Personal Evangelism Class

Lesson #8

By Art Wallis

“How To Get Started With The Actual Visits”

(Acts 22:16 KJV) And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Introduction: Someone once said that if you were going to get started on something, you just had to do it. The same might be said for the work of evangelism. Sometimes the hardest thing is to get started, so you just have to jump into it. But, before we start our visitation, we need to answer the “who, what , when, where, and how” questions.

I.WHO Is A Prospect?

  1. Anyone that has not obeyed the Gospel.
  1. Everyone in the world is a prospect if they are not truly Christian.
  1. In reality, some are a lot better prospects than others are.
  1. Where do you find the BEST prospects?
  1. visitors to our worship services, meetings, VBS, Bible classes, etc., are the best prospects…if they weren’t interested, they wouldn’t be here.
  1. backslidden Christians, who need to be restored – this is a special area of visitation in itself.
  1. in-active Christians.
  1. families of those in our Bible Classes.
  1. young people, especially in Jr.-Sr.High School.
  1. people related to church members.
  1. friends of church members.
  1. people in nursing homes.
  1. people who have recently moved into the community.
  1. people who have just gotten married.
  1. people who have recently had a death.
  1. people who are having problems of any kind.
  1. house to house contacts – (cold turkey)
  1. results of a religious census
  1. radio or T.V. replies.
  1. those responding to ads for Bible Correspondence Courses or similar teaching helps in newspapers and magazines.
  1. those who have had recent additions to their families, i.e. births or marriages.
  1. our social and business contacts.
  1. WHO Should Do the Visitation?
  1. Men can go see another man. (most men are preacher-shy)
  1. Two women can go see a woman.
  1. A husband and wife or two women and a man can go into almost any kind of situation.
  1. Jesus sent them out 2 by 2.
  1. It is for mutual encouragement.
  2. It is to protect the visitor from gossip.
  3. It is to help find Scriptures.
  4. One can be praying while the other one is teaching.
  1. WHEN Do I Visit?
  1. The best time to visit is usually from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
  1. Visits can also be made from 9:00-11:00 a.m. and from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Be sure not to interrupt their meal schedule. (Visit when it is most convenient for the one you are visiting, especially if your personal schedule is flexible)
  1. If they are busy, ask them for a time that is better for their schedule, make an appointment and be back on time! – You might call ahead on the day appointed to be sure that they remember you are coming to visit.
  1. If they keep putting you off, or if they are gone each time you have an appointment with them, they are not interested and their card should be put in a separate file for future reference.
  1. WHERE Is the Best Place to Make the Visit?
  1. Anywhere that is quiet and fairly private without a lot of distractions.
  1. It might be in a back corner of a restaurant.
  1. It might be at the church building in an office or classroom.
  1. It is usually best to keep the place of study fairly neutral and familiar to the prospect.
  1. Perhaps the best place to study with the prospect is in the privacy of his or her own home. There they are most comfortable with their familiar surroundings.
  1. Remember that Philip taught the Ethiopian in a chariot in a desert place. (It was the Ethiopian’s chariot)
  1. HOW Do I Visit?
  1. As mentioned earlier, it is better to go out in groups of 2 or 3 with one man per group in most cases.
  1. Have just one person direct the conversation. Since we dealt with the 4 types of calls in the last lesson, you should know what you want to accomplish with the visit before you ever get to the door. The leader of the 2 or 3 visitors will be looking for opportunities to direct the prospect in conversation to achieve the desired goal.
  1. Visit in an attitude of prayer. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person still has great power in its effect!
  1. Visit with confidence…If you have properly prepared yourself, you should be ready for visitation in evangelism.
  1. Visit them on a rainy or snowy day/night because that will usually cause the prospect to be at home. (use good judgment as to whether or not YOU should be out in it)
  1. Be sure to make the easiest visits first. You need that to build up your self-confidence. Nothing succeeds like success!
  1. Do not plan on making over 3-4 visits when you go out. If you get into a good study, you do not want to have to leave it to go to another appointment.
  1. Be sure you have your Bible, tracts, pamphlets, charts, etc. with you.
  1. Some Pressing Questions the One Doing the Visiting Might Have.
  1. How many times do I visit the prospect?
  1. 1. As long as you are getting a favorable response, keep on visiting the prospect. If it seems that you have reached an impasse, have someone else visit the prospect.
  1. In any event, be sure that someone from the visitation group maintains contact with the prospect.

Q. How often do I visit the prospect?

A. 1. If you are in a detailed Bible study, the prospect may ask you to come every night of the week or every other night. My suggestion would be no more than 3 times a week and then only at the prospect’s request. (visiting the same day at the same time once a week makes for an easier routine to remember)

  1. If you are going to visit someone on your own, without an invitation, don’t visit more than once a week and maybe only every two weeks.
  2. If you are using the Jule Miller Filmstrips or Video, you might set up every Monday or Thursday night for 5 weeks at 7:30 p.m. with the prospect. That is a good time for most people.
  1. Some Things You Need to Think About in Personal Evangelism
  1. Be sure that you keep control of the conversation. The prospect may try to teach you if you don’t stay in control of the direction the conversation is going.
  1. Be honest about all things, but also be tactful.
  1. Distinguish between a “thus saith the Lord” and “thus saith me”. (your own opinion)
  1. Give praise and credit where it is needed.
  1. Build rapport with the prospect…make him/her a friend.
  1. Find the prospect’s hobbies and interests and talk about him and them.
  1. Find an area of religion where you CAN agree and begin there—even Philip, teaching the Ethiopian, began at the same Scripture where he was reading and preached unto him “Jesus”.
  1. Ask sincere questions to fully understand where the prospect is spiritually.
  1. Try to ask questions so that you get positive, “yes” answers.
  1. Know the prospect’s name(s) and use their name(s) often in the conversation. Nothing is as sweet as the sound of one’s own name.
  1. Do not argue.
  1. Do not contradict, only say the truth. Such as, “Yes MR. ______, I know that is what you have been taught all of your life, but have you ever thought of looking at it from this point of view such as the Apostle Paul has given here in ______?” (give the Bible’s book, chapter, and verse).
  1. Don’t patronize him/her.
  1. Don’t run down other religions, people, or ideas.
  1. Talk to him/her on his/her own level.
  1. Keep your cool.
  1. Stay on the topic of your discussion.
  1. Take your time. Many good prospects are lost because the Personal Worker was in too big of hurry to develop the prospect’s interest.
  1. Be sure to leave with both you and the prospect smiling, for if you anger the prospect, he may never respond to the Gospel.
  1. Season your speech with salt. Watch your wording. Be willing to honestly answer hard or uncomfortable questions like: “My dear grandmother just died. She wasn’t immersed. Did she go to heaven?” You should reassure the prospect that the dear departed grandmother is in the hands of a fair and merciful God. Nothing that is said or done NOW can change her destiny. But as for the prospect that is still living, he/she does know what to do to have salvation and is therefore accountable for using that knowledge. (Brethren, our task in personal evangelism is not to judge, condemn, or criticize; our task is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with a sinful world.)

Conclusion: As was said earlier, sometimes the best way to get started on something is to just go ahead and get started on it. In our next week’s lesson we will see what we are to say once we get inside the door of the house.

HOMEWORK: Please write down the names, street addresses (no P.O. Boxes, please) and any other pertinent information (religion, family, work) that you can about people that you would like to see obey the Gospel, who live in our area (within a 50 mile radius of our church building). Please bring this information to class with you next week.

Next Week: Also, if we have any extra time in class next week, I would like for us to begin doing some “role playing” on visitation. This will be fun! We will practice conducting our visit during a controlled classroom environment. This will help you to build confidence in your visitation skills!