Using tracts in Evangelism
James Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to China, was so bored with his life in Barnsley in the 1840s that he took a tract with him to the outhouse of his home, with the intention of simply reading the opening story. But reading further he came to the words, 'The finished work of Christ.' he trusted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour…and the rest is history.
It was a pamphlet, written by Martin Luther, that fell into the hands of John Bunyan, author of 'Pilgrim's Progress', which helped him to Christ in the 1650’s.
There are many other stories like this, but are gospel tracts still useful in the 21st Century?
Roger Carswell would say a resounding, "Yes!"
“For me, tracts are one of the most helpful tools to keep me diligent in scattering gospel seeds each and every day. They are not expensive, and are easy to pass on. And I am encouraged by truths in the Bible like, 'Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.' (Ecc 11:1), and 'Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him.' (Psalm 126:5&6)
“The vast majority of people in the United Kingdom have never heard a clear explanation of the gospel message. They pass through life and into eternity with a religion that has been shaped by their home, school assemblies and the BBC. Their attitude to Jesus, if they believe in Him at all, is to benevolently respect Him as a good teacher from history who has no relevance to them individually. But they must hear the news that only He can save, and they urgently need to repent and believe.
Of course the ideal would be for each person to hear the gospel either in church, a mission or from a Christian, but there are millions of people to reach. That is where tracts are so valuable. A good tract, or Christian leaflet as I prefer to call it, attractively designed and faithfully explaining the gospel, can be a powerful proclaimer of the gospel.”
“A tract never gets tongue-tied, it is not cowardly or compromising in its presentation, it can quote and explain scripture, and leads its reader to a prayer of true repentance and faith. It does not answer back, or become irritated when ignored. It doesn't wait until Sunday to present the good news. It can be read in the bustle of a busy life or in quietness, at any time of the day or night. Tracts, like dynamic evangelists, have a personality and power of their own. They are like missionaries going into all situations to testify of Jesus.”
How to Use Tracts
You may not be familiar with tracts, and so you may be wondering how to use them. Here are some suggestions from evangelist Roger Carswell.
Opening Doors
“I use them as the key to open the door of conversation with strangers. If there is no queue behind me, I will offer the attendant at the garage or the supermarket check-out, or the bank or newsagent, "I wonder if I could give you a little Christian leaflet. It simply explains that Jesus came into the world for people like you and me." Quickly judging their reaction, I see if the conversation will lead to speaking more of Jesus. I pray each day that I will be able to turn inconsequential chatter into significant conversations about Jesus. I aim to be winsome, genuine, chirpy and warm; I don't want people to be put off the gospel because I come across as odd. And if they don't want to talk, I leave the subject and simply try to remain friends."
Closing Conversations
"Other times, I will use a tract to close the door of a conversation. After having had the opportunity to witness, I leave the person with a suitable leaflet,
'Before we go, I wonder if I could give you a little gospel leaflet. It will explain better than I did what we have just chatted about …',
I try to stress that this is "the ordinary Christian message, not some strange new religion."
Use and Lose
"I like to 'lose' tracts. I put them in all my correspondence when paying bills, returning forms or simply sending a letter or christmas card. I 'lose' them on the seat of a bus, train or plane on which I may have travelled. Sometimes I leave them in telephone kiosks, library books, pre-paid envelopes or places where I know they will be found. Then I pray that the Lord will use them. If I travel overseas, I always obtain some tracts or Gospels in the native language, to pass on to waiters, hoteliers, and contacts."
Recent Stories
"Some years ago, I had the privilege of leading to Christ, at Bath University, a Vietnamese PhD student. He had recently arrived in the country but felt lonely. In Bath town centre one Saturday afternoon a very elderly lady (as it happens, she was the daughter of the famous Bible teacher, WE Vine) gave him a tract and an invitation to her Gospel Hall. He regularly attended for several weeks, and it was my privilege to be with him at his conversion. And it began with a prayerfully given tract.
In Musselburgh, I interviewed a man in his forties who had been converted through reading tracts that had been sent in pre-paid envelopes to the Royal Mail in Edinburgh where he worked. He had had no other contact with the gospel.
Another man I knew had come to Christ as railway carriage cleaner. Working through the night, he saw and read a tract, and there and then prayed to trust the Lord.
I encourage all Christians to always have tracts available in a wallet or bag possibly proving to be of eternal blessing to someone. Of course, a tract may be discarded, but it may also be read and kept, even becoming a soul-winner.
Over the years I have written 75+ tracts on all sorts of themes but all leading to explaining ‘Christ crucified and risen again’. Some of these have gone out in their several hundreds of thousands. I am grateful to 10ofthose for publishing and distributing them."
Which Tracts to Use?
For many who regularly go out on the streets sharing the gospel, having a variety of appropriate tracts to give away is important. Matching tracts to annual events, or to speak into the circumstances of someone’s life can be key. Each of our tracts can be viewed as a sample PDF, just click on the button below the product info on the summary tab.
We've even created a tract sample pack, where you can get 40 of our best selling tracts to see in person.
Tracts to use throughout the year:
January-February
Children’s: Love Came Down
March
Ever Wondered How St Patrick Became a Saint?
April
Easter
Christ Died for Our Sins, How Did Someone Like Me End Up in a Place Like This?, The Reason for Easter, Freed…but at a price,
Children’s: Why Did Jesus Die?, The Easter Mystery, Eyewitness
May- July
Racing for Glory, Eric Liddell The Flying Scotsman,
Pulling Power (Olympics)
August - September
All Good Gifts Around Us (Harvest), The Mayflower and the Pilgrim Fathers
October
The Scariest Stories are the True Ones
Children’s: The Pumpkin Story, Trick or Treat, It’s Halloween, The Fright of your Life, The Dressing Up Box, A Friend in the Dark
November
Remembrance Day, Black Friday Deal, We Will Remember Them
December/Christmas
O Holy Night, All I Want for Christmas, Peace on Earth, Christmas Journeys, Whiter than Snow, The Dog that Stole Christmas, Christmas Jumpers, Love at Christmas, Are you Ready for Christmas, Handel’s Messiah
Booklets: Best Christmas Ever, Good News Great Joy, Christmas Words unwrapped, Why are we celebrating Christmas?
Children’s : Naughty or Nice, Countdown to Christmas, Mary and Joseph Announce, Why did Jesus Come?
All Year Round
One Thing to do Before you Die
The Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23)
Where is God in a Messed up World?
Children’s
Maybe you've never given away a tract before. Maybe start by simply having one in your pocket or bag, read it, and pray that God would give you an opportunity to give it to someone. May God bless the faithfullness of His people as we seek to share the gospel widely.
More Evangelism Articles:
Point to Jesus this Christmas 2024 Webinar Recap
Being Enthusiastically Evangelistic this Christmas
Outreach and Evangelism: What’s the difference, and does it really matter?
How can we share the gospel with our family?
Evangelism for the Discouraged and Disheartened
