The 'Good' Question Survey
Method of Evangelism

The essence of the Way of the Master method is the combination and application of the following three acronyms:  RCCR, WDJD, and C-CRAFT

Relate in the natural realm. (Have a normal, everyday kind of conversation.)

Create an opportunity to discuss the things of God. (Swing the conversation to the spiritual realm using a Gospel tract, mentioning a death in the news, or asking a question such as, "Do you have a spiritual background?")

Convict using the Law of God humbly. (More on this later.)

Would you consider yourself to be a good person?

Do you think you've kept the Ten Commandments?

Judgment: If God judges you by that standard, will you be guilty or innocent?

Destiny: So, will you be going to Heaven or Hell?

Reveal the Savior. (This is where the Good News comes in.)

Concern: Does that concern you?

Cross: Do you know what God did so you wouldn't have to go to Hell? Jesus took the punishment you deserve when He died on the cross. You did the crime. Jesus paid the fine.

Repentance...

and...

Faith: If you repent (turn from your sin), and put your faith in Jesus, God will forgive you on the basis that Jesus paid your penalty for you.

Truth: (This is where the Christian answers additional doctrinal questions, encourages Bible reading, encourages church attendance and Christian fellowship, exchanges contact information, and/or prays, depending on the situation.)

The WOTM method is a personal, or one-on-one, evangelism method. In these sort of evangelistic encounters, people feel more free to be honest and transparent about personal sins and discuss doctrinal issues. The more people you add to any group, the less personal it gets—especially if those people aren't close friends. Therefore, the benefit of one-on-one evangelism is that the quality of the encounter is extremely high—increasing the likelihood of a sound conversion. But the drawback is the very limited number of people that can be reached in one effort.

Another type of evangelism is mass evangelism. Any encounter that cannot be personal can be considered "mass evangelism." Usually, any encounter of more than 8-12 people can be considered "mass evangelism"—depending on the group dynamics (such as generational gaps, cultural similarities, and relationships). Open-air preaching, crusades, and evangelistic messages in church meetings, TV and radio programs, books, tracts, and on the Internet all fit under this category. The benefit of mass evangelism is the potentially large quantity of people that can be reached in one effort. The obvious drawback is that the personal quality of the encounter is drastically diminished.

There is one other class of evangelism—group evangelism. This is the "small group" range, usually between 3 and 12 people. The benefit with this is that it is a virtual compromise between one-on-one evangelism and mass evangelism. (Each of these three types of evangelism is wonderful and has its place.) There are many occasions in which mass evangelism (open-air, in particular) is not an option, but in which you may want to witness to small groups of people at one time, rather than one-at-a-time. This is where something similar to a survey method comes in handy, because it allows you to approach a group of people cold and begin a conversation in which each person has a turn to participate. A survey is particularly suited to this. In my experience, I have been able to use this survey very effectively in one-on-one encounters, and have even been able to do some small-scale "mass evangelism" with it, having used it comfortably with groups as large as 24 people at-once.

No method fits every circumstance perfectly, but the beauty of a survey approach is its ability to draw in an audience, making a larger group of people more personally involved in a spiritual conversation than you could normally get away with. More than that, it provides a Christian witness with an outline to give her confidence and direction. It is ideal for learning the spiritual discipline of evangelism, and even teaching it to others.

I often find myself relying upon this survey method for discipling purposes. On many occasions, I have talked Christians into coming witnessing with me, on the condition that they did not have to say a word. That's okay. They're afraid. They're new at this. And they may even be skeptical of the use of the Law in evangelism. That's okay. I understand. They'll learn. What I do is ask them not to say anything. We don't want people feeling ganged-up on. Then, I show my Christian friend how to record the survey notes (location, date, abbreviations for responses, number of respondents, names, etc.) I hand over the notepad with the survey and a pen. (I have the survey memorized, but if you want to do this, you can just keep a copy for yourself, so you don't have to read off the notepad in your friend's hand.) I set out with my shaky friend in tow, and introduce us to a group of people, "Excuse me, can you help us out? We're doing a project, do you have time to answer a few questions?" I do the talking, and my friend (1) learns how to witness, (2) sees for himself the effects of the use of the Law in evangelism, and (3) gets on fire for God and evangelism. After each encounter, we walk away and discuss what just happened, pray, and move on to another group. In my experience, by around the fourth or fifth encounter, your previously shaky friend will beg you to switch places (that is, if they were saved in the first place, and, if not, they've certainly heard the Gospel plenty of times)! When they are ready to try it out, be super-encouraging and provide loving critiques to the best of your ability. Tell them that they can use other illustrations than you use, if they would feel more comfortable doing so. Get them a notepad and a copy of the survey, and they're set! Schedule witnessing trips regularly to help ensure that this becomes a spiritual discipline for your brother or sister in Christ!

The following are 35 benefits of using The 'Good' Question survey method. Some of these benefits are resultant from the survey approach in general, others are specific to this method in particular. The "best" method is the one that is Biblical, timely, and used. I have stories from hundreds of witnessing encounters, using this method, to back up every single one of the following benefits. It would take much too long to attempt to provide an example for each. So, if you would like for me to explain or give an example for any of these, just leave a comment to that effect.

1. It gives you an excuse to approach people.
2. It gives them an excuse to listen to you.
3. It provides you with an opportunity to witness when it would be difficult otherwise.
4. It gives you courage by giving you a plan.
5. It provides you with an outline to follow, so you know what to say.
6. It provides you with an outline to follow, to keep you from getting off track.
7. It provides you with an outline to follow, to return to if you forget your place.
8. Because it is a question-based dialog, it helps to keep you in control of the conversation.
9. Because it is a question-based dialog, it is interactive, which helps to keep their attention.
10. Because it is a question-based dialog, it attracts extroverts and people who like to talk about themselves.
11. Because it is a question-based dialog, it draws introverts out of their shells.
12. Because it is a question-based dialog, it is social, not impersonal.
13. It provides for you to speak with authority, which people recognize and respond to.
14. It has a foreseeable conclusion.
15. It is a real survey, not a bait-and-switch trick.
16. It provides "buffer questions" to give momentum to the conversation and build a relationship before entering into the serious stuff.
17. It provides insight into their beliefs and life-views, so that, if necessary, you can customize your explanation of the Gospel and be prepared for objections or hesitancies.
18. Because it progresses through the Gospel message logically (from the Law to the Cross), it will make sense to them.
19. Because it progresses through the Gospel message logically, they will often appreciate you (and may even thank you).
20. Because it progresses through the Gospel message logically, it will always bring conviction (no matter how they respond).
21. Because it progresses through the Gospel message logically, it will help false converts perceive their condition clearly.
22. Because it progresses through the Gospel message logically, it will circumvent the intellect, allowing the conscience and the Holy Spirit to bear witness of the truth of what you say—usually dismissing any major false beliefs about God, humanity, and sin (including atheism, agnosticism, reincarnation, relativism, etc.)
23. It helps you discern how they are responding to the Message.
24. It provides a useful method of discipling another believer, without requiring him to say anything.
25. It provides a useful method of discipling another believer, teaching him how to share his faith.
26. It provides a useful method of discipling another believer, allowing him to see and hear their conviction and responses.
27. ...giving him a passion for sharing his faith.
28. ...without causing them to feel that they are being ganged-up on.
29. It can be used effectively to witness either to an individual or to a small crowd (up to around 25 people).
30. It allows you to effectively and regularly witness to many more people than is possible with one-on-one evangelism (while keeping fairly personal).
31. ...to many people when it is impractical or impossible to preach open-air.
32. It makes it practical and normal to take notes during the encounter.
33. Assuming you keep up with people's responses, it will give you insights into the culture in which you are evangelizing.
34. Because it is a verbal and intentional evangelism method, it conveys to them that you are not a hypocrite.
35. ...they will often respect you (they understand it requires courage and personal conviction).
36. ...you will encourage any true Christians you may happen upon.

For me, a witnessing encounter using The 'Good' Question usually lasts between ten and fifteen minutes. It passes quickly. It's takes a much shorter amount of time for me to say all this than you would think. If someone is in a hurry, you can certainly speak quicker, expound less, use briefer illustrations, etc. If someone is in a major hurry, depend upon your tracts to finish the witnessing encounter that you started. Tell them that the tract picks up where you left off, and pray as they depart! Don't be hesitant to do this! If you keep talking when you know the person has to leave, they may stay (out of politeness), but it's probable that they won't really be listening to what you have to say, and they may resent you for it—which could be an unnecessary stumblingblock for the Gospel! Be sure to quickly explain the Law and sin (shouldn't take more than a few seconds), use a good tract (preferably from LivingWaters.com, CustomTractSource.com, OneMillionTracts.com), and trust that the Holy Spirit will continue the witnessing encounter long after they have left your company! God wants them saved more than you do!

Also, notice that I joke freely with a group until I get into the Law. The primary purpose for having these introductory questions is to provide a buffer between abruptly approaching them and getting into the rawness of the Law. These "buffer" questions, among other things, allow you to briefly build a relationship with the people you are trying to witness to. They help to break down unnecessary barriers of wariness and shyness. You can effectively go from being a stranger to being an interesting person in a couple minutes. Friendliness and a genuine smile is a must! The more stiff and cold you are, the easier it will be for people to find a reason to ignore you and resist what you have to say. The more open and warm you are, the easier it will be for people to find a reason to listen and consider what you have to say.

Once you get into the Law, however, it's time to start getting serious. Most of the time, you should have few or no problems. On occasion, you may have to speak with abruptness to snap people into reality and seriously consider their sin and the reasonableness of God's justice. Drunks, immature males, and self-conscious sinners may make this necessary. These are the times to pull out the crassness of Hell—not as a motivation to repent (contrition is the only true motivation behind repentance—2 Corinthians 7:10), but as an alarm to awaken them to reality, as Jesus did with the self-righteous Pharisees in Luke 16. In the past, on a few occasions I have had to tell people, "Look, I don't get paid for doing this. And this isn't easy to do. You think it's easy to deal with people who don't want to be serious about an eternity of torment? I have no reason to be out here getting laughed at, except I love God and I care about you. Breaking God's Laws and going to Hell is something to be serious about. Don't shrug this off just because you are with your buddies. They'll go to Hell as quickly as you will if you continue mock God." Sometimes with drunks and drug addicts, I have had to stop a conversation short, because I decided that they were too chemically imbalanced to be capable of seriously considering the matter. I do my best to shock them into soberness with the Truth, and then I give them each a tract or two and tell them to stick the tracts in their pockets and read them when they're sober. But, almost without exception, the unspoken fact that you are in command of the conversation (because you are asking the questions), any respect you gained early-on by your friendly demeanor, your authoritative use of the Truths of God, and your assertive plea to seriousness, will affect their manner in such a way that they will follow your lead. If this is unsuccessful, and there are others in the group who are listening, ignore the rowdy individual(s) to the best of your ability—which is what those who are listening are doing. Often, the listeners will become so annoyed by their friends that they will silence them for you! How refreshing! Remember, whatever you do, always be loving, even if have to be abrupt!

I always dress casually when I go to witness using The 'Good' Question survey. In fact, sometimes, I purposely dress more casually than is typical for me. My ideal evangelism attire is a comfortable t-shirt you might find at a yard-sale and a pair of jeans—preferably with cargo pockets to store tracts. I have had to witness while wearing dress clothing in the past. I untucked my shirt. I'm serious about this. If I approached a group of Goths or street thugs wearing dress khakis, a dress shirt, and a tie, I'd automatically have a barrier to step over between me and them—a needless, socioeconomic one. I don't care what the "Christians" think about the hole in my jeans or the cartoon of the drummer on my shirt. Excuse me, I'm talking to sinners. If I were trying to witness to "churchy" people, I'd dress up for the occasion. But, in street evangelism, I might even leave some stubble on my face. The point is, I want these lost people to get the idea when I talk to them about Jesus that they don't have to become "churchy" to become Christian. James warned against favoring "the man wearing the fine clothes" (James 2:3). Christians are even directed against wearing "expensive apparel" (1 Timothy 2:9), the context of which is that we are to show how to worship God rightly, which is without respect to fine clothing. You can wear a grass skirt in New Guinea and be a Christian. During the time-period of the New Testament, the common people thought that if anyone were right with God, it must be the rich people and the Pharisees. In our day, people automatically associate dress clothes with Christianity—especially in the Southern United States. That's sad. How many times have I overheard people say of some guy, "He looks like a preacher." What kind of person would you guess a woman is if she is wearing a floor-length denim dress and long hair? Probably Holiness Pentecostal. What kind of person would you guess a man is who approaches your front door wearing a black suit, white shirt, and a tie? Probably a fundamental Baptist pastor or deacon, a Jehovah's Witness, or a Mormon. Think about it. Christians even have their own clothing lines. Since we focus so much on clothing, understandably, lost people get the false idea that becoming a Christian is synonymous with looking like "church people." I don't care if people know I'm a preacher or not. I care if they know I'm a Christian at first glance. The right way to ensure that they do know I'm a Christian is to live like one ought to live and talk like one ought to talk and show so much grace to people that they automatically associate me with Jesus the Nazarene, not according to my attire. I don't care if the people from the church down the road don't respect me because I don't dress like their pastor. I care about the people who will listen to me now, who would not have an inclination to otherwise, because they see me on their level, sociologically. Why? Because I dress like they expect me to? No. Because they feel like I'm more relateable to them. In their eyes, I've not hoisted myself over them. There's nothing wrong with their clothing as long as it's reasonably modest and doesn't advertise sin. So, how do I dress? Like I would if I weren't saved—except without the Playboy advertisements. I'll wear a Christian t-shirt every-so-often, but I'm not trying to make a "Christian" fashion statement, and I don't need to wear a Christian slogan because I'm feeling guilty about not witnessing like I should. I'm just trying not to draw attention to myself (the very definition of modesty-in-practice), unless it's by the way I act and what I say—that's when I want to draw attention, to "Christ in me," not "shirt on me."

If you decide that you would like to give this method a try, you can download a copy from the menu to your left. Each PDF includes two surveys on one 8½×11 sheet of paper, which can be separated and placed into a Scotch 4×6 "Self-Sealing Laminating Pouch" (normally used for photographs) available at stores such as Wal-Mart for less than $3.00 for a pack. I, then, take a 2½- to 3-inch strip of flexible plastic (which you can recycle from common electronics- or toy-packaging), and tape one end of the strip to the back of the now-laminated survey and the other end to the inside of the front cover of a small spiral-bound notebook. The 100-sheet 7×5 Assignment notebooks available from Omni and No Boundaries (which are identical, both being produced by Norcom, Inc.) are the perfect size at just slightly larger than your 4×6 laminated survey. (I prefer these notepads, because they have a handy title line that I use to record the location of the witnessing encounter, and a date line in the upper right-hand corner of the page that I use for recording the date, of course. I record the survey responses on the usual thin blue lines that notebook paper is known for, and any additional information, such as names, contact info, or comments, I write in the unused space at the bottom of the page.) When you're finished with piecing together your new survey notebook, you will find that you can flip the survey up, turn the page, flip the survey back down, and you're ready for your first encounter. Hold the notebook open and flat with the survey resting on the left-side and record your encounters on the right-hand side. Personally, I work from the front to the back with witnessing encounters, and, from the back to the front, I use it as a regular note-taking notebook for Bible thoughts, to-do lists, etc.—which gives me an extra excuse to have it with me at all times. Eventually, I fill the notebook and purchase another!

The "Good" Question survey can be downloaded in the PDF and RTF formats, along with additional resources, such as the KnockKnock Survey. The PDF format comes printer-ready with two surveys per 8½×11 sheet of paper. No additional fonts are necessary with the PDF format. The RTF format is editable, but requires the "Architectura" and "Centaur" fonts to print identical to the PDF version. You are free to edit the RTF file however you like. (The RTF format is a universal word processor format similar to, but more compatible than, the Microsoft Word DOC format. Nearly every word processor accepts the RTF format, including Word, Works, WordPerfect, WordPro, OpenOffice, StarOffice, etc.)

Evangelism resources available on theGoodQuestion.com can be found within the "Evangelism" category (see the Categories page). More information on evangelism can be found within the blogs hosted here at theGoodQuestion.com. For quick access to this content, look for the label "Evangelism" in the blog sections on the Categories page. Relevant external resources are linked in the "Featured Links" section of my blog.

This mock conversation was compiled from experience using The 'Good' Question survey method to witness to hundreds of groups of people. The following dialog is typical, according to that experience. (For some, it may be valuable to note that this experience typically has been limited to towns without colleges, in the Southern United States.) The only thing unusual about this mock encounter is the number of people involved—which is usually higher. I assure you that every response here is common. This is not a transcript of any specific encounter, but represents all of the encounters I have had, accumulatively.

Most of time I am very particular about what I say and how I say it in a witnessing encounter, so if you have any questions as to the reason for my particular choice of words, please refer to more of the material available here at theGoodQuestion.com (including the blogs), WayOfTheMaster.com, LivingWaters.com, or contact me personally by leaving a comment or emailing the address noted at the bottom of each page of the site.

Instructions:  Below is a reproduction of The "Good" Question survey. Certain keywords and phrases are underlined in the printed version of the survey in order to draw the eyes when glancing and to aid with your memory and keeping your place. Click on each question and the corresponding portion of the mock conversation will appear for you to read. [Words in brackets indicate additional information and commentary.] Please read carefully.