How to do Doorknob Evangelism

It's easy!

This may be one of the simplest forms of evangelism there is. It does not require oratory skills, people skills, personal evangelism skills, funding or lots of volunteers. One person can get the job done. Consistency is the key. Set the day or days per week you have available to walk out the Gospel packets and continue until you finish the area(s) you selected.

TIP: See the Resource Materials page for info on where you can find free Gospel Booklets and quality affordable tracts.

The cost to do this ministry is minimal. It will be mainly a time investment. The time to rubber band up the Gospel materials you choose to hang on the doorknob, then the time to walk them out. It takes about an hour to bundle up 150-200 sets, a bit more time if you rubber stamp your info on the tract. You should be able to average 120 to 200 homes per a four hour walk out. This depends on the density, set back of the home and other factors. We have been finding our Gospels for free from ministries that provide them for this purpose. See the Resource Materials page for more info. Currently we custom print our own quality "bookmark" tracts that fit nicely into the Gospel booklet through a local printer. They stay with the Gospel book that way and provide a obvious purpose and function for being included. A bag of 600 rubber bands are about $6.00 through Amazon.

Step 1: Select the area(s)

TIP: Determine the area you want to walk out and hang Gospels on their doorknobs. Check with your city, town or county civil website or call them to confirm it is legal for you to hang items on residential doors. This is called a solicitation regardless that you have not knocked on the door or attempted to speak with anyone in person on the property. Each municipality varies on their codes and laws. One constant is if they allow door hanger solicitations and the property management or the home owner posts a "no trespassing" or "no soliciting" sign you cannot place them on their door or property. However, there is another way you will be able to legally and affordably reach those homes and properties through "Postcard Evangelism ".

It will help to take a drive through the area(s) you select to get an idea of where to start and finish along with the type and density of the homes in the area. You can pick a beginning location with a general plan on how to walk through the streets and finish where you plan too. Stay flexible in this as you may find it's efficient to alter the plan once you are actually out on the street. Figure out the approximate volume of homes you will be able to reach on foot. That will give you an idea of the amount of Gospel booklets and tracts to order.

Step 2: Select your materials

You can find the ones we use on the resources page. Select and order your Gospel Booklets and tracts. Purchase the amount of rubber bands you will need. One rubber band per packet. We have found the Walmart Advantage #32, 3" x 1/8" work great and the Amazon Basics are even better and cheaper. Decide if you will want to rubber stamp the "Compliments of" section of a stock preprinted tract you select with your contact information. If so you can order a custom rubber stamp online from several sources for under $20. You could also use a local printer to create a small brochure or bookmarker insert with your information on it. Insert that in the Gospel Booklet so it doesn't blow away or fall out. The rubber band will hold them all together so they will hang quickly and securely on almost every kind of doorknob you will encounter.

Step 3: Assemble your materials

If you decided to use a rubber stamp then begin by stamping up all the tracts you will be bundling this session. Assembling the packs is really easy and goes rather fast. Set the Gospel booklets and tracks into separate piles so you can easily reach them in the order you prefer. Place a pile of rubber bands where you can pick one up quickly to wrap around the assembled pack. Insert your track and other material into the Gospel Booklet wrap a rubber band around them and place them in a tray. I found that the Costco cardboard vegetable trays work great and fit 100 to 120 packs per tray.

Step 4: Walk them out

TIPS: Park your vehicle in a safe location the proper distance from intersections and fire hydrants per your local codes. Acknowledge everyone you meet. Smile, wave and be good neighbor friendly. Give eye contact and dispel any concerns home owners may have showing them what you are doing and apologizing for creating any concern they may have. Watch carefully for "no trespassing" and "no soliciting signs" as you walk up to a home. They can be in the yard, on the doors, posts, fences, by the doorbell and even windows of the home. As soon as you see one pass by that property or if you have began entry to it just turn around and promptly exit the property.

Load up a back pack or shoulder bag with at least 50 packets or what you think you will need to walk from and then back to your vehicle for that section. I fill my bag and then carry 10+ in my hand starting out. As you walk out be careful to observe things that might trip you! Be careful on steps and porches. Keep an eye out for unfriendly dogs. Approach the door using the driveway and sidewalk to the front door. Do not cut through their yard as that may be perceived as rude and alarming to many homeowners. At the door simply stretch out the open rubber band and slip it over the door knob or thumb latch if need be. If the home has a storm door you can loop the rubber band through the handle and snap it over the top of the handle/button area. You may also find that the ornamental loops on the storm door work well too. Do this as swiftly as you can, so you do not seem to be lingering or messing around with their front door, turn and exit the same way you came up to the door by the sidewalk and driveway. Go out to the street / sidewalk and down to the next home. I do not recommend walking into carport side door areas. Stay out in the open in the front of the home where observant neighbors can see what you are doing and that you are not a threat to their neighborhood.