persuasion…
reading a little book on persuasion…starts out pretty negative…inducing one or more people to willingly and knowingly do something for you that they hadn’t initially planned or even wanted to do…they resist you and have more power than you…which is why you need persuasion…
is that how you view persuasion? i had never thought of it in such negative connotation. i know the image of a used car salesman and salesmen that persuade you to buy something you don’t want or need.
i think in the church some evangelists are viewed in this manner. as slick salesmen selling a ticket to heaven for notches on their belts so that when they get to heaven they’ll be able to say “look how many i brought with me.”
i think sometimes church planters may get in this mode. not consciously but…when you are desparate for people…you may get in a persuasive mood that has more motives than the person’s best interest. now the good side of my reading…the writer says, “you must act ethically.”
so, how you do evangelism makes a world of difference. engaging a lost person as a potential member as opposed to a potential friend is a world of difference. often they know the difference also. had a friend in Utah, the local head of a Mormon Stake called him, “we’ve been helping this elderly lady in our neighborhood. she’s from the south and she’s Southern Baptist. she has not converted and so we think you should take care of her since she is one of yours.”
what’s your goal? notch on the belt or relationship?
