You have now worked through seven articles covering the theology, history, and epistemology of Mormonism. You understand the doctrine of eternal progression and why the LDS God is not the God of the Bible. You can explain why the LDS Jesus is a different Savior from the Jesus of the New Testament. You are familiar with the archaeological problems with the Book of Mormon, the First Vision contradictions, the failed prophecies, and the Book of Abraham failure. You have a well-stocked apologetic toolbox.
Now forget all of it for a moment.
Sharing the gospel with a Latter-day Saint is not primarily a debate exercise. It is a spiritual encounter between a human being made in God's image — who is sincerely trying to follow what they believe to be true — and another human being who has received the grace of knowing the real Jesus and wants to share it. Everything in your toolbox serves that encounter. None of it replaces it.
This final article is about how to actually have the conversations — the posture, the sequence, the key questions, the things to avoid, and the most important truth to communicate when you finally get to the heart of it all.
Know the Person Before You Know the Arguments
The single most important thing you can do before any apologetic conversation is to genuinely know and care about the person you are speaking with. Latter-day Saints can spot a rehearsed argument from a mile away — and more importantly, they can spot when someone is genuinely interested in them as a human being rather than as a debate target.
Ask about their family. Ask how long they have been LDS and what their faith means to them. Ask about their experience with God — the moments of real spiritual hunger or genuine encounter they have had. Listen to the answers. Most active Latter-day Saints have a genuine spiritual life, a real love for their family, and a sincere desire to do what is right. Honoring that — even while disagreeing with the theology — opens doors that arguments alone never will.
Do not open by attacking Joseph Smith. Do not lead with the Book of Abraham problem. Do not pull out a list of failed prophecies in the first conversation. These things matter and will have their place — but they land very differently when you have first established genuine relationship, genuine respect, and genuine concern for the person. Starting with the hammers makes the person defensive and entrenches them more deeply in their position.
Key Conversation Sequences
Here are four proven conversation sequences organized by where most LDS conversations naturally begin. You don't need all four — read the room and follow the thread that opens most naturally.
Start with the Nature of God
Ask: "When you say 'God,' what do you picture? What is He like?" Let them answer. Then gently ask: "Has He always been God? Was there a time before He was God?" When they explain eternal progression, you have a natural opening: "That's really interesting — can I show you a few passages from the Old Testament that I find really striking on this topic?" Then walk through Isaiah 43:10, 44:6, and 46:9. Let the texts do the work.
Ask About Assurance
This one is simple, pastoral, and often catches Latter-day Saints off guard: "Do you know — right now, with confidence — that you are saved? That you're right with God?" Most will hedge, qualify, or express hope without certainty. That opening is everything. Follow with: "Romans 8:1 says there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Not 'there will be no condemnation if you finish the race well' — but there is no condemnation right now. What would it mean to you if that were true for you today?"
The Most Important Comparison
Say: "I know we both love Jesus — I want to make sure I understand who you mean when you say that name. Could we look at Colossians 1 together? I find it one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament about who He is." Read verses 15–17 together, paying careful attention to "firstborn of all creation" and "all things were created through him." Ask: "If Jesus created all things — including all spiritual beings — is there any created being that could be His brother or sister?"
The Prophet Test
This sequence works best after a few conversations have built some trust. Ask: "Can I ask you something honest? The church teaches that Joseph Smith was a prophet in the same sense as Moses or Isaiah. Deuteronomy 18:22 says we can test prophets by whether their predictions come true. Would you be open to looking at D&C 84 together — the prophecy about the Missouri temple — and thinking through it honestly?" Don't argue. Read it together. Ask what they think. Plant the question and let it sit.
The One Thing That Cannot Be Left Out
Apologetics clears brush. It removes the intellectual obstacles that keep people from considering the gospel. But the gospel itself — the actual good news — must be clearly spoken. Do not let a conversation with a Latter-day Saint end without saying something like this:
"Here's what I believe with everything I am: Jesus Christ — the eternal Son of God, who has always been God, who took on flesh, lived perfectly, died on the cross for every sin I have ever committed or will ever commit, and rose from the dead — is not asking you to earn your way to Him. He is asking you to trust Him. Not trust plus temple attendance. Not trust plus tithing. Just trust. And the moment you do, the Bible says you have peace with God. Right now. No condemnation. No uncertainty. Not because of anything you did — but because of everything He did."
That is the gospel. Say it clearly. Say it warmly. Say it like it is the best news you have ever heard — because it is.
The Long Game: Planting and Watering
Former Latter-day Saints who came to faith in Christ almost universally describe a process — not a single moment of argument. Something cracked. A question refused to go away. A seed planted in one conversation germinated years later. A verse read casually stayed in the mind. The Holy Spirit is patient and thorough in ways we cannot see or measure.
Your job is not to close a sale in one conversation. Your job is to plant a seed of honest inquiry, water it with prayer and genuine love, and trust God with the growth. Leave every conversation with the relationship intact, the door open, and one honest question lodged in their mind. That is faithfulness.
If you could ask a Latter-day Saint only one question — the question most likely to plant a seed that the Holy Spirit could water — it is this: "Have you ever asked God — with a completely open heart, no predetermined answer — to show you the truth about Jesus, even if it means some of what you've been taught is wrong? Not to confirm Mormonism, not to confirm what I believe, but just: God, show me the truth about Your Son?" This is a prayer challenge. It is hard to argue with. And it invites the Holy Spirit directly into the conversation.
What Leaving the LDS Church Costs
Never underestimate this. For most active Latter-day Saints, leaving the church means losing their social world, their family relationships, their sense of identity, their community, and in some cases their marriage. The cost is enormous. This is not an excuse for remaining in theological error, but it is essential pastoral context. When you sense that a Latter-day Saint is genuinely wrestling with the truth claims you have raised, do not press for an immediate decision. Pray with them. Offer to walk with them. Make clear that the community of genuine believers in Jesus Christ is wide, warm, and full of people who were once lost and are now found.
The gospel is not just true. It is also worth the cost. Help them see that the God you are pointing them to is not a theoretical theological improvement — He is the living, personal, pursuing, infinitely loving Father who has been waiting for them all along, who knew them before the foundation of the world (not as a spirit child of a heavenly parent, but as a creature loved by his Creator), and who gave everything to bring them home.