EVANGELISTIC OBJECTIVES AND TECHNIQUES

Group of three articles

Two Nets Instead of One

By: C. R. BONNEY, Evangelist, South England Conference

We have come to a time in the world's history when, as workers in the great cause of God, we have to find every possible channel of utilizing our strength and means in accomplishing the greatest work possible in soulsaving.

As a group of workers here in this western district of the South England Conference we met at the beginning of our evangelistic year to make plans for the best use of the budget voted by the executive committee. We decided to conduct two campaigns, one in a section of the city of Bristol on Thursdays, and the other in Weston super Mare, a seaside resort twenty- two miles away, on Sundays. We chose a section of Bristol that was practically untouched by the two campaigns we held in another part of the city during the two previous winters.

We recognized from the beginning that certain difficulties would arise, but we felt that the advantages far outweighed them. The advantages may be stated briefly as follows. There was a great saving in the cost of advertising for the second campaign. By .preaching the same subject at the two places the same week, we used the same handbills and boarding sheets, merely changing the place and time. It is recognized, of course, that the greater number of copies in any class of advertising, the cheaper the printing becomes for each unit or thousand. Also by using the same films twice in the same week we found that the price was greatly reduced for each meeting. The same time was spent in studying for the two meetings as would have been spent for the one. Then, from the conference point of view there were the expenses of only one evangelist instead of two.

As a matter of fact, I have found that the second campaign cost a little less than half of what it would have cost if run on its own by another evangelist. The greatest advantage of all was that we had two nets out for souls instead of one. The results are gratifying. We have already had our first baptism and in a few weeks another baptism will be conducted.

The only difficulty worth considering was when the subject of the Sabbath was presented and the Sabbath afternoon meetings came at the same time. This is when the pastor of the district can render valuable assistance. R. H. Bainbridge, pastor of this rather large district, shared these meetings with me, and thus we carried the two campaigns through success fully.

The distribution of our worker force was such that we had one Bible instructor at Wes ton super Mare and one at Bristol, and a young ministerial graduate assisted me in both places.

We are planning to conduct two campaigns again this coming winter, when with the blessing of God we hope and pray for similar success. I feel that we must rally our evangelistic forces throughout the world to use every possible means in hastening the coming of our Lord.

Seventh-day Adventist Evangelism

By J. R, SPANGLER, Pastor- Evangelist, Mobile, Alabama

We ARE living today in an inquisitive age. People want to know who you are and what you are doing. In many places there seem to be a more liberal-minded attitude and a greater spirit of tolerance toward religion. A Seventh- day Adventist a few years ago was looked upon as a mysterious, incomprehensible individual. Today, with the great advance of our denomination in publicity and influence, public opinion has favorably changed to some extent. There was a time when we were not known at all in many sections, but today we find a different situation. The majority of people have at least heard of Seventh-day Adventists, and many are very well acquainted with our work. In fact, church leaders and ministers have considerable knowledge about us, including our methods of evangelism.

We are following the plan of advertising our public meetings as sponsored by the Seventh- day Adventist Church. Of course, we fully realize that there may be wisdom in withholding our name in some places. However, where our work is established, it seems to be to our advantage to reveal our identity.

Our meetings were identified in the first newspaper and handbill advertisements. We printed this statement in small type, at or near the end of the page. The following is an example: "'Your Bible Speaks' health and Bible campaign is just one unit of thousands in a great worldwide effort to bring a spiritual awakening to the public. Hundreds of thousands of Christians of all denominations attend and support this great program. More than sixty churches and groups in Florida alone are federated together to help present Christ for the world. The Seventh-day Adventist church of ———— is happy to cooperate and bring you 'Your Bible Speaks.' "

We have used this plan in two efforts in the past eighteen months. Our attendance has been excellent throughout the entire series of meetings, and the Lord blessed us with a number of baptisms. I personally feel that there is much to be gained by letting the public know who we are and much to lose by attempting to hide our name. I have here briefly outlined five ad vantages of this plan.

1. This method of revealing our identity is not the foremost part of our advertisement, but it is plain enough to stop all false charges that we do not want the people to know who we are, the charge that we are ashamed of our denomination. Any planned attack from other clergymen is usually stopped from the very beginning by using this plan. The majority of ministers know that our doctrine is Biblical and irrefutable, so the one great weapon they use against us is bitter slander. The accusations that we are ashamed of our name and that we try to steal the sheep of other churches probably head the slander list. As false as these charges are, yet they usually turn people against us. But with the identity plan we can nullify any charge of this nature. Not once have we been charged or challenged on any point, yet the entire city, including the clergy, has been greatly stirred over our meetings.

2. It gives the evangelist greater power and more confidence to present our message to the public. To appear the opening night before an audience that knows what denomination we represent somehow gives the evangelist a more positive spirit, and certainly relieves his mind from a burden of anxiety, which naturally exists when one is trying to hide his denominational identity. Personally I feel this point in itself is sufficient to warrant the use of this method. I am proud to be a Seventh-day Adventist, and I try to preach all the better because the people know what I am.

3. This plan averts the great "falling away" period that usually comes after the testing truths have been given. For instance, when the Sabbath question is presented the majority in the audience rather expect it and are ready for it. With perfect confidence we may preach the doctrines with power and exactness. Since many expect the testing truths, we may capitalize on this fact and preach them with greater clarity of speech. Our attendance has actually been larger after the testing truths have been presented.

4. Our church members appreciate this frank, open method of advertising. I received more favorable comments on this particular plan than on any other feature of our meetings. Without exception our members praise this method, highly. Perhaps they have reason to do so. Too long they have been warned not to expose our name. Too many times they have dodged and evaded a direct answer to some stranger who asked them regarding the sponsorship of the meetings. Too many times before the meetings opened they have been taught from the pulpit to give an ambiguous, if not false, answer to any questions concerning our affiliation. It gives laymen and preachers alike a feeling of security and assurance to face the public in an open manner.

5. I believe that we increase our attendance by this method. We have been preaching this message for more than a hundred years. The public in general has at least heard of us, and there are many who would like to know just what Seventh-day Adventists believe and teach. This method eliminates any confusion on the part of the public as to who we are. We are constantly being confused with various groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Rus-sellites, which fact certainly is no credit to us, neither is it a drawing card for the public. For this reason alone we should be fair with the public, and allow no room for confusion, which actually does us more harm than good. We are certainly better thought of than the religious sects just mentioned.

There are other points in favor of this plan, but possibly the foregoing may help someone to try this method. Basically it is sound and strictly honest and open. I feel that advantages to be gained by identifying our program far outweigh any advantages that may be gained by covering our name. Also the disadvantages that are reaped by trying to cover our name certainly outweigh any disadvantages that might develop from the plan discussed. If we are open and frank with the public, we will receive big dividends, not only in souls won to the truth, but in the good impressions that are left behind after a series of meetings.

"God Gave the Increase"

By WESLEY AMUNDSEN, Associate Secretary, Home Missionary Department

The business of persuading men to become Christians is no ordinary task. It can never be learned solely by studying super salesmanship methods of the business world of today.

In the work of reconciling men to God it is essential that we take into account the spiritual nature of the endeavor. Men are not born into Christ's kingdom of grace through man-made arguments or methods. It is only as the Holy Spirit operates on the hearts of men that they can be saved. Repentance itself is a gift of God, for no man can sincerely repent of his sins un less he be impressed to do so by the wooing of the Spirit of God.

It is quite possible that much of our failure in soul winning is due to the fact that too much dependence is placed upon our own ability and endeavors. Our technique of presentation, the exactness of timing altar calls to correspond to the topics presented, the logical presentation of the doctrines, and so forth may be faultless as far as methods are concerned. If success does not then crown our efforts, why is this so? Because it is "not by might, nor by power [of men], but by my spirit, saith the Lord." At best we are unprofitable servants to the Lord of the harvest, but He suffers us to labor with Him, for such has been His divine plan in the redemption of mankind from the degradation of sin.

Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ there is probably no greater soul winner mentioned in New Testament times than Paul. His work was varied. He preached in public, taught in private, traveled extensively, organized churches, trained helpers, supervised the work, spent years in prison, suffered for the Lord Jesus, witnessed to the power of the cross of Christ wherever he went, and was successful in his labors. Nevertheless, he too recognized his in adequacy.

Witness his declaration to the Corinthian church, where some of the brethren had apparently been discussing the question of baptism and its merits as administered by various workers. The value of the rite was held by some to be according to the prestige of the man officiating. Paul labored to disabuse the minds of the church members on this score by laying down certain principles, which are not too hoary with age to be without value today. As Paul listened to the arguments, or read them in the correspondence he received from some of his loyal followers, he called the attention of the church to the following: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." i Cor. 3 :6, 7.

It is essential that some do the planting, and some do the watering, but no man can cause the seed to germinate and grow. A minister may expend his energies and utilize his talents to the limit, and still not see fruitage, or at best see but little. He may possess the finest equipment, such as projection apparatus, colored slides, moving pictures, charts, a vested choir, the best location in the city, many assist ants, a well-oiled machinery, and all that, and expend thousands of dollars in high-priced advertising of the finest sort, and still fall short of the mark in the matter of presenting the message of God to the people with telling effective ness. He may obtain some converts who have consented to the logical truths of the Bible as they were presented from night to night, but still he may not obtain the type of humble Christians that the Lord desires. Why? The answer is obvious in the light of Paul's statement to the church that it is "God that giveth the increase."

It is quite possible that in many cases the Lord does not see fit to grace the minister's efforts with success, because the glory would be given to the man and not to God. Recall the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, regarding the matter of spiritual birth: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but thou canst not tell whence it com- eth, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8.

Recall also that when the church of Pente cost was in its early experience, and success was crowning the witnessing of the apostles and the members, and as many as three thou sand converts were baptized in one day, the record says, "The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:47. Nothing was said about the instruments used; "God . . . giveth the increase."

May it not be that when God's ministers get out of their own way, and cease to hold themselves up as the supreme objectives in the work of soul winning, recognizing with Paul that "neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth," God will honor their efforts in behalf of His truth and crown their labors with even greater success than has ever been realized heretofore. "There is no limit to the usefulness of the one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God."—The Desire of Ages, p. 250.

We need to put an end to the wrong attitudes that have to some extent sprung up in our midst, of measuring ourselves against, or with, other men. There is only one standard for measurement, and that is Jesus Christ. As we look upon Him and see His humility of soul, His self-sacrificing spirit, His gentleness and forbearance, His weeping over sinners and over a doomed city, see Him suffering in the garden, dying on the cross, shut out of His Father's presence—all this that sinners might live—then perhaps we shall be able to understand the value Heaven places upon souls and our own unworthiness as laborers together with God.

As ministers of God let us therefore continue to plant and to water, uniting our efforts for the conversion of sinners, pleading with God as we do so that He will send His gracious Spirit to make effective the presenting of His word to judgment-bound sinners, and that He will be pleased to give the increase. God is waiting for this kind of surrender on the part of His ministry. Christ longs to grace His church on earth with power from on high in order that His name may be glorified through the addition of souls eternally saved in His kingdom of glory.

 


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November 1950

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