Led by our colleague Aaron Emerson, the R&D team wondered, "How can we help students naturally transition into spiritual conversations with people in their circle of influence?" We proposed that using a "sometime" question might be helpful in diffusing a potentially awkward situation. Here's an example:
- Direct question: "Can I show you a set of cards that has really helped me in my spiritual life?"
- Sometime question: "Sometime I'd like to show you a set of cards that has really helped me in my spiritual life. Would you be up for that sometime?"
We designed a simple field test to assess our theory. Here are results from the first 67 Cru students who participated with us:
- 43 of them asked a "sometime" question of a total of 115 of their friends.
- 82% reported that their friends had a positive or slightly positive response.
- The testers had a total of 85 meetings with those they approached.
- Only 3 to the 85 meetings were described as having a negative tone.
- In 65 of these meetings the Gospel was shared, and 13 students placed their faith in Jesus. (A 20% response rate...two times higher than typical!)
Although these results are from a relatively small sample size, we thought you'd be encouraged by these initial findings.
In fact, why not give it a try: prayerfully consider talking to a friend who is not a follower of Jesus and ask them a "sometime" question. You might be surprised to see what happens when you just ask.
Praises
- For
the encouraging results from our “Just Ask” field test
- For
the potential to have thousands of spiritual conversations using this
simple method
- For a
great trip to Colorado
Please Pray
- For students’
hearts as they arrive on campus in a few weeks
- For
Cru staff & students to initiate friendships with new students
- For
students to come to Christ and grow in new faith
