A matter of soul-winning

Yes...in all aspects. People say they don't have time go out (even to Wednesday prayer meeting), but what they really mean is "I don't want to miss "Amazing Race" or "the game." Often, they use their family as an excuse - "we need more family time" (to ignore each other and watch TV).

 

It is more than just the churches that have changed. A generation ago people expected visitors to drop by and visitation from the church was expected and welcomed. If you try to go door to door where I live I doubt if half the people home would even open the door and it would not take you too long to get shot at.

 

Salesmen no longer think it effective to go door-to-door, and they are driven by an intense desire to make money. If it worked, they'd do it; but they don't do it, showing that they've become convinced that it isn't the best use of their time (although it used to be).

Nevertheless, pudding is tested by taste, not recipe. If D2D is working for some church, God bless 'em.

 

Just an observation: Be careful about the "family excuse."

I agree that some folks will use any excuse, including their family, to forsake the assembling of themselves.

But I also know of some pastors/churches that encourage (in some cases, require) participation to the exclusion of the family. Let us not forget that in the "order" of things from Ephesians 5 & 6, our walk with God comes first, then family, then job/duty.

Not meaning to side-track the thread.

 

I still attend a Church that believes in D2D soul-winning, though a little harder over here in Japan due to language barriers and base restrictions. But we do try to get out where we can and purposely schedule time for weekly visitation. It is sad to see many forsaking this outreach ministry. I have and will continue to participate in "cold" D2D soulwinning because at a minimum we are walking 'advertisement' and at best a soul is saved. I think that Pastors need to provide training and an opportunity for their members to go soulwinning whether making "hot calls" visting Church Visitors or "cold calls" through a neighborhood because both aspects require different approaches and provide drastically different experiences. I have seen my moral courage and witness boldness rise as a direct result of this exposure. So who really cares what others think? I believe God wants us out there witnessing in every type of opportunity and what He thinks is what really matters!

 

We've changed how we go door to door in the last several years. As out community has become more gated, we have fewer doors that can be knocked on, so we use mailings.
But for us the best kind of door to door has been when a believer goes next door to his neighbor and helps them to understand who Jesus is.
I agree with MRCoon that it is a church's responsibilty to train people in sharing their faith in every available forum.

 

could it be that with more and more women working outside the home that it useless to go door to door anymore. who are they going to sell their products to, the kids?

 

Exactly... Most of the ones I have ever seen saved, has been from someone that already has a relationship with them that has "won" them..

I even hate the term "soul winning" it sounds like a competition... which is what so many churches has turned it in to.. that and a salesman technique.

D2D has it's place, but so does other styles.

 

"He that winneth souls is wise" Proverbs 11:30
I guess it's God's contest and you know of course that it is more than a competition it is warfare.

 

If every person in the church would share their faith with people they knew on a regular basis it is likely more would be won.

 

I completely agree with D2D soul-winning. Although it is not the only method of soul-winning it is a very effective one. I believe that there are very few excuses for not going soul-winning. The Lord has given us the great commission and it is our responsibility to follow through with it. We all know that the best way to lead a soul to Christ is through some kind of personal relationship with the person, but we also know that not all Christians are doing their duty as a Christian. If we rely on neighbors to witness to neighbors, then many people will go unreached. As far as soul-winning being a job or duty, I don't think of soul-winning as a duty, I think of it as an opportunity to serve God. If you look at it as a duty maybe you need to check up on your walk with God.

 

Something can be duty but also be counted a joy. The duty element I find important to remember as sometimes the joy may not be in it but the duty will keep us motivated. Just a thought.

D2D is important. Where I am I know of churches that are populated almost entirely by individuals won by door to door ministry. But it has to be part of a whole spectrum of outreach.

In places D2D is not possible. Some communities have gates, guards and dogs to discourage that sort of thing. But where there is opportunity it should be used.

In some places Mormons and JW's have giving the D2D ministry a bad name and in such places it is sometimes better not to do it. Each community must decide for themselves what the most productive way of getting the Gospel out is.

 

An earlier poster pined that D2D isn't working anymore. Well, something is working for the Mormons who proselyte 50,000 Baptists per year.

 

I've been prayerfully considering this thread, and have two comments:
Everyone should try D2D; it may not turn out to be your calling, as God gave us different abilities (1 Peter 4:11).

But don't let discouragement be the reason you decide to do something different. Any fisherman will tell you that you might cast your line ten times, and catch only one fish; but you're still eating tonight.

 

I used to go D2D each and every Saturday. I found it to be mixed results. I started 2 nursing home ministries and the results of God's blessings are amazing. We have people saved almost every week. I also make myself available to assist at the alter calls at the church. I find these two ways bless me more than D2D ever did. Nothing wrong with D2D but I think that in this day and age we can do better than the method even salesman have abandoned. However if you are blessed knocking doors, go for it!! It's all good.

 

Going soul-winning is not about your blessings, it is about winning souls for the Lord Jesus Christ and carrying out the great commission. I see no problem with working in other ministries. I myself work with the deaf and mentally handicapped, but it is also important to have an organized soul-winning time each and every week. It is our responsibility to witness each and every day, but some people don't think about that, therefore, we need a time to go out and witness to people and glorify God. I'm not saying this has to be D2D but that is one good method. If you spend some time once a week whether it be going out to visit D2D, visiting the deaf in the community, passing out tracts at the mall or a rock concert that's fine as long as you are going out for the specific purpose of winning souls to the Lord.

 

Our church definitely goes out d2d. On Saturdays, my son in law takes some of his youth group, and they go door-knocking, and the Junior church Pastor and his wife always go out and visit bus parents. The men of the church have a prayer breakfast, and then they go out afterwards on Saturday.

 

Our church is definitely a soul winning church, but we rarely if ever go D2D, except for Saturday morning calling on those who visited church services over the last week. We do alot of witnessing in nursing homes, and passing out tracts on the street. My only problem with this is that a very small percentage of the people in our city ever go on the street where we pass out tracts. We do see alot of people saved, but Im more concerned with the amount of coverage we are getting.