Book: Winning Souls

Overview
Edwin Louis Cole’s Winning Souls (1994) is a direct, practical handbook on Christian evangelism built around the conviction that the Great Commission belongs to every believer, not merely to clergy or specialists. Drawing from Scripture, pastoral experience, and the ethos of the Christian Men’s Network he founded, Cole frames soul-winning as a lifestyle marked by love, courage, and integrity. He argues that evangelism is not a program tacked onto church life but the natural overflow of a transformed character and a Spirit-empowered walk with Christ.

Core Message
At the heart of the book is a simple gospel clarity: people are separated from God by sin, reconciled by the cross and resurrection of Jesus, and invited into new life through repentance and faith. Cole emphasizes presenting Christ rather than defending a denomination, and he urges believers to keep the message plain, personal, and centered on the person and work of Jesus. Evangelism, for Cole, is love in action, compassion that listens, speaks truth, and invites a decision. He ties witness to character, insisting that credibility in daily life validates the words we speak. Courage, humility, and consistency open doors that clever arguments cannot.

Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Cole stresses that the Spirit convicts hearts, guides conversations, and empowers boldness. Preparation for witness begins in private prayer, worship, and the Word. He encourages believers to cultivate sensitivity to the Spirit’s timing, to pray for the lost by name, and to expect divine appointments in ordinary places. Fasting, intercession, and obedience position the believer to partner with God rather than perform for God.

Practices and Approach
Winning Souls advocates conversational, relationship-based evangelism that meets people where they are. Cole models how to share a personal testimony succinctly, use Scripture wisely, ask clear questions, and invite a response without manipulation. He treats everyday settings, the home, workplace, neighborhood, as primary mission fields and highlights practical service as a bridge to the gospel. While he respects large events and altar calls, he contends that one-to-one ministry and small groups often bear the most lasting fruit when combined with faithful follow-up.

Barriers and Breakthroughs
Cole names common obstacles: fear of rejection, lack of clarity, religious pride, and hypocrisy that undermines witness. He counters fear with love and preparation, urging believers to ground themselves in the promises of God and to practice sharing the gospel until it becomes natural. He warns against pressuring people for quick decisions or masking the cost of discipleship, noting that shortcuts create fragile converts. True boldness, he says, is gentle and honest, willing to wait as God works in a person’s heart.

From Decision to Discipleship
A recurring theme is that the goal is not merely a momentary decision but a lifelong disciple. Cole situates evangelism within the local church, where new believers are baptized, taught Scripture, and formed in community. He urges mentors to invest personally, modeling prayer, holiness, and service so that converts grow into witnesses themselves. Multiplication, not maintenance, is the measure of health.

Tone and Impact
The writing is brisk and pointed, shaped by Cole’s trademark aphoristic style and heavy use of Scripture. The book calls men and women alike to take responsibility for their world, to live cleanly so their message rings true, and to expect God to move when they step out in faith. Winning Souls stands as both a devotional provocation and a field manual, compressing theology, character formation, and practical counsel into a single mandate: carry Christ to people with clarity, compassion, and courage.