Meeting the Challenge of Apartment Witnessing

In the United States there are many congregations whose territory is comprised mainly or entirely of large and small apartment complexes. Some territories may include a wide variety of apartment buildings ranging from easily accessible housing projects to exclusive luxury apartments. Therefore, the points set out in this insert should be applied according to local circumstances. We feel confident that the information here presented will be helpful to all.

¹ The challenge has been made. The command has been issued. Can you “bear thorough witness to the good news”? (Acts 20:21, 24) It is imperative that you do so. Why? Because the time left for Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making is reduced. (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 7:29) This challenge includes a type of territory that has a growing potential​—apartment, cooperative, and condominium buildings.

² With land values continually increasing, more and more apartment buildings are being constructed, and territory in some large metropolitan areas is fast changing from single-family dwellings to multifamily units. Almost one third of the housing available in the United States is occupied by renters. In some of the larger cities, more than 50 percent of the total population lives in such accommodations. And herein lies our challenge: how to “bear thorough witness” to more than 57 million people that live in renter-occupied dwellings.

Positive Attitude Needed

³ If we were to shy away from witnessing in apartment buildings, many may not be worked at all. In others, the coverage may not be thorough or effective. While admittedly this form of witnessing is not always easy, the main obstacle that often has to be overcome is a psychological one.

⁴ Keep in mind that apartment dwellers are usually just average working people who are like us in various respects. In many cases, they are young couples starting off in marriage who cannot afford to buy their own home and so choose apartment living. Whatever the circumstances, apartment dwellers have the same spiritual and emotional needs that other people have. Publishers who have overcome their initial reluctance and have gained experience in working apartments have found productive territory. In fact, many capable ministers really enjoy working apartment territory because of the positive results they get.

Why the Challenge?

⁵ Why is it becoming more of a challenge to witness to apartment dwellers? Listen to the comment of one superintendent with seven years of experience: “Due to the increase in crime and violence, the big concern today with my tenants is security.”

⁶ Particularly, newer buildings not only are locked but have doormen and/​or closed-circuit television monitors for surveillance. This is especially true of condominium apartments, where each unit is owned by the resident. Some condominium residents may feel that our presence in their building raises questions about the security of their building.

⁷ To help us overcome any reluctance that we ourselves may have about apartment witnessing, we must remember that our motivations are noble. We do not seek to harm the people but, rather, to help them. Our visits are prompted by genuine and principled love for God and neighbor. We want to help apartment dwellers appreciate that fact and realize that they have nothing to fear from Jehovah’s Witnesses.​—2 Cor. 2:17; Eph. 6:15.

If You Are Asked to Leave

⁸ But what if we are asked to leave a building by the superintendent or security personnel? It is usually best to comply immediately. Whenever possible, we want to avoid confrontation, with resulting threats of legal action and appeals to police. If the opportunity presents itself, we can tactfully and kindly explain our presence to the inquirer. “Agree with his dilemma of keeping his tenants happy and show that you are sympathetic to his problem of maintaining proper security,” suggests one pioneer who has had much experience in apartment witnessing. In this way, permission to remain in the building may be granted. But if not, take your leave graciously.​—Col. 4:6.

⁹ Remember, do not look upon the superintendent, the doorman, or the security person as your enemy. They have a job to do, and in most cases they are not prejudiced against Jehovah’s Witnesses. “The doorman has instructions from the owners not to let anyone in,” explains a superintendent of a 62-unit apartment house. “The policy of some apartment houses is not to let strangers in unless they have been invited by one of the tenants.”

¹⁰ So we have to face the fact that there are some apartment building owners who have incorporated stipulations in their leases that allow them to determine who shall or who shall not call on their tenants. If the tenants are willing to let their landlords make such important decisions for them, then they place themselves under “community responsibility,” and we will not insist on making calls on them. This does not mean, however, that we stop trying to give a thorough witness in such cases. How can we meet this challenge?

Know Your Territory

¹¹ As with all types of witnessing territory, it is a valuable aid to be familiar with the circumstances that exist in each building. Treat each apartment complex as a unique territory.

¹² Do you know what type of people inhabit a certain apartment building? Does it cater to senior citizens? Singles or couples? Family groups? Are there large numbers of people of a certain ethnic background? Do low-income families live there or is it a building with elaborate security systems that can be afforded only by the wealthy? Just as we must be flexible in our introductions from door to door, so we need to be adaptable when working various types of apartment dwellings.

Gaining Entrance

¹³ There is no substitute for a personal, face-to-face discussion with an individual. This should be our first priority. Depending on the type of apartment building, one or two publishers may be able to gain entry simply by waiting in the lobby until a resident leaves or enters. In such cases, they often will hold the door for you so you can enter the building. Of course, this situation does not usually occur in high-security buildings or condominiums, but it is often the way to gain admittance to some buildings.

¹⁴ Frequently a publisher can use the intercom until he finds someone who will agree to the publisher coming in to see him personally. Again, depending on the kind of building it is and the local laws, the publisher could then proceed to make other door-to-door calls after having gained admittance to the building. In some buildings it may be wise to leave the hallways after speaking to the one who let you in and return to the intercom to try the next call. This would take more time, but in certain buildings you may avoid problems if you proceed in this way.

¹⁵ Carefully selecting appropriate times to work apartment buildings is important. In an increasing number of apartment houses, both husband and wife work, so few people are found during weekdays. Some apartment dwellers sleep late on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Hence, early evenings are an excellent time to work such buildings, as are Saturday and Sunday afternoons. If publishers try to work these buildings during the mornings on weekends, they will often get people out of bed, with resulting complaints and confrontations.

¹⁶ Experience has shown that there is often better response in apartment buildings when a husband and wife work together or when a parent and child or two sisters work together. Much may depend on the local situation. Consider this when arranging to work in buildings where it has been difficult to get people to respond.

¹⁷ When entering an apartment building, do not loiter at the entrance. Do not hesitate. Rather, proceed purposefully to the elevator and to the floor that is to be worked. This tends to dispel the suspicions of those who may see you.

Appearance and Decorum Count

¹⁸ Are you neatly groomed and dressed in a manner befitting a minister of the good news? This is particularly essential in apartment buildings in order to eliminate unnecessary anxieties or questions. When witnessing to apartment dwellers, a pioneer made these observations about dress: “Surprisingly, if you are well dressed, people will listen to you. They will stop and give you an extra measure of attention.”

¹⁹ Publishers having big, bulky briefcases make themselves conspicuous. Commenting about what tenants may think when they see strangers toting large briefcases, a superintendent said: “They may have robbery tools in their bags.” Some publishers have found that it is better to have a less conspicuous case.

²⁰ On bad-weather days, be sure to clean your shoes before entering. Those who have to clean the floors will appreciate that and not feel they have good reason to deny us entry.

²¹ Remember that sounds will echo in apartment buildings. So please be quiet, using only the necessary amount of volume in order to be comfortably heard by the householder. Two publishers working together should keep their voices low, since they may be overheard by householders. When speaking to one another, do so in a calm, moderate voice. This will avoid arousing suspicion.

Calling at the Doors

²² How do you knock on a door? If a publisher knocks in an unnecessarily loud and authoritative manner, the dweller might be frightened. Depending on the type of building, some publishers have found it best not to do every door in succession down a corridor. Rather, a couple of calls can be done in one end of the hallway, then publishers can move to the other end, back and forth, until the floor is worked.

²³ Before answering the door, many people will look through the peephole to see who is knocking. If you detect this, what can you do? One sister experienced in apartment witnessing stated: “Look directly at the peephole and immediately say a warm greeting.” This lets the householder know that you know he is there. If the householder asks, “Who is it?” you can simply give your name and that of your companion. If this does not succeed in getting the householder to open the door, then identify yourself as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

²⁴ “I like to stand so that I am clearly visible to the householder peering through his peephole rather than standing off to the side, out of the householder’s sight line,” suggests another publisher. “I smile as though I am on camera. If I am working with my wife, I let her be in full view, as this often quiets the anxieties of the householder when an unexpected knock comes at his door.”

Avoid Confrontations

²⁵ If you meet an opposed householder who might be inclined to call the superintendent, it is best to leave that particular floor and return to it at another time. You may want to make note of the apartment number where the opposer lives and have this information put in the territory envelope so that in the future this can be worked last, just before leaving the building. In other cases, it would be best to leave the building entirely, in order to avoid a possible confrontation with the superintendent. If you can work along peacefully, without incident, you will have far better success.

²⁶ A frequent complaint of superintendents (and some tenants) is that literature is left outside the apartment doors. “In almost every instance,” a brother writes, “where our brothers and sisters have requested permission to work in the building, it was granted as long as they didn’t leave literature around. The reason is simply that it means more work for the superintendent to pick up the literature that ends up on the floor.” Hence, if you leave tracts or handbills in doors of not-at-home apartments, care should be taken to insert the material completely under the door​—entirely out of sight.

²⁷ In summary, many apartment buildings can be worked in the usual manner if we choose the right time and exercise discretion and tactfulness.

If Admittance Is Refused

²⁸ But suppose you are refused admittance to the building by the superintendent. What can be done? Ask for a mailing list of the tenants. Seek permission to leave literature at regular intervals in the lobby or laundry room or to post an announcement on their information board about our Bible study program, with information as to who can be contacted. In some apartment buildings, the use of closed-circuit television has been permitted for announcements of our congregation meetings and Bible study programs.

²⁹ The above suggestions do work. Note the observations of one circuit overseer: “About 80 to 85 percent of all security buildings that previously had barred our entrance granted some kind of concession when managers were contacted.”

³⁰ The following are additional suggestions on how to meet the challenge of witnessing in security buildings:

◻ USE OF INTERCOM

³¹ The intercom in the lobby can be used to make personal contact with individual apartment dwellers. Use a brief introduction that includes a request to speak personally with the resident. If he does not invite you to his apartment, ask if he could meet you in the lobby. Practice with other publishers beforehand not only what you will say but how and in what tone you will say it.

◻ STREET WITNESSING

³² Street work in front of or in the immediate vicinity of the apartment building is effective if residents of the building use public transportation to go to and from work. Arrange to do your street witnessing during morning and afternoon hours when people generally go to work and return home. Of course, if the majority of people in the apartment building use their cars to go to work, street work outside the building may have limited, if any, effect.

◻ TELEPHONE WITNESSING

³³ It may be possible to get names of residents from the directory in the lobby of an apartment building. Then the telephone directory can be consulted to determine their telephone numbers. Where this is not possible, there is usually a directory in the local library that lists the names of occupants of every home and apartment in the municipality. The names can be copied down and then telephone numbers determined from the telephone directory. Once names and telephone numbers are obtained, telephone territories may be organized under the direction of the service overseer.

³⁴ As in all forms of our witnessing activity, it is important to keep complete and accurate records. Before a telephone call is made, you already have the person’s name, address, and telephone number, so this can be recorded. Leave room for notations as to the householder’s interests and background, also the matters discussed during the first and subsequent calls.

³⁵ Make calls only during reasonable hours. Do not let the phone ring incessantly. Just a few rings would appear to be sufficient, since in most apartments the person is not that far away from the telephone.

³⁶ Since the person at the other end of the telephone cannot see us, we need to personalize our call as much as possible. How? First, introduce yourself by your first and last name, not simply by your first name. It adds more dignity to our message if we use our complete name. Second, use the householder’s name frequently during the conversation. Third, make sure you sound pleasant and cheerful, though always dignified. Fourth, speak slowly and articulate clearly, more so than you would normally. Fifth, be brief and mention the Bible early in the conversation, perhaps in the first few sentences. If they think you are a salesman, clear it up right away with something like, “We are not on any membership drive nor are we soliciting funds, but our motive is love for God and neighbor.”

³⁷ Since you cannot see the householder’s face to read a reaction, try to learn to detect voice reaction so as to know where to direct your discussion.

³⁸ When approaching the conclusion of the conversation, it is good to have in mind a question for the householder to think about or something to say which could lead to returning a call or a personal visit. Most people tend to shy away from committing themselves to having a stranger visit them, so a conclusion similar to this seems to work very well: “It has been so pleasant to speak with you. You have some interesting views of life, and your sincere interest in the Bible is commendable. We visit some of the neighbors in your building, and perhaps on occasion we can stop by to see if you are home and get to meet you personally.”

³⁹ Depending on their response, we may offer literature and ask when a convenient time would be to call by with it. Or we could wait until we meet them face to face.

⁴⁰ When interest is located, it is better to meet the householder personally after the first or second phone call, rather than making repeated phone calls. This is done by using the buzzer at their apartment building and saying that we would like to introduce ourselves and say hello. The fewer words spoken on the intercom, the better.

⁴¹ Telephone witnessing can bring good results as this experience shows:

A man living in a controlled-access building responded to a pioneer’s telephone call by saying: “This may sound funny, but I have just experienced some problems in my life and was wondering just before you phoned if there really is a God and if he cares at all about mankind.” An appointment was made to visit him, and there were good prospects for a Bible study.

Meet the Challenge Successfully

⁴² Our commission is to “bear thorough witness to the good news,” seeking to reach all sorts of persons with the Kingdom message. Good results are being obtained in many places, highlighting the fact that many righteously disposed persons live in apartment dwellings. By our not shying away from apartment witnessing or just skimming the surface, we are both bearing thorough witness and helping ourselves be ‘free from the blood of all men.’​—Acts 20:24, 26.

⁴³ Therefore, since apartment territory is increasing, will you face the challenge optimistically and make the necessary adjustments to meet the need? By doing so, you will not fail to discharge your God-given commission to preach the good news and make disciples of people in your territory, including apartment dwellers.

[Box on page 5]

Witnessing in Apartment Dwellings

● Knock gently but firmly

● Keep voice at moderate level

● Make friendly introduction, giving name

● Get to spiritual point quickly

● Make literature offer, but do not insist

● Pave way for another discussion

[Chart on page 6]

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . A WISE PUBLISHER WILL . . .