When Jerry leaned over the fence one evening gripping the local newspaper in his hand and asking about church, Robert could hardly believe what he was hearing. They had been neighbors for almost two years, and while they often talked about the weather, their favorite sports teams and their jobs, Jerry hadnt seemed interested in anything spiritual  until now.

Didnt you say you go to First Baptist Church? Jerry asked, pointing to a news photo on page 10. Whats going on over there?

Do you mean the new building were planning?

Yeah. It says here that your church has doubled in size in the last couple of years. It sounds like you guys are gonna have a huge construction project.

Its pretty amazing, Robert said. But like our pastor says, When Gods at work, amazing things happen.

Jerry grinned. So this is part of some sort of divine plan?

Sensing an opportunity, Robert took a deep breath. Actually, Jerry, God has a plan for each one of us. And as plainly as he knew how, Robert began to explain the basics of the gospel.

When he paused for breath, Jerry broke in. Look, Robert, I respect your beliefs and all, but I really just wanted to find out who the general contractors going to be. My company would love to put the roof on your new building. Can you help me out?

Not surprisingly, Robert walked away from that conversation with his confidence shaken. Had he said the wrong thing? Or had he just picked the wrong time?

Like Robert, Ive sometimes struggled with a sense of appropriate timing when it comes to evangelism. Ive wondered if I should say something now, or wait for a more opportune moment.

King Solomon asserted that theres a time for everything under the sun. So how can I be sure that nows the right time? And if it isnt, how am I to know when the times right?

Obviously, not everyone shares my dilemma. I once met a man who had an evangelistic word for everyone he met. When the supermarket checkout clerk would ask, How are you today, sir? his enthusiastic reply was, Saved by grace! And how about you? Perhaps he reasoned that since everyone needs to hear the gospel message, the most benign comment signaled an opportunity to talk about his faith. But while hes certainly to be commended for his boldnesssomething I often lackhe clearly never gave much thought to the subject of timeliness.

We often think of evangelism in terms of the parable of the sower in which Jesus emphasized the importance of soil conditions, a metaphor for the condition of your listeners heart.

The better quality the soil, the more receptive it is to the seed.

To take the agriculture analogy a step further, the farmer must pay close attention to the seasons and weather conditions as well as the soil. Seeds sown in a hurricane or a monsoon are wasted, as are those planted in the dead of winter or the heat of summer.

Of course, God may bless gracious words spoken for Him at any time, but words are especially effective when offered at the appropriate time. Proverbs 15:23 confirms that its wonderful to say the right thing at the right time (NLT).

In Building a Contagious Church, Mark Mittelberg reminds us that the journey to faith is a process. Where many traditional forms of evangelism were largely designed to be an event that reminded semireligious people of what they already knew and then challenged them to commit to it right there on the spot, more recent trends in evangelism take into account the secularization of culture and our need to reach out to people where they are, not where we wish they were.

For those of us who, like Robert, may be overanxious to make the most of any apparent opening, Mittelberg cautions that people need some space as they put the puzzle pieces together to see if the rational side of Christian teachings makes sense and as they weigh the costs and benefits of actually following Christ. In short, we must allow people to move ahead at their own pace.

To be sure, we should encourage and sometimes challenge them to keep up the pace and to continue taking steps forward. And we certainly dont want to do anything that will slow down their progress! But Ive learned the hard way that pressing people to take steps for which theyre not yet ready will backfire. In some cases it can even short-circuit the whole process.

Naturally, no on mission Christian wants to short-circuit the process, but neither do we want to miss out on the chance to see a life transformed. Paul and Elizabeth Musser, longtime missionaries to France, sometimes worry about the amount of time it often takes to develop a friendship bridge before sharing the gospel. At times I probably err on the side of not wanting to offend someone, admits Elizabeth, and maybe I let opportunities pass me by.    

To be fair, however, the matter of timing, like much of evangelism, is anything but an exact science. Just as theres no one-size-fits-all approach to sharing biblical faith, theres no universal magic moment.

But that in no way means you are helpless to say the right thing at the right time.

Here are several things you can do to hone your evangelistic timing:

1. Listen to people. Unless you tune in to a friends felt needs, you probably wont get to address his real need. Kent and Davidene Humphreys, authors of Show and then Tell, observe that we Christians are often so concerned with giving answers that we fail to hear what people are really asking. Ignoring a friends questions or felt needs in favor of a predetermined approach nearly guarantees that your timing will be off. Listeningreally listeningcan help you say the right thing at the right time.

2. Be genuine. We are to preach the gospel at all times, St. Francis of Assisi tells us, using words if necessary. Or, as U.S. Director of The Navigators Alan Andrews puts it, I do not need to preach or be overly urgent in sharing Jesus, but I do need to make certain that others see my relationship to Jesus as central to who I am. Why? Because it will make people curious, and curious people ask questions. And when they ask, a well-considered answer will be right on time.

3. Exercise patience. Remember that evangelism is a process, not merely an event. Often it takes years for a friend to move from a secular mindset to the point where hes ready to hear that Christ died for his sins. Most people come to faith via a series of incremental steps. Trying to press someone to stretch too far often has negative results. If you feel like youre being a little too pushy, says missionary Paul Musser, you probably are. Adds Alan Andrews, Wait on the Holy Spirit to lead. He knows when its right to say a word and when its better to wait.

4. Be ready. It may be easierand feel a lot saferto avoid saying the wrong thing at the wrong time than it is to risk saying the right thing at the right time. All the listening, genuineness and patience in the world are likely to come to nothing if you fail to speak up when the moments right. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way (1 Peter 3:15-16, NLT). Become a student of the gospeland human natureso that when it comes, the right time wont pass you by.

5. Pray, pray, pray. Its impossible to overestimate the importance of prayer to the subject of appropriate evangelistic timing. Prayer helps us keep pace with the Holy Spiritneither racing ahead nor lagging behind His leading. Time spent in prayer talking and listening to Godand an outpouring of wisdom from the Holy Spirit says Mark Mittelberg, is whats needed to help us find the right balance between patience and persistence.

David Horton is an editor, freelance writer and the author of three books.