I think doorknocking/conversations is important because it:
•    Means that people who perhaps would never hear of Christ do get to hear of Christ.
•    Means that our people learn by practical experience to have conversations about Christ and so are in a much better situation to have conversations with their friends at work.

We do the extended debriefing afterwards so that the team members:
•    Learn vicariously from other team member’s experiences.
•    Learn to have a prayerful concern for those that they have spoken to.

We go out for an hour each day with people in pairs – an experienced person with an in experienced person.  There’s a temptation to let admin or activities squeeze out the doorknocking/conversations and to not to the debriefing – or to rush it.  But I think it is one of the most helpful times on mission.

Doorknocking and Park Evangelism vs Conversation Stall

Doorknocking and Park Evangelism
We go doorknocking and walking around the local parks.  We do the doorknocking in male/female pairs.  (We often do the park evangelism in same gender pairs (then we speak to people of our own gender (helps us have our motives pure)).

When we approach people we say:
‘Hi, I’m Dominic and this is Cathie, we are from Annandale Community Church/Christians in the Media, up on the corner of Johnston Street with Booth, and we are doing this thing at the moment called ‘Start the Ultimate Relationship’ – (potentially show brochure) – it’s all about helping people to ‘Start Ultimate Relationship with God…’

Important to say is in our first breath to say who we are, where we are from, and what we have come to speak about.  This is important for integrities sake.

In the training session we just watched again the first eight minutes of Peter Jensen’s ‘Start the Ultimate Relationship’ talk from last night, looking for lines to say.  We then worked to move to the 2WTL outline (although in postmodern and personal categories).

Conversation Stall
The genre of the conversation stall is different to knocking at doors.  We set up a conversation stall on the street - where people can have the conversation of their choice from a menu of conversations (or we find that often people presented with this kind of menu will make up their own question).

We have found it works really well in the non task orientated street ambling along context.  (But not as well when someone knocks on the door and the person whose house it is expects one to have a direct reason for visiting.)

Here’s the training session notes prepared by Cath..

Training time - Thursday 11am - 12.30pm

11 -11.30am       
Kick Off - Ed (5min)
Interview - Jen & Rossi about their experience (5min)
Roll Play Door Knocking  - Things to consider & Questions – Dominic (10min)
Having a Gospel Conversation – Dominic (10min)

11.30 -11.45am     Pray in groups of 3.

11.45- 12.30      Enjoying  a Stimulating Conversation (pick 2 of the below 20min sessions) Challenges from our leaders

We are going to give you 20 minutes in groups to speak with our leaders who are role playing questioning Christianity. I wonder if you’re answers will help them?

You could think about sharing with them:
•    An explanation of what the Bible teaches, moving to the very words and actions of Jesus.
•    Relevant Bible verses.
•    Helpful illustrations.
•    Any book or further material that would be helpful for further reading.

Pick a stimulating conversation (roll play) and  when you hear the bell -like sound move to your next conversation. ...

1.Why Does God Allow Suffering?
You are in a pub near church chatting to a fellow (Ed) eventually the subject of God comes up in your discussion.  He ask’s you to explain to him, how a God of love could have allowed his brother to die in a car accident.  How might you respond?

2. What about those who have never heard?
You are meeting with a group of International students. (Last week a girl from Afghanistan (Christine) came to church with us and heard the message of the Gospel.)  Genuinely confused she asks you “If God were to return right now, my parents would be judged and found guilty of rebellion against God.  How can this be right or fair because they have never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel?”

3.Aren’t all Good people Christians?
What do you say to (Jen), who says to you, ‘My mother has spent her entire life caring for people, are you saying that even though she's totally selfless and a lovely person, she is going to hell if she doesn't know Jesus?’.

4. How do you know God is there?
You're at work praying and someone (Liz) laughs at you.  She wants to know, how you can be talking to a God, whom she says, isn't even really there? How will you answer her?

5. What about other religions?
You are having a conversation with a ‘New Ager’ (Sam). She says to you that she likes the idea of  “a God of love”, which you’ve been talking about, but she thinks that “there is truth in the Islamic faith” and also that “Buddhism has a lot to offer”.  How will you respond to her?

6. Can I trust the New Testament?
A man (Sam) sitting beside you on a train journey, he sees that you are reading the Bible and asks you, He is intrigued and asks “How can you trust a book that was written by men 2000 years ago?”  Your response is?... 

Thanks for giving this a shot!, It is my prayer that we’ll all be emboldened though this session of training and have an awesome four days proclaiming Jesus!
Cath