by Allen Lathrop
“How can I use my passion for apologetics within my own church?” It was a question I had regularly asked myself with growing concern. I had read and studied apologetics material on my own for years. I had experienced the effect apologetics could have, not just in my life, but also in the lives of those who did not yet know Christ. Yet, my deep desire was for those within my own congregation to experience the same effect and together have a greater impact on this world for the glory of God. Of course, all of that sounds wonderful in theory. Putting it into practice is another thing entirely. While it took a good deal of time, patience, and prayer, God has blessed me with an amazing apologetics group in my own church. I'd like to share that journey with you, and offer you some thoughts on starting your own group.
From the outset, I knew an apologetics group wasn't going to develop itself and just conveniently fall into my lap. Understandably, a little legwork on my part was going to be needed. At the time, my family and I were regularly attending our church, but we weren't plugged in to any of the groups or ministries. Since it was my goal to begin a group within our church, it seemed reasonable to get connected with an already established group and see how it operated. So, my wife and I began regularly attending a weekly Sunday School class designed for couples in our age group. After a couple of months, the group leader informed us that she would need a volunteer to teach the class for a short period while she and her family were on vacation. I happily made myself available and was able to gain my first taste of leading a small group.
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“How can I use my passion for apologetics within my own church?” It was a question I had regularly asked myself with growing concern. I had read and studied apologetics material on my own for years. I had experienced the effect apologetics could have, not just in my life, but also in the lives of those who did not yet know Christ. Yet, my deep desire was for those within my own congregation to experience the same effect and together have a greater impact on this world for the glory of God. Of course, all of that sounds wonderful in theory. Putting it into practice is another thing entirely. While it took a good deal of time, patience, and prayer, God has blessed me with an amazing apologetics group in my own church. I'd like to share that journey with you, and offer you some thoughts on starting your own group.
From the outset, I knew an apologetics group wasn't going to develop itself and just conveniently fall into my lap. Understandably, a little legwork on my part was going to be needed. At the time, my family and I were regularly attending our church, but we weren't plugged in to any of the groups or ministries. Since it was my goal to begin a group within our church, it seemed reasonable to get connected with an already established group and see how it operated. So, my wife and I began regularly attending a weekly Sunday School class designed for couples in our age group. After a couple of months, the group leader informed us that she would need a volunteer to teach the class for a short period while she and her family were on vacation. I happily made myself available and was able to gain my first taste of leading a small group.
and J.P. Moreland’s 
. You’re dying to share everything you learned. But how? You can’t just hand people a stack of books and say, “Here. Read these!” Let’s face it, most Christians don’t know what the word “apologetics” even means. Making apologetics accessible to people who are totally new to this whole thing can seem tough. Where do you begin?
