yesterday i was visited by the Jehovah’s Witnesses… well, just one of them.
this sweet, little ol’ lady walked through the front door, stepped up to the counter and asked to talk with a manager—oh, i forgot to mention, the Jehovah’s Witnesses visited us all at work. she said, “it’s so hard to catch working people at home, so i was wondering if i could leave these pamphlets for you in your break room.” one of our shift managers replied—”sorry, we don’t have a break room…” and the little old lady put The Watchtower and Awake pamphlets back into her purse and walked out of the building.
no one seemed to know what it was that she pulled out of her purse, so i said, “we’ve just been visited by the Jehovah’s Witnesses… she was offering us their materials to read.”
one of my co-workers responded, “like a tract?”
“yep, like a tract.”
“that’s so rude,” he retorted.
rude? how is that rude? ithought to myself, offering someone a pamphlet or tract as rude? because i was dying to know how he thought it rude, i asked… to which he responded—”all it is is judgment and condemnation. which doesn’t really make sense because you’re telling me that you love me and you’re not judging me, but yet that’s exactly what you’re doing when you hand me a tract.”
i had never really thought about it that way—and i’m not sure i can understand exactly what he’s saying, but it’s food for thought. it’s pretty plain to see that tracts just don’t work, and all they do is further alienate us from the people in the culture that we are so desperate to reach out to…
a couple of years ago tracy and i were in minneapolis for vacation when we stumbled across a big outdoor street festival. people were lining the streets playing games and having a good time. we reached a corner and there in front of us were two people passing out tracts to anyone that would take them. of course they didn’t receive a warm welcome. those that took the tracts wadded them up and tossed them on the ground, or even threw them back at the people passing them out. the people passing them out were laughed at and yelled at for what they were doing… they were even spit upon.
i took one of the tracts as we passed by because i was curious what they said, and the very front cover was flames of fire with the question, “is this where you’ll go when you die?”
i have no doubt that the people passing them out were doing so out of love and of pure motives, but all they were doing was passing out judgment and condemnation, and they didn’t realize it.
as the church, we are so far removed from the culture… painfully removed. i wonder how far the church has fallen in the eyes of everyday people—i’m certainly getting a crash course on this now that i’m “outside” of the church. i wonder just how far behind christians are playing from, how much ground do we have to come back from? i wonder just how much damage we have done because we don’t understand our culture? and how much more damage will we continue to do from pure, but misguided motives?
(i’m still dumbfounded that a jehovah’s witness came into a starbucks to witness to the workers.)
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When I was in college, my ministry program required two domestic mission trips and one international during the two years of the course. We were obligated to go door knocking in Arkansas and Missouri. Needless to say, the welcome was not warm. We were advertizing a “Gospel Meeting” (Church-of-Christ-speak for a Revival), but I don’t remember seeing a single visitor at either one.
On the other hand, door-knocking in Brazil results in planting churches.
So, the method is not the problem. The problem is matching the method to the culture.
Dang! I just ordered some great new tracts that actually burn peoples hands when they touch them. The title is “How Would You Like This Feeling All Over You????”
You have to know your culture, but when you’re dealing with a multi-cultural environment it certainly adds a twist to it.
I was just given a brochure in favor of community pool project that is coming up for a vote. I was fairly neutral on the topic so I appreciated the information. However, I could understand that if I were anti-pool, I may be offended by someone passing these out. One answer would be to simply ask a question… ‘would you like information about the pool project that tells why i think it’s a good idea’
In the same way I like the inquisitive approach to people related to Jesus. Ask questions… not as a stupid technique, but if you really care/love others then don’t you want to get to know them?
btw did the lady buy a coffee?
nope… she didn’t even buy a coffee! which is unfortunate because i hear the white chocolate mocha with a pump of cinnamon dolce is amazing!
i think tracts don’t work very well in our culture because we’re becoming such a relational place in our “post-modern/post-christian” society. i think passing out a tract, or a pamphlet shows a lack of care or concern, relationally speaking, and i think that’s why there’s the response that there is.
i will agree with adam—because he knows—tracts do work in other parts of the world, but not in the U.S.—or north america for that matter!
I was just on a retreat with my youth group at Cornerstone, and we stopped at Culver’s on the way. There were about thirty spiffed-up Baptists in there, handing out tracts. I flipped to the back and read aloud something like, Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior? “Yes, I have.”
“i think passing out a tract, or a pamphlet shows a lack of care or concern, relationally speaking, and i think that’s why there’s the response that there is.” ’tis true. I find it hard to see how someone (especially an 11-year-old) handing you a piece of paper shows that they care, even though I know that most of them do.
Tracts are still not as effective, by a LONG SHOT, as personal contact with people in Brazil. Thus the example of door knocking, which is downright offensive and intrusive in the eyes of most Americans, but in many cities in Brazil it is still acceptable. We do what we can.
I’m not fond of tracts, but if you have a KIND one to give that is informative, it will be most effective if you give it to someone you’ve actually at least started to form a relationship with…someone that can come back to you with questions and with whom you can pray and share concerns.
BTW, I watched a repeat of the Simpsons episode “Left Below” last night. With a sandwich board and bell, Homer roams the town bellowing that the end is near. Kent Brockman, the reporter, asks him a question on camera, and Homer yells: “God loves you . . . HE’S GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!â€
I confess I have a stack of what I think are ‘kind’ tracts. I have given them out to friends after I’ve shared the story of Jesus with them. I tell them this is just a little booklet that explains probably more clearly what I believe about Jesus. If you want to talk some more about it, blah, blah…
For what it’s worth, I think a Simpson’s tract would be pretty cool…
tracts are awesome! I remember when i was a server in college and i received one as a tip…they couldn’t leave me any money for my services, but at least i’m not going to hell now (sarcasm).
ha! you got the $10 tract as well?
i’ll never forget walking up to the table on a sunday afternoon after being treated like crap by this family to see a nice $10 bill on the table… i get a little closer to find that it’s not really a $10 bill, but a tract telling me i needed Jesus… and there was no other tip left. i wish they were still around after i picked it up to tell them, “hey, i’m in bible college studying to be a preacher…”
we get those types of tracts in the drive-thru at starbucks every so often as well.
We have outdone God himself. We can manage to whittle down the gospel into a concise wallet sized track, but it took God four whole biblical books to get it all in (and even then we needed some other material to help put it all together).
BTW, people tip at Starbucks? As if the five dollar cup of coffee that I can brew myself for 30 cents isn’t a rip off enough? The other night I asked the girl at Sonic if people normally tipped and without even blinking she said yes. Are you kidding me? I have to tip a value meal now?
tipping is good business at starbucks! after it’s all said and done it adds about another $0.75/hour in wages… which is really very nice indeed when you’re scrapping by as a barista. think of the little people rags… the little people.
p.s. not only is it a wallet sized tract, but it’s typically only 3-4 pages of type 12 font… hmmm… i wonder what other types of boxes we shove the gospel into, and God for that matter!
I’m surprised at how many people don’t tip anyone in the service industry. I’m a heavy tipper, but it also opens the door for great service and special treatment later. I can’t think of a single service industry employee that I won’t tip if they don’t give exceptional service — the movie theater ticket ripper, the bagger at the grocery store, the lady who gives me back my dry cleaning. In some towns, all service industry staff make minimum wage which is why you tip. In Las Vegas, everyone earns minimum wage, so you have to remember to tip extra. I know a table dealer (they all make minimum wage!) who earns 6 figures after tips (called “tokes” in LV).
Sheesh, I always tip at Starbucks unless the person is really mean. I can’t imagine NOT tipping. Good service = 30%, great service = 50%. What’s the extra few bucks if you know it goes DIRECTLY to the people working there, rather than the big wigs up top (or some foreign conglomerate who owns the shop).
I’m putting a tip jar out in my next class.
Well we are representing the Watchtower Bible and TRACT Society – gotta use’m sometime ya know ;^)!
But seriously, we are instructed not to leave literature, no matter what size, at random or pass’m out like fliers. We should try to discern interest, and since Starbuckies is a place of Bizz we are SUPPOSED to be short and sweet… which it seems like Senior Sis was being (now I can’t speak for all of us in the planet)
BTW – I’m hitting ya up from a Starbuckies right now; W 181 and Ft Washington Ave in NYC – and I bought a superfood and a venti Green Tea! HA – we ain’t all cheap :^D
Peace out