eChurch Blog

I know of a woman living in a large town who is suffering from terminal cancer, has few friends, no family close, is very isolated and in need of friendship and support.

I am sure that every true Christian would want to reach out to her to offer friendship, prayer and the encouragement of the gospel. Unfortunately, this has not happened. Sadly, this lady lives in a small bedsit just around the corner from a large shiny new church and they know nothing of her or she of them! Are there many others like this lady on our doorsteps who are not reached? What can be done?

Think again

I would like churches to think again about door-to-door visiting as a means of connecting to people of different circumstances, class and ages in our communities. I do not find that the cults have made door work difficult, as most people do not identify them with mainstream churches. The door visiting I am suggesting comes from a heart of genuine concern. I have been visiting door-to-door on a regular basis for over two years and been very encouraged by the contacts and friendships I have made. Jesus’s parable about the shepherd going out to find a lost sheep has encouraged me not to rely on outreach courses or guest services but to actively go out to seek the lost, those open to the gospel.

What motivates me?

I am motivated by stories like the one above and the many people I meet who are pleased that I have made contact. One elderly lady said after I called: ‘No one seems to care for us around here, no one has ever called around from any of the churches’. I also have in my mind a woman I once met who had not been attending church for some time. She had been befriended by some door-knocking Jehovah’s Witnesses and eventually joined their group. This taught me that door-to-door work does work, but, unfortunately, in this case and, I fear, many others, for the enemy and not for the true church. The cults grow and prosper through their door-to-door work. Why should we leave it to them when there is a harvest to gather?

The precedent of going out to people in their homes goes back to Jesus in Luke 10. The Lord sent the 72 out two by two ahead of him to every town and place. In a sense that is what I believe we as God’s people need to do, preparing the way for the Lord in every way, including door-to-door work.

Think ‘crossing bridges’ and ‘doors’ as a strategy — it works on several levels.

1,000 people in the UK and the USA were polled for The Economist in 2008 and asked: ‘Do you believe there is a God?’ Less than 40% in the UK said yes, compared with 80% in the USA. This fits with my experience on the doors — that a large number of people are indifferent to God. Will they be persuaded by church adverts or will meeting real Christians like us, whom they can begin to trust, make a difference and lead them to the living God?

Building bridges as a church outreach strategy worked in the 1950s when most churches had a large fringe of people who were associated with church and the majority of the population had some biblical background belief and knowledge. So, when a special service or event was put on, the congregation had a large pool of people to invite and advertisements for the event would draw the curious. Today large church fringes are gone and, alas, there are not the contacts to invite. This approach also does not follow Jesus’s command to ‘Go and make disciples’, but relies on them coming in.

A better picture would be to replace the picture of ‘building bridges’ with one of ‘crossing bridges’. To cross a bridge means going from where I am to where someone else is, physically but also emotionally and spiritually. To go to them was the example set by Jesus and St. Paul. Jesus does this with Zacchaeus and Paul turns from Asia and crosses a bridge into Europe (Acts 16).

I am an enthusiast for courses like Alpha and Christianity Explored as they do reach people, but what about those who do not like courses, those who are not academic and do not read books, those who are not middle class and do not like shared meals? How do we meet people who are not like us?

Make room for a door-to-door strategy. It is biblical, it is inclusive and it works!

What should door-to-door look like? I used to think that the only way to do door visiting was to either pop an invitation into a door and disappear quickly or alternatively knock and ask a confrontational question such as ‘What will happen when you die?’ or ‘Why should God allow you into his heaven?’ I have read of success stories when these methods work. The Lord is sovereign and can use anything, but neither of these approaches sat well with me. Increasingly I have been challenged through Scripture that it is through relationships and grace that the Lord loves to work.

For over two years I have been doing door-to-door evangelism as an evangelist with Counties, aiming to ‘cross bridges’ to two very different housing estates in Bedfordshire. My approach has been to sow seeds and look for long-term relationships. I determined from the outset to look for needs and to operate as a community worker. It was also important that I was not hiding my relationship with the local church nor denying my faith in any way. This has borne fruit in the setting up of a local coffee morning in someone’s home on a council estate, we now have 15 ladies (and some gents) meeting monthly. On the private housing estate I have been systematically working doors in the area of a local church over a two-year period and now have 63 contacts that I return to regularly to deliver a copy of a Christian outreach newspaper, Challenge or New Life. All take and read the newspaper I leave and take invitations to relevant church events/activities when appropriate.

Another Counties worker, Jonathan Brain, also does door work and finds some used to go to church but have drifted. Others say they find the church very irrelevant to their lives and how untouched they are by church. We both find that in every road there will be a few houses where they are pleased with the visit and want to keep in touch. Jon says: ‘Most are surprised to have a visit from the local church and are pleased to see you’.

Some people are not ready to come to a church service, but will come to a coffee morning in a home or a social group or activity — e.g. drawing or walking group.

More than what the cults do!

It is so easy to belittle and criticise what the cults do around the doors, but I admire their dedication and I believe they get results by pure perseverance. If they knock at enough houses they are going to get a percentage of receptive people. On the other hand they offend others by their pushy and blunt approach and I make sure I set myself apart from their approach, introducing myself as from the local church and interested in building community.

More than social action

Saint Francis of Assisi is supposed to have said: ‘Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words!’ It’s a clever saying, but this is only part of the story as it is clear that Jesus spoke as well as acted and was very direct about the need for repentance. Giving out literature and DVDs with testimonies and sharing my own faith is a very important part of the strategy.

More than quick hit and run!

A lot of programmes are based on formulas and methods, which claim to preach the gospel. Door work should be more than communicating a simple sound bite (an ABC message) on a one-off visit. How do we think this is really getting across Jesus’s message of unconditional love demonstrated by death on a cross? I wonder if the feeling of failure of door-to-door work comes from the failure to have a long-term commitment to a door-to-door strategy that takes prayer, time and energy.

I hope I have encouraged church members and leaders to think again about doors as an open opportunity and a challenge to us to reach different sections of our communities. Time is short and we should make the most of the opportunities in whatever form they present themselves!

Colin Johnson,
part-time evangelist with Counties (http://www.countiesuk.org)