Why Not Use the Net Too?

Kindness is the dessert that tops off all other evangelistic methods.

Clark B. McCall is pastor of the Herman, California, Seventh-day Adventist church.

 

IF WE as ministers were able to in spire 50 percent of our members to give weekly Bible studies and participate regularly in literature distribution, we might feel we had achieved a reasonable degree of success. Actually, we probably would be pleased with missionary participation involving even a third of our membership. The number of souls won would undoubtedly multiply many times over by such a display of faithfulness.

Let me share with you my discovery of a plan for soul winning that proved so simple that it could easily be overlooked in our concentration on highly developed plans for evangelism. Recognizing that new methods sometimes prove effective, I was especially challenged by the often-unclaimed promise that if we would be "kind and . . . tenderhearted . . . there would be one hundred conversions to the truth where now there is only one" (Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 189).

Every pastor, I'm sure, has at some time or other contemplated the tremendous possibilities reflected in this conditional prophecy. The utter simplicity of the plan, coupled with the magnitude of the promised results, makes a formula worthy of most serious study. Despite the fantastic amount of faith it might seem to require to accept a completely literal fulfillment of this prediction, one cannot but sense the power kindness wields in attracting people to our mes sage. How many converts to our church were first attracted to a lovely Christian character before the logic of our truth began to appeal to the reason?

Some members shrink from giving Bible studies and tracts to strangers, but they surely would not be afraid to be kind. The most introverted personality is willing to be kind if the particular kindness is adapted to his individuality.

Kindness, however, needs to be organized and channeled into an active ministry of love. "Success can only at tend order and harmonious action. God requires order and system in His work now no less than in the days of Israel. All who are working for Him are to labor intelligently, not in a careless, haphazard manner." —Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 376.

This call to an organized plan was also supported by the scientific basis for gaining results emphasized in Testimonies, volume 9, page 221: "There are great laws that govern the world of nature, and spiritual things are controlled by principles equally certain. The means for an end must be employed, if the desired results are to be attained." As I put this all together it seemed to me that the desired end of a hundredfold fruitage was to be achieved through a systematic-kindness approach.

After a sermon appeal on the soul-winning effectiveness of kindness, our members were invited to volunteer one "kindness call" each week to a name assigned to them. There was nearly a 100 percent response.

"Kindness-Call" Program Developed

An assistant to the lay activities leader was selected to serve as secretary of our "kindness-call" program. Her responsibility was to assign members to their weekly call. She also asked for a brief report on any significant development from the previous week. Telephone calls on Sunday morning were all that was necessary to take care of this task. In a larger church, of course, more than one secretary could be used.

A vital consideration in selecting this secretary is that he or she should be acquainted with many of the people who are to be called on, and should possess the power to judge which personalities will best blend, and plan with the missionary committee the best approach for each name. Some persons will appreciate weekly visits for a while, and others may better be reached every other week or even once a month. The number and frequency of the calls must be carefully determined by the needs and receptivity of the family.

Members who volunteer to participate are not asked to call on someone with whom they do not have at least a casual acquaintance. This removes the fear of ringing the doorbells of strangers. How ever, some members are quite capable of making community calls on those they have not previously met. Here again, circumstances will indicate what is best in each case.

The member checks the type of kindness service he will offer weekly on a volunteer sheet. Included on the list are baby-sitting, transportation, assistance with housework, and general visits. One woman who had no source of transportation offered to bake bread, which others offered to deliver. In small churches it might be well to approach each member and personally ask whether he would help with at least one general visit each week. The personal approach always wins more helpers than does a mass appeal.

Every pastor senses the value of pastoral visitation, and with most of his members making calls according to an organized plan, he will have the equivalent of several evangelistic teams assisting him. Also, with many names to work with, he has a brighter hope of obtaining maximum results, since each name is given personalized planning in advance and is more thoroughly fol lowed up by his helpers as a result of the careful records kept.

As a result of this emphasis we experienced a 2,000 percent increase in baptisms over the previous year in one of our churches. The kindness-call pro gram was launched the year of this growth. We have concluded that more calls usually mean more baptisms. Someday, comparison surveys may indicate that the number of souls won each year in a particular church was in direct proportion to the number of members engaged in missionary activity and the number of calls the pastor-member teams made.

It is not always easy to discover all the factors that lead an honest-hearted person to unite with the church. In most cases a number of positive influences probably produce the decision. The kindness-call plan complements every other avenue or approach. Kindness is the dessert that tops off other evangelistic methods. It gives life and vitality to doctrinal Bible studies. It adds the emotional stimulus of desire to the intellectual appeal of conviction when the time comes for decision. Organized kindness makes it easier for newcomers to feel at home in an Adventist church. It helps them look forward to a fuller unity.

One woman told her mother, who was an Adventist, "That's one church I would never want to belong to." Kindness, carefully carried out, gradually wore down the wall of prejudice she had built. The favorable impression made resulted in Bible studies, and today she is a baptized member.

One couple moved to our city from Montana. The husband remarked during the trip that if he ever joined a church it would be associated with an other denomination. He had difficulty finding a job, and during this period of crisis we provided his family with several food baskets. This produced a favorable atmosphere that led to Bible studies and baptism.

During the holiday season the chamber of commerce needed churches and other organizations to help them supply fifty-seven needy families with food baskets. It was expected that each organization might supply one or two baskets. The response, however, was not as favorable as they had hoped. When we provided nineteen, the public response was most heartwarming.

Among the names of former Adventists we compiled was a teacher in our city's public school system. At one time she taught in one of our academies, but had not been a member of the church for twenty-one years. One of our members remarked, "She's so far away from the church that it will take a long time to win her back." But an intensive kindness plan wooed her back within six months. Now, more than a year later, she remains a dedicated lay activities leader.

Kindness cares. Kindness calls. And kindness wins.,,,


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Clark B. McCall is pastor of the Herman, California, Seventh-day Adventist church.

December 1977

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