Have you ever used the Curiosity Evangelism Method?
If you’ve never heard of it then you’ve been missing some outstanding opportunities.
Basically, it simply involves doing something that sparks people’s curiosity. This can be opening a package with a message inside, but don’t reveal the message right away. You can play part of a Christian song, but only part. Don’t play the other part till requested. Or you could tell a story in parts, one part at a time.
Discovering The Curiosity Evangelism Method
I discovered the Curiosity Evangelism Method quite by accident.
Children are naturally curious particularly when it comes to seeing what’s in a package. I was unpacking some material that I had received from GRN or Language recordings as it was then. I had just become the Victorian representative and a parcel being opened is always a focal point for any child. After all, we all enjoy presents!
As I unpacked one of our messenger cassette players my youngest son’s eyes, he was in Primary school at the time, immediately lit up. “What’s that Dad?” he asked. With even greater enthusiasm than a few moments ago. “Let me show you,” I said and I searched the parcel for one of our Australian audio cassettes, put it into the machine and began to crank the handle.
A Child Bought Up Surrounded By Technology
Remember this child had been bought up surrounded by technology. Our house has always had computers, CD players, video players and even cassette players so this was not new technology to him. But as soon as the voice started to come out of that machine he was hooked.
“Dad, You have got to take this to my school, the kids will love it.”
“OK,” I said but you have to arrange it. Thinking that his enthusiasm would wane in a very short time after that. But the very next day he came home with an appointment for me to go and visit his classroom.
Happy not to pass up the opportunity I made that appointment and I took a long one of our Card Talks for good measure.
The response was quite amazing. Almost as soon as the teacher introduced me all the children gathered around and were right into this hand crank cassette player. because they were sitting around in a circle anyway I passed the machine to the first child and then they quite happily passed it on to the next when asked.
Here they were in a technological society with a classroom filled with computers, T.V. Sets, CD players and video players etc. and they were quite happy to sit around listening to the Gospel on an out-of-date technology cassette tape. I say the cassette tape because the machine itself is pretty sophisticated in its engineering but nonetheless its appearance is one of being an out-of-date cassette player.
For My Next Trick
My next trick in this accidental Curiosity Evangelism Method was to open up the card player (we seem to only have a picture on the website now. It’s just a folding piece of cardboard with a 78-style vinyl record). This is the simplest of all playback technologies but the children and teacher were even more impressed by this.
My son of course was ecstatic that his Dad could come along and impress all his classmates. But what really took the cake was just as I was packing up, the teacher from the next classroom came in wanting to know what all the interest was. A few minutes later I was in another classroom doing the whole thing again.
This story is repeated over and over again by our field workers around the world. The Curiosity Evangelism Method is clearly effective no matter where you are.
I concluded that the Curiosity Evangelism Method is by far and away one of the most effective in opening doors to the Story of Jesus is told in every language.
You don’t have to use GRN material to use this Curiosity Evangelism Method. There are plenty of other options. A quick look on the Internet will show that but it is clear that the GRN material opens doors.
Richard
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