Cold contact: Going door to door

Steve Kneale writes here about the pros and cons of door to door evangelism. He does so by helpfully comparing Christian outreach to the methods used by charity fund raisers.It’s worth noting that all he says about door knocking could be said about other forms of cold contact evangelism including street evangelism

I should also say up front that I’m personally very pro cold contact evangelism.  There is one simple reason behind this.  If we rely entirely on friendship contact, then we significantly reduce and limit the ability of those who do not have Christian friends to hear the good news and to be invited to consider Christ.  Of course, without any plans and even with plans and good intentions, many will never move beyond the cold contact and get to build relationships with believers. However, if we  don’t do the hard work of knocking doors, attempting street conversations etc then they definitely won’t have the opportunity to build those connections.

Steve, when talking about the cons highlights the problems in terms of negative reactions and rejection.  This can be summed up along the lines that Christians are seen in these contexts as a nuisance and a bit weird at best.  There are worse aspects to how we are seen of course.

I think there are things that we can do about those concerns and its all to do with our expectations and our approach.  Some approaches to cold contact evangelism seem to work on the assumption that this is your one and only shot at communicating the Gospel with the person. Therefore, you must do all you can in order to deliver it.  Having an argument and being rejected after delivering the full counsel of God seems preferable to gaining permission for follow up.

Here are a couple of thoughts and some advice from my own experience.

  1. My approach over the years has been to s tart by offering something like a church newsletter or a Gospel as a “free gift”. I explain that I’m from the local church and that we want to offer a free gift or that we are bringing round our newsletter and want to give it in person this time rather than just push it through the door.
  2. My expectation is not that we will get into a deep and meaningful conversation, certainly not for on the spot conversations.  Rather, we are making a connection.  It may simply raise awareness with people that there is a church locally and so this gives context to future conversations or when they hear about events such as carol services, kids clubs etc.
  3. I will be on the look out for specific connection points.  If there’s a natural opportunity to build a conversation I will take it. This might start with asking an older person how long they’ve lived in the area, what changes they’ve seen and if they know about the church.  With a young family I might mention kids clubs or toddlers’ groups.  A newsletter should include details and I’d point them to that section.
  4. If I want to give away literature, I’m more likely to do this in street contexts, then I will go with a copy of a Gospel rather than a tract.  It means they are getting God’s word direct, it also has a feeling of quality without being too much, a serious gift that can be accepted but is less likely to be thrown away.
  5. I look out for things like signs stating that cold callers are not welcome. Sadly, I’ve heard people try to use loopholes to claim they aren’t the intended target. I think we need to accept that we very much are the intended audience for such posters.  There’s no point in going where you’ve been told you are not welcome. 
  6. Similarly, timing is important.  Summer evenings tend to be best.  Don’t go too early in the day nor too late in the evening when its dark.  I also am wary of visits in colder weather, especially when doors open straight into lounges or dining rooms.  Noone will thank you for making them feel cold! 
  7. Don’t lead with who you are not.  Noone cares that you are not JWs. They have the same issues with you as with them.  Also be aware of how you feel when someone opens up with “I’m not selling anything.
  8. Make a note of where you’ve been but keep details in records to a minimum. Respect GDPR rules.
  9. I know that there has been a habit of going in pairs.  Noone else apart from religious people do this.  Better to have a friend a little further up the street and to meet up and pray before and after.
  10. Plan repeat visits. You want to become well known (positively) in and area and you want to get to know people too.
  11. Use it as research but do this in a light manner.  What I mean is that I’m not into surveys but I think you can’t meet being on the ground in terms of getting to know a community well. This is where you find out how out of date the census data is.  It will better inform your prayers.
  12. Be pastoral.  You are going to meet people going through all sorts of issues. Be alert and sensitive.  Be ready for other people’s lives to disrupt your plans.