Whether it’s a neighbor, friend, coworker, or family member, talking to a Mormon whom the Christian already knows is probably the most effective evangelism possible. After all, if the Christian has an already-established relationship with the Latter-day Saint, the hard part of getting to know each other and building a factor of trust is already accomplished. But what if you don’t have a Mormon with whom to interact? Answer? Begin to throw out chum—in fishing, this is excess bait—to attract attention and initiate a conversation.
There is plenty of different “bait” to use when evangelizing in public waters, which is often called “stranger evangelism.” Even though you probably have never met that stranger on a public street, this is a way to interact and possibly get into a conversation. The techniques discussed in this section might provide some “outside the box” ideas. Of course, the goal is not to trap anyone (as bait does), but rather to find creative ways to open up conversation with Mormons who wouldn’t typically be interested.
First, some may think that standing on a public street corner and proclaiming the truth about God and the gospel is too confrontative, but as Andrew Rappaport explains in chapter 17, this can be a very powerful method if it’s done in the right way. In chapter 18, Sharon Lindbloom explains how handing out newspapers at public events can be very informative and even lead to one-on-one conversations. And the information in the paper can have an effect on both the curious Mormon and non-Mormon alike.
Next, Randy Sweet and I (Eric) explain in chapter 19 how giving away books written by an LDS president provides the opportunity to interact with hundreds and even thousands of people at public events, causing many to consider this leader’s ideas that are, quite frankly, nothing less than impossible to follow. Finally, Rob Sivulka describes ways in chapter 20 to advertise his apologetics website by holding a sign to gather the attention of drivers and passersby and get hundreds of additional visitors to view his site. Indeed, chumming can work, especially if it’s distributed with a little ingenuity.