Mormonism (Adult Training)

Do you want to share your Christian faith with your Mormon friends, neighbors, colleagues or family members in a way that is faithful to Christ yet respectful to them? Do you long for the Good News of Jesus to sound like good news to them?

That’s why WIIS offers Bridges, a training program on sharing your Christian faith in a way that transcends the acrimony often associated with exchanges between Christians and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Bridges is:

• a positive approach
• a historically current approach
• a culturally sensitive approach
• a relational evangelistic approach

Bridges addresses questions like these -- and more:

• How can Christians understand Mormon culture and what can we affirm in it?
• What are the fundamentals of LDS history, theology, doctrine and teachings?
• How can we learn to speak their special language of experience and testimony?
• What are the Do’s and Don’ts of successful evangelism to Mormons?
• What are the invisible stumbling blocks Christians place before Mormons?
• How can we help former Mormons feel welcomed and loved in our churches?

Bridges is designed for Christians anywhere who want to learn a fresh approach to evangelism, including:

• pastors
• lay ministers
• youth workers
• campus leaders
• seminaries and schools
• para-church ministries
• church members

About Bridges

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also called the LDS or Mormon church, is one of the fastest growing religions in America. Some people call it a cult; others call it the restored Church. There is no lack of documentation on the differences between Mormonism and historic Christianity, but such material fails to address the human element and the needs and struggles of individual people. The Bridges training program takes an entirely different approach.

Bridges has helped over 25,000 Christians, all over the country and around the world, gain a new appreciation for effective, relational evangelism to Mormons.

Bridges combines video interviews with extensive workbook material and classroom instruction. Through colorful commentary, current data, and insightful interviews with people who live day by day with members of the LDS community, this program provides an honest and sensitive look at LDS culture, social structure, religious terminology, and values. Bridges equips biblical Christians to better understand the culture of the Latter-day Saints, to build real connections with them, and to share with gentleness and respect our own heartfelt testimony concerning the Good News of Jesus Christ.

This training program can change your life, but more importantly, it may change the lives of your Mormon friends and neighbors.

Topics Covered

Over two and a half hours of video focus on the following topics in 5 separate learning modules:

1. Legacy The founding and perseverance of the LDS church through its history to its present prosperity.
2. Tapestry of Theology Understanding the basics of LDS vocabulary, doctrine and teachings.
3. The Journey Out Former Mormons share their experiences in LDS culture and the ways in which God drew them to experience His grace.
4. Bridging the Gap The Do’s and Dont’s of successful evangelism. How to make the Good News sound like “good” news to Mormons.
5. Community of Grace How to surround former Mormons with a loving church community that meets their individual and family needs.

Bridges: Helping Mormons Discover God’s Grace is a program that includes video segments, guided instruction, and workbook study that incorporate colorful commentary, current data, and insightful interviews with people who live day by day with members of the LDS community. Through this program, Bridges provides an honest and sensitive look at LDS culture, social structure, religious terminology, and values. Bridges equips biblical Christians to better understand the culture of the Latter-day Saints, to build real connections with them, and to share with gentleness and respect our own heartfelt testimony concerning the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The Bridges training program costs $95 plus shipping. This price includes the DVD, the Facilitator's Guide, and one Bridge Builder Workbook. Additional workbooks can be purchased for $10 each.

For more information see our Bridges brochure

This event can be presented in a variety of ways, including an abridged 3-hour program held in a one-day format, usually on a Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Another format is a two-day format with two modules presented on a Friday evening and the remaining three modules on Saturday. The fee for the one-day training is $700, and $1,000 for the two-day event. The two-day training option includes a free copy of the Bridges training DVD and a Leaders's Guide. An additional $10 is charged for each attendee for their workbook for either the one or two-day training formats. In addition, interested churches need to cover our travel expenses. Please contact us to schedule a training event, or to discuss other presentation options.

ORDERS: For orders and administration contact Bonnie Ehrheart at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

REFUND POLICY: Resources that are damaged can be exchanged upon receipt of returned merchandise.
 

Bridges Products

Bridges DVD $50 Plus $5 Shipping & Handling

Over two and a half hours of video focus on the following topics in 5 separate learning modules:

1. Legacy The founding and perseverance of the LDS church through its history to its present prosperity.
2. Tapestry of Theology Understanding the basics of LDS vocabulary, doctrine and teachings.
3. The Journey Out Former Mormons share their experiences in LDS culture and the ways in which God drew them to experience His grace.
4. Bridging the Gap The Do’s and Dont’s of successful evangelism. How to make the Good News sound like “good” news to Mormons.
5. Community of Grace How to surround former Mormons with a loving church community that meets their individual and family needs.

For more information on Bridges visit our page here.

Bridges Training Program $69 Plus $12.35 Shipping & Handling

Includes the training DVD described above, a Leader's Guide, and Bridge Builder Workbook.

Bridges Leader's Guide $20 Plus $7 Shipping & Handling

This extensive guide includes information on the history, teachings, and cultural considerations related to Mormonism that help leaders facilitate Bridges training events.

Postage Rates

1-4 postage is $7, 5-15 is $12.35. Shopping cart orders are for single orders only. For larger orders contact WIIS at (801) 728-0334 to calculate postage.
 

Bridge Builder Workbook $10 Plus $7 Shipping & Handling

A guide for those going through the Bridges training that helps breakdown each of the five modules for greater understanding.

Postage Rates

For between 1-4 guides shipping is $7.00, and orders of 5-15 $12.35. Shopping cart orders are for single orders only. For larger orders contact WIIS at (801) 728-0334 to calculate postage.

Books

Mormon America Book $13 Plus $5 Shipping & Handling

Richard N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostlings book which grew out of a 1997 Time magazine cover story. It represents "a candid but non-polemical" overview of the Church, beginning with its founding by Joseph Smith Jr. in 1830 and continuing to the present day.

I Love Mormons Book $11 Plus $5 Shipping & Handling

How can Christians speak the Good News to Mormons so that it really sounds like good news? Wrestling with this and other questions has led Salt Lake City resident David Rowe to a new way of sharing Christ with Latter-day Saints. "Mormons are three-dimensional human beings with their own culture, lingo, and worldview," Rowe explains. In evangelism, our words will be more effective if we start by learning and respecting LDS culture. Rowe's keen insights, helpful illustrations, and practical discussion questions will help readers to build bridges to Mormon friends and neighbors.

Claiming Christ $15 Plus $5 Shipping & Handling

Ask an evangelical and a Mormon what the other believes, and you may get many opinions, not all of them accurate. Ask professors Gerald McDermott and Robert Millet to discuss their beliefs, and you get a frank, informative comparison of both. Though sometimes on opposite poles, these scholars and close friends are determined to model love and respect despite serious theological differences. In a debate format, the authors focus on the person and role of Jesus while exploring such issues as authority for faith and practice, whether Mormons are Christians, the elements of salvation, and the church and its sacraments. Used for a class series, small group resource, or devotional reflection, this volume will give thoughtful readers of all persuasions a greater understanding of two significant outlooks on faith.

Welcome All Wonders Book $16 Plus $5 Shipping & Handling

Welcome All Wonders is at once a revealing look at Mormonism, the fascinating story of J.A.C. Redford's development as a composer, and the inspiring testimony of how God used music and art to speak to one man's heart and change him forever.

Encountering New Religious Movements $19 Plus $5 Shipping & Handling

Using historical and biblical accounts, the authors present practical advice for evangelizing practitioners of new religions-using approaches similar to those used to reach foreign people groups.

"This book is must reading for those involved in cross-cultural witness, especially to new religionists. Most evangelicals will be stimulated and challenged by it. The subtitle, A Holistic Evangelical Approach, does not reflect a dilution of revealed truth but rather a cross-cultural perspective in presenting truth effectively by marrying missiology to apologetics for effective evangelism. It points us toward approaching new religionists the same way intercultural missionaries approach animists, atheists, secularists, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, or any other belief system presenting the gospel in culturally sensitive ways and using terms they can understand as we seek to love them to saving faith in Christ." (William T. Commons, Criswell Theological Review )