Featured Need Soul-Winning Advice

Personally I hate the numerous phone calls I get each evening (usually as we sit down for dinner).
l'lI usually answer and discern their possible origin, then hang up quickly (yes, I have hung up on my MIL a few times when she didn't answer me quickly enough).

Unexpected personal visits by strangers can't be handled so quickly but would leave an enduring bad impression.

You will have to be pushy to get me to listen even a short while.
So please call before you visit... so I know not to answer the door.

Rob

 

Knocking on doors being an effective witnessing tool is heavily dependent on the area. I think most people dread answering the door. The younger they are, the more they are loathe to answer it. There might be rural pockets around the country where door knocking is an acceptable technique but I know here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area it's as dead as a door nail. Maybe in a couple of decades it will make a comeback as a quaint way to reach out to people but right now, it's just not something most folks take a liking to.

 

Sorry for the forcefulness of the message.
But the advice was simple, don't do it!
There are more effective ways to reach those in your community.

The community where I live bans door-to-door solicitation for a reason - I'm not sure if religious door knocking counts by law but it would in spirit.

My church sponsors summer soccer camps in various neighborhoods
Backyard week or two bible clubs for kids
We have a Revolutionary War militia group that meets regularly
Small groups meet weekly for fellowship and bible study - backyard cookouts with neighborhood locals invited
The church has summer cookouts on the grounds with everyone/anyone invited
We encourage Boy Scouts and Girl Scout groups (and many other non-religious groups) to use our campus to encourage witness encounters with 'outside' people

My advice, witness where you work, play, worship, rest, but don't go out of your way to disturb people.

Persuasion by force of reason rarely works.

Rob

 

It depends on what the goal or end result is. Yes, you want to see people saved, no doubt, but is the ultimate aim to grow a church? Increase the size of a church? Or personal evangelism?

 

I live in Britain, so things may be different over the Pond.
We put a card through the door a day or two before calling for the first time. Quite often, people come to the door, realise who we are and shut it again, but it distinguishes us from the JWs and saves a bit of time.
If people say they're not religious, we talk to them about their gardens, cars, hobbies or what-not and then get back to spiritual matters.

It's a jolly hard job and takes a thick skin, but we have seen a couple of people wonderfully saved, one or two more who are attending church occasionally and we have a list of 30+ people who have responded positively but haven't yet walked through the doors of the church; we call again on these folk about once every other month.

That's not a whole load of fruit for over two years work, but what value can you put on a soul? What we do know is that people in Britain do not show up in church on a whim. You have to 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in' (Luke 14:23).

 

Becoming their friend, and just let them see how jesus has and changing your life, how you involve God and church into your life. Also try to take their interests and find an openning, like if into sports, mix in christina athelites, current events, how Bible describes last days!

 

15 but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear: 1 Peter 3

 

Pragmatism is well and alive today and has infected churches.
We do not base what we do by whether or not it works but whether or not it is biblical.

Going out and sharing (Or attempting to) the Gospel with people is biblical and right.
We are responsible to share the good news, whether it's "effective" or not.
While I understand door to door is not very "effective", I wonder if the ones who are against it ever share the Gospel in other ways?

If door to door doesn't "work" in your community then fine, but what exactly are you actively doing to share the Gospel with people?

 

To semi-quote D. L. Moody--I like the way you do "somewhat" effective evangelism better than those who do ZERO evangelism.

Keep casting the seed brother--Jesus Said to spread it, cast it--you never know when it will land on Good Soil

I usually give a brief intro about what i'm doing--"Sharing Good news Today"


And sometime soon i say, "Can i ask you a question? if you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?" Then i take the conversation where it needs to go so i can share the Good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Make sure you saturate your endeavors in PRAYER--before planning, before going out, while you're out, and after you are done...PRAY! And Expect an increase from God--farmers do, don't they? Why shouldn't we?

 

Living among them, and letting them hopefull see chnge Christ has done and is doing in me!

 

Right, being a good ambassador for Christ is good. But how does that address the Great Commission?

 

1 peter 3:15 happens when they see the changed life in Christ, listen to words and see the deeds

 

Ok (not arguing here just wanting to see how this is reality)...explain a time in which that happened please, thanks!

For the record i believe in both intentional (Planned) evangelism and "Lifestyle" evangelism--however you want to speak to those realities.