Why use Gospel Tracts to share your faith?

I’ve been asked: “Mike, why use Gospel tracts to share my faith?”  Here are a few reasons why I use them. According to a study conducted by LifeWay Research in 2012 80 percent of those who attend church one or more times a month, believe they have a personal responsibility to share their faith, but 61 percent have not told another person about how to become a Christian in the previous six months.  Tracts can dramatically change those numbers and that is probably a good reason to use Gospel tracts.  You don’t always need to talk to someone to share your faith.  A well written Gospel tract will present God’s plan of salvation in a positive and encouraging way.  Gospel tracts can help start to a conversation or can be left where people are likely to pick them up.

Do you go out to eat at least once a week where a waiter or waitress is serving you?  Leave a Christian tract with your tip.  If you are not going to leave a decent tip, don’t leave the tract.  The standard tip is 15%.  When you leave the tract why not leave 20% along with the tract?  I did not mean to go off on tipping but my daughter is in her 20s and working as a waitress at a restaurant and there are way to many Christians who leave her no tip and a Gospel tract!  What kind of witness is that?  Waitresses work for $2.13 an hour plus tips so Christians let’s get with it and honor Christ.  If you cannot afford to leave a tip then don’t go out to eat!  Sorry to get side tracked but I’m going to leave it in this post.  If you are unable or unwilling to tip, don’t leave a message saying you are a representative of Christ.  Just eat at home or visit a fast food restaurant.

Do you fill up your car once a week?  Leave a tract at the Gas pump.   Several Memory Cross tracts are the size of a business card so they slide in the card reader and people will have to pull it out to put their card in.  My favorite one to leave is “Thank you for your service.” Gospel Tract.  I love handing out Memory Cross tracts most of the time.  I like the origami design which gets attention and I like the modern, positive message.  Overall Jesus’ message was kind, loving and positive, except to the religious leaders who where exploiting God for their own purposes and I like to hand out the same message.  I also like that Memory Cross has a QR code on many of their tracts.  If you are not familiar with a QR code it is a barcode that can be read by your smartphone.  With so many people now carrying smartphones this is a way to connect printing to more information on the web.

Why use Gospel tracts to share your faith with the homeless

If you live in a metro area odds are pretty good you see people who are homeless at least once a week.  Here is an easy way to share the Gospel with them.  Go to your local dollar store and purchase basic supplies such as toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, healthy snacks, maybe a washcloth and a $5 certificate to a local fast-food restaurant or grocery store.  Put all these items in a gallon zip lock bag along with a handwritten note that says why you are doing this or use the Just Because tract by Memory Cross.  If you are writing a personal note let them know that God loves them and has a plan for their lives.  

Here are a few places you can find Gospel tracts besides what Memory Cross offers.

• Billy Graham Evangelistic Association – has a variety of tracts, pamphlets and books to help you share your faith.
• American Tract Society – Now part of Crossway.   I’m pretty sure ATS has been the leader in Christian tracts in American for hundreds of years.  I visited their headquarters several years ago before the merger and their history is amazing.  A number of presidents have been on their board of advisors.  They still produce relevant tracts that change lives.
• Fellowship Tract League is an outreach ministry of Fellowship Baptist Church in Lebanon, Ohio.   They have printed over 4 billion tracts and have them available in almost every language.  Tracts are free if you cannot afford to purchase them.  Their ministry is based on donations so if you can afford it please donate when you purchase tracts from them.
• The Gospel tract Society also offers free tracts (They accept donations and please donate if you can).  They produce traditional Gospel tracts which you can see by visiting their website.

Memory Cross makes a variety of Gospel tracts in other language also:

• Haitian Gospel Tracts
• Spanish Gospel Tracts
• Wordless Tracts

I hope you can see why using Gospel tracts can be an effective way to share your Faith.  There are more ways to share your faith.  If you have a favorite be sure to post a comment below.