How to Train the Next Generation of Apologists

Communicating and defending the gospel effectively in a post-Christian multi-faith society like Europe today is a considerable challenge requiring courage, compassion, competence, clarity, and cultural sensitivity. It also is a task which requires many people who have been genuinely called and properly trained to have both the skills and adaptability that is required. There is no better training manual for communicating the Gospel than the Bible, and the book of Acts is a special goldmine for good guidance. This lecture will explore some of the reasons training systems fail and will look at biblical principles based on the apprenticeship model that Paul and the other apostles employed in the first century applying it to our present day. We will also look at three training courses that Christian Medical Fellowship has developed to train apologists that illustrate these principles and can be adapted for use in other cultural contexts (Confident Christianity, Saline Solution, Answering other Faiths).