Mobile Ministry: Jehovah's Witnesses ramp up public evangelism after being halted for 2 years

Don Wilkins, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·3 min read
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Sep. 24—Martin Nale grew up as a Jehovah's Witness.

And knocking on doors — a trademark of the religious organization — to present the "good news" to prospective members became a natural part of his life.

But that came to a sudden halt for Nale and for his fellow Witnesses when the pandemic hit in 2020.

"My mom and dad became Witnesses probably about two years before I was born," said Nale, who's 61. "Going from door to door, I can't remember a time when I didn't do it until the pandemic. So it's been part of my life for a long time."

As with many churches, the pandemic forced Jehovah's Witnesses to rethink how they not only reached each other when large gatherings were banned, but also how they evangelized to the public.

Nale said they held Zoom meetings to keep in touch with members and adopted a letter writing campaign as part of their ongoing public ministry.

"I believe the United States Postal Service should be very happy with Jehovah's Witnesses because I know here in Owensboro there's been thousands of letters sent out," Nale said. "But as hard as it is to go talk to strangers, I find it's still so much better than writing a letter. You don't get any feedback with a letter."

Nale and his wife, Pam, are members of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 2208 Tamarack Road, that's divided up into two congregations — an east with around 85 members and a west with about 70 members — that meet at separate times to accommodate for size.

Deron Stewart is a former member of the Owensboro Kingdom Hall but now lives in Evansville and has taken the role of a Jehovah's Witness public communication representative.

Stewart said Jehovah's Witnesses typically read from the New World Translation Bible but will use "various bibles and study concordances." Stewart added that their church and its services are led by elders and not by a single pastor.

"In general, people wonder what it's like and what I do as a Jehovah's Witness," Stewart said. "I say it's about Bible education ... that's what we do as Jehovah's Witnesses. So our ministry is part of that and Jesus Christ's example."

Return to Public Evangelism

Now that the pandemic's restrictions have all but ended, Jehovah's Witnesses have begun ramping up their public evangelism.

Along with door knocking, Jehovah's Witnesses added in 2011 what they call their public cart ministry — a two-wheeled dolly outfitted with holders that carry free Bible study books and other "Good News" literature.

Nale said the cart ministry allows the public to come to them.

"With this, we don't approach people; we let people approach us," he said.

Typically, the Nales will set up their cart ministry at the riverfront on Monday afternoons and at the Shell station on Bon Harbor Hill Drive on Tuesday mornings.

"We try to be at the same place at the same time so you get familiar with people," Nale said. "...We've found that being around at a regular time, people get comfortable with us."

Jehovah's Witnesses receive training not only about how to present their faith but also how to avoid confrontation.

"That does happen ,but it doesn't happen very often," said Nale about people seeking to fight or argue about their beliefs. "We are trained, and there are Bible principles with that, too. ...The Bible says 'before a quarrel breaks out, take your leave.' "

Nale and Stewart said their mission is to spread "the good news" of the Bible to people whether they're religious or not.

"Bible principles work with people who are religious or aren't religious, if they'll just use them," Nale said. "Bible principles, even if you're not religious, they're good things to live by."

Don Wilkins, dwilkins@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7299.