[dillon burroughs] on using tracts in evangelism

Why don’t more people hand out tracts these days? After all, aren’t they the perfect little Gospel message in a short, easy to read, interesting format? Especially in our sound-bite culture, these straight-to-the-point presentations should have a big impact… right?

So then why to they end up in the trash can more than they do in people’s hearts?

In this portion of our conversation with Dillon, he shares why he believes tracts have lost their effectiveness. But more importantly he shares his thoughts on what you can do instead in order to be a more effective ambassador for Christ. And what he shares is probably some of the best evangelism advice that I have heard in a long time…

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Check out the rest of this conversation in the christian evangelism 101 series.

[dillon burroughs] on evangelizing to other faiths

What do you do when you encounter someone of another faith when sharing yours? Many people think they need to know everything there is about the other faith in order to refute it . But rarely does someone change their faith system because someone who knows a lot about it told them all of the reasons that they were wrong.

In this portion of our conversation with Dillon, we discuss a couple of ways that Christians can be effective when evangelizing those from other faith systems:

1. Listen to them and ask questions about what they believe. This approach doesn’t require you to know anything about the other person’s faith when you approach conversation with them. As we discussed in the previous portion of this series (on the value of listening in evangelism), listening first shows the other person that you are interested in them.
2. Share the Bible. Often people of other faiths come to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior after reading the Bible (particularly the Gospels). It’s always a good idea to have some New Testaments handy to give away when in situations like this.

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Check out the rest of this conversation in the christian evangelism 101 series.

[dillon burroughs] on the value of listening in evangelism

What’s one of the most effective tools that should be in your evangelism toolkit? Many people often think that it’s about knowing the five (or other number) steps in a special method, or being able to make a convincing apologetic argument.

But one of the most effective things that one can do when evangelizing is to just shut up and listen to the person that you are with. It’s when we show an interest in things that are important to them by listening to what they have to say (without our commentary), we then build a trust and a connection that may give us the opportunity to share aspects of our faith.

In this segment of our conversation Dillon shares an experience from the research that he did for one of his books in which listening opened the door for him to share his faith…

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Check out the rest of this conversation in the christian evangelism 101 series.

[dillon burroughs] on making evangelism a part of everyday life

Evangelism is not as much an event as it is a lifestyle. Some of the most effective evangelism that we can do is in the context of our everyday lives.

In this portion of the conversation Dillon challenges us to walk our walk before we talk the talk. It is being there consistently and being a positive example that opens up the doors for us to share with others. But that means that sharing our faith can be more of a marathon than a sprint.

This approach can sometimes be frustrating because it can seem fruitless, but the payoff is amazing when the opportunity finally comes. However, the opportunity may never come unless you are committed to doing the small things that it takes to earn that opportunity.

What are some of those small things in your life (in your job, with your family and friends, etc.)?

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Check out the rest of this conversation in the christian evangelism 101 series.

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