Teaching When We Meet Objections
1 Teaching in the house-to-house ministry presents a challenge. People are not expecting our visit, and so some may try to avoid any discussion in order to return quickly to what they were doing. But carefully prepared introductions can capture interest in the Kingdom message and even serve to cope effectively with objections. Our goal is to help more people learn the truth, and if we accomplish that, we will be meeting the challenge of “teaching them” the good news.—Matt. 28:19, 20.
2 Have you noticed that in many territories there are generally two or three common objections offered by the majority of householders? If we are to be effective teachers of the good news, we must prepare carefully and deal with these kindly and with tact. (Compare Ecclesiastes 12:10.) Wherever possible we should endeavor to leave an important thought concerning the Kingdom.
A POSITIVE APPROACH
3 Having a positive view of objections will help us to teach. An objection generally gives us some insight into the householder’s thinking. In fact, it can even serve as a basis for your conversation. Try to find some common ground or a point of agreement. Then be prepared to adjust your Scriptural presentation accordingly.
4 To illustrate, if the person says he is a Catholic, you could say: “Then no doubt you have prayed the ‘Our Father’ prayer many times. (Matt. 6:9-13) We also pray for God’s Kingdom to come and ask for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Have you ever wondered what God’s Kingdom is and how it is going to bring about God’s will on the earth?” After allowing the householder to comment, proceed to answer those questions. Such a discussion could lead quite naturally into a presentation of the Live Forever book.
5 How would you respond if a person said: “I have my own church”? You can show you are interested in him by asking questions about his religion or church, such as: “If I may ask, what is your religion?” Then you might inquire, “Where is your church?” Now that you have a conversation going and the householder sees that you are listening to him, you could say: “I’m pleased to know that” and then begin your presentation on some common ground, such as the model prayer or world conditions. If the householder identified his religion, you could say: “As a ․․․․․․․․․․ you no doubt desire to see peace on the earth. Do you think that time will ever come? If so, how?” Then proceed with your presentation of the Live Forever book, adjusting to the householder’s reply and our Topic for Conversation.
6 When the householder is obviously busy, it may be best to be brief and arrange to call later. You might say: “I appreciate knowing that, so rather than take your time I would like to leave you the message in printed form. I had in mind speaking to you about [Give title of magazine article]. But now you can read it at your leisure. The two magazines are only 40 cents.” Some publishers use a similar response but present the regular literature offer.
ANTICIPATE OBJECTIONS
7 Sometimes objections can be anticipated. For instance, when observing that a person is busy, some publishers use the phrase “I am calling on busy people” and then continue with their regular presentation.
8 In order to be effective teachers in the house-to-house ministry, we must give careful thought to how we can deal with objections that may arise. By preparing to be effective teachers, even when meeting objections, we demonstrate our obedience to Jesus’ command and our sincere interest in the people in our territory.—Ezek. 3:17-19.