Initiating a
Conversation from a Chat Room
It is
extremely difficult to carry on an extended, meaningful conversation
with someone in a Chat Room. We suggest that you try to initiate a
private Instant Message conversation with the individual. If
you're uncomfortable with the Instant Message approach, correspond with
them via email.
When responding to
a seeker in a Chat Room send an Instant Message with a simple
question.
"Can I be of help to
you?"
"I'm a Christian. Care to talk?
"I'm a minister. Can I help?"
"I'm a mother. Want to talk about it?"
If they respond, follow
their lead. Ask lots of questions. The Lord will help
you guide the conversation toward focusing on His love and the truths
found in His Word.
When responding to
a skeptic in a Chat Room you can send an Instant Message that
challenges their comments in the Chat Room or something in their
Profile. This approach is probably the most challenging/difficult
in Internet Evangelism and is probably not for everyone.
In most cases a
conversation like this with a skeptic will begin with strong adversarial
overtones. But for those who are accustomed
to it, they know that if they stay calm and respond with reasonable answers
to the skeptics comments and questions, God can begin a work in the
person's hardened heart. It usually takes several conversations
over a length of time to bring a skeptic to faith in Christ, but oh what
a day when happens!
If you don't feel
comfortable contacting the individual with an Instant Message, then try
the email approach. Challenge the recipient to read and respond to
an email or two you'll be sending them.
If they respond with
comments and questions, the email method gives you a chance to do a
little research before responding. You're in control of the pace
of the conversation and it gives you lots of time to pray before each
response.
