Recently, I received a question asking if Christians can be salespeople. Actually, I consider Christian ministers to be some of the best salespeople in the world. For one thing, they are selling a product whose full value will not be realized in this lifetime. In this respect, they are very similar to life insurance salespeople. For another, they are selling something which can not be proven by objective evidence. God’s kingdom, like God Himself, exists in a reality beyond our power to confirm it by scientific means. Even our strongest telescopes have been unable to find the location of heaven. No scientist has been able to even verify the existence of the soul. It’s all based on faith. Many people have a problem putting their faith in something which has no objective verification.
This is why ministers must use proven sales techniques to accomplish their mission. The first technique is to establish a need. The prospect must be shown that he needs salvation. If the prospect is comfortable with his current situation, he will not accept change. So the minister must shake the prospect out of his comfort zone. This is done by getting the prospect to realize he is a sinner and God cannot abide sin. As a sinner, the prospect is not worthy to enter heaven and is doomed to eternal suffering.
Once the prospect has realized the need, the minister offers a solution. Jesus has already paid the price for your sin and stands ready to act as your intermediary on the day of judgment. All you have to do is accept His offer of service in your behalf. You can do this by joining our church and following our directives.
Now comes the hard part-overcoming objections. The minister must prove that his church offers a true interpretation of the scripture. This can be difficult if the prospect is unfamiliar with the scripture or does not accept its validity. It becomes even more difficult if the prospect has studied the history of the scripture and found areas where humans may have edited it to accomplish social, financial or political objectives. The prospect will not commit until his objections have been resolved to his satisfaction. This may require considerable effort and knowledge on the part of the minister.
So not only is it possible for Christians to be salespeople, if they are to be successful in spreading the gospel and winning souls, they have to be.
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