5 Questions that Open the Door for Spiritual Conversation

Kevin Harney
Rev. Dr. Kevin Harney (KevinHarney.com) is the President and Co-Founder of Organic Outreach International OrganicOutreach.org).
He is the author of Organic Disciples, Seven Ways to Grow Spiritually and Naturally Share Jesus, the Organic Outreach Trilogy, and many other books, studies, and articles. Kevin is the Teaching Pastor at Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, California, and is a regular contributor to Outreach Magazine.
More than three decades ago I went to Corral Ridge Church in Florida and was trained in something called Evangelism Explosion. Dr. James Kennedy had developed a powerful, biblical and thorough process for faith sharing. With a very direct and blunt approach, believers would begin a conversation by saying something like, “If you were to die today and stand before God and He asked you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven,” what would you say?” This was called a diagnostic question. In many cases it was helpful and led to a time of deep spiritual conversation.
At that time, in the 1990s, Dr. Kennedy’s question connected with a lot of people. Today, a lower percentage of people believe in God, heaven, or are thinking about their spiritual condition. The question is still helpful in some conversations, but for many people, questions that start in a different place can open the door for deep spiritual interaction. Here are some questions you might want to try as you talk with friends and people you love who are still far from Jesus.
- What do you think and believe about Jesus?
- Do you have a spiritual heritage or journey and could you share it with me?
- Have you had life experiences where you sensed something more at work than just the material universe…a sense of something spiritual or the divine? I’d love to hear your story.
- What do you think about Christians and their beliefs?
- Do you ever pray? If you do, who do you pray to? How does that seem to impact your life?

Notice that these questions are very open ended and are meant to spark a conversation. They are not a set-up for you to close the deal. They are an opening for deeper interaction around spiritual themes. Always remember, it is wise to ask three or four more questions before you begin sharing your perspective on things. Be a great listener.
It is critical that you ask questions that are from your heart with true interest in the response. If you use questions strictly as a prelude to launch into your gospel presentation, many people will feel you are insincere and pull away. If you ask with a genuine desire to learn about their heart, faith, journey, and personal story, people will open up. As they do, feel free to share your story as well… and your story always includes Jesus and his grace!