Advantages & Disadvantages of Handing Out Tracts
Following on the heels of my post on "Does Handing Out Tracts Do Any Good?", I wanted to share with you a couple of well written and thoughtful posts over at The Reformed Evangelist blog:
The social dynamics of handing out tracts are a bit different in Thailand than in the West. As I mentioned before, just going out and handing out tracts is not nearly as ideal as sharing the Gospel in a conversation with someone that you already know. However, when someone receives a tract and reads it, it is food for thought and it might get them thinking about things they haven't previously considered. I find most people in Thailand to be receptive to receiving tracts. I say something like "This is free" (แจกฟรีครับ) or "I've come to hand out Good News" (มาแจกข่าวประเสริฐครับ). Occassionally, I've gotten stony faced looks when I go to hand a tract to someone but once I say that it is free, the person smiles and willingly takes it. I've learned from my Thai brothers and sisters that some people are afraid that you want money to make merit in return for receiving a gift of some sort. I've met these folks before. Usually they approach you on the street with some kind of cheap trinket and ask a small amount for it - to help handicapped children or make merit (create good karma) or some such. So, I can understand how some people are leery of receiving something on the street from a stranger. But happily, most people cheer up when told that the tract is free. And the practice of handing out tracts certainly forces me to overcome that fear of people looking at me as a weirdo. However, being a white guy in Thailand, I get all sorts of strange looks anyhow so regardless of whether I hand out a tract or not, people wonder "Who is that and what is he doing here?" Giving out a tract helps answer those questions.Labels: Evangelism
posted by Karl @ 11:41 AM
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2 Comments:
i think your little ditty about tracts brings up a great point about cultural relevance. the fact that most Thai people encounter persons on the street trying to gain good karma & a little pocket change provides you with a great ministry opportunity in preventing the free Gospel.
here in the US though, i've found that people are so oversaturated with competing advertisements trying to get their attention (multiplied by the perceived hypocracy of anything christian) that when they get a gospel tract, they just throw it away or make fun of it.
in fact, i remember when i was working as a waiter, somebody left a tract instead of a tip. in the minds of the employees, pparently christians are not only hypocrites now, they're also cheap. it can be a huge obstacle to getting the gospel across.
so anymore, i usually don't use gospel tracts. when i do street evangelism, i usually carry business cards of the local ministries that i know have great and relevant discipleship programs (while also holding true to the gospel), & when dealing with the homeless, i have business cards with the names and addresses of local ministries that work specifically with homeless people.
if i have a particularly good conversation with somebody that's clearly mulling over what i've been saying, then i'll give them my cell phone number if they need any follow-up. i feel like that way, i don't just give 'em a shot-gun blast of gospel info in a concise tract and leave 'em hanging.
all that said, i have seen people saved through the use of tracts, so i don't wanna constrain what the Holy Spirit can do. i just think we need to use creative, effective and relevant means to get the Gospel across.
i think your little ditty about tracts brings up a great point about cultural relevance. the fact that most Thai people encounter persons on the street trying to gain good karma & a little pocket change provides you with a great ministry opportunity in preventing the free Gospel.
here in the US though, i've found that people are so oversaturated with competing advertisements trying to get their attention (multiplied by the perceived hypocracy of anything christian) that when they get a gospel tract, they just throw it away or make fun of it.
in fact, i remember when i was working as a waiter, somebody left a tract instead of a tip. in the minds of the employees, pparently christians are not only hypocrites now, they're also cheap. it can be a huge obstacle to getting the gospel across.
so anymore, i usually don't use gospel tracts. when i do street evangelism, i usually carry business cards of the local ministries that i know have great and relevant discipleship programs (while also holding true to the gospel), & when dealing with the homeless, i have business cards with the names and addresses of local ministries that work specifically with homeless people.
if i have a particularly good conversation with somebody that's clearly mulling over what i've been saying, then i'll give them my cell phone number if they need any follow-up. i feel like that way, i don't just give 'em a shot-gun blast of gospel info in a concise tract and leave 'em hanging.
all that said, i have seen people saved through the use of tracts, so i don't wanna constrain what the Holy Spirit can do. i just think we need to use creative, effective and relevant means to get the Gospel across.
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