Presenting the Good News—Developing Interest on Return Visits
1 To develop interest in the truth requires time. Do you schedule sufficient time to make return visits on a regular basis? Many publishers find it beneficial to spend at least half of their field service time in making return visits and conducting Bible studies, thus cultivating interest already found.
2 You might beneficially ask yourself: ‘Am I really alert to locate persons who show interest in Jehovah’s loving provisions, or do I make return visits only on people who accept literature?’ The ones we are looking for are those who sincerely have a love of righteousness, those sighing and crying due to the bad conditions in the world, those searching for the truth. That a person does not take literature, due to personal or religious reasons, does not necessarily mean that he has no interest in the truth and that a warm response to God’s loving provisions cannot be cultivated. (Luke 19:3-5) But how can we go about this?
3 Occasional calls may be very helpful in getting to know certain ones in our territory so that we get to know them on a friendly basis, thus opening the way for more serious and regular discussions of the truth. We have to remember that people have reason to be fearful of strangers, so it may be necessary patiently to cultivate both their interest and their confidence. This takes time and continued effort on our part. Sometimes our objective can be accomplished by taking issues of the magazines to them from time to time when there is something that we feel may be of particular interest to them. When there is opportunity, take advantage of the few minutes you may be afforded to talk to them about the truth. Be prepared to discuss a scripture or an article in the current magazine. You may never have a better opportunity to witness to that person, so do not be in too much of a hurry to leave for the next call.
4 When a person does permit us to take time for a good discussion, a variety of approaches may be helpful. Some brothers like to let the householder do much of the talking the first time to find out what is on his mind and what is of interest to him. Just because he brings up wrong ideas, we do not have to refute them at the outset. Remember, our message is the good news of the Kingdom, and this is what we should emphasize. Other matters can be cleared up in time. Our goal is to win hearts, not arguments.
5 Remember, too, that these are not “our sheep,” but God’s. Often another publisher may be more effective with certain ones than we are, so why not invite that person along on the call?
6 Do not get discouraged when you make a return visit on someone only to have your offer of a home Bible study refused. Even if the call is not as productive as we might like to see it, perhaps it was enough to start the person thinking and reading so that more progress may be made on future calls. We know, of course, that, after we have done all that we can, it is God who makes the interest grow, and we pray for this. (1 Cor. 3:6, 7) However, our work of planting and cultivating includes weeding out those showing no interest, and our return visits will help us to do that.