Stop Criticizing the Evangelist - Are Evangelistic Crusades Effective? - Part 9

Stop Criticizing the Evangelist

Why do so many leaders in the body of Christ criticize crusades? While mass-evangelism is not the only effective method for leading people to Jesus, it is one of the tools that God has given the body of Christ for evangelism and church growth. Crusades are a tool; but they’re not the only tool.  Evangelism is a gift, but it is not the only gift.  We need all the gifts in the body of Christ in order to grow a strong church. 

The church has been given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Each of the five-fold gifts have been given for a purpose. Each of the gifts represents a specialty. When my grandfather needed a surgery, he wanted a doctor who specialized in the type of surgery he required. He did not want a stomach specialist working on his heart. No one doctor can specialize in every area of medicine. In the same way, no one can specialize in all five-ministry gifts. I have met people who say  “I flow in all five ministry gifts,” but a close examination of their ministry reveals the absurdity of their claim. We need apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and we need evangelists.  Each of the gifts must work together because no one gift is able to meet all the needs of the body of Christ. 

Each of the five-fold ministry gifts has a different focus. Pastors protect the sheep, teachers train the sheep, but it is the job of the evangelist to catch the sheep. Pastors often criticize evangelists for not doing more to take care of the sheep after they are caught without realizing that the evangelist is not called to do that. In Acts 8, Philip the evangelist saw multitudes saved in Samaria. Later, Peter and John (the Apostles) came and taught about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There was a divine partnership between the different ministry gifts.

Often the same pastors who criticize the evangelist for not following up are the same ones who refuse to participate in the crusade. The pastors are given an opportunity to grow their churches, but instead of participating with excitement and diligence, and training their people how to win the lost and how to bring people to the church, the pastors will sit back and criticize and say, “This crusade is not going to be effective.”     

This criticism of crusade evangelism is wrong. It is counter-productive for one gifting in the body of Christ to criticize another gifting. A minister who uses one technique to reach out should not criticize other methods of evangelism. There are many gifts in the body and many different ways of doing things; each method has its proper place. 

For example, pastors who use the G-12 model for growing churches should not criticize churches like Willow Creek who use a seeker-sensitive model for reaching the lost.  Ministers who are excited about the gifts of the Holy Spirit should not criticize the Purpose Driven Churches of Rick Warren. I have met strong Christians who got saved in cell ministries, others who got saved in seeker-sensitive churches; and others who got saved in Charismatic churches. All three types of ministries produce Christians who love Jesus. God can use any technique or method to bring people to Himself.

As an evangelist, I do not speak negatively about the office of a pastor even though many pastors minister to the same people for fifty years without seeing substantial change. Some people in church struggle with the same additions, the same marital problems, and live the same mediocre lives for many years. Many sheep go to church every Sunday yet never advance in the Christian walk. In contrast, I have seen a sinner come to one crusade meeting and instantly catch on fire for God. There was overnight, instant change.

The office of the pastor should be celebrated and encouraged by evangelists. In the same way, the pastor should show respect to those who are called to be evangelists. The evangelist should honor the pastor but at the same time, pastors should honor evangelists for their unique contribution to the body of Christ.

Answering Criticisms of Mass Evangelism - Are Evangelistic Crusades Effective? - Part 8

1. Large evangelistic events have an unhealthy focus on numbers.

Sometimes evangelists are criticized for caring too much about numbers, but God loves numbers so much that there is a book in the Old Testament named Numbers. A quick look at this book reveals that God really does care about the number of people who serve Him.

Evangelists count people because people count. Some imply that one cannot measure the success of a ministry based on numbers, but it all depends on what numbers one is counting. If one is counting the number of people who heard the Gospel for the first time, the number of people saved, the number of people healed, and the number of believers inspired to do great things, then numbers are important. Each number represents a life changed for eternity.

2. Large evangelistic events cost too much money.

One of the criticisms of crusade evangelism is the massive cost associated with doing large crusades.  It is true that renting a sound system, doing advertising, and coordinating churches can cost thousands of dollars; but everything type of ministry costs money. Churches in North America might spend a million dollars on a youth facility that is used once a week.  They fill it with pool tables, video games, and couches in order to make it an environment hospitable to young people.  They spend millions on their buildings, but begrudge spending that same money on crusade evangelism. A youth facility may reach two hundred and fifty youth once a week.  A crusade might reach fifty thousand people in a single night. Both have their place; both produce fruit.

Often critics raise this money issue because of a limited pie mentality. It is pointed out that if the church had infinite resources, it would be fine to do crusades, but since the church has a limited amount of resources, it would be better to use the money in a way that might get a better ROI (Return On Investment). This ignores the fact that we serve a big God who does happen to have infinite resources. Jesus said that one soul is more valuable than the whole world (Mark 8:36), so if just “one soul is saved, all the expense and effort would be worth it.” But, in reality, the cost per soul saved in our crusades is much less than that of most church outreaches.

3. Large evangelistic events do a poor job of following up on new believers.

         I will address this big issue in a future post. 

4. Large evangelistic events are not as effective as one-on-one evangelism.

What is the best way to catch fish? Should you use a fishing line, or fishing net? The answer depends on whether you are fishing for tuna or for trout. Different fishing methods are effective at catching different types of fish. Some souls can be caught one-on-one, and some can be caught through mass evangelism. In Acts 8, Philip the evangelist used mass evangelism to save people in Samaria, and he used one-on-one evangelism to lead the Ethiopian eunuch to Jesus.

5. The day of large evangelistic events are over.

Missionary Statesman David Shibley writes, “There is a story of two liberal clergyman who attended a Billy Graham meeting years ago in a packed-out stadium. One of them said to his friend, "Why doesn't somebody tell this guy Graham that the day of mass evangelism is over?" His friend waved his arm across the sea of humanity and said, "Why doesn't somebody tell all these people?”

6. Only a small percentage of people saved at a large evangelistic event remain saved.

The low percentage of people at a crusade who get plugged into a local church is the most common criticism of mass evangelism. So, Biblically speaking, what would be considered a good success rate for a crusade? Let’s look at the Parable of the Sower.

In the parable, Jesus compares four different types of soil. When a farmer goes out to sow, some seed falls on hard ground, some on stony ground, some falls among thorns and some falls on good ground. The seed that falls on good ground produces thirty, sixty, and one hundred fold.

So, according to Jesus, 75% of the evangelist’s seed will fail because it is thrown on bad soil. Of the remaining 25% that is thrown on good soil, some of it will only produce a 30% return, some will produce a 60% return, and some will produce a 100% return. This means that the best-case scenario in the Parable of the Sower is a 25% return on the seed the farmer sows. The worst-case scenario is a measly 8.75% return. (Thirty-fold return on the seed thrown on good soil).

What does the Parable of the Sower tell us about mass evangelism? Sure, some seed is chocked, baked, or stolen away, but that is no reason to stop throwing seed. The evangelist is called to be a farmer. Sometimes he sees big harvest and other times all his seed is snatched away by the devil. However, it is said, “Do not judge today by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you sow.”

Jesus preached to multitudes of people. At one time, he preached to 5,000 plus woman and children, perhaps a crowd of 15,000. Yet, only a meager one hundred and twenty disciples gathered together in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. A snapshot of the church on the day before Pentecost gives Jesus a tiny success rate of only 0.08%.[1] Of course, after Pentecost the church quickly grew and now over two billion people claim to be followers of Christ. Even crusades that initially have low success rates can still produce long-term fruit.

Besides, what percentage of one-on-one witnessing is effective? How many people does one have to talk to in a coffee shop before one finds someone who is willing to get saved? Sure, lots of people will talk about religion, and some might express an interest in God, but if one talks to one hundred people in a coffee shop, finding two or three who would show up at a scheduled time for another conversation might be considered good results.

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[1] 120 x 100 /15,000 = 0.08%

Ten Benefits of Large Evangelistic Events - Are Evangelistic Crusades Effective? - Part 7

1. Large evangelistic events create unity in the community. 

Right before Jesus was crucified, he prayed, “that [his disciples] all may be one…that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21). Often, a large evangelistic event draws churches and denominations together. Churches that rarely speak to one another find themselves working side-by-side to bring people to Jesus. This can create a remarkable synergy in the body of Christ. The relationships that are formed during a crusade often last long after the crusade is finished and greatly benefit the kingdom of God.

 

2. Large evangelistic events take advantage of the miracle of marketing.

The evangelist is God’s marketing department. To understand the importance of marketing, let’s take a look at a secular brand. Coca-Cola has done a magnificent job of advertising their brand. In every Central American country, the walls are plastered with signs urging the thirsty to drink Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola company spends tens of thousands of dollars on advertising every day.  They spend over two million dollars for a thirty second advertisement during the Super Bowl. In a dirt floor store in the middle of Africa, hours from a paved road, I saw a tin sign with their logo. 

The Coca-Cola company does not expect the consumer to buy a coke every time he sees a coke sign. They aim for a general awareness so that when someone gets thirsty, the first thought that pops into the mind is coke.

Advertising executives teach that it takes seven positive contacts with a product before someone uses it. For example, recently a new drink product hit the market. It was advertised on television, radio, in the mail, and at the store. Because of all the advertising, many people tried the product for the first time and found that they liked it. All of the advertising convinced people to give the drink a try. This is why advertisers are willing to put millions of dollars into advertisements before they make a single sale. According to Rick Warren,  “Evangelism is usually a process of repeated exposure to the Good News.” Often, it takes more than one encounter with a Christian before someone is willing to dedicate his or her life to Christ.

One of the benefits of a crusade is the massive marketing campaign for Jesus. Even if a person does not get saved during the crusade, the marketing creates the awareness of Christ being the answer to life’s problems. When someone gets in trouble they will think of Jesus.

Jesus deserves to be advertised as heavily as Coca-Cola at least once in the lifetime of a city. During our crusades, we plaster the walls with posters proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  For three weeks, Jesus is more prominent in the city than Coca-Cola.  For at least a short time, Jesus is lifted up higher than all the secular advertising.

Critics of crusade evangelism might point out that Billy Graham (who probably has the best follow up machine in history) only has an 8-10% retention rate of new believers. Critics might say, “The evangelist spends so much money and then loses 90% of the fruit.” But in advertising, an 8-10% return would be phenomenal. The typical advertising campaign is considered to be a success with a 2-3% retention rate. If a direct mail campaign sends out 1,000 letters and gets thirty responses, it is considered a success.

The church has been looking at the role of an evangelist wrong. The job of the evangelist is to build the Christian brand, to make Jesus look good, to make it acceptable to be a Christian. This creates an atmosphere in a city that will make it easier for local churches to grow. Evangelists are God’s brand ambassadors.

By the way, it would be wrong to criticize the use of marketing to grow the church. God believes in marketing so much that He sent ten thousand angels to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13). Jesus believed in marketing so much that he sent out 70 disciples as crusade directors to prepare villages for his arrival (Luke 10:1). When they preached, “The kingdom is at hand,” they were talking about Jesus.

3. Large evangelistic events bring credibility to the church.

Often the church is ignored by media and marginalized by society. However, during a large evangelistic event, the church is hard to ignore. Politicians see the large crowds and want to participate because of the potential for gaining new voters. Business owners see the value of catering to the needs of the Christian community. The media is willing to cover the story because it is impacting the entire community. Large evangelistic events make the church a force to be reckoned with.

4. Large evangelistic events change lives for eternity.

           The number of salvations has been grossly overestimated by some evangelists and grossly underestimated by opponents. The reality is that many people do get saved at large evangelistic events. If ten percent of a crowd of fifty thousand people give their lives to Jesus this represents five thousand new believers. Many churches do not pray with five thousand people for salvation in twenty years. You can not reach everyone through crusades, but you can reach some.

5. Large evangelistic events allow God to show off.

            In Acts 8, when Philip the evangelist preached in Samaria, there were multitudes and there were miracles. At a large evangelistic event, there is often an atmosphere for miracles. These miracles draw people to Jesus.  The public testimony of people who have received miracles creates an atmosphere of faith in an entire city.

6. Large evangelistic events revitalize the church.

            The preparation phase for a large evangelistic event requires lots of volunteers. The process of mobilizing, training, and empowering these volunteers creates energy and excitement in local churches. After the event is over, the volunteers return to their churches with new skills and fresh excitement about what God is doing. In our events, we train each councilor to personally lead a person to Jesus. The councilor will continue to use this training in one-on-one encounters long after the crusade is over.

7. Large evangelistic events give individuals the tools to witness.

Doing a large evangelistic event often involves the printing of large numbers of flyers, invitations, tracts, and discipleship material. As these tools are placed in the hands of local believers, it gives them the ability and motivation to witness. The exciting nature of the event also provides a good excuse for believers to invite their unsaved friends to attend. Ideally a large evangelistic event involves personal evangelism on a mass scale.

8. Large evangelistic events can reach people that the church has difficulty reaching.

The challenge with relying on church members to get people saved is that many churches are ingrown. Few believers know many non-Christians. The church family throws potluck suppers for one another, worships together, and often goes shopping at the stores of other believers. Ask the typical Christian how many unbelieving friends they have and the answer is typically “not many.”

Crusades are accompanied by such a massive publicity campaign that thousands of unbelievers will come who have never met a Christian in their lives. These people are impossible to reach through “friendship evangelism” because no Christian is likely to become their friend. Every person deserves to hear the Gospel at least once in their lifetime. If the local church members cannot reach them, perhaps a crusade will.  Ignoring the potential of mass evangelism is like saying to thousands of people  “You all can go to hell.”

9. Large evangelistic events are good for plowing new ground.

Some crusades serve the purpose of  “pre-evangelism.” Even if there are few salvations, a crusade plows the ground for future evangelistic efforts. It introduces people to Christianity and raises awareness of who Jesus is. Later, the efforts of the local churches bring in the harvest. This is especially true in nations where there is a majority of people from other religions.

10. Large evangelistic events expand the vision of local churches.

         I grew up as a missionary in Juarez, Mexico. My family worked with small churches in the poorest barrios of “the murder capital of the world.” Many of these churches only had a dozen people attending. We visited these small churches and did evangelistic services for the children in the neighborhood. Often five hundred or a thousand kids would show up along with their parents. The churches had never seen so many people before. The buildings were so small that we had to do the services in the street in front of the church. Many of these churches quickly grew from a dozen people to over three hundred people. The reason they grew was because the pastor caught a vision for what was possible in his neighborhood.

Are Evangelistic Crusades Effective? - Part 6

Individual Testimonies to the Success of Evangelistic Events

There are many testimonies of people that were saved because of a crusade. For example, Jesse Duplantis recently shared that he was sitting on the toilet in a hotel room watching a Billy Graham crusade on television when he decided to give his heart to Jesus.  Now he says he gets excited every time he goes to the bathroom, because he’s reminded of the day he became a Christian.  He may never have become a Christian if Billy Graham would not have held that crusade and aired it on television.

My friend Brian Chu was saved at a crusade.[1] Twenty-three years ago a Messianic Jew, who Brian met at the gym, invited Brian to a Billy Graham crusade in Central Park. Brian became a Christian that day. The decision changed the course of his life forever. He says the decision “impacted my life profoundly, and it is influencing the generations to come through our 3 daughters.” Additionally, the effect is alive in the developing nations he visits. It is heard every time Brian speaks to pastors, leaders, bible school students and believers. It is seen in every healing and salvation. And, it is felt through every life that is transformed through his ministry.

Philip Goudeaux was a member of the Black Panthers. One of his friends witnessed to him about Lord and one week later, the friend invited him to travel with him to a large festival in Dallas, TX. The festival was a gathering of Jesus People and it was featured on the front cover of Life Magazine[2]. Billy Graham was preaching at the Festival and Goudeaux committed his life to Christ. Today, Philip Goudeaux pastors a mega-church in Sacramento, CA.

Testimony from Jim Burkett, http://www.apologeticsonfire.org/

IN the Fall of 1961, I was preparing to watch my favorite Saturday TV show, Gunsmoke. Matt Dillon was my hero with Miss Kitty, Doc, and Chester. This is the day of just four TV channels (CBS, NBC, ABC, & PBS). But my mother did something quite disturbing to me. She changed the channel from Gunsmoke to a TV evangelist named Billy Graham. I inwardly thought, "He probably can't shoot straight or draw fast like Marshall Dillon." But since my mother was bigger than I was at the time, I spend the next hour watching the Billy Graham TV crusade. Although I had been to church with relatives and friends, the Gospel just didn't connect with me. I had the mind that I would investigate things about God when I was really old - like 21 or 22. My ambition at that time was to attend Will Rogers High, become a football hero, have ten girls on each arm as I walked down the hallway of Rogers and the rest of the ladies lined up singing "How Great Thou Art!" (Amazing what teenage guys dream). But that night Billy Graham explained the identity of who Jesus Christ was and is, he defined the Gospel in a way that I definitely understood. When Dr. Graham finished his message, he looked into the camera and said, "You might be in a hotel, in a bar, or in your home, but if you would like to receive eternal life and invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, bow your head and pray this prayer after me." I did not know at the time that my attentiveness was result of the Holy Spirit speaking to me. Graham's prayer went something like this with a pause between each sentence: "Lord Jesus, I receive now as my personal Lord and Savior...pause...Forgive me of my sin...pause...take full charge of my life...pause...make me the kind of person you want me to be...pause...thank you for hearing my prayer...pause...and coming into heart...pause...and giving me eternal life...Amen." I did not hear any angels singing or have a "thrill of the fill", but I knew that something had happened inside of me. That day I became a Christian. 

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[1] http://nowhope.org

[2] Life Magazine, June 30, 1972