Door to Door Evangelism FAIL

We were in the middle of packing up for our move from New York to Oregon.

There was chaos everywhere. Piles of stuff to pack. Piles of stuff to throw out. Phone calls to make. Errands to run. Landlords to deal with.

In the middle of all this chaos, we received a friendly visit from the the Jehovah Witnesses. My wife answered the door, and here is roughly how the conversation went:

Knock, knock. 

Wendy (opening the door): Hello?

JWs: Hello, do you have a few minutes so we could talk to you about Jesus?

Wendy: No, we’re in the middle of packing up for a move, and everything is chaotic right now. Besides, we already know, love, and follow Jesus. Thanks, though!

JWs: Oh, your moving? Well, is there a time we could come back and talk?

Wendy: No. We’re moving out of state. Look, I have phone calls to make and boxes to pack. I gotta go.

JWs: Okay, but would it be alright if we gave you some literature for you to read and had someone call you?

Wendy: No, we’re moving. We don’t need more books, and definitely don’t need more phone calls. We already believe in Jesus and read the Bible. We’re good. Seriously, I gotta go.

JWs: Okay, well we just wanted to tell you about how to go to heaven, maybe if we could come in for just a minute…

Wendy (wisely interrupting): Look,  my father died last year, and we know he is in heaven because he believed in Jesus. We know the same will be true of us because we also believe in Jesus. Now, goodbye.

And with that, she shut the door on them.

I am not writing this to criticize the Jehovah Witnesses. Many forms of “evangelism” suffer from the same mistake these two guys made. They were so intent on getting their message heard, that they seemed to completely ignore the problems of the person right in front of them. Furthermore, their repeated insistence on getting their message heard only added to the problems of the person they were talking to.

Sharing the gospel with others requires that we first live the gospel among them.

This is easier said than done. But then, that’s true of the Gospel as well. The Gospel is easier said than done.