Back in 2000, he paid a visit to archconservative Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. Bono was lobbying for debt relief for Africa, and he entered the meeting prepared to throw a lot of facts and figures at the senator. But on the spot he switched to a completely different language, and began to talk religion with Jesse Helms. He focused on Jesus Christ’s deep concern for the sick and the poor. The conversation was incredibly fruitful, leading to an appropriation of 435 million dollars for debt relief.
It’s all about the woo.
Business professors Richard Shell and Mario Moussa have written a book called The Art of Woo. But what is woo? It’s a relationship art — the ability to win people over without coercion. Think invitation, or courtship. Charles Lindbergh needed woo in order to attract backers for his transatlantic flight. Nelson Mandela used it to lead a peaceful revolution in South Africa. Business leaders need to practice woo every day.
For Christians, evangelism involves the art of woo. Now evangelism is a scary word for many of us, but woo is something we can all learn how to do. The session here at FPC has made a commitment to church growth this year, so we all need to learn how to woo our neighbors, and invite them to be part of this community of faith. Fortunately, Jesus gives us excellent guidance in today’s passage from Acts. He urges his apostles to woo when he says, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus is about to be lifted out of their sight in the Ascension, and he tells them “you will be my witnesses” — you will tell others what you have heard me say, and what you have seen me do. The Risen Jesus wants his followers to evangelize and win people over … without coercion.
This is a challenge for the apostles, but fortunately God steps in to help. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” promises Jesus — you will receive a power that the Greek New Testament says is dynamis, the root of the English word “dynamite.” This is a robust and earth-shaking force, one that can topple earthly kingdoms and clear a path for God’s kingdom. This power is to be exercised in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. Filled with this Holy-Spirit-energy, the apostles are being challenged to practice evangelism, to take the good news of Jesus Christ to every corner of the world.
The thing is, dynamis is dangerous. Like dynamite, it is a force that can be used for destruction as well as for construction. The apostles know they are going to have to handle this material carefully.
So let me offer you Tip Number One in a How-To for the Christian Woo: Use your power wisely. We all know evangelists who come on too strong, hitting people hard with the promises of the Gospel. “If you die tonight,” they say, “do you know where you will be spending eternity?” Fear of hell is used as a motivation for people to put their trust in Jesus Christ.
Now you can see the logic to this approach, and it may work with some people, but it relies heavily on what Richard Shell and Mario Moussa call “the rationality channel.” In other words, it appeals to the logical thought process that goes something like this: If I die tonight, I don’t want to go to hell. The way to avoid hell is to put my faith in Jesus Christ, the one who died and rose for my salvation. Therefore, I will trust Jesus and go to heaven.
The rationality channel is a power play, and it sometimes works — but not always. When Bono was talking with Jesse Helms, he had the good sense to turn off his talk about debt relief, which was grounded in logical thought processes. Instead, Bono switched from the rationality channel to the vision channel, and he began to use religious talk about poverty and disease. This is what touched the heart of Jesse Helms, and ended up persuading him to support debt relief. Bono sold his idea, and in the process he created trust.
This is the goal of all good evangelism — to sell an idea, and create trust. If you come on too strong, you may sell your idea, but you are not going to build trust. And building trust is necessary if we are going to be successful witnesses for Jesus. I would recommend we turn on the vision channel here at FPC, as we invite people to be part of a unique community of faith, a place is that striving to be “a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7). That’s a vision that God wants, and that people really need.
So this brings us to Tip Number Two in the Christian Woo: Speak from experience. Bono had traveled to Africa, and had seen firsthand the suffering of infants, children, and families. Bono had studied the New Testament, and knew Christ’s concern for the sick and poor. In his meeting with Jesse Helms, he spoke of how AIDS should be considered the 21st century equivalent of leprosy — an affliction that Jesus had cured many times. Helms sensed that Bono was being honest and genuine in this sharing of personal experience, and before the meeting was over he promised to champion Bono’s cause.
When you are trying to woo someone for Jesus, it is essential that you speak from experience. Talk about the ways in which Christ’s teachings have guided you in your work and family life … speak of the times and places you have sensed the presence of Jesus in this house of prayer for all people … express thanks for Christ’s gift of forgiveness, which has lifted the burden of your guilt and helped you to move forward … share an experience of uplift and inspiration from a worship service or small group Bible study … tell of a time you saw the face of Christ in a homeless person eating dinner in our multipurpose room. The key is to be an eyewitness, right along with the apostles of Jerusalem — to speak from your own personal experience.
Tip Number Three in a How-to for the Christian Woo: Focus on relationships. When Nelson Mandela was incarcerated in South Africa, he found a way to obtain blankets for his fellow prisoners. He did this not by crying out for human rights — he did it through developing relationships. Mandela learned the language of the guards and began to read their literature, and by doing this he earned their respect and sold them on his idea of fair treatment. Mandela was still hated by the high-ranking officials who ran the prison, but he won the hearts of the guards.
Something similar happens in the Book of Acts, when the apostles gather as a group and devote themselves to prayer (v. 14). They don’t practice their faith in isolation, but in a network of relationships. Then, after the Day of Pentecost, the members of the community share their possessions with one another, worship in the temple, and earn the goodwill of all the people. Acts tells us that “day by day the Lord added to their number” (2:43-47). Later, Peter reaches out to the Gentiles and says, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (10:34-35). Paul makes a connection with the Greeks when he says, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way” (17:22).
Evangelism is all about making connections. Our challenge is to focus on relationships, and win people over without coercion.
Tip Number Four in the Christian Woo: Secure commitments. “One of the most common mistakes people make in selling ideas,” says Richard Shell, “is to think that their job is finished once they succeed in getting someone to say ‘yes’ to their proposal.” Charles Kettering was a brilliant inventor and engineer from the 1930s who invented the automatic transmission and safety glass. But one of his best ideas, the air-cooled automobile engine, sat on the shelf for decades because he didn’t follow up and pressure people to build the engine. Says Richard Shell: “He didn’t do the political coalition-building needed to implement his idea.”
The final stage of evangelism has to be the securing of commitments.. The apostle Peter knows this, which is why he concludes his preaching to the people of Jerusalem with the instructions, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven” (2:38). He gives very clear steps for the people to follow, and the result is that those who welcome his message are baptized, and then they devote themselves “to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (2:42). They broke bread and prayed together, just as we will be doing this morning in the Lord’s Supper.
We cannot simply preach the gospel and walk away. We need to secure commitments, and make a firm connection between new members and the Christian community. If people are going to devote themselves to teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers, then we are going to have to show them the way. This is why I am so excited about the mentors that are now being assigned to our new members, to help strengthen commitments within this community.
The mission of the church is to share the good news that Jesus is alive, well, and active in the world today. The sharing of this news requires that we learn to woo well. So remember: Use your power wisely. Speak from experience. Focus on relationships. Secure commitments.
That’s a How-To for the Christian Woo. Amen.
Sources:
Sachs, Adrea. Review of the business book The Art of Woo, by G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa. Time Magazine, October 18, 2007, www.time.com.
“’The Art of Woo’: Selling your ideas to the entire organization, one person at a time,” Knowledge@Wharton Website, October 17, 2007, http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu.