The Art of Tactful Approach

I have found that a frank, practical, sym­pathetic appeal to the people through avenues of natural approach is a wonderful success in the country.

By W. M. R. SCRAGG, President of the Tasmanian Conference

There are two fields of service for the home-base evangelist. These two fields are the country and the city. One differs from the other in many respects; and paying close attention to these differences will help an evangelist to succeed. The approach to the people in the country must oftentimes be en­tirely different from the approach in the city. My introduction to the gospel work was in the country. With another worker in charge of the mission, we began an effort in a country town. The attendance was not large, and I felt that we must go out and visit the people in the surrounding country. And this visiting opened up homes and brought in far more re­sults than did the mission tent.

I have found that a frank, practical, sym­pathetic appeal to the people through avenues of natural approach is a wonderful success in the country—helping a wood chopper for an hour or so, milking a few cows, taking hold of a hoe or a shovel for awhile—these I have found to be most successful ways of winning people to a frame of mind in which the gospel seed will take deep root.

In beginning efforts in country towns, an evangelist may be wise in setting aside the ordinary procedure of listing his full series of meetings, and concentrate upon his first sub­ject, choosing one of vital interest to the community. For instance, on one occasion I opened a series of meetings with a talk on "Agriculture in New Zealand," and the meet­ing was a real success. In a coal-mining town, one could well open his effort with a lecture on coal mining. This would require the evan­gelist to study coal mining in the great coun­tries of the world, and to learn the depth of mines and their output; then, drawing at­tention to how coal is formed, he could lead the audience into the story of the great Flood.

In a wheat-farming district, an evangelist can give a most interesting talk from the Bible on the cultivation of soil and crops. This re­quires study, but an encyclopedia will provide the information. By announcing subjects that come close to the lives of the people, one can disarm prejudice and allay suspicion.

An evangelist is listed among those thought to be parasites by the hard-working public, and it is highly important that he show him­self to be a man who can do practical things, and who can be sympathetic and understanding in his contact with people. Unless friendly contact is made with country people, an evan­gelist might just as well pack up and leave. In the country his approach must be tactful and individually direct. Untiring visiting must be continued, with tact and good understanding.

The work must be largely done in the homes of the people. To do this, a means of transpor­tation, charts, lantern slides, and films, are indispensable today.

Different Approach in City.—In the city the approach is different. Here the people do not know everyone else in the community. The evangelist starts out with big advertisements. Hoardings (billboards), newspapers, and handbills bring out the people. And when you get the people out, the next responsibility is to hold them. A good choir, selected vocal and instrumental music, and stereopticon equip­ment will help the lecturer.

According to the capacity of the crowd which an evangelist can hold, so must his staff be numbered. The success of many an able speaker is minimized because he does not have a staff who will mingle among the people.

His associates often tend to lean on him as the one to secure the interest, instead of mov­ing among the people to contact interested ones. Thus thousands come and thousands go, never to be reached again, because per­sonal contact was not made. This is what I call "scorching territory." These people can­not be as easily interested the second time as they were the first time.

I have found that suburban efforts work more satisfactorily when only a few hundred people come. After close observance of evangelistic work here in Australia during the last twenty years, I am positive that the moderate-sized meetings produce the best results. This is obvious, for the leading evangelist can do only a certain amount, and he has all that he can deal with in handling a few hundred who come to the suburban mission. He is the key man of the mission to unlock doors for his staff, and the staff should be untiring in encouraging and widening the interest.

A Danger to Avoid.—I think the gravest danger an evangelist must avoid is his loss of spirituality. He feels that he must thrust himself before the public to secure an au­dience. He must advertise himself. He must parade himself before the people in studied gesture and metaphorical language. And all the time his better nature revolts at this. He feels his spiritual life ebbing away as his ability to entertain grows. And because of this, when he conies to the great testing truths that demand spiritual power and unchallenged sincerity and earnestness, he feels his own lack of power to persuade the people. Men and women will not sacrifice a day from their business each week or a tenth of their income, unless they are fully convinced that the evangelist himself absolutely believes and practices what he is preaching and advocating. The power of Christ must be seen in his life in heartfelt sincerity.

The evangelist needs the prayers of God's people. There is no work more severe on the whole physical, moral, and spiritual life than the strain on a responsible evangelist. Having served in nearly all departments of our work, including executive work, I can truth­fully say that the responsibility to win souls to God today is the heaviest of all. All other workers have their congregations and people gathered for them by the evangelist. Joy and bitterness, hope and disappointment, happiness and sorrow, gains and losses, play havoc upon the nerves of a responsible evangelist. Often the only calm is found in the chamber of prayer.


Ministry reserves the right to approve, disapprove, and delete comments at our discretion and will not be able to respond to inquiries about these comments. Please ensure that your words are respectful, courteous, and relevant.

comments powered by Disqus

By W. M. R. SCRAGG, President of the Tasmanian Conference

November 1939

Download PDF
Ministry Cover

More Articles In This Issue

Hold Steady Under Crisis Conditions

Shun the temptation to prognosticate what has not been revealed.

Blessings of Sacrificial Giving

Whether our responsibility centers in the local church or in general admin­istrative work in any capacity, as leaders in the cause of God we need to be reminded often of the spiritual objectives that are before us and our believers, and need to have a knowl­edge of how these are attained.

Adventist Editorial Council

Denominational editors meet in council convened at Washington, D.C. on August 23-29.

Editorial Defenders of the Faith--No.1

A devotional study from the morning of August 25.

Cultural Cycles and Religious Trends

This is the first of four studies that lay bare the notable revolution that is taking place in religious world thought.

Facing the India Problem No. 1

India presents such a variety of conditions—geographical, economic, sociologic, and religious—that it is well-nigh futile to attempt any general statement about the country which would apply accurately to all parts or to all classes of people found there.

Schools, an Evangelizing Agency

One of the difficulties that stands in the way of carrying on evangelistic work in a large way in the native reservations and villages of Africa, is the inability of the people to read.

Statistical Report for 1938

Have you stopped to think that nearly one hundred years have passed since this movement began?

Principles of Hymn Choice—No. 1

Hymns and hymn tunes, gospel songs, and other types of music used in the work of the church are often criticized. Why this difference of opinion?

Baptism for the Dead

How may one deal effectively with the Latter-day Saints' (or Mormons') contention on vicarious baptism for the dead, which they base on 1 Corinthians 15:29?

View All Issue Contents

Digital delivery

If you're a print subscriber, we'll complement your print copy of Ministry with an electronic version.

Sign up
Advertisement - RevivalandReformation 300x250

Recent issues

See All
Advertisement - SermonView - WideSkyscraper (160x600)