UK and his talks have been seen online hundreds of thousands of times. Matthew completed his MA in Philosophy of Religion at Palm Beach Atlantic University, received his BA from Grand Canyon University, and a certificate in theology from Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University. Find Matthew on YouTube here.

After the Covid pandemic, we've all had enough of statistics! But sometimes they can reveal amazing surprises about things we take for granted. Today Gavin Matthews learns more about the fascinating "Talking Jesus" report, which tells us so much about the nuances of faith in the UK and the untapped opportunities for sharing Jesus today. Find out more about the Talking Jesus research here and watch  a summary on YouTube here. The Talking Jesus course for churches is here.Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf is passionate about sharing the gospel of Jesus and has worked for various churches and mission agencies in places such as London and Amsterdam. She’s involved in a church plant in London and is a adjunct lecturer in mission in the UK. She holds a PhD in Church History, focussing on women in mission in early 20th Century Britain. She has been an advisor for the Church of England on mission. Rachel is the Executive Director of Hope Together - a ministry which works with local churches to share the gospel of Jesus. She also loves chocolate!

Where does our desire for the supernatural fit in the modern world? With a society built on rationality and technology, do we still have longings for a connection with something transcendent? Steve Osmond sits down with Belle Tindall to identify areas in our friends' lives where we can show how the gospel story meets those longings.Dr Belle Tindall is a biblical scholar, writer, speaker, and podcaster. Based at the Centre for Cultural Witness, she is the writer in residence at Seen and Unseen. She is also a columnist for Premier’s Woman Alive magazine and co-host of Re-Enchanting, a podcast that ponders whether our disenchanted world can be re-enchanted with the wonder and mystery of the Christian story.

Steve Osmond fills in as host this week on PEP Talk and gets the chance to speak with an expert on mission and evangelism in postmodern culture. Hannah Steele is an academic and author whose passion is to see churches and groups of Christians grow together to become more missional and evangelistic.The Revd Dr Hannah Steele is Director of St Mellitus College, London and Tutor and Lecturer in Missiology. As well as Living His Story, she is author of New World, New Church? (SCM Press, 2017). Alongside her academic work, Hannah has spent time engaged in mission and evangelism among students in central London as a staff worker with UCCF.  She is married with three sons and loves watching football, baking and traveling.Pre-order her next book here: Living His Story Together, due out 20 June 2024.

Today on PEP Talk we chat with a church pastor about how sharing the gospel is a natural part of both his church work and personal relationships. With a particular emphasis on the essential role of prayer, Matt talks with Gavin Matthews about the formal and informal elements that make up a vibrant evangelistic lifestyle.Our GuestAfter 14 years as senior pastor of City Gates Church in central London, Matt Frost moved to Cirencester in July 2009 to become pastor at Cirencester Baptist Church.  Matt loves playing cricket for North Cerney CC, praying for the sick, supporting Liverpool, sharing the good news of Jesus with all kinds of people, listening to jazz-funk, bringing change, watching films of all kinds and chatting with God. You can follow Matt on Twitter here.His podcast “Two Pastors in a Pub” is available from Google Podcasts or Apple Podcasts.

Today's guest can relate amazing stories of adventurous missions in remote areas experiencing miracles and dramatic conversions. But even if that is not what most of us experience, we can still take from it practical lessons about prayer, following the Spirit's leading and hospitality in our day-to-day lives at home.Kevin Elliot is chair of trustees for the Christian charity Mission Macedonia. He makes regular mission trips to North Macedonia, and has also worked alongside churches in East Africa. With 30 years’ experience in Christian youth work and church-based outreach in the UK, Kevin also has an on-line ministry, ‘allaboutjesus.info’, teaching the four gospels through video talks. Kevin’s first book, See Miracles, was published in November 2023.

One of the most effective methods for sharing the gospel is through personal conversations. But in our modern world, many of us struggle with 'personal' and 'conversation' for a variety of reasons. Today on PEP Talk we discuss the issues and struggles we have with conversation, personal connection and empathy in an age of digital distraction and polarised public discourse.For further reading, books mentioned in this episode include Disruptive Witness by Alan Noble and Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle.Our GuestNathan Rittenhouse is a speaker, preacher and podcaster. After double-majoring in Physics and Philosophy, Nathan studied theology and pastoral studies in several institutions and holds an M.Div from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Nathan has been preaching and speaking in the field of Christian apologetics at churches, campuses, and conferences for the last 8 years. He is the Co-Founder of Thinking Out Loud. Nathan, his wife Erin, and their four children enjoy the great outdoors and are grateful for the wisdom, support, and opportunities to serve and grow in their local church.

Today we hear from an incredibly successful businessman and philanthropist and discover his heart for the gospel. Starting with the influence of his mother, he explains how his relationship with Christ has shaped his life, his giving, his ministry and his own personal evangelism.Sir Brian Souter grew up on a council estate in Perth, Scotland. He and his sister built the Stagecoach  company into one of Britain's largest bus companies in the 1990's, moving into other transport and international ventures.  He set up the Souter Charitable Trust with his wife Lady Elizabeth in 1992. Since 2006 the Trust has awarded more than 15,000 grants totalling over £100 million (including support for Solas). He received a knighthood in 2011 for his contributions to transport and the voluntary sector. Still resident in Perth, Sir Brian has four grown up children and five grandchildren.