MANCHESTER MODEL OF GOSPEL COMMUNICATION

Six Steps to Talking about Jesus, produced by Australian evangelical publisher Matthias Media, is designed to be a training course on personal evangelism.

It is that magnificently. But showing the first of the DVD sessions to a couple in their home today, Cranmer’s Curate realised it is also a superb Christian nurture course. After all, upon conversion what did many of the characters in the Gospels do? – go round telling people what the Messiah had done for them.

The main presenter, the Revd Simon Manchester, the rector of St Thomas' north Sydney, is an unusually gifted communicator. But there are principles that those of us who are not so good can seek to imitate:

· Understand the Bible as deeply as we can.

· Communicate it as clearly as we can, using short sentences with short words.

· Come across as classlessly as we can.

· Communicate a controlled passion for Christ and for the gospel.

Mr Manchester models all of the above par excellence. His talent for punchy aphorisms is almost inimitable. Cranmer’s Curate would certainly not like to be his curate – the gulf between our respective levels of ability would be embarrassing.

But someone of Mr Manchester’s ability does need to realise that 20 per cent of it is better than none. And if he can mentor a man up to 25 per cent, then that is a real service for the gospel. That of course involves putting up with the 20 per cent initially with good grace.

One blemish cc spotted was an unexplained reference to Dr John Stott, the celebrated evangelical preacher and author, formerly rector of All Souls' Langham Place in the West End of London. South Yorkshire people do not know who John Stott is from Adam.

Also the course does need to feature more testimonies and input from people who are not from university and professional backgrounds. That is obviously a function of the area Mr Manchester ministers it. But courses like these do need to make an effort at greater transferability.

But what a stonkingly good evangelism training and Christian nurture course Six Steps to Talking about Jesus is.