• Home Page
• Evangelism & Kindle
• Evangelism Videos
• Missions & Outreach
• Cults

Evangelism Partners

There are some who do their evangelism¹ sessions on their own, this isn't to say they do it on their own power relying on the Holy Spirit for help. Conducting soul-winning sessions on your own means going out either door-to-door or otherwise alone. "Going alone" is sometimes the only way for some to be able to conduct evangelism sessions in their neighborhoods or maybe a neighborhood (or apartment complex) that is nearby. There are some who prefer going soul-winning alone due to scheduling problems in coordinating with other soul-winners. Some soul-winners may live in a spiritually destitute area and are but one of very few in the general area that God has chosen to use to bring people to Himself.

Going Soul-Winning 2 by 2

Going 2 by 2 is simply having a partner along with you while you do the evangelism outreach that you have planned for the day. There are many advantages to having an evangelism partner along with you so you should consider taking one along with you during your next evangelistic outing. If you don't have any prospects that you could count on for a soul-winning partner then pray for one! Ask God to raise up a partner to go along with you as you evangelize your chosen area.

One of the most obvious benefits of an evangelism partner is that of safety. This isn't to say that every neighborhood is filled with gangs, dogs and other un-desirables. There is also the environment to be considered when you and your soul-winning partner embark. Rain, snow, wind, and even the sun pose certain risks to evangelists as they travel door to door.

Environmental Challenges

Weather can be a blessing or a curse when conducting neighborhood evangelism campaigns (either on your own or as part of an evangelism training organization). Rain and snow naturally present the possibilities of slipping and or falling due to the wet or slick surfaces. Some areas of the country have environmental challenges pertaining to wind either high or low speeds. Wind can blow debris into your eyes, sometimes wind can blow even small branches out of trees onto the sidewalk where you could be walking. In these cases one would be best served to always have a partner present when going door-to-door in inclement weather. The sun is a great asset when one first embarks on an evangelism campaign but the sun could become a problem as the day wears on. Certain states such as those in the southern part of the country generally have a higher heat index than those states further north. In the case of hot days it would behoove both you and your outreach partner to carry some sort of hydration along with your. Bottled water is easy to carry along and some soul-winners have added sports drinks powders available in single drink portions. These replace the electrolytes that you lose from the heat of the sun. One should also carry a small cloth of some sort to wipe your face if you are prone to sweating or if you get wet from the rain. The last thing you or your partner should is to show up at someone's front door with your face all wet! In all of these environmental situations it is best that you have someone else accompany you for safety reasons.

Other Challenges

No matter what city you live in or visit there are going to be areas of high crime which means you should never do any evangelism alone. Even when you and your evangelism partner go ut you should pray fervently for safety for everyone in your outreach group. Witnessing to gangs and groups is done all the time but there is safety in numbers so please be sure you are not alone when visiting these areas.

Pet Challenges

Pets come in two groups - they are either members of a family or they are there to protect the family. Family pets can be both so caution is advised when first entering yards, houses and apartments. Some pets can be a concern should they become overly affectionate to the point where they start jumping up on you possibly knocking you or your partner over in the process. Of course there is also the more aggressive "pets" that you should be concerned about, especially when entering a yard with lots of shrubbery as they tend to hide in the coolness of the shade.

When you and your outreach partner visit soul-winning prospects you should both be very careful when interacting with pets inside and outside of the home you are visiting. Even a friendly looking kitty can be prone to biting. Be especially cautious around exotic pets such as parrots, reptiles and so forth.

Spiritual Challenges

This is the issue that needs to be addressed before you and your evangelism team even depart for a day of outreach. Each outreach leader should pray over the schedule of evangelism trips (even if it is just you and hopefully one other person). Prayer for the areas you are to visit should be next on the list, invoking God's peace to be on the hearts of those in the areas you are about to visit and witness to. Next each soul-winner should pray for the others in the evangelistic group, for physical as well as spiritual strength and protection. Pray that God will lead you to the one He has chosen for you to witness to and also that He will prepare the heart of those you are to visit that day.

Now That You Are Inside

So there you are at the front door, you have followed our information about approaching the home and you are now standing inside their home. After the introductions and pleasantries then what next? Depends on the environment inside the home and whether or not you have a soul-winning partner.

First we will work a scenario where you do have a partner for this evangelism session. One of you should have already decided who will 'lead' this outreach session and this needs to be done before you enter the home. The last thing you want to do is to cause the outreach prospect to think you are unorganized. Whoever is not the "lead" will be responsible for corralling any small children that may unintentionally disrupt your outreach session. If there are any small children then the secondary outreach person should attempt to share the Gospel with them. Be careful when approaching children as it could cause alarm in the eyes of unsaved parents. The secondary soul-winner will also ask permission to turn off the television if it is disturbing the evangelism. Once things settle down then the secondary partner will pray silently for their soul-winning partner and the person (or persons) being witnessed to. Should the prospect accept the Salvation of Jesus Christ then the secondary outreach partner should be processing any paperwork their church or ministry might require. The "lead" or primary outreach person should at all times have their attention focused on the soul-winning candidate.

Now say you are the only outreach person in the room with the candidate, first off be careful when interacting with the opposite sex. Never allow yourself to be drawn into a compromising position! If there is no one else at the time a prospect answers the door and they are opposite sex of your own then do not enter the home alone. You should do this for moral reasons as well as for your own personal safety. In this example we will assume that the person who answers the door is the same sex as you and has invited you inside their home. In this case you should attempt to do what the secondary soul-winner did in the above scenario while trying to talk to the outreach prospect. The best bet is to try to get calm restored to the room before attempting to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prospect. Their minds will not be on what you are saying should the television be on or children be rowdy. In a fashion similar to that mentioned above you should pray for this person silently and quickly before you start witnessing to them.

Evangelism Pointers

There are some similarities between evangelism and selling in that you must "sell" yourself in order to be allowed into someone's home. That being the case there are a few pointers you can use when doing evangelistic sessions in and around your neighborhood or selected area of outreach.

An Introduction To Relationship-based Selling
By Michael Stahl

• Always make sure your appearance is neat and professional. Remember that, "Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail."
• When you sit down, try to sit on a couch side by side or in close proximity at a table with one person sitting at the end and one on the side. This allows you to be sitting in either the same direction or almost the same direction. You are trying to avoid sitting directly across from your prospect at all times. This unconsciously creates an adversarial situation in the prospect's mind. When you sit across from a person in a sales presentation there is a competitive sub-text being played out.
• Remember, if you feel uncomfortable then you do not have rapport with your prospect. In this era of relationship based selling especially, if you do not have rapport, you will not sell. Rapport is a prerequisite for all human communication. There is a powerful human need to "fit in".
• Common Interests - Everyone enjoys talking about their own interests. It helps to make the prospect feel like you understand them if you relate to them on their level.
• Body Orientation - Be aware of how a person is sitting or standing. Do not overtly "mimic" them (that would be disrespectful and could be interpreted as offensive).
• Ask Questions About Their Life - If you are in a person's office, you can look at family pictures and ask questions about their family, friends and work. Be sincere and genuinely interested in what they have to say. Allow them to talk and listen intently. ("I" is the most frequently used word in the English language. In a group picture people always look for themselves first. Understand that people like to talk about themselves).
• If your words are warm and your body language conveys discomfort or stress, your prospect will be ill at ease and the rapport will be broken. Be an example of the state of mind you want to convey to people. It should always be positive with lots of enthusiasm to develop meaningful rapport!

Article Notes:

1 An 'evangelist' in the context of this web site does not refer to evangelist in the strict interpretation of the word such as when a person forsakes their secular work to conduct the work of evangelism. The word "evangelist" comes from the Greek word, euaggelistes, which means a messenger of good news. That is the reason that 'evangelist' is used along with 'soul-winner', 'outreach', 'witnessing' and other terms used to denote people who tell others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do You Write Articles On How To Evangelize?