The People Book

Do you struggle inviting folks to evangelist events? It’s often because we’ve not done any preparation.
In my late teens I got into a sales career selling advertising space. My manager taught me that if I didn’t learn to prospect I would fail to meet my targets. It was good advice and I would make various lists each week of potential clients to contact and became very successful. I’ve put this technique to good use when it comes to developing friendships in order to preach the gospel at a later date. When evangelistic events come around I always have a large list of folks I’ve connected with right at my finger tips which makes the inviting easy.
In 1997  I got myself a book and made a list of headings on each page: Family members. Friends at the school gate. Work colleagues, past and present.  My son James’ friends and family. Brownie mums. Village Shop keepers. Folks who call at my house. Regular appointments etc.
Then I spent about 2 hours going through everyone I knew and writing their name under the appropriate  heading. Adding others along the way as I remembered.
Then as the events came  up it was easy to look through the book and see who might want to come to that particular one. I could consider if they lived nearby or knew others that would be going or could they afford it etc.
I make a list of potential guests on a separate page then identify whether its a phone call, text or personal visit they need. I then plan my week/ month to include inviting them. It’s great when I get a yes and can put a tick next to their name! ( you list makers will love this one!)
Research shows that if we need to put a lot of effort into something we often end up not doing it. What this idea does is allow you to ask several people not just one you happen to bump into 2 days before. The more you ask the odds are that you will get at least one person saying yes please! Apart from the initial writing of the names it’s a simple flick through the pages to get a list of possibles. Why shouldn’t we use market place tricks for the Kingdom. Jesus talked about the shrewd manager in one if his sermons and its certainly given me the edge over the years.
Sarah and I sat down the other day to discover what contacts we both have in the village where we live to make a joint list and immediately we could identify ladies we both knew. You could do this with friends and make a night of it. As I looked at my book the other day which I update with fresh names every six months or so, I could see that people move away or your boy finishes school and your sphere of influence decreases unless you make the effort to make new friendships. There’s only a small window of time to reach out to folks headed for a lost eternity. It may seem a little clinical this approach and won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but the whole purpose is to get them off your list and onto Jesus’s list in the book of life and I think that’s a great reason to give it a try.

Love Su