Almost every former Mormon says it took time—usually years—to forsake Mormonism’s emphasis on their own works and to trust solely in Jesus’ work. This isn’t just the case with Mormons either. It often takes time for people to be brought to faith. That is why the Bible frequently describes witnessing as a process with the picture of seeds being sown, growing, and eventually blossoming into a plant.

This process is often exacerbated with Mormons because Mormonism has so complicated the issues. Mormonism’s different definitions of crucial biblical words and different interpretations of key biblical passages are a heavy layer of fog obscuring biblical truth. It takes time and effort to penetrate and dissipate this fog.

That it usually takes time for a Mormon to come to faith needs to be emphasized because many Christians look for a quick fix. That, however, rarely works.

You need to be patient. One positive aspect of having a relationship with your friend or family member is that you will have numerous opportunities to talk with them – unlike talking with a stranger with whom you only have one chance. This means you don’t have to and shouldn’t try to cover everything in one sitting. Going in-depth on one subject at a time is much better than broadly talking about numerous ones.

This also means you will need to expend significant time and effort. But what you spend it on is so important. Many Christians throw themselves into researching what is wrong with Mormonism. They think that if they can only show their Mormon friend or family member the errors of Mormonism, they will quickly leave Mormonism.

That rarely happens. Most dig their heels in even deeper and become increasingly angry. After all, you are attacking something they hold dear.

Instead of spending time researching Mormonism, research Jesus and become more of an expert on him. See all the ways he kept the commandments for us. Appreciate everything he suffered for us. See how he is love personified.

Also, take time planning your witness. We will provide you with a wide assortment of resources and ideas. They are divided into four main categories:

• Preparing for Witnessing
• Understand Your Audience
• Starting the Conversation
• Tell Them of Christ

These four points are summarized in our Witnessing Conversation Guide. You can find a copy on pages 5–6 of the Friends & Family Course Workbook.

This guide is one example of the numerous summaries or cheat sheets we provide. As you work through the material, you will be alerted to others. We also encourage you to make your own notes as you read the material. Organizing these summaries and your notes in a binder or folder on your computer or device will be helpful.

You might be surprised at how much time and effort we urge you to devote to planning your witness. But planning is so vital. This holds true in most activities. Often the difference between winning and losing in sports comes down to how well-prepared the team is. Financial security often results from good budgeting. Vacations are usually enhanced with good planning. So also with witnessing. The better prepared you are, the more unnecessary obstacles you will avoid, the more opportunities you will seize, and the more on-point your witnessing will be. We can’t encourage you too strongly to spend time and effort in planning.

How much planning you do obviously depends on what kind of relationship you have with the person. Witnessing to a spouse, for example, will be much different from witnessing to a friend who you see only occasionally. You will have to pick and choose what best applies to your situation. Having said that, however, usually more planning is better than less. Having only occasional opportunities to be with a friend means each conversation is quite important. Therefore, the more thought and planning you give, the more productive it will be.

The bottom line is that any and all preparation is well worth it. The more you can get into spiritual conversations, the more opportunities the Holy Spirit has to work. And that is what witnessing is all about. It’s giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work through the powerful Word of God.