Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith [Paperback]

Bill Hybels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 18, 2006

In Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels introduces the next era in personal evangelism with a natural, relational approach that follows Jesus' own example. When Christ 'walked' clear across the cosmos 2,000 years ago, he had no formulas and no script---just an offer of redemption to people like us, many of whom were neck-deep in pain of their own making. Astounding things happen when you follow the model set by Jesus. Emphasizing the leading of the Holy Spirit, Hybels invites you to step out of your 'Circle of Comfort' and into encounters with people who long for someone to take an interest in them---men and women with stories to tell and hearts that yearn to experience God's love reaching out to them through your smile, your encouragement, your transparency, your friendship. Find out how you can make the difference of an eternity for someone standing near you. It all starts with a walk across the room.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Evangelism is as simple and as scary as walking across the room, according to Hybels, well known senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill. His heartfelt burden for sharing the Christian message is clear as he guides readers to a new understanding of why and how they can help others meet God. He offers solid advice on evangelism, yet does so without sounding like he's checking off items on a spiritual list. His form of evangelism is relational, what he calls "Living in 3D." Hybels enlarges on the three Ds—develop friendships, discover stories, discern next steps—in a clear, conversational way, all the while challenging Christians to move beyond their insulated "evangelism-void vacuum." He encourages Christians to explore "the power of story" and to learn how to tell their own spiritual narratives concisely and effectively. Readers will find inspiration and honesty in this book that mirrors Hybels's personal convictions and those of his church as well: "It really is true: the spread of the gospel... boils down to whether you and I will continue to seek creative ways to engage our friends, inviting them to explore the abundance of the Christ-following life...." (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Evangelism is as simple and as scary as walking across the room, according to Hybels, well known senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill. His heartfelt burden for sharing the Christian message is clear as he guides readers to a new understanding of why and how they can help others meet God. He offers solid advice on evangelism, yet does so without sounding like he's checking off items on a spiritual list. His form of evangelism is relational, what he calls 'Living in 3D.' Hybels enlarges on the three Ds---develop friendships, discover stories, discern next steps---in a clear, conversational way, all the while challenging Christians to move beyond their insulated 'evangelism-void vacuum.' He encourages Christians to explore 'the power of story' and to learn how to tell their own spiritual narratives concisely and effectively. Readers will find inspiration and honesty in this book that mirrors Hybels's personal convictions and those of his church as well: 'It really is true: the spread of the gospel... boils down to whether you and I will continue to seek creative ways to engage our friends, inviting them to explore the abundance of the Christ-following life....' (Aug.) -- Publisher's Weekly <br><br> --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (July 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310272181
• ISBN-13: 978-0310272182
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,112,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., and chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. The bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Axiom, Holy Discontent, Just Walk Across the Room, The Volunteer Revolution, Courageous Leadership, and classics such as Too Busy Not to Pray and Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels is known worldwide as an expert in training Christian leaders to transform individuals and their communities through the local church. Hybels received a bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies and an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Trinity College in Deerfield, Ill. He and his wife, Lynne, have two adult children and one grandson, Henry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical anecdotes, August 6, 2007

By 

J. Miller (LA, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith (Hardcover)

The most valuable part of this book is not that it teaches something new about evangelism, which essential it doesn't. In fact, it really dresses up some basic and obvious ideas about evangelism that have been stated elsewhere, but with the catchy new slogan, that one needs only "walk across the room" to affect someone else. What is most valuable is that it lets the church-world in on the heartbeat of Willow Creek, the uber-mega-church outside of Chicago. Hybels, their lead pastor, here spells out his passion for sharing his faith and calling others to faith, the one thing that defines Willow Creek.

The book is filled with stories of the experiences of Hybels in others in making that effort to talk to someone about the Christian faith. He recommends three important steps in doing so: developing friendships, discovering stories (meaning discover the other person's background), and discern next steps (such as offering resources for them to read or planning further times to meet them). He also recommends having a before-and-after story of your own coming to faith, and in fact had his congregation write out their own stories and email them in to the church for an editorial review. He discourages us from being "avoiders" who are not persistent with evangelism or "erupters" who impatiently over-share stories of faith to people who aren't interested. And he cautions that personal, mystical experience are not primary material for evangelism. As for theology to be shared in evangelism, he reproduced what is basically the Four Spiritual Laws tract.

All of this is very practical for someone learning the value of evangelism and the importance of sharing their faith. That's a necessary part of the life of faith. However, there is a dramatic and overlooked drawback to the book. The book is really a purpose-driven book, but "driven" should be in all caps. Hybels does not seem to rest peacefully in God's sovereignty. He does say early on in the book that calling people to faith is the Holy Spirit's work, but he also says that our choosing to share our faith affects someone else's eternity. Hybels does not sound like a rested man. In the opening story, he describes a day in which he was on a boat and his heart "was in a posture of worship." Then he realizes he is near the campground where he became a Christian and decides to spend the day taking a cab to go see this spot. I get the sense he was too restless to stay in the posture of worship. While learning to articulate the faith is an important part of spiritual growth, learning how to enjoy God and creation without the necessity of production is perhaps more so.

Nonetheless, as a stepping stone along the way, I would recommend this book, especially for discussion among church small groups.

81 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Friendship only -- NOT evangelism, August 3, 2007

By 

L. Copeland (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith (Hardcover)

What's good about the book:
- Hybels encourages people to have more concern for the lost (though he calls them merely the "unconvinced").
- He rightly points out that the time is very short and the need is urgent.
- He suggests relying on the Holy Spirit in our witnessing.

What's bad about the book:
He follows through on none of this advice.

I was shocked that he was content to "be friendly" to those who are headed for hell, usually for 5 or 10 years, before "feeling the freedom" to invite them, not to the Savior, but to church! In example after example, he tells of people who ask directly about God, admit they are confused about spiritual matters, are dealing with death, etc., and still he fails to utter the gospel message--the only thing that is the power of God to salvation.

The only message he shares with the lost (after several years, if at all) is merely one of life enhancement--come to church/Jesus for a better life--rather than the biblical gospel of repentance and faith.

In one shockingly frank example, Hybels tells of a man who's been attending his church since its beginning. After attending Willow Creek FOR A COUPLE DECADES, the faithful member "met Christ." The man says, "I probably would have accepted Jesus Christ much sooner if someone had explained the gospel to me" (p. 129). Amen! Amazingly, this example is given as a success story of the "friendship evangelism" promoted by the book. What a sad admission. May our churches not be filled for decades with false converts, but with born-again believers who faithfully share the biblical gospel!

Yes, we do need to be kind and loving toward all people, but this is not evangelism; this is just obedience in living a holy, God-honoring life.

Yes, we must rely on the Holy Spirit in our witnessing--that's why we are given the Holy Spirit in the first place: we receive power to obey the commands to "be witnesses to Me...to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8) and to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). If we're relying on the Holy Spirit, this is what we'll be doing.

Hybels not only consistently fails to get any kind of soul-saving, eternity-changing message into people's hands, but much worse, he never misses a chance to mock and belittle those who have enough compassion for the lost to actually verbalize the gospel message.

In addition, the book is littered with biblical errors: Hybels states "Jesus left his bodily form on earth and ascended to heaven" (p. 36); His death "declared amnesty for everyone" (p. 24); after seeing the blinding light, Paul mystically "sensed Jesus Christ in the brilliant blaze" (p. 68; Scripture says Paul asked who it was and Jesus identified Himself); he repeatedly calls the lost "God's kids" (the Bible calls them "children of the devil" and "children of wrath"); etc.

In conclusion, I agree wholeheartedly with Hybels' statement in the book: "When eternity is at stake for our listeners, I argue that we must do a better job of telling them." Please, if you truly love the lost and want to reach them, don't waste your time reading this book. Learn to share the gospel simply, inoffensively, effectively, and biblically--invest your time in reading "The Way of the Master" by Ray Comfort, and reap eternal results.

The Way of the Master

40 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Half the Gospel is no Gospel at all, August 20, 2007

By 

Sandra A. Rice "Old Movie Buff" (Centralia, Ill USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith (Hardcover)

I have just read this book at my Pastor's encouragement. He bought a large box of them and passed them out after church. The book is easy to read and shares many "salvation" experiences which are exciting to read. The book does encourage us Christians (Christ followers in the book) to get out of our comfort zones and build relationships with others with the purpose of sharing Jesus with them and this is something we as the body of Christ need to do.
My problem with the book is this, there is no stressing a repentance from sin. Just basically, believe in Jesus. This is a half a gospel. You must believe in Jesus, but you must be born again, ie, you must repent from your sin. The theme of repentance is throughout the Bible. John the Baptist proclaimed it and there was none greater amoung men. It is one of the last things told us in the end of Revelation. Repent for I am coming quickly.
This book is a soft sell of the gospel so people can avoid the old fashioned truth that they are a sinner in need of a saviour. And sins need to be repented of. To really believe in Jesus is to take the whole Bible and believe it and do it. Hell is real and the unrepentant will go there.
Folks, there is something wrong if a hell bent sinner can attend church week after week and feel comfortable. I'd say the pastor is not doing his job. The great commission is about making disciples not "casual believers." The martyrs of our faith didn't die so we could cop out teaching a "Jesus" that is not the real Jesus of the Bible.
While you are out walking across the room, remember the lost are going to hell and need not only to believe on Jesus but repent of their sins. Lets not neglect such a great truth as this.