The Big 'Yes'. Conversion. Public declaration of faith. That's what evangelism is all about isn't it?  That might be the destination, but the journey of faith is full of little 'yeses' and healthy 'maybes' as well. And sometimes, only God knows how important each step is for each individual. How can this perspective encourage us as we seek to share the gospel with those in our lives?

Mark Greenwood is the Director of Evangelism for Elim Churches UK. He has been a full-time itinerant evangelist since 1988 and is an associate evangelist with J.John. He is a speaker, author, broadcaster and podcaster. His latest book is Big Yes, Little Yes, Healthy Maybe [https://www.revmarkgreenwood.com/shop/p/big-yes-little-yes-healthy-maybe].



Not Just Conversion: The journey of evangelism

Many people are afraid to share their faith because they're worried about the questions they might encounter. But one church chose to turn the tables on that idea. They asked the people of Maidenhead what questions they had for God. After receiving 468 responses, they invited respected Christian thinkers to give their answers to the most popular topics on the Maidenhead’s Questions Podcast. Here to tell us about the project are Adam and Ian from St Mary's Church Maidenhead.

Listen to the podcast at maidenheadsquestions.co.uk/ [https://maidenheadsquestions.co.uk/]

Adam Curtis is taller than the average doorframe, a Minister in Maidenhead, and co-host of Delight Podcast [https://delightpodcast.com/]. He enjoys country walks, deep chats over cold pints and has recently got into gardening.

Ian Miller is the other Associate Vicar at St Mary's Maidenhead. He practised as a barrister for 18 years before becoming a vicar. He is married to Tamsin, has four daughters and enjoys languages, running, history, woodwork and playing music.

Your Community, Your Questions

Sam is a youth worker who wanted to reach thousands of students across 11 schools in his area – within the schools themselves. Impossible? Maybe not when you tap into the "best-kept secret" network of scientists, researchers, and academics who profess Christ. By bringing credible, yet faith-grounded, professionals to speak at assemblies, Sam has created an incredible system for helping schools, getting faith conversations started, and helping young people hear a Christian witness right inside their school.  

Sam McKee is a research scientist in cancer genomics and DNA repair. Sam speaks regularly to both students and adults on biology, aspects of religion and science, and history/philosophy of science.He joined Aylesbury Youth For Christ as Director in early 2021. He has worked in youth work for 16 years full-time in a variety of roles, as well as spending 3 years in business. He gained a BSc in genetics at Cambridge University, a BA (Hons) in theology at Chester University followed by an MRes. He has a second master’s degree in molecular biology from Birkbeck and two qualifications in education. Sam lives in the Wycombe area with his wife Naomi and 3 daughters.

If you're keen to find speakers for your school, reach out to Sam on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-mckee/] or at sam-mckee.co.uk [https://sam-mckee.co.uk/] He mentions the Faraday Institute [https://www.faraday.cam.ac.uk/schools/overview/], The OCCA [https://theocca.org/request-a-speaker/], Christians in Science [https://cis.org.uk/] and even Solas [https://www.solas-cpc.org/request-a-speaker/] as sources for speakers.

The Best Kept Secret: Disrupting School Ministry (with Sam McKee)

What if evangelism on the street, speaking to random strangers, wasn't the scariest thing ever? We are British, after all! PEP Talk is here to break down the barriers, exploring the role of prayer, the importance of community, the release of expectations and the joy of joining God's work in sharing Jesus on the streets of London.

Isaac Olaleye works in tech and is also a musician with a heart for people and community. He leads and teaches the evangelism team at Jubilee Church in North London, helping equip believers for monthly street evangelism and outreach. He also serves as a youth leader and is passionate about seeing people live out mission within their everyday lives.

The Pavement Parish: Street Evangelism for Everyone (with Isaac Olaleye)

“Did Jesus really live, die, and rise from the dead? " Using ancient sources, historical records, and reasoned logic, Jesus the Evidence [https://jesustheevidence.com/] invites readers and listeners to explore the evidence and draw their own conclusions. Here on PEP Talk, we speak to the honest, no-nonsense Derek McIntyre about his own journey through the evidence and how he is bringing his findings to churches across the country.

Derek McIntyre comes from a science/engineering background and was a resolute agnostic until his early 40's. He came to Christianity when he discovered the wealth of compelling evidence pointing to Jesus being the Son of God. He now shares this evidence with others through the Jesus: The Evidence [https://www.jesustheevidence.com/] website, presentation and booklet. Derek is also a Street Pastor in Glasgow and helps at Glasgow City Mission.

Fact-checking Faith (with Derek McIntyre)

Whether it's a young person encountering the first challenges to their childhood faith, or a curious person anonymously ordering a Bible online, it can be easy to be thrown off track by stories of slavery, animal sacrifice or other tricky topics found within the Bible. Or if we're in a position to speak about the Bible to others, what happens when we're asked a question about these potential pitfalls? Here on PEP Talk, we find out about a new book by Andrew Ollerton that takes the Bible on its own terms to help address the toughest topics. 

Andrew Ollerton is a theologian, pastor, author and presenter who makes complex ideas simple and relevant. Andrew lives in Wales and regularly speaks at conferences, festivals and churches and films video content on locations around the world. Andrew recently developed a new edition of The Bible Course with Bible Society and published a new book called God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics [https://www.andrewollerton.com/books/gods-book-an-honest-look-at-the-bibles-7-toughest-topics]. Andrew also works closely with the explorer Bear Grylls. They’ve published a Bible called the NIV for Young Explorers [https://www.andrewollerton.com/books/the-niv-bible-for-young-explorers], produced a TV series in Israel and Andrew recently helped Bear develop a brilliant new book called The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Tackling the Toughest Questions (with Andrew Ollerton)

God reveals Himself to humanity in two "books" - the Bible and Creation. We're used to using the Bible to explain the gospel, but is it possible to use the natural world to draw people to Christ? Andy Bannister and Simon Wenham explore this possibility with American biologist Xandra Grieme.

Xandra's book is Forty Answers From Nature: What We Can Learn about God, Life, and Ourselves by Studying the Natural World and her website is Biopologetics.com [https://www.biopologetics.com/]

Xandra Grieme is a speaker and author. Her scientific research began with studies in parasite behavior. She later worked in a human blood lab developing treatments for blood cancer until finally moving on to conservation of songbirds in New Zealand. Xandra also studied theology at OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, which inspired her to begin writing on the philosophy of science. Xandra has spent extended time living and researching abroad in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the UK. She is passionate about educating Christians on our role as stewards of God’s natural world. Xandra currently lives in Colorado where hikes through the Rocky Mountains are a constant reminder of God’s power and goodness.

Our World As Witness (with Xandra Grieme)

What does it really mean to live out your faith in the marketplace? In this episode of PEP Talk, Simon and Gavin sit down with Gideon Okoli for a powerful conversation about purpose, leadership, and influence beyond the church walls. Drawing inspiration from Biblical figures like Joseph, Esther, and Daniel, Gideon challenges the idea that spiritual impact only happens in a 'ministry setting' — arguing instead that God positions people strategically in business, government, and everyday work. If you’ve ever wondered how your faith and vocation connect, this episode will inspire you to rethink where and how you can share your faith.

Find our more about workplace evangelism at:
Transform Work UK [https://www.transformwork.net/]
The Business Connection (Scotland) [https://thebusinessconnection.org/]

Gideon Okoli is a project manager and marketing strategist passionate about helping brands grow with clarity and purpose. Through his work in advertising and media strategy, he helps businesses gain attention and build lasting influence in competitive markets. As a person of faith, Gideon is deeply interested in the intersection of faith, purpose, leadership, and the principles that guide meaningful impact in both business and life.

Marketplace Apostles (with Gideon Okoli)

Your church might have the best outreach programmes and top-notch facilities, or maybe its struggling to survive on a dying high street in a small market town. Either way, God surprises us with unexpected seekers, especially during this 'odd cultural moment', coming on unconventional journeys to faith. How can we be ready to participate in what God is doing, wherever He's placed us? Simon and Gavin speak with "Two Pastors in a Pub" podcaster Tom Wharin, this time on PEP Talk. 

Tom Wharin is the minister of Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church in South Gloucestershire.   He participates in various Baptists Together ministerial recognition (recruitment and training) groups and is passionate about mentoring and discipleship (of ministers and of Christians in general). He goes mountain biking whenever the opportunity arises and is one of the pastors in the Two Pastors in a Pub [https://www.cs-bc.org.uk/two-pastors-in-a-pub] podcast, with Matt Frost [https://www.solas-cpc.org/pep-talk-with-matt-frost/] and Karen Simson.  He is married to Jo and they have four young adult footballing kids.   

Unexpected Seekers (with Tom Wharin)

What is it that holds you back from sharing the Gospel? For most of us, it boils down to a lack of confidence. We don't have confidence in our knowledge to field difficult questions, we don't have confidence that we won't get 'cancelled' and we might even lack confidence in our own faith itself. So you're not alone! That's why Solas runs 'Confident Christianity' training across the UK to help churches regain their confidence in evangelism. Gavin Matthews and Steve Osmond explain how it works and who it helps.

To find out how Confident Christianity can help your church, visit the Solas website here [https://www.solas-cpc.org/conference-partnerships/].

Gavin Matthews is Solas’s Assistant Director (Scotland) and does a wide variety of work for the organisation. He speaks for Solas in churches and at conferences, co-ordinates the website, writes articles and other Solas communications and presents webinars and podcasts. He also loves networking for Solas and speaking with church leaders about our work. Gavin has been married to Elaine since 1996 and they have three adult children. He has been a member of Perth Baptist Church since 1999.

Steve Osmond is a full-time speaker and writer for Solas, focussing primarily on Scotland. He is enthusiastic about evangelism and regularly speaks at universities around the country on the big questions of life and the truth of Christianity from a range of perspectives. He also spends much of his time working with churches and other Christian groups, both to grow their faith and equip them to share their faith in Jesus persuasively.

Addressing a Crisis of Confidence

Andy Bannister (@andygbannister) · Zencastr

Andy Bannister (@andygbannister)

The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast [https://www.solas-cpc.org/peptalk/] aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, our hosts chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus. A production of Solas (Centre for Public Christianity).