Door to Door Soul-Winning

In an earlier church, we used to go out two-by-two, door-to-door, cold calls. Streets were listed on cards and the area to be visited was noted. It was very good for the members who went out and it preceded Wednesday night prayer meetings.

As time passed, and more people engaged in shift work and both members worked out, this visitation became an annoyance.

In another church, our visitation secretary came up with this idea. He had my picture, name and phone printed on a three page brochure which spelled out welcome. It showed the services, times and nights. It then invited anyone who would like to have a chat to stop off and visit with the pastor. There was no confrontation and everyone was instructed to just be friendly and not engage in any debate. We did see some fruit from this method. It was in a community of 90,000 and highly industrialized (General Motors town).

By far, the best witness always comes from the membership at work, in community and at play. The casual engagement. I always thought my job as minister was to preach myself out of work.

Cheers,

Jim

 

I am all for door to door witnessing. Depending on where you live in North America, you will find some areas harder mission fields than others. When one goes door to door he may rarely lead a person to Christ, often he may face rejection, sometimes get a door slammed in the face, will occasionally trudge off in inclement weather, and perhaps most of all experience the irrational and emotional responses of the unsaved to the Word of God.
Even if it isn't the best way to increase membership in your church, or the best way to lead a person to Christ in your opinion, there is still a far more valuable reason to keep going door to door. And that is for the experience, the strengthening, the edification, that a believer will receive by going door to door. I hope that none of those that voted "No" did not do so for the reason that "they did not know their Bibles well enough" to testify of Christ to another. There are many Christians today that are almost Biblically illiterate. Going door to door forces you to testify of your faith to others. It puts you in the position where you must know your Bible well enough to lead a person to Christ, and perhaps answer some other questions as well. It builds you up as Christian, and helps you to mature. The Bible commands us to be witnesses (Acts 1:8), and for good reason.
DHK

 

I have found dtd witnessing works best in our "ghettos".( I Hate that word, but for want of a better term...) Seems the better neighborhoods have locked gates, big dogs, and we have always felt welcome in the lower-class neighborhoods. We put our ties on, go dtd & hand out tracts, and usually just invite people to come to the common area in the section we are in, and we will have a mini-service. We have added to our bus ministry that way, and have seen whole families come to Biblical Christianity. No easy-believism here. Repent, and be saved.

 

Hello. I'm new here.

"Cold calling" would be: "... Want to accept Christ? YES - Ok. NO - it's up to you if you want go to hell. Bye."
Witnessing means "Hot calling" or involvement of the heart.

Nothing compares with person-to-person evangelism. It is time-demanding (for those who did it: Am I rigth or not?), energy demanding, both physical and spiritual, and great faith.

How many unchristian friends do you have? How many of these have you TURNED to Christ or have you POINTED to Christ in an active way, BOTH through your living and your words?

I came to learn that after much prayer and spiritual preparation and asking God to open the hearts and open the conversation in the right way about Him, d-t-d can be an effective means of bringing God's salvation to soul who refuse to come in a church meeting. TRY IT. Some just wait to be "pushed" or forced into the Kingdom. If others would scoff at you, they did even worse with the Master, so don't be disappointed. TRY AGAIN.

ZYZEX, I think radio or TV is more impersonal and cold than person-to-person (even d-t-d).
stubbornkelly, some may be as the lame who needed be taken from home to Jesus, even through the roof of a house. They could or may not come alone.

Abiyah, I agree with you in that: with the physical needy helping them specifically does much more that knocking-and-talking. But what with those who are rich while thez are so poor?

WisdomSeeker share with us how you do sharing the Gospel. I think we (or at least I) need encouragement. You can write me privately or public. I went in places where no evangelical church existed and I had to "hook" people somehow. And God was with me. He is the Master. So USE THE FISHING NET, BUT TAKE THE FISHING ROD ALSO. (I hope I was correct, since I'm not English speaking at home/work/society!)

mili7ro

 

Abiyah, easy-believism is generally a Romans Road type offer of the gospel.

If you ever hear someone say: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life...

The first word of the gospel is REPENT.

If the gospel presentation never includes Repentance, it is easy-believism and a false gospel.

 

While I am against the Hyles style door to door soulwinning tactic I do not think going door to door is necessarily outdated. Politicians still go door to door and is a vital part of their campaigns and has shown to be successful.

I think the approach is the problem. The Hyles style that is agressive and attempts to get a immediate conversion is a turn off and has a tendecy to lean toward easy believism.

At my past Church and now my current Church we do a door to door canvas around Christmas and Easter on Saturday mornings from about 10-12am. We give away a Church packet to every home which includes, a New Testament, a tract, information on the Church and a invitation to attend. The approach we take is when the person answers the door is "Hi, we are from ---- Baptist Church and we are giving out New Testaments this morning and we wanted to give you and your family one" then we leave and go to the next house. 99% of all people are nice and cordial and accept. We are not pushy nor aggressive put it is basically a 10 second visit and 2 people visiting together can visit about 50 plus houses in a hour.

International Bible society has some tract packs put together that has a Gospel of John, tract, invitation to your church, door hanger to put it on that you can buy at their website.

In the end it is all about the aproach. The thing I fear most on going door to door are dogs (especially them sneaky little dogs ) that is the primary danger I have noticed over the years you must beware of.

 

There are two Scriptural principles that need to be considered:
The first is confrontational evangelism. An example of this would be Jesus dealing with the woman at the well. He confronted her with her need of a Savior. Another example would be Paul before King Agrippa.

The second principle would be the "going" part of the Great Commission. The Bible clearly teaches to "go" and bring them in. Nowhere in God's Word do we find someone putting up a building, advertising, and then waiting for the people to come to them. Evangelism is to be an active effort on the part of all Christians.

Luke 14:23 "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in , that my house may be filled."
The word "compel" means to make it necessary, or to constrain.

Mr 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

I'm sure this would include our neighbors. What are we to do? Preach to them the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can't do this unless we go to where they are.

The Bible teaches that it is not our delivery or our polished presentation that has the power to save. It is only the work of the Holy Spirit utilizing the Word of God. We are commanded to take that Word of God to them.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God , which liveth and abideth for ever.

 

Bro. Curtis I would agree with you on what you said about the financially challenged being more apt to accept the need for God. I would say that it is my experience that when a person or family is wealthy and have not yet accepted Christ, it is because they feel that they don't need Him.

Those gated communities are sometimes a problem aren't they?

I would like to also say just one more thing... I have never had someone slam the door in my face. I've had people say "No thank you, I'm not interested" but people are usually curteous not hostile.

I did recently meet a woman who said, " I would appreciate it if your church wouldn't come to my door any more, the last woman that came here was so mean that I had to turn my hose on her" We were a group of three ladies that day, and we all simultaneously said " I'm so sorry" To which she replied.."Well, you ladies are so nice, and she actually smiled" Attitude makes a big difference.

[ November 07, 2002, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: WisdomSeeker ]

 

Dosn't the Great commison instruct us to "Go ye unto all the world..."? The world can be in your town, or in a forighen contry {forgive tha spelling.}
Outdated aproach?! How could trying to get someone saved be considered outdated!? Some critics claim the Bible is "out dated" but it's real and living to me.
What about the ones who do get saved when someone goes door to door? Where would they be if someone hadn't cared enough to go out and wittness?
I live in a small town. We have mormans {morons, same diffrence} Jehovoha's "false" wittnesses, going out almost daily. If the real, true saved people don't get to them, then they are easy prey for all the false cults. In my area, we have 3 IFB churches,and 2 of them actualy go soul winning. I was talking with one lady a few weeks ago, and she was so shocked to see BAPTISTS out on visitation. Isn't that a sorry testimony? We are responsible for everyone we come in contact with. We must get out the gospel. People, there is a lost and dying world, and if we don't care, who will?
~Abby

 

Just one of many reasons some neighborhoods have "no soliciting" on the signs at their entrances . . .

Abby, I think you're confusing the approach with the motive. I don't think anyone has suggested that Christians should not witness and share the gospel. That's not what's being called outdated. One method used to share the gospel (going door to door) that has been so called. The method, not the message.

I don't find it appealing, likely because I don't want strangers coming to my door uninvited for any reason. In turn, the idea of doing to other people what I find so distasteful having done to me really does not appeal to me. That's my line. I will not go door to door.

*sigh* To me, it's not so much that it's outdated. No, not that it's uncaring. But that it's rude. I've had people in my building come knock on my door for various things - a pair of Jehovah's Witnesses, someone selling AmWay, all kinds of stuff. They don't even get the chain off the door, no matter how good the deal is. And there's usually a phone call from my apartment to the manager about solicitors in the building. No matter how good the deal is, it feels like selling. *shrug* Just my take.

I'm sure some people and some churches have relative success going door to door. I don't know that anyone here has tried to tell you that you should not go inviting people to church. Sure, there have been some knocks on the easy-believism that some visitors try to push, but that's very different (and should be criticized, IMNSHO).

Side note: Really, calling a group of people morons? Doesn't that kind of talk usually go on in the politics forum?

 

It certainly is a Biblical way:

Acts 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,

Paul did say to be "followers of him even as he is of Christ."

If J.W.'s or Mormons come to my door, I don't find them a nuisance at all. They also need the gospel. I use the occasion to give them the gospel, and show them the error of the way.

1peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
DHK

 

I quess that all I can add is that I have presonally seen a great reward from door to door evangelsim. Every time I do it, I have seen God work in the lives of the hearers. Many times I see souls saved and it is a return that is not outdated, but just takes time and effort. In Acts, we clearly see that the disciples went door to door preaching and teaching the Word of God.

 

I agree with WisdomSeeker. Going door to door is one of many excellent ways to reach the lost. I also agree that you shouldn't go alone. Too many people out there that are not friendly.

Reaching the lost in a respectful way is never a waste of time.

 

Yup. I guess that's why we have so many warnings about riches in the Bible. This is my favorite...

"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" Revelation 3:17

 

I agree with StubbornKelly. I do not like uninvited guests or strangers coming to my door. I will invite them or they can call first.

I am a Christian. I have been a Christian for over 50 years.

I will relate an incident that caused me to change churches:

I had been a member of a large church for five years. I decided that I would change Sunday School Classes. I was very excited about my new class. Late one Saturday, a very well dressed woman came to my door from my church. (She had my phone number she could have called first) I was uncomfortable because I had just got out of the shower, my hair was wet, no makeup on, I was barefooted, but I invited her in any way because she was from my church. She was not in my new class nor my old one.

She brought me literature on joining the church that I had been a member of for five years. I was courteous to her but you can imagine how I felt.

At first I thought maybe I was missing an opportunity for this woman to be my friend. So I called and thanked her for coming by....that was the last contact I had with her. She did not care about me at all.

I am actually thankful for this incident because I think the Lord was leading me to another church and I wasn't listening.

 

How beautiful are the feet of them that carry the Gospel of peace. Door to door evangelism is not for everyone, but to those who are led by a bleeding heart, for the lost, I would say amen to it. Now around here you are really taking some risks going door to door, a girl just got murdered the other day raising money for her church door to door. All areas are not the same, but if you wish to become a maryter you could have a chance at it around here. I myself do not feel led to evangelize this way, yet, but I would never try and stop another if He felt led to. WP

 

Personally I like the idea of d-t-d for distributing information on the church, like a welcome packet. In that I would have the gospel as part of the literature. Additionally, I wouldn't per se go on a soul-winning call with each house, but if the opportunity presents itself then I would take it of course.

I also think the method I described would be great for well discipled teens as people are more apt to answer the door and welcome two smiling young faces rather than an older adult. Seems like a good teen ministry idea.

In Christ
Tony

 

Here's an approach one church in our city does (not Baptist, though). When someone new moves into the neighborhood, a church member delivers a loaf of fresh (bakery) bread, along with a gift bag with church video, tracts, info, & invitation to services.

We passed out tracts to every kid along with treats on Halloween. We had almost 100 kids. You never know who is going to read those tracts, outdated (?) as they might be.

We've had some DTDs, several times over the past 3 years at our present home. Turned out they were Baptists & we knew either them or their pastors. Had a good time of visiting, fellowship, & prayer, before they went on down the street. LOL!

 

For those of you who are against door knocking, you might want to let the two guys (Sam and Mike) that I met a few weeks ago know about this. I went door knocking with another brother and we led these two men to Christ. Two people saved from hell is worth knocking on at least a thousand doors, wether it is popular or not. We are not selling vacums, wer'e fullfilling the Great Comission.