John took a deep breath as he surveyed the decor in Franks apartment. John had been this deep into enemy territory before but never so close to completing his mission.

He took inventory of the enemys strong entrenchments. On the wall hung a tribal mask dedicated to the enemy by witch doctors. The owner, Frank, thought it was merely art. On the coffee table John saw crystals and a New Age magazine. He gazed at other evidence that the enemy had penetrated this territory: a drawing of mythological deities above the television, books on charting horoscopes, a Ouji board. Settling on Franks sofa, John cringed. All these inroads the enemy had accomplished would make his mission all the more difficult.

Frank walked down the hall to join him for dinner. John hoped someday to lead him to Christ. Even though they had been friends for a few months, John had chosen to wait to share Christ until he knew where Frank was coming from spiritually. John needed more information before moving forward. He needed to uncover the land mines.

At dinner he resisted the urge to dominate the conversation with his Christian worldview. He decided to bide his time, inquiring about the objects he had observed in Franks apartment. He listened for clues to his values, scoping out ways into his soul.

Surveying for on mission opportunities
Evangelism is not espionage, but spending time as a diligent surveyor, researching those we want to reach, makes our on mission efforts more relevant and effective.

Its a biblical concept. The Lord instructed Moses to send spies into the Land of Canaan (Numbers 13). Their mission was to size up the job ahead of them by becoming familiar with the people.

Jesus called us to be fishers of men. As any angler knows, fishing requires more than dropping a line into the water. It requires knowledge of equipment, lures, environment, topography and a bit of behavioral science. This can be summed up in one question: What are they biting on today? What are the men and women we are fishing for biting on today? We will never know unless we get out to the pond. Many evangelistic attempts resemble a hit-and-run accident rather than a thoughtful, well-planned fishing excursion. We need to spend time finding what seekers are biting.

Or, in the scenario of evangelism, we need to know: What are their hopes and fears? What language do they speak? What obstacles has the enemy put in their way to hearing the good news of the gospel? We need to survey the land by discovering their worldview.

Avoiding the hit and run
The idea of taking someone out for dinner to witness over a meal is not new, but dinner and a testimony is more hit and run than relational.  We need to remember that were surveying the land. Were investing ourselves wisely so we can be more effective. What if we took them out to dinner, not to instantly win them to Christ, but to learn about them? For effective evangelism, part of this investment is building relationships.

As often as I can, I eat lunch with a group of unchurched people. The conversations are usually wild and colorful. I try not to judge nor am I standoffish or opinionated. I come humbly to learn. I listen, occasionally interjecting something or telling a lame joke. But mainly I listen.

For years I regularly met with a non-Christian friend of mine. Hearing him talk was good for me. Often during lunch I just sat and listened to him. I could tell that he responded negatively to confrontation. If I had reacted to his views by countering with my own, he would have pulled back from the conversation.

Learning his attitudes on hot topics such as abortion, capital punishment and gay marriages told me something about him. He believed that only arrogant people could think they understood the Bible. He was suspicious of people who use Gods Word to address controversial issues. This gave me insight into how to approach my friend. Confronting him immediately with scriptures would not bring him closer to salvation.

I learned all this from listening. If I had not surveyed the land, I wouldnt have his respect today. I could have blown it by telling him from the very beginning that his views didnt line up with scripture. By choosing the listening-first approach, I gathered valuable intelligence that eventually provided me the key to this mans soul. He needed to vent, to be heard. After that, he was ready to hear another point of viewChrists.

Survey locals
Here are ways to survey the land:
Join a civic group. A volunteer organization is full of people trying to do something about issues. My Rotary Club was debating a local initiative to ban video poker in our community.

A few argued that gambling was immoral. This reasoning had little impact on those listening. What turned heads was the negative effect gambling has on the impoverished.

It became apparent to me how much they cared about peoples welfare, a clue I needed as I formed relationships.

Find a hobby. Model trains? Hiking? Biking? Chess? Bird watching? Most activities have clubs that meet to share the fun and the misery. When people talk about their passions, the door to evangelism opens wide.

Use your kids. Dont be shy! Many parents spend a chunk of time running their offspring to soccer practice or dance lessons. There, surrounding the cute little ones, are scores of parents. Mix it up with them. Get them talking, and then start listening. When you know them better, find an on mission opportunity in this natural setting.

What you hear might surprise you. This is a good litmus test to see whether you are in touch with the secular worldview. You might hear how one mom feels shes lost her identity in the rush of caring for her children. She doesnt know who she is anymoreall she knows is shes tired. You might hear from another how she fears her kids will experiment with drugs as she did. How can she save them from falling into that trap?

These are all open doors through which the watchful and empathetic Christian can walk with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tim Nance is a writer living in Swartz, Louisiana.