The Use of Mass Media in Soul Winning

ONE very compact way of viewing our topic is to see it as having three distinct divisions: media, mass, and methods. But before analyzing these aspects of the whole, let's make certain that we have a general working- definition of the subject. Mass communications means "the approximately simultaneous delivery of identical messages through mechanisms of high-speed reproduction and distribution to relatively large and undifferentiated numbers of people."¹ Mass communications is further a phenomenon distinctive to our age, for ours is the only era that has provided a society with conditions that make it possible—a highly developed technology and an urbanized literate population with great buying power and considerable leisure.

Motion Pictures

The several media of mass communications are: Printed materials, such as books, magazines, and newspapers; movies; and the electronic wonders—radio and television. The movie industry has for decades proved its ability to attract, grasp, and mold the imagination of man, and it has been and still is a potent force and an effective weapon for training and opinion guidance in education, religion, economics, government, and even commercialized sports. While the church has made some use of the motion picture in evangelism, it is quite clear that the success of the screen in the many areas noted, as well as in others, should encourage serious study of its more extensive use by the church in soul winning. Because of the many problems of production, not the least of which is finance, there are not many movies available for the preaching of truths that are distinctly doctrinal. This means that the main value of movies in soul winning today is in helping to attract crowds and in aiding and reinforcing those more general doctrines and truths which they portray. Hopefully, the day will come when more positive and pointed evangelistic use will be given the screen. However, he who would "sow be side all waters" xvill not overlook the utilitarian values they presently possess.

Newspapers

Another medium more utilitarian than direct is the printed news page. Like the sometimes-innocuous movie, these are readily available and relatively inexpensive. Total circulation of all daily news papers in the United States in 1965 was 60,357,563. Total circulation of weeklies was 26,088,230. According to the Ayer directory of newspapers and periodicals, 1,763 daily, 561 Sunday, and 9,391 weekly newspapers are published in America. On a strictly religious note, the Roman Catholic Church alone in the same year published 142 newspapers and 386 magazines in North America. This ponderous avalanche of print is in itself, however, some what a hindrance for the purposes of soul winning as:

1. People are bombarded with so much print that they read little very well.

2. There is so much trivia in print that sober-minded citizens take it all very casually.

3. Many people buy the whole paper in order to read one particular section, such as the ads, the business section, et cetera.

However, the law of averages demands that printed advertisements and sermon synopsis do get read by some. The sheer volume of homes and hands into which print falls guarantees viewing, if but some times unintentionally, and therefore must be continued to be regarded as a means of attracting attention to meetings and giving capsule reports to the public.

Radio

Books, another mass-communications product, are so obviously a conventional tool of soul winning that it hardly seems necessary to belabor the point of their value. What we do wish to emphasize, however, are the two primary instruments of evangelism or soul winning offered by the mass media. These are radio and television. If there is any doubt about the increasing popularity of radio in America, look at the pattern revealed by the following statistics.

To establish further the pervasive influence of radio upon human thought and activity indicated by the above, let us re mind you that this decade has given birth to the era of the transistor, a development of incalculable importance to gospel preaching in lands where electrical outlets are not readily available; and of no small import in industrialized countries where the transistor craze makes truth available on the lands of the seashore, as well as on the yacht at sea. And surprisingly enough, in a recent survey made by CBS it was found that 98.1 percent of all people over 18 listen to the radio, and 71.1 per cent of these really listen rather than use it as a background while they do something else.²

Television

Undoubtedly, however, the medium of mass communications with the greatest potential for effectiveness in soul winning is television. There are more than 150 mil lion TV sets operating throughout the world, or one to about every 20 persons— man, woman, and child. About 65 million of these sets are in the United States, most States have four or more stations, and these many stations are viewed by some 55 million families. More Americans have television sets (92 percent) than have telephones (79 percent), vacuum cleaners (78 percent), or automobiles (76 percent).

Having identified the media, we must now answer the question "How much of the mass is susceptible to religious programming?" The Communication Research Project found that in New Haven, Connecticut, six out of every ten households regularly view a religious program on television or listen to one on the radio.3 This New England study was confirmed by a more recent central Illinois sample, which revealed that 54 percent of the households studied regularly viewed or listened to a religious broadcast. This is an amazing percentage when we remember that most religious broadcasting is done at other than prime viewing times. It is further significant to note that most listeners to or viewers of religious broadcasts are church affiliated or have some church background.4 The prime audience for religious programming is made up of women between the ages of 25 and 55, probably owing to their number and availability, as well as to their interest in religion, which is considerably higher than that of men.

Helping to keep constant the homogeneity of this unit of the mass that tunes in to religious broadcasts is the hour at which religious broadcasting is made available, such as the traditional Sunday morning parade of religious fanfare. Sunday morning be fore twelve o'clock is in some respects, how ever, the worst of all times for radio or television, since most families are either in church, in bed, or outdoors. However, because of station policies, this is generally the best time available, and it is a fact that religious people who are near their radios or TV sets and who cannot get to church are accustomed to tuning in for a bit of religion on Sunday morning. The chart that follows shows the best hours for broadcasting.

"There is virtually no viewing before 8 A.M. on weekdays, and use of sets falls off sharply at 11 P.M. No one so far has found enough audience to count on Sunday mornings, although it is fairly certain that children—but not teenagers—watch then and on Saturday mornings. Between 12 noon and 6 P.M. Sundays, 68 per cent of all homes are reported to have their sets on and to watch for long periods at a stretch."—Religious Television, p. 46.

Of course, there are two major hurdles to TV usage not usually found with radio: (1) finance and (2) station availability.

Most stations charge in four classifications: A, B, C, and D. Class A charges are for prime hours of viewing, and the others are decreasingly less popular hours. The best any local church can usually secure would be Class C, which covers Monday through Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., and Sunday from 7:00 A.M. to 6:30 P.M. A series of 12 to 26 broadcasts of 30-minute length may usually be secured at Class C rates for $500 to $1,200 per broadcast, and a similar series of 15 minutes from $300 to S600 per broadcast, depending, of course, upon the going rates in a particular locality. New stations and UHF stations are usually some what cheaper in their rates. It is obvious, however, that few churches have financial power to sustain a TV series of any length. Nevertheless, long-range planning by the local church combined with help from a parent organization will in many cases bring enough revenue to pay for a seasonal run of 12 to 15 weeks. It is a good plan, where it is possible, for several area churches to pool their resources in obtaining a broadcast.

Television Time Availability

Money, however, is not always the biggest barrier. Availability is. In an effort to screen out undesirable religious programming, most city stations are happy to cooperate with the Radio and TV Department of the National Council of Churches in seeing to it that only those churches affiliated with its local departments are permitted on the air, and then in rotation, such as Baptists one week, Methodists the next, et cetera. Further, the local TV stations are quick to explain that through the national networks with which they are affiliated a balanced diet of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish programming has already been arranged. Then in many cases (the larger the city the more likely the problem), time would appear unavailable altogether. Nevertheless, the following ideas may help those pastors who are interested:

1. Always meet with salesmen in your church office where they can see your surroundings and know that yours is not a second-rate religious group.

2. Remember, the salesman can probably sell the station management better than you can (he makes a commission).

3. Plan or request time far ahead—six months or a year. This eliminates being turned down because of a crowded schedule.

4. Try to work hardest on new stations. They are usually eager for business.

5. Be willing to accept what may seem to be less-than-choice hours. If your program is impressive you will have an excellent chance of being changed.

As for program types, there are several formats available. The most effective are the lecture-demonstration type, the discussion type, and' the interview type. One's own personality and talents should dictate which format will be utilized. What must be remembered in any case is that on both radio and TV a relaxed simple approach is desirable for the nonprofessional preacher, and that while people may be won to the program or to the speaker or even Christ over the air, they are won to the church in the home, in personal contact; and thus there must be some means—gifts offered, sermon requests, et cetera—of getting names from listeners and following up in private or group Bible studies.

What, then, can we conclude is the value of broadcasting in soul winning?

1. It will give exposure to the prejudiced persons who would never attend a service in a Seventh-day Adventist church but whose respect can be won on the air.

2. It allows us to reach behind the doors of apartment houses, where handbills and door-to-door visitation is impossible.

3. It catches the ear and eye of the masses which by the sheer weight of numbers will contain interested persons.

4. It builds good will and a climate of acceptance in the community.

5. It produces a continuous stream of contacts with the pastor, members, and Bible workers.

6. It gives the membership a point of pride and identification and aids in securing their help in missionary endeavor as they advertise the program and assist in delivering lessons to the persons contacted.