Why have the Anabaptists FAILED at Reaching the Masses

[Ken]

Um, no. Jesus isn't going to fix selfishness, wars, murder, theft, divorce, abuse, and all things that people do to harm each other. Not here in the world. Those things are all still with us two thousand years later.

I just think if people are going to go through the cost and effort of distributing tracts, they can do better.

I would toss out there that you might be the exact audience the tract was intended for, and to open your mind just a little bit.

Honestly, blaming the audience because a message isn't getting through is not a winning strategy in politics, business, education, or religion.

[Josh]

Um, no. Jesus isn't going to fix selfishness, wars, murder, theft, divorce, abuse, and all things that people do to harm each other. Not here in the world. Those things are all still with us two thousand years later.

I just think if people are going to go through the cost and effort of distributing tracts, they can do better.

I would toss out there that you might be the exact audience the tract was intended for, and to open your mind just a little bit.

Honestly, blaming the audience because a message isn't getting through is not a winning strategy in politics, business, education, or religion.

Go ahead and write us a better tract, then. (I'm not clear on exactly what religion you are; I assume if you identify as Christian, you would believe you have some level of responsibility to share the good news, but you can correct me if I'm mistaken.)

[Ken]

I would toss out there that you might be the exact audience the tract was intended for, and to open your mind just a little bit.

Honestly, blaming the audience because a message isn't getting through is not a winning strategy in politics, business, education, or religion.

Go ahead and write us a better tract, then. (I'm not clear on exactly what religion you are; I assume if you identify as Christian, you would believe you have some level of responsibility to share the good news, but you can correct me if I'm mistaken.)

I talk to people and try to live by example. I don't pass out tracts to strangers. I was asked to do enough of that as a kid and found it not particularly useful or fulfilling. My youth group got to pass out tracts at the county fair and other places which had no identifying information or contact information for our church. They didn't want the "wrong" type of people showing up I guess. I don't know.

Which is another criticism I would level at these types of tracts. In my mind they should really be an invitation to your church and should be designed with that in mind.

[ken_sylvania]

Honestly, blaming the audience because a message isn't getting through is not a winning strategy in politics, business, education, or religion.

Go ahead and write us a better tract, then. (I'm not clear on exactly what religion you are; I assume if you identify as Christian, you would believe you have some level of responsibility to share the good news, but you can correct me if I'm mistaken.)

I talk to people and try to live by example. I don't pass out tracts to strangers. I was asked to do enough of that as a kid and found it not particularly useful or fulfilling. My youth group got to pass out tracts at the county fair and other places which had no identifying information or contact information for our church. They didn't want the "wrong" type of people showing up I guess. I don't know.

Which is another criticism I would level at these types of tracts. In my mind they should really be an invitation to your church and should be designed with that in mind.

Well as long as those who know how to design a better and more effective tract refuse to do so, I suppose we're stuck with the designs created by those who are willing to do the best they can.

[Josh]

Billy Graham rather famously ended his appeals by telling the audience to “attend the church of your choice”. We have a phone number on the back of our tracts, but our goal is not to recruit people for our specific church.

[barnhart]

There is a place for print flyers, but I think the role they once played in society is now taken over by tiktok. People were once hungry for printed ideas, but not so much anymore. It's a little like email, we've reached saturation.

I think public distribution of print media is best when combined with something else like preaching, singing, recitation of memorized scripture ECT... In that role it doesn't need to bear the burden of engaging the disinterested, it only needs to inform. Simple is probably best. When our church goes out we sing and recite scripture and have out material that we have produced ourselves. It's more personal that way.

This opinion is from the perspective of the culture of NYC, your local culture may vary.

[Sudsy]

OK, that has not been my approach but rather getting right to the issue of the Gospel of Salvation. So, how is this working for you and others who use your approach ? Is the result creating this 'desire in people to want something they don't yet have' and after that are they then asking 'what must I do to be saved ?' or 'how do I become a Kingdom citizen ?' or something like that ?

Are there some Gospel tracts that uses this approach that I can look at ?

Normally those who are convicted of sin and want to follow Jesus will indicate that they want to make a public commitment to Christ and be baptized.

Here is a gospel tract:
https://churchplantersforum.org/wp-cont ... p-Hess.pdf

Here is another:
https://lifeq.org/wp-content/uploads/20 ... ife_10.pdf

Thanks Ernie. I read them both slowly a couple of times to see if my second read gave me a different impression as my first. I have my reservations on using tracts like these for various reasons, a couple Ken mentioned, but whatever tract or other method we use to witness to others is it getting results ? And by results I mean do we have any feedback from the one receiving this tract that they want to know more or have given their heart to Jesus ?

I support the idea of having your personal contact information on any tract we give out. And I would stay away from promoting your home church on the tract also as a salvation tract is not about what local church you favour but rather talking about salvation.

I have given out many tracts of sorts and I do believe they can plant some seed but we need to be available to help that seed to take root and grow. And I think some tracts can contain too much information and be like giving a baby some steak rather than milk. I believe tracts can be best used as a tool to go through with the person in a one-on-one conversation to keep focused on the subject.

As a youth we had outdoor street meetings and drive-in-church as ways to share the Gospel but most often it did not lead to one-on-one conversation about people's souls. It was sometimes the easy way to believe one was sharing the Gospel without having to get that personally involved. We had much greater results through coffee house ministry and home Bible studies. The latter, home Bible studies, allows people, over time, to share their views, build friendships and gives believers opportunities to learn to deal with various questions of seekers.

These home Bible studies was what worked the best in the church I was part of that went from a dozen or so to overflowing of well over 150 in a very short time. It wasn't a message on the Kingdom in the way Jesus primarily taught the Jews but rather the Gospel of Grace that the early church taught to everyone after Pentecost.

But bottom line for me is, are we getting people, primarily the unchurched, saved with our methods ? If not, then I think we need to study why.

[Joy]

It used to be that I disliked giving out tracts. But in the past few years, I have watched and learned. Someone posted a video of improving giving out literature: she confidently and cheerfully walked up to people on the street and handed them a tract, and they took them. A friend of mine tried her hand at distributing, but her manner was off-putting; no smile, just sticking a tract in front of passersby, and as I recall, no one accepted one.

Checkouts are good chances to hand out the Good News. I often chat with the cashiers, and maybe joke with them, then hand them the tract with, "This is for you," and tell them a little about it. I can't think of any time in this country when it has been refused, and many promise to read it.

In Africa, some people are Muslim and refuse, in which case I say, "But I came all the way from America to give you this!" and look wounded. That may bring a laugh and acceptance, although not always.

We have the good news of the Gospel, and there are many easy opportunities to share it.

[Sudsy]

It used to be that I disliked giving out tracts. But in the past few years, I have watched and learned. Someone posted a video of improving giving out literature: she confidently and cheerfully walked up to people on the street and handed them a tract, and they took them. A friend of mine tried her hand at distributing, but her manner was off-putting; no smile, just sticking a tract in front of passersby, and as I recall, no one accepted one.

Checkouts are good chances to hand out the Good News. I often chat with the cashiers, and maybe joke with them, then hand them the tract with, "This is for you," and tell them a little about it. I can't think of any time in this country when it has been refused, and many promise to read it.

In Africa, some people are Muslim and refuse, in which case I say, "But I came all the way from America to give you this!" and look wounded. That may bring a laugh and acceptance, although not always.

We have the good news of the Gospel, and there are many easy opportunities to share it.

Thankyou Joy for that post. I think our attitude in evangelistic efforts is something very important to consider. If we have the love of Jesus burning in us we will have His desire that none should perish but that all come to repentance. Our approach to people will be a very loving, courteous way as we desire so much that they too will find everlasting life through Jesus. We won't witness as a duty or act of obedience whether we want to or not but rather will witness out of compassion with a genuine concern for others to be saved and enter a Kingdom way of life.

What I think we need, myself especially, is a new vision for the lost and less focus on churchianity which so often leads to bickering about who is the most holy or who is the most free. Jesus really spoke harshly to the Pharisees about their attitudes about being holy. It was all about them and their religious ways while at the same time looking down their noses at other religious people and especially sinners. There is a lot of worldliness in the church today for sure but there also is a great deal of Phariseeism going on in some faith groups.

[Ernie]

But bottom line for me is, are we getting people, primarily the unchurched, saved with our methods ? If not, then I think we need to study why.

And again the question is, what do we mean by "getting people saved". As we discussed earlier, people who profess Christianity do preach different Gospels.
After baptizing the believer I mentioned earlier, we arranged a meeting with an Evangelical lady from her country, who had experience living as a Christian in a country that makes life difficult for active Christians. As they talked, we could not understand what was being said as we did not know their language. But after it was over, the new believer told us that the Christian message the Evangelical lady presented to her, was different from the Gospel she had heard from us.
Even a new believer can tell the difference.