Introduction

You're at home alone, the game's coming on TV, you've got a bag of potato chips in one hand and a cold can of soda in the other. The volume has just been adjusted to the precise level you need and the pregame show is just about to start when..."ding-dong"...the doorbell sounds. Muttering under your breath various invectives against REALTORS® and Amway salesmen you reluctantly get to your feet, put the food and drink on your table, stagger over to the door (your legs fell asleep again) and open it. Two clean-cut young men wearing dark suits and name tags each bearing the title of "Elder" and affiliating them with the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" stand at your door and one of them greets you.

"Hi, I'm Elder Brown from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was wondering..."

Let the games begin

I think most of us have been greeted by the missionaries at some point in our lives. Maybe it shouldn't surprise me too much, but I've noticed I've seen them a lot less here in Utah than I used to when I lived in Alaska. My family up there still gets visited every now and then by a couple elders from the local ward, but I haven't been visited once in the three years I've lived in Salt Lake City. Ironic.

So then, many evangelicals are often clueless as to how to handle one of these often inconvenient visitations. I hope that these rules of thumb I share with you today help at least a little in turning what can often be an irritating interruption into an opportunity to grow in your own faith.

Lesson 1: Respect goes a long way...

Along with Jehovah's Witnesses, REALTORS®, and Amway salesmen, LDS missionaries often take a lot of flak for a service they are trying to provide. (By the way, if you are an Amway IBO and you are door-knocking as your principal method of selling products, you need to talk to your upline IBO now! If you're a REALTOR®...well, I am too. Good luck.) More often than you would suspect, missionaries get doors slammed in their faces, are verbally assaulted, and generally disrespected in ways I can't even begin to imagine...except that I am a REALTOR®, so I can imagine some of it.  The point is that in the midst of all the disrespect many of these young men and women receive, it's often a blessing to be come across a little kindness during the day.

Missionaries serve two years in the field to complete their mission (18 months for women).  They are often in between high school graduation and entrance into college and are far away from home...sometimes in a different country.  They commit to missionary-related activities almost 24/7/365 during their 2-year (or 18-month) stint.  Yes, they sleep and eat and not all of their activities are directly related to proselytizing, but the truth of the matter is that they live a very difficult, stressful existence for that period of time.  As much as we may disagree with their worldview, they do deserve our respect and perhaps even our admiration for their dedication.

Lesson 2: If it's inconvenient, it's inconvenient...

I can't think of a single LDS missionary who tries to inconvenience you. Oh, they might be out there; there are bad apples in every barrel. But the vast majority of LDS missionaries don't actually schedule themselves to come around at the times least convenient to you.

"Ah, yes, Elder Schmudlapp, I see that Mrs. Duffelbag is going to be changing her baby's diaper in fifteen minutes. We'd better head on over there so we can make sure to catch her right as she's in the middle of trying to wipe off her baby's bottom." The two missionaries then snicker evilly to themselves.

If the elders come at an inconvenient time, reschedule with them.  Offer to have them drop by another time or day that works better for your situation.

Lesson 3: Prepare...

If you don't know much about the LDS faith, take the time to learn a little about what they espouse.  The LDS manual Gospel Principles (available through www.ldscatalog.com for only $3.00) is a great way to begin to learn the basics of the LDS faith from the LDS point of view.  From an evangelical viewpoint, I recommend James White's Letters to a Mormon Elder (www.aomin.org) or, for a more thorough look, Jerald and Sandra Tanner's Mormonism: Shadow or Reality (www.utlm.org).

Also prepare by reviewing your own beliefs and the basis for those beliefs.  I am assuming that most of my audience reading this hub is made up of evangelical, Bible-believing Christians.  Spend some time reading the Bible and refamiliarizing yourself with the literature contained therein.

Lesson 4: Hear them out...

When you do reschedule and they come to the appointment with you, make sure you take the time to listen to what they have to say about the LDS church along with their own personal experiences.  Ask questions but make it a point to have them continue the conversation.  The point is to promote dialogue.  Don't be dishonest and pretend that you are a curious seeker if you are not, but mentally prepare yourself to be curious about their faith.  Answer their questions as honestly as you can and, if you think it's necessary, take notes.  Use Gospel Principles if you need to as your notebook in order to track through the new doctrines you'll be learning.

Lesson 5: Proclaim the gospel...

The biggest mistake we make when dealing with Latter-Day Saints is simply this.  We forget to do what Jesus Christ commissioned us to do: proclaim the gospel.  We get so intellectually intoxicated with the idea of proving the missionaries, or our LDS friends, wrong that we forget that we ourselves have a proactive message we are compelled to convey to the world.  Two things can help to correct this problem.

First, develop your own testimony.  Go back to the time that you first believed in Jesus Christ and share that experience with the missionaries.  They often react very positively to your affirmation.

Second, memorize either the famous Roman Road to salvation or another simple, succinct presentation of the gospel.  Have the missionaries look up the Bible verses as you explain to them how you view the gospel message.  Spend the time actively promoting the gospel at this point.  Undoubtedly some "jousting" will occur along the way.  That's what happens when two opposing worldviews collide.  Nevertheless, your commission according to Matthew 28:19 is to proclaim the gospel message.  The missionaries at your door may give you the opportunity to do just that.