A pastor whose area of expertise is in welcoming and assimilating new people into a Church community was teaching his approach. He said that one thing he does and encourages others to do is to walk up to people you do not know. Then say, “Hey, I don’t know you yet. And you deserve to be known.”

Finally, he says, “My name is Tommy. Now tell me about yourself.” And the conversation always takes off from there.

One of the quickest ways to connect with people in a meaningful conversation is to express that you want to know them. It is a powerful witness for Jesus when we encourage people to reveal themselves, because all of us deserve to be known.