I’m frustrated! How can I get through to Jehovah’s Witnesses?

I’M FRUSTRATED! HOW CAN I GET THROUGH TO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES?

“I’m discouraged. It just seems like to me that there is NO WAY to reach Jehovah’s Witnesses. As an evangelical Christian, I do not want to slam my front door in their faces, like some people do. I really do want to talk them, but not on their terms—only on my terms. After all, the burden of proof lies with the one making the claim. They must prove to me that the true name for God is indeed “Jehovah.” They must prove to me that the Watchtower is God’s only true means of communication with mankind. At any rate, I have stayed awake at night trying to figure out a way to reach these people with convincing and powerful arguments from the Bible, and I come up with a blank slate every time. Perhaps you can give me an encouraging word.”

Dear friend,

We truly do understand your frustration. We’ve been there many times. I think the mistake many make in trying to reach Jehovah’s Witnesses is thinking that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe what they do because it makes sense. While that may be true to some extent, it is only partially true.

Over the years of ministering to Jehovah’s Witnesses, we have discovered that most Jehovah’s Witnesses who were not raised as Witnesses became Jehovah’s Witnesses because someone in the organization took the time to minister to their needs one-on-one. As the person learned to integrate the Jehovah’s Witness worldview into daily living, the new convert learned to idolize the Watchtower organization’s teachings and policies and to trust its leadership as God’s “channel of communication” and the only “safe place” to be. To put it simply, Jehovah’s Witnesses are in LOVE with the organization and everything associated with it.

There is an old adage that states, “Once a person has given his heart, he has given his mind. Until the heart is won, the mind will remain unconvinced.” This statement is quite true when it comes to Jehovah’s Witnesses. We liken it to talking to a person who is infatuated with another person. In the mind of the infatuated person, their lover can do nothing wrong. So, reality must set in and you must work to win the heart of the individual you are trying to reach, before intellectual arguments will have much effect. We advocate the following approach:

Appeal to them in truth with the love of God and attempt to win their heart by asking questions to make them curious about what you have in Christ.
Challenge the false authority of the Watchtower by engaging in intellectual questions to stimulate personal discovery.
Remove false doctrinal premises with Biblical truth.

We encourage you to read the following articles on our website as they outline these steps and provide guidance for encounters with Jehovah’s Witnesses:

HOW TO WITNESS EFFECTIVELY TO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES — Breaking the Watchtower Barrier