Does mass evangelism really work?

[jesusfreak4lifenow]

I believe mass evangelism is fine. Jesus says we can use worldly things for heavenly rewards.

and I disagree that Jesus was totally unorganized and always spontaneous. He was able to use already organized meetings and holidays in order to preach the Truth. There were masses gathering for Passovers and regular Sabbath meetings, those were established practices that He utilized. We should remember the culture He lived in didn't even have a printing press.

We can use lots of tools to promote Him, He says the people of this world are sometimes wiser than God's people (the ones who believe they should do nothing but pray I guess). winning souls with variety of tools and ways is a good thing in my bible understanding.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Me personally, I like what one great man of God said:

"I would rather go after a nation and get 10%, than go after a city and get everyone."

 

[JimB]

Me personally, I like what one great man of God said:

"I would rather go after a nation and get 10%, than go after a city and get everyone."

This sort of reasoning is disturbing, and should be. People who walk the aisle at a crusade (most of whom, it appears—from the stats in the OP—are often emotionally persuaded to come to the altar by some sad evangelistic story or an emotionally touching invitational hymn) but who, like the seed that does not take root in Jesus’ parable, are often hindered and hardened from any future time when God, and not human manipulation, may call them to salvation.

The disappointment that arises in a person whose life is not changed, as they had hoped and were led to believe, because they responded emotionally and not by faith, often turns to cynicism, bitterness and hardness of heart toward any further attempts to encourage them to come to Christ. And don’t tell me it doesn’t happen—I can personally take you to several people like this, in our own city, including my own father, who are hardened toward the truth because of some past misguided mass appeal to “get them to walk the aisle.” Group-think and doing what is expected of you by others is not faith.

The last week-long city-wide crusade we had in our city was more than a decade ago with Southern Baptist evangelist Jay Strack and team filled our 8,000-seat sports coliseum every night. Hundreds tearfully lifted their hands after he told emotional stories about people who had failed to receive Christ at one of his crusades and died in a fatal automobile crash (or something) on the way home from the meeting and who, today, are burning in an everlasting fiery hell because they did not do what Strack had told them to do. “Now, while the choir sings ‘Just As I Am’ for the thirtieth time, do I see a hand out there? Yes, God bless you. Do I see another one? Yes, yes, and other …” We chalked up nearly 700 “decisions for Christ” but, even after an organized follow-up, not a single soul could be found who had joined the membership of any congregation in our city. I know this for a fact—I was a member of the crusade team, follow-up effort and ministerial alliance. Most of these decisions, we found, were people who were actually already Christians and church members but who were suddenly conscience-stricken by something that the evangelist said and made to feel unsure about their true status in Christ—Accepted in the Beloved. We called these decisions “salvations” but they were really just Christians getting things sorted out which is something that would have happened anyhow.

For all of the motion (time, energy, hope, ballyhoo and money) absolutely no real progress was made for the Kingdom that we could tell. It was fun and made us feel productive, like we were really accomplishing something, but when the smoke and mirrors were gone and the crusade left town, we were just left standing in a haze. The bad we did outweighed the reported “good” because we further confused already confused people and made them cynical toward future, more sincere attempts to reach them for Christ. They were the collateral damage of yet another crusade to “win the world for Jesus” en masse, that was more smoke than fire, more motion than progress, treading water, and it made us feel better about ourselves because at least we were “doing something” for Christ. We were on a “crusade”. We accomplished zip, but we could pat ourselves on the back for “at least trying something,” as counterproductive as it may be. In fact, what we may have done is help drown many of the ones we had convinced ourselves we were trying to save and while we pulled a couple to shore, we pushed 50 beneath the waves.

Mass evangelism is like setting the forest on fire to burn a brushpile. The cure is usually worse than the disease.

This will be the legacy of a century of mass evangelism, IMO.

There is a better way, you know. The NT way.

~Jim

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find​

that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived​

the width of it as well.​

 

[Always in His Presence]

This sort of reasoning is disturbing, and should be.

You are certainly free to have your opinion.

I'm not 100% sure that God is NOT pleased with someone who spends his life following God's call and sharing his faith with millions, getting 5% to become committed to a relationship with Jesus any less than someone who spends their life following God's call and sharing his faith with 10, getting 90% to become committed to a relationship with Jesus.

Also....

I thought the follow up from these crusades - at least Billy Graham's was up to the local churches. I know we had to sign an agreement with his crusade team. Why are you not pointing to them?

Is the evangelist that comes into a place and touches thousands of people responsible for following up with everyone of them, or is it the responsibility of the local churches to do as agreed and go after these people?

 

[dawnsday]

I stand by them being a waste of money, because yes people may come to God, and every soul counts, but so will people come to God if we use charity and giving to show His love, and it can almost be guarenteed that no one will be put off by it and in the meantime we are doing something productive and good for the world.

 

[JimB]

You are certainly free to have your opinion.

I'm not 100% sure that God is NOT pleased with someone who spends his life following God's call and sharing his faith with millions, getting 5% to become committed to a relationship with Jesus any less than someone who spends their life following God's call and sharing his faith with 10, getting 90% to become committed to a relationship with Jesus.

Also....

I thought the follow up from these crusades - at least Billy Graham's was up to the local churches. I know we had to sign an agreement with his crusade team. Why are you not pointing to them?

Is the evangelist that comes into a place and touches thousands of people responsible for following up with everyone of them, or is it the responsibility of the local churches to do as agreed and go after these people?

As is often the case , while I respect your views, I disagree with your premise. It’s not about the evangelist, Balance, it’s about advancing the Kingdom of God, using the most effective means to witness Christ to the world.
​

If an evangelist spends his life in mass evangelism winning 5% to Christ while further alienating 95% of disillusioned hopeful but unfulfilled “converts” from the Gospel, what is he really accomplished? He may be able to display a long list of 10,000 “decisions for Christ” in front of us and only discover, when the truth is really rolled out, that it was truthfully more like 100 or 1,000 but in the process many thousands more were disillusioned.

How has that furthered the Kingdom? Our ministry is about reconciliation and inclusion into the Kingdom, not further alienation or discouragement.
​

No, I am not saying it is the responsibility of the evangelist to “follow-up.” And, in the cases I was personally involved in, follow-up was done pretty well (as far as we could determine). Still, the results of “converts” verifiably assimilated into churches were disappointing. The assessment from the local team was that the Strack Crusade had really not been worth it even though 700 “decisions for Christ” had been recorded. Where those “decisions” are now is anyone’s guess.

A couple of years ago a transdenominational group of men in our community called the Band of Brothers brought in Casting Crowns for a concert. Their concert had the routine appeal and invitation and they had a follow-up organizer with the concert team. B.O.B. implemented the follow-up, sending the names and addresses of those making “decisions” to local pastors and churches. The concert filled our coliseum and 100+ responded to the “invitation.” A list of their names and addresses and church preferences was mailed to pastors. From all accounts, this effort was also futile. Most, if not all, of the “converts” were already Christians—I mean, how many sinners actually go to a Christian concert or crusade?—who simply responded to an emotional appeal and were touched by the concert.
​

~Jim

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find

that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived

the width of it as well.​

​

 

[geetrue]

Jack Hayford said, "Harvest Crusade is coming to town"

Then he said, "That's nice"

Jack Hayford said, "Benny Hinn's Crusade is coming to town"

Then he said, "That's nice"

Jack Hayford said, "They're going to have a parade of Christians, everyone is going
to join hands and walk down the street together"

Then he said, "That's nice"

Then Jack said, "But what we really should be doing is saving cities for Jesus"

This conversation took place on his weekly television show a few years back.

This spoke to me for mass evangelism, before during or after the next coming big revival.

I agree, but how to do this is the problem.

That's where the Holy Spirit comes in handy.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.​

Dr. Jack Hayford is the Senior Pastor of one of America's best known congregations,
The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California.
He is the author of more than two dozen books and has composed over 400 Gospel songs,
perhaps the best known of which is his song, "Majesty."

 

[Always in His Presence]

If an evangelist spends his life in mass evangelism winning 5% to Christ while further alienating 95% of disillusioned hopeful but unfulfilled “converts” from the Gospel, what is he really accomplished?

So, everybody who you minister to is either

1) a converted believer

or

2) a disillusioned hopeful?

How very sad to have such a narrow view.

What about the seed he has sown?

What about one sowing another watering another reaping?

What has he accomplished?

1. People who have made decisions for Christ.
2. Good seed sown onto all types of ground
3. Following the plan of God for his life
4. Being obedient to what he believes God has called him to do.
5. Giving local churches the opportunity to sow into other peoples lives

That's just off the top of my head.

The glass isn't always half empty my friend - there is good to be found - even in ministers.

 

[JimB]

So, everybody who you minister to is either

1) a converted believer

or

2) a disillusioned hopeful?

How very sad to have such a narrow view.

*****

I am not sure whether you intentionally misrepresent what I say or you just have a problem with plain English but this is showing me that we are headed for another roadblock by dealing with manufactured statements and not what is said.

This is very frustrating, Balance.

~Jim

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find​

that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived​

the width of it as well.​

 

[Always in His Presence]

How has that furthered the Kingdom? Our ministry is about reconciliation and inclusion into the Kingdom, not further alienation or discouragement.
​

OK , let me try from a different angle.

In answer to your questions above:

He/she has furthered the Kingdom by:

1. People who have made decisions for Christ.
2. Good seed sown onto all types of ground
3. Following the plan of God for his life
4. Being obedient to what he believes God has called him to do.
5. Giving local churches the opportunity to sow into other peoples lives.

Staying in context here - do you see any difference from someone who an individual witnesses to - who walks away to become as you put it "a disillusioned hopeful" and a person who attends an Evangelist doing the same?

See, I don't think, beyond numerically there's a difference in results. Does your congregation or you personally get everybody whom you share the Gospel with saved the very first time?

If you do, I'd be sure interested in finding out what you are doing. Because, though I am at it on a consistent basis, to be very honest I probably get one in 10 at best who accept Christ the very first time I minister to them one on one.

***edit*** I would not use "inclusion", but entrance into the kingdom. To close for me to Carlton Pearson heretical gospel of inclusion for my POV.

 

[probinson]

There have been a lot of statistics and percentages given in this thread, so let me add one more.

Did you know that 99.9% of all statistics are not reliable, and are made up on the spot?

Source: The department for statistics pulled out of mid-air

 

[Always in His Presence]

I am not sure whether you intentionally misrepresent what I say or you just have a problem with plain English but this is showing me that we are headed for another roadblock by dealing with manufactured statements and not what is said.

This is very frustrating, Balance.

What I find frustrating is your apparent inability to understand that I am not misrepresenting anything you've written. My restating it from another POV does not equate to my having a problem with plain English, however your person digs and accusations because of the different POV is indicative, IMHO, of the bias you thrive in.

You seem at times to have a real issue with opposing points of view, or possibly the inability to see the other side of an equation.

I now sit and wait for the "you are making this personal" accusation once again. Please note the bolded. I responded personally to a statement that was personal in nature.

 

[JimB]

OK , let me try from a different angle.

In answer to your questions above:

He/she has furthered the Kingdom by:

1. People who have made decisions for Christ.
2. Good seed sown onto all types of ground
3. Following the plan of God for his life
4. Being obedient to what he believes God has called him to do.
5. Giving local churches the opportunity to sow into other peoples lives.

Staying in context here - do you see any difference from someone who an individual witnesses to - who walks away to become as you put it "a disillusioned hopeful" and a person who attends an Evangelist doing the same?

See, I don't think, beyond numerically there's a difference in results. Does your congregation or you personally get everybody whom you share the Gospel with saved the very first time?

If you do, I'd be sure interested in finding out what you are doing. Because, though I am at it on a consistent basis, to be very honest I probably get one in 10 at best who accept Christ the very first time I minister to them one on one.

***edit*** I would not use "inclusion", but entrance into the kingdom. To close for me to Carlton Pearson heretical gospel of inclusion for my POV.

Actually, I am not sure modern itinerate “evangelists” in any way resemble the evangelists of the NT which seem to be given to local congregations, not the church in general. So, I cannot answer your question as offered except to say that if we would just start doing things by the Plan Book (the NT) instead of recreating it in our own cultural image we would do more overall good and less harm to the Kingdom.

As far as the way we do evangelism at “my” church: we no longer do it the traditional way (a stem-winding sermon with an emotional closing and a heads-bowed-eyes-closed-yes-I-see-that-hand appeal). We constantly train our people to be ready at all times to give anyone who asks them a reason for the hope that is in them although we always invite those needing reconciled to God to ask for prayer with one of our ministry teams after the benediction. What I am finding, after dropping the evangelistic appeal is that prebelievng people who attend our service are more likely to become a part of the fellowship and somewhere along their journey to God become believers. We are seeing scores of lives changed (i.e., saved) in this way. This low-key, reactive (rather than proactive) method of evangelism is the most effective I have found in 40 years of trial-and-error evangelism. We simply trust the Holy Spirit to do his job without our meddling. It works for us.

And I like the term inclusion, Carlton Pearson or not. He does not own the word.

~Jim

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find

that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived
the width of it as well.​

 

[Always in His Presence]

As far as the way we do evangelism at “my” church: we no longer do it the traditional way (a stem-winding sermon with an emotional closing and a heads-bowed-eyes-closed-yes-I-see-that-hand appeal). We constantly train our people to be ready at all times to give anyone who asks them a reason for the hope that is in them although we always invite those needing reconciled to God to ask for prayer with one of our ministry teams after the benediction. What I am finding, after dropping the evangelistic appeal is that prebelievng people who attend our service are more likely to become a part of the fellowship and somewhere along their journey to God become believers. We are seeing scores of lives changed (i.e., saved) in this way. This low-key, reactive (rather than proactive) method of evangelism is the most effective I have found in 40 years of trial-and-error evangelism. We simply trust the Holy Spirit to do his job without our meddling. It works for us.

And I like the term inclusion, Carlton Pearson or not. He does not own the word.

That is great to hear! And I thank God for it. Finding what "works for us" is the key to any successful ministry and depending on what area of the Globe you are in, who your audience is, "what works" changes.

With as many different types of people and personalities as their are, there has to be different approaches to the same mountain.

So the crusade gets 5%, the traditional style service gets 5%, your style gets what? 10%, home fellowship groups get their % and so on.

The goal is all the same. To the Glory of God. If we would spend more time sharing what DOES work, than running down what we don't agree with, I think we'd see more get saved.

 

[Tamara224]

What I find frustrating is your apparent inability to understand that I am not misrepresenting anything you've written. My restating it from another POV does not equate to my having a problem with plain English, ...

You seem at times to have a real issue with opposing points of view, or possibly the inability to see the other side of an equation.

Excellent. I am soooo using this argument next time someone says I'm misrepresenting WoF when I say they say people lack faith for not being healed, or if/when I say the prosperity doctrine = greed.

It's just another point of view. (Reminds me of Obi Wan Kenobi).

Thanks Balance.

 

[dawnsday]

As far as the way we do evangelism at “my” church: we no longer do it the traditional way (a stem-winding sermon with an emotional closing and a heads-bowed-eyes-closed-yes-I-see-that-hand appeal).

what's the deal with the "yes i see that hand" thing anyway? like, first, when i was ready to come to jesus, i didn't want anyone to see me, or recongnize me....i didn't want to be slammed with attention and second of all...
...who cares if that guy sees me? who is he anyway? he isn't gonna save me? what is that magic jesus water you got up there? nope, you're not who i'm interested in, though thanks for takin the time to get me thinking, kinda busy now...got to go off and pray to Jesus...no...Jesus...not you...

it's all a tad weird to me, and i tell you what, it does put off most rational/logic clinging athiests who may be opened to some insite, but that's just odd...i think...

 

[Always in His Presence]

Excellent. I am soooo using this argument next time someone says I'm misrepresenting WoF when I say they say people lack faith for not being healed, or if/when I say the prosperity doctrine = greed.

It's just another point of view. (Reminds me of Obi Wan Kenobi).

Thanks Balance.

You're very welcome - just remember to use it in response to a direct quote that the person you are speaking with - not some general thought you heard somewhere else.

 

[JeCrois]

Okay...I'm going to ask this again since no one answered my last post...

What exactly is the NT way of preaching, or spreading the Good News? If we have an understood definition maybe there wouldn't be disagreeing standpoints on this subject.

How were large gatherings handled back in the NT that is different than large evangelistic events today?

What motives are different between the people who spoke to the multitudes in the NT and today's evangelists?

Can anyone explain to me these things?

 

[dawnsday]

Okay...I'm going to ask this again since no one answered my last post...

What exactly is the NT way of preaching, or spreading the Good News? If we have an understood definition maybe there wouldn't be disagreeing standpoints on this subject.

?

I'm very much not the expert, but I'll say again, they fed the hungry, then taught them in ways they could relate to (parables).

it's also why I think it's good to use every day examples in place of parables, so that people can relate to them.

that's all I know, as of now...(oh, i'm a-looking, by golly, yes i am...)

 

[JeCrois]

I'm very much not the expert, but I'll say again, they fed the hungry, then taught them in ways they could relate to (parables).

it's also why I think it's good to use every day examples in place of parables, so that people can relate to them.

that's all I know, as of now...(oh, i'm a-looking, by golly, yes i am...)

But don't these things happen at evangelistic events today? Tons and tons of evangelists do this every day in other countries...and in our country.