Progressive Evangelism

The bookmark list — twelve passages that scale from a single study with anyone to a full evangelistic journey. Always start with the prodigal son.

Who this is for

Anyone, anywhere — including someone you have just met. This is the list to reach for when you don’t yet know the person, don’t know how long you’ll have, or don’t know where to begin. The passages are short, story-shaped, and easy to retell, so nobody needs Bible background to take part.
A group that may never become a group. Unlike a plan that assumes twelve weeks, this one is designed to be worth doing even if it only ever happens once.

Always start with the prodigal son. Study 1 — Luke 15:11–24 — is the door into everything else, and it is the one passage that works with almost anyone. Don’t reorder the list to open with something you find more interesting.
Scale it to the commitment you actually have. The list is built to stop cleanly at three points:
- One-off — study 1 only. A single study with anyone, anywhere. A meal, a waiting room, a bus ride.
- A month — studies 1–4. Weekly for four weeks. Enough to see whether a rhythm forms.
- The full journey — studies 1–12. A complete evangelistic study.
Don’t announce the length up front. Ask for one study. If the group wants another, you already have the next eleven — and an invitation to “just one study” is far easier to say yes to than a twelve-week commitment.
Finish what you start. Once a group has agreed to a month or to the whole list, complete it. Trailing off after study 6 teaches that God’s word is optional.
Facilitate, don’t teach. The sequence carries the theology so you don’t have to. Keep asking, “Where do you see that in the passage?” Don’t chew their food for them.
End every study in obedience. An honest “I will…” and one person you’ll tell — every time, from the very first study. That habit, formed on day one, is what turns a curious reader into a disciple who makes disciples.