Do you know anyone at this church down the road?

All of us, church members and pastors alike, talk about how hard it is to do evangelism in our local context. There are many reasons why it is hard and all of us have heard most of the obstacles.

I want to share a simple way to open the door to sharing your faith that can work for any pastor or any church member.

There is a little exercise I try every time I go to preach at a church that could be helpful for pastors and church members in breaking through the evangelism obstacles and getting into the practice of sharing the gospel regularly. Driving into town, I look around to see all the businesses and public places that lie within the shadow of the church. Then, I typically repeat the following exchange, which is based on a real-life experience I had recently.

As I drove into the town of the church where I’m going to preach, I spotted a convenience store and immediately pulled over. Most of the time, convenience stores are the only places open on Sunday mornings. I went inside, picked up a water bottle, and headed to the cash register to pay.

I greeted the young woman at the counter and asked her name. I followed up by asking, “Do you know anyone at this church down the road?”

“No, I don’t,” she replied. My question was not threatening in anyway, and it’s simple enough that I felt comfortable digging a little deeper. The great thing is that it opened the door for me to continue talking about the church and what it represents.

“So, nobody from that church has ever told you how much Jesus loves you and all that He has done for you?”

The cashier shook her head and said, “No.”

I immediately recognized an open door. I asked her if I could share what the Bible says about that subject. She gave me the go ahead, and I was able to share the gospel clearly and fully with this lady.

In the end, she told me she needed to be saved but was not ready at that time. I told her how to be saved and that she could pray at any time and I knew the people of that church would love to see her and help her in her journey. I relayed this in my sermon at the church and many committed to follow up with her.

Who are the people working in the shadow of your church or even in the whole town? This simple question can open the door for you to share with every working person in your town and really with every neighbor in your town. “Do you know anyone from (your church)?” If they answer yes or no, you can follow up with, “Have they ever told you how much Jesus loves you and all He has done for you?”

It is a great way to jump into a spiritual conversation. 


For more information on No Sweat Evangelism, go to nosweatevangelism.com. The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has an Evangelism Consultant in your specific region that can help you in leading your church members to follow Jesus and work in His harvest fields. For more information, please contact the Evangelism team of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and schedule a consultation. You can also join the conversation on Facebook!


Published April 19, 2021