{"id":17426,"date":"2026-03-10T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/how-to-talk-to-strangers-about-your-faith\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:03:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:03:39","slug":"how-to-talk-to-strangers-about-your-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/how-to-talk-to-strangers-about-your-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Talk to Strangers about Your Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few conversations are more daunting than sharing your faith with strangers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

People happily strike up conversations about their kids, their jobs, their vacations. But change the topic to religion? and Things get awkward fast.<\/p>\n

Why is it so hard to talk about faith? Is there a way to approach this vital, intimate subject with honesty and integrity at a time when religion, like so much else, has become a cause of division in our nation?<\/p>\n

Yes, says Neil Tomba, senior pastor of Northwest Bible Church in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

Tomba (above, right) should know. In 2019, he rode a bicycle across the United States from California to Maryland for the express purpose of talking about faith to as many strangers as possible about faith. An avid cyclist, Tomba had long dreamed of such a ride. He decided to make it happen after a survey at his church revealed that most members seldom talked to strangers about their faith. This year, Tomba published a book about the ride called The Listening Road: One Man\u2019s Ride Across America to Start Conversations about God<\/em><\/a>; the book outlines his life-changing experiences on the 33-day trip.<\/p>\n

Whether in a city or on a farm, the first thing Tomba said to people he encountered on the road was: \u201cI\u2019m doing a cross-country bike tour<\/a> and listening to people about what matters most.\u201d Then he asked questions and listened for moments of common ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to model something,\u201d Tomba said.\u201cI didn\u2019t use the word evangelism,\u201d Tomba said. \u201cI\u2019m not against it but people have so many stereotypes about what that is. My goal is to end a conversation [about faith with a stranger] knowing I could have a second conversation with that person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tomba said that in an ideal world, people from all religious backgrounds would feel free to share their beliefs and hopes without fear of offending or being rejected. Christians feel particularly conflicted about this issue, he said, because Jesus commanded his followers to spread the good news\u2014regardless of whether people want to hear it.<\/p>\n

So, how do you share your faith in a polarized world?<\/p>\n

Tomba\u2019s counterintuitive answer: Stop talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never felt the need to make sure someone hears a three-point message they can agree with. I don\u2019t think I have to seal the deal\u2026It\u2019s not about being right or having the answer but coming alongside someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humility and open-mindedness created opportunities to connect, Tomba said. \u201cI would say to people, \u2018We are here to be kind, curious and respectful.\u2019 People would say, \u2018I don\u2019t have time.\u2019 And then once they started talking, they would say, \u2018Do you have time for one more story?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Stories inevitably led to deeper layers where religious questions no longer seemed out of place.<\/p>\n

Chatting with a woman at a convenience store, Tomba said he noticed an edge in her voice when she mentioned that her grandfather was a preacher. Tomba asked how she felt about religious issues herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want the honest truth?\u201d the woman said. \u201cI\u2019m angry at God<\/a>. My son worked the late-night shift. He was coming home and a semi hit him and he died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tomba realized that whatever the woman knew about religion, it wasn\u2019t enough to help her with her grief. \u201cI cried with her and prayed with her,\u201d he said. Then he shared the story of Jesus at Lazarus\u2019 tomb.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a part of that story that says Jesus wept and he was angry,\u201d Tomba told the woman. \u201cI stopped right there. Her eyes got really big and she said, \u2018I never thought about that before.\u2019 It was almost like she saw Jesus in a new way. Not plastic Jesus. You could see there was this comfort moment knowing Jesus cared about people dying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talking to pair of grizzled motorcycle riders a few days after Memorial Day<\/a>, Tomba learned that one of them had lost his father in a military plane crash. The rider suddenly said, \u201cI want you to pray for my struggles in faith and for our safety today. Thanks for talking to me. This was a divine appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it\u2019s enough just to point to God,\u201d Tomba said. \u201cYou become fluent about the hope in your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tomba\u2019s emphasis on listening and looking for points of common ground is echoed by noted evangelist Dave Gibson, senior director of missions and evangelism at Grace Church in Minneapolis and director of the Go Movement, a worldwide evangelism initiative.<\/p>\n

Gibson said Jesus himself models such an approach. \u201cJesus saw the multitudes and was moved to compassion. We need to enter into someone\u2019s life,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cBe a good listener. People want to be listened to and want to know someone cares<\/a> about them. The book of James says, \u2018Be slow to speak, quick to listen.\u2019 Talk in terms of other people\u2019s interest. Build a bridge from your heart to another life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson said he once talked to a man on an airplane who devoted much of the conversation to denouncing religious people as hypocrites who cause of most of the world\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n

Gibson\u2019s response: \u201cJeff, I can\u2019t totally disagree with you. You and Jesus have a lot in common.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson told the man that he too had grown up disillusioned with organized religion. \u201cI said, \u2018Jesus\u2019 sharpest rebuke was to the Pharisees. He didn\u2019t win a popularity contest with religious leaders. He came with love and compassion<\/a> and healed people, fed the poor, cast out demons and died on the cross.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gibson said the man \u201clooked at me and said, \u2018Dave, I like you. Normally, if a person talks to me about religion, I punch them in the mouth. I guess I don\u2019t have as much of a problem with Jesus as with organized religion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a great place to start,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to get over the idea that we have to totally agree with each other or we hate each other,\u201d Gibson said, summing up his approach. \u201cI don\u2019t find arguing is a good point at all. I try to be winsome. Try to point it back to Jesus and be respectful\u2026Words are necessary but not the first thing. Words fall on deaf ears if there isn\u2019t that life to back it up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Few conversations are more daunting than sharing your faith with strangers. People happily strike up conversations about their kids, their jobs, their vacations. But change the topic to religion? and Things get awkward fast. Why is it so hard to talk about faith? Is there a way to approach this vital, intimate subject with honesty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[189,203,50,15,65],"ppma_author":[759],"class_list":["post-17426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-of-faith-and-hope","tag-church","tag-community","tag-compassion","tag-faith","tag-jesus"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Talk to Strangers about Your Faith - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Talk to Strangers about Your Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Few conversations are more daunting than sharing your faith with strangers. 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