Evangelism is about Relationships
Grant English recently wrote about how he tossed aside the tract. You know, those tracts that evangelists carry around? Personally, I couldn’t agree more with him. I personally can’t stand how people are trained to “evangelize” by following a fixed pamphlet, and a fixed ‘script’, almost.
I think the principles Grant talked about there can also be applied to any kind of evangelism – as ‘software evangelists’ or ‘new media evangelists’, etc. Grant makes a brilliant point, and it’s not just limited to Christian evangelists. It’s about relationships. It shouldn’t be about a fixed script or fixed points.
Sure, you have specific things you want to tell. Yes, you want to share the benefits and features and all. But whatever you say won’t matter without a relationship.
So, I just want to echo his advice. Don’t focus on converting the person. Focus on building a relationship. On listening to what they have to say. The rest will follow.