How to Proselytize

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/magazine/how-to-proselytize.html

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‘‘Your appearance matters,’’ says Mario Dias, who manages the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints training center in São Paulo, Brazil, which each year prepares 3,500 young Mormons from all over the world for one-and-a-half-to-two-year missions in the country. A conservative look suits a serious message (faux-hawks and mullets are explicitly prohibited for Mormon missionaries, as are above-the-knee skirts). ‘‘Do not be intimidated or judgmental,’’ Dias says. As a door-to-door evangelist, you will see all kinds of people, from ‘‘drunkards on the road to the richest men you’ve ever met.’’ Approach them with respect and treat them with love.

Beware beginner’s zeal. New missionaries can be overconfident and too focused on the numbers. ‘‘You can’t go out thinking, I’m here to bring as many people as I can into the church,’’ Dias says. Before you start on Gospel matters, connect with people as humans. Ask about their families, their lives, their troubles.

Raised as a Catholic, Dias was baptized as a Mormon at 18, three months after he began meeting with missionaries. During his own two-year mission, he converted 70 people and talked to an estimated 3,100. He once converted a woman after just a single verbal exchange, but on average, the process took a month. If you have a personal conversion experience, talk about it. People like transformation narratives. Don’t be pedantic and don’t speak to strangers as if it’s your job to instruct them. Instead, ‘‘share the joy of your belief,’’ says Dias, who is 47.

In unfamiliar territory, carry a map so you don’t get lost or accidentally knock on a door someone has shut in your face before. Take careful notes. You might be in continuing theological or personal discussions with dozens of people at the same time. So you must remember details to be able to pick up where you left off. ‘‘Write down, for example, ‘Today I talked about the purpose of life with this guy here named John,’ ’’ Dias says. Because there is no playbook for how to approach different types of people, read situations as they arise: Decipher if someone is receptive; determine when to offer baptism. ‘‘If someone seems curious,’’ Dias says, ‘‘that’s always a good sign.’’