New course encourages Australians
to encounter God

SYDNEY, Australia — The Bible Society in Australia (New South Wales) is one of the partners in a new evangelism course which is intended to be specifically relevant to Australians. Recognising that Christianity has been pushed to the fringes of Australian society, the partners are promoting Introducing God as a flexible way to “introduce the true and living God to a post-Christian society.”

The six- to eight-week course is being produced and marketed through a new firm established by the Bible Society and the other three partners, Evangelism Ministries, Christians in the Media and City Bible Forum. It was developed by the Rev Dominic Steele, minister of Annandale Anglican Church and Director of Christians in the Media. Mr Steele describes its focus as being “people who may have heard of Jesus Christ but do not know what it means to be in a relationship with him.” Its particular benefit, he continues, is that it is “produced by Australians for an Australian context.”

The core of Introducing God is 12 talks, available either on DVD or video tape, which give a broad overview of the Bible message in a “relaxed, culturally appropriate way.” Accompanying materials such as posters, a presenter’s pack and a participant’s handbook expand on the talks and ensure that the course as a whole is adaptable to the needs of individual groups. All the materials can be ordered through a dedicated web site, www.introducinggod.org.

The emphasis which Introducing God places on forging a relationship with Jesus has been warmly welcomed by those who have started running the course. “Introducing God powerfully reminds us how important relationships are in evangelism,” says the Rev Neil Fitzpatrick. “We knew this in theory, but by doing the course we have seen how much better a relational course is than ‘one-off hit’ evangelism.”