Pastor's Pastor

Pastor's Pastor: How to guarantee a crowd

Pastor's Pastor: How to guarantee a crowd

As thousands of congregations prepare to conduct public evangelistic meetings in 2008 and 2009, we need better methods for bringing people into our venues.

James A. Cress is the Ministerial Secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

A small framed illustration hanging in my office depicts delivery men unloading mannequins from a delivery van. The lettering on the van says “Rent a Crowd.”

As thousands of congregations prepare to conduct public evangelistic meetings in 2008 and 2009, we need better methods for bringing people into our venues. I have found the following methods help guarantee an audience:

Pray. Nothing is more successful in arresting the attention of potential converts than enlisting the power of God upon your venture. Form your church’s prayer warriors into groups and set them loose to support every aspect of evangelism with earnest prayer for the Holy Spirit’s outpouring.

Relevant topics. We live in prophetically momentous times. Don’t be content to rehash old sermons or repeat illustrations from the past. Even the mighty evangelistic heroes of bygone eras will not sound as fresh as the topics you develop to address current issues. Read your newspaper along with your Bible and make the messages you preach significant for today.

Share your personal experience. Sharon and I discovered that we can significantly increase attendance by advertising an upcoming sermon in which we share our personal story. To those who attend your series, you become a personality in whom they are interested. We show our baby pictures, photos of our wedding, our pets, our ministry adventures, and tell the story of God’s leading in our personal lives. Then, after a dozen or so slides about us, we transition into the call of God into ministry and the amazing gift of His grace for our lives, which easily introduces the concept of personal salvation.

Offer a valuable service. Whether a simple blood pressure check and glaucoma screening or a more complex battery of health options, a practical service provided as a component of public proclamation demonstrates interest in the welfare of your attendees and makes a fine introduction to a regular “healthful living” feature.

Valuable gift. Avoid prize drawings or lotteries, but do encourage attendance by providing everyone a gift of spiritual value if they are present for a compelling sermon series. I always present the Lord’s Day as a two-part sermon and provide each attendee with a complimentary copy of Your Bible & You or Bible Readings for the Home. Such books may seem ordinary to you but are compelling to those seeking truth. Remember, the content of the gift is more important than the monetary value. Again, when I present the spiritual gift of prophetic guidance, I give each attendee a copy of Steps to Christ.

Film series. I’ve discovered the power of a continuing series, such as the film JESUS, especially in areas of the world where the basic gospel story may be unknown. People will arrive early to witness these compelling scenes from our Savior’s ministry.

Arresting titles. The purpose of titles is to catch the attention of potential attendees. Sermon titles may range from the ridiculous to the sublime depending on the culture in which you preach. I once heard a very successful preacher advertise his topic on man’s condition in death as “Is There Sex After Death?” Attendance grew mightily when he approached a basic Bible message with such verve. Personally, I prefer “Real Hope for Your Lonely Life: If You Have Ever Lost a Loved One, Here’s Hope for You.”

Visuals. Your preaching will make a greater impact if you utilize visuals to convey the message. Adventists have historically used prophecy charts and other visuals to illustrate great Bible themes. Fresh, innovative illustrations allow you to cover more information because your audience sees the texts onscreen as they hear you preach.

Cash. Have you ever been paid to attend church? When I approach the topic of stewardship, I announce in advance, “I intend to talk about money, but not your money. And to illustrate this concept, I will pay you my own money to hear this sermon.” Then, I give each attendee a ten-cent coin that quickly and disarmingly demonstrates the relatively small 10 percent tithe that God asks us to return in comparison to the abundant blessings He guarantees for faithfulness. This light-hearted, chuckle-producing illustration disarms as it instructs.

Bible marking. We give each individual a personal Bible and open each topic with a class highlighting essential texts on the sermon theme. As everyone underlines and make notes in the margin, Scripture comes alive.

Open agendas. Announce your intentions clearly and avoid disguising your identity or purpose. How much better to clearly advertise that you are inviting the public to explore Bible truths? Personally, I’ve found that conducting my evangelistic activities in Adventist facilities reassures the public that an established church is sponsoring this special event.

A subsequent article will discuss more attendance-increasing methods. Even now as you plan strong evangelistic initiatives, build some of these concepts into your preparation. You’ll experience greater results and your own preaching will be encouraged as “your crowd” is guaranteed!


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James A. Cress is the Ministerial Secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

June 2008

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