There are many ways of securing the names of interested people in evangelistic efforts. Among these are: (I) A request card for literature, with pencil attached, placed in the hymnbook or on the seat backs; (2) a similar request printed on handbills or in newspaper advertisements; (3) a corps of helpers asking people at the meeting for their names and addresses.
Of these three, I favor the first—the card and pencil on the chair backs. To include on the handbill or newspaper advertisement the offer of free literature which contains the lecture, suggests to people that they can stay away from the service and yet get to read the sermon from the literature. In Great Britain the card method has always enabled us to get a fair number of names—as many as two hundred or more being received at one meeting. The cards are distributed well before the beginning of the meeting.
The majority of the names received have always proved to be those of truly interested people. This is no doubt helped by the fact that the first lecture is usually on the return of our Lord. This encourages those who are interested in religion to attend the lecture, or arouses such interest. Requests to use the cards provided are made twice at the meeting —during the announcements and then at the close of the address. During the address, the literature is again mentioned, and its value is stressed. The whole of the meeting must "warm up" the people. The atmosphere should be friendly, and the lecture should be so well presented that the listeners will be gripped with a desire to know more.
If one is favored with the backing and cooperation of a church, he should arrange for the members to distribute themselves around the hall. When the time comes to use the cards, all these members should write their names. This encourages the strangers sitting near them to do so, too. Occasionally it will be possible for the members to ask if they can write the name and address for those sitting near. The members should do this at every meeting, and they should make sure that they distribute themselves among the audience, and do not sit with the same people at every service. As opportunity presents itself, the ushers, the Bible workers, and the minister himself will personally invite the people to give their names, by asking if they would like to have the literature.
There are many ways of recording the names. There is the elaborate filing system, with its box and cards ruled to show names and addresses, attendance, literature received, visits or Bible studies, and interest, with colored disks to show the status of the individual. And there are more simple systems. I employ a stiff-tacked book, whicn is ruled to give a column for each week. In this book the names are classified under the week in which they are obtained, and the literature received and subjects heard are thus obvious. The Bible worker carries a smaller record book in which she enters her rinoings. '1 his is entered in my larger book before the workers' meeting on Monday morning.
Each name should be regarded as a sacred responsibility, and every care should be taken to ensure that the utmost help is given in each case.
