Mythbuster: The KGP Booklet Doesn't Work

Whitney Sheffield, guest blogger

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Do you secretly hesitate to use (or avoid using) the Knowing God Personally booklet?  Think it’s cheesy?  Think it’s ineffective?  Go ahead, admit it. You have wondered, “Will a student really respond to this silly little booklet?” or “Won’t they just think I’m awkward?”  I mean, it is 2010 after all.  Shouldn’t we have a newer, less awkward, more effective way of sharing the Gospel?!

Well, here’s my story:  It was a Thursday morning and I found myself sitting at a crowded study table in the student center.  I was hesitant to get into a conversation with so many other students surrounding us, but I decided it would just waste more time trying to find another table.  I was meeting Alyse, a freshman I met through a pledge talk we gave in the Delta Zeta sorority house.  We chit chatted for a bit and then she began to tell me that there was something missing in her life.  So, I said, “I know this may seem like a cheesy little booklet, but it provides a great summary of the truths from the Bible.  Can I go through this with you?”

As we flipped through the pages together, reading aloud each principle and the verses that follow, we finally reached the page with the two circles.  I asked, “Which circle best represents your life?...Which would you like to be true of your life?”  Alyse said, without hesitation, “I am the first circle, but I want to be the second circle. How do I do that?” All I had to do was flip to the next page and share the simple, yet life-changing prayer.  From there we prayed together and she prayed to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior.  That, my staff friends, is why I continue to use the Knowing God Personally booklet when sharing my faith.  Sorry to burst your too-cool-for-school bubble, but the booklet is still effective.  The gospel still works!

I would venture to guess that many of us have had those conversations when we share the Gospel, yet we somehow seem to avoid sharing the most important part.  I know that I have.  Out of a fear of making the conversation awkward or offending someone, I share that Jesus gave His life so that we can have a relationship with God, and I then leave it to them to figure out how they can receive Him.  It’s like saying I am going to give you the greatest gift you have ever received, but I am not going to tell you how to actually get it.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am not alone in wanting to see students trust Christ as their savior, so I leave you with a challenge.  Give it a try, again.  I find it helps to state the obvious.  Say, “I know this may seem really cheesy or I realize this seems like a silly little booklet, but, I think it does a great job of summing up the truths of what I believe, so I’d like to share it with you.”  Give students a chance to truly respond to the Gospel by giving them an opportunity to make a decision.

And for those of you who just can’t seem to get past the “cheesy booklet” factor, I have news for you!  There is now an iphone App entitled “God Tools” which has the KGP along with a few other booklets right there on the iphone.  Two staff on our team used this recently and both saw the students trust Christ! Give it a whirl!