Topic: The Evangelistic Aftermeeting

n this closing meeting we wish to discuss the question of drawing in the net and bringing to a decision the people who have come to our public evangelistic meetings to hear the message.

Various authors and leaders.

CHAIRMAN: In this closing meeting we wish to discuss the question of drawing in the net and bringing to a decision the people who have come to our public evangelistic meetings to hear the message. We have asked Elder Shuler to lead us into this. All may feel free to ask questions at any time to draw out additional points.

J. L. SHULER: The one plan that, to my mind, brings the largest number to a decision, is the aftermeeting plan. This calls for an organized series of brief studies for these special aftermeet­ings. Those studies, however, are coordinated with the regular lectures or sermons. The after-meeting begins where the sermon ends. You cannot bring a large audience to a decision without working with people in smaller groups, for they are afraid. When you ask folks to stand, signifying their decision to keep the Sabbath, perhaps fifty will stand, but what about the thousand and fifty who do not stand?

I have found that in order to get the best per­manent results, we must use smaller aftermeetings to reach the people. About all we can do in the main meetings is to preach the sermon, give a general call on which everyone can raise his hand, and then seek to get three or four hundred people together and lead them along in the aftermeetings. There you can secure their decision to become Christians and take their stand for Christ. The first group of such meetings may well be centered around the idea of "Son, give Me thy heart." Then comes the acceptance of the Sabbath. And then, finally, we take up the idea of "Come out of Baby­lon, My people." That is God's threefold call, and we should study how to organize a series of after-meeting studies that will fit into God's great three­fold call.

I like to start the aftermeetings on the second Friday night. And for two weeks all aftermeet­ings are on the subject "Son, Give Me Thy Heart." That confirms the idea that the interested one must become a new person with a new experience. Then as we preach on the Sabbath we focus on the importance of stepping out as God wants us to do. I tell them, "God will give you the strength and open the way if you' will only step out by faith. He will bless you as you walk in the light." In other words, these studies will help people to make a decision for the Sabbath.

After a while I stress the fact that the remnant people are chosen to come out of the churches, and we ask the folks to respond to the call of God to come out and be one of the remnant church. I have tried this many times and in many places, and every time I try it, it works better.

This method all came about through reading the new book Evangelism. In that wonderful book there are four different places where we are counseled that after a short discourse we should invite the interested to remain for an aftermeeting, there to teach them how to give their hearts to God and how to claim His promises. This is held up as God's plan for helping people to decide.

I believe that this is something that we ought to study and to follow, for it enables us to get right near to the hearts of the people. Do not fail, when you have an aftermeeting, to say, "Now, if there is one here who is burdened, or who has personal problems, be sure to remain and one of the minis­ters or Bible instructors will be glad to talk with you." You will be surprised to see how many have personal problems and want to talk to some­one.

QUESTION: Just how do you lead the people into the aftermeeting?

J. L. SHULER : If I am preaching three times a week I conduct my first aftermeeting on the sec­ond Friday night. The sermon that night will be a spiritual one, such as the great gospel bridge. This presents the seven great facts about Jesus that prove the gospel bridge which saves man from sin and• enables him to have a home in the king­dom. On this Friday night I do not close my ser­mon in the usual way. Up to this time I have asked the people to raise their hands for prayer. On this night I tell the people, as the sermon merges into a general altar call, "Now, friends, you have been raising your hands for prayer night after night. Tonight, wouldn't you like to draw a little closer to the Lord? Would you mind coming down here and forming a prayer circle?"

Then I make the call, and make it just as broad as I can because I want to get a large response. I usually have a large group come to the front of the auditorium. I do this before the audience is dismissed. I invite those who desire a closer walk with God to come, and I also invite those who have unconverted loved ones.

After I get them down to the front, before I offer the closing general prayer, I ask the question, "How many are conscious of a lack of reality in your Christian life ? How many of you would like

Jesus to be nearer to you in your lives?" Nearly everyone raises his hand on that. "Now, if you will stay, I will tell you of four simple, practical points to put into practice in your life and thereby make Jesus more real to you." Then I offer the closing prayer. When this has been done, I say to those in front, "Please sit down." In this way there is no problem about getting the people up front, for they are there already. That is one way of start­ing the aftermeeting with a good attendance.

Another thing that is effective is to suggest that while someone will lead in prayer, we are all go­ing to pray together by using a prayer song. Then we have a little prayer song of a reverent charac­ter, such as "My Faith Looks Up to Thee," or "All to Jesus I Surrender." It does something for peo­ple to sing a little verse as a prayer in unison. After they arise, I may say something like this : "Tonight I am thinking of John Wesley and of how one night when he listened to an earnest preacher in Aldersgate, he felt a wondrous heartwarming. How many here have had such a heart-warming experience? On Sunday night there is going to be another meeting just like this." I pass out a little card giving the topics of these aftermeetings for the next two weeks. I try to grip their inter­est through the general title, "Precious Secrets Unfolded From the Bible." There is something intriguing about the word "secret." On Sunday night I take up the secret, "How You Can Know Your Sins Are Forgiven." The next one is the secret of faith. So I continue to develop these brief themes in this manner.

I ask those who attend the aftermeetings to help in two ways. Invite them to bring others with them who they know need help. I also say, "Just as soon as I close the sermon I want you to come down promptly. Those who are not able to stay will kindly leave as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb those who are coming down front."

At this second meeting they will come down in increasing numbers, and come promptly. It is good to put a burden for souls on your interested people. Get them to praying for these aftermeet­ings. I have three aftermeetings each week—after every sermon, beginning with the second Friday night.

QUESTION: On that first night or Sunday night do you have any trouble or disturbance while the rest are going out?

J. L. SHULER: I try to handle that by telling them that there are many people who wish to come down to the front, and ask those who intend to leave to stand quietly for a moment or two to per­mit those who wish tO come to the front to do so. They are very co-operative.

QUESTION: Is the aftermeeting a good place to pass out cards, or does it cause confusion?

J. L. SHULER: I do not take names in these aftermeetings. But we do use decision cards. I use three decision cards: one for giving the heart to Christ, one for keeping the Sabbath, and one for joining the church. I use these decision cards in the aftermeeting only.

QUESTION: Do you try to have a separate room for the aftermeeting?

J. L. SHULER : I would if I could find one that was suitable and large enough. I would prefer a separate room.

E. F. Koch (Potomac Conference): A few years back I tried the plan of the aftermeeting, but not in the fuller way which has been presented to us today. I think that this helped prepare the peo­ple for the decision on the Sabbath. I invited the people to stay for ten minutes after the service to study how a Christian should walk in the light as revealed in the Bible. Then I told them what in­terference would come along as they would try to walk in the light, and what opposition might arise. I gave instances from the Bible of how people have met opposition from relatives and friends, and by this time they understood what might come. I discovered that a number of the very people who stayed for this aftermeeting took their stand.

QUESTION: What time does the aftermeeting­start?

We try to start about ten minutes of nine, so that we can close at nine-ten.

This discussion led into the question of prayer calls and altar calls, also the Sabbath afternoon meeting. A number of evangelists took Part. Condensations will appear in forthcoming numbers of THE MINISTRY.

ED­ITOR.


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Various authors and leaders.

October 1946

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