People are not a means to an end. People are the recipients of our ministry to the Glory of God!!
Thomas Pryde New York Times October 2008
Many of us might read the New York Times article and be outraged at the idea of using a violent video game as the “hook” to attract teenagers to church to hear a gospel message. But I fear we have become all to comfortable with this type of evangelism, just without the obvious “worldliness.”
In my eleven years in pastoral ministry I have personally organized and/or promoted and attended the following bait-and-switch evangelistic events.
March Madness Party: Invite all of your friends to church to watch the final game of the NCAA Final Four. There will be free give-aways, door prizes, and crazy games during half-time and commercial breaks. (There is no way we will allow our teenagers to watch the worldly commercials.) At half-time we will also have a special speaker share a short gospel message, followed by a call for a decision.
[Although I have never personally participated in one, the same idea is used all over the country for an
NFL Super Bowl Party. I would probably have done this as well, but the churches I have served in wouldn’t allow us to cancel the Sunday Evening service.]
The Super-Fun Teen All-Nighter [Name changed to protect a para-church organization]: You start with going to some type of Pro sporting event. After the game there is a rally with all kinds of free give-aways, door prizes and crazy games. Then the short gospel message with an invitation. The rest of the night is spent riding go-carts, playing arcade games and bowling.
3-on-3 Basketball Tournament: Gather as many teams as possible to play for the city championship and sometime during the middle of the tournament have a well-known basketball star share his personal testimony, followed by a short gospel message and invitation.
Christmas Dinner Theater: An evening of food, Christmas music, and drama, with a short gospel message and an invitation back to church on a Sunday inserted during the intermission.
Theme Park Youth Rally: A day of fun at your local theme park with a required rally inserted somewhere in the middle of the day where a short gospel message is given followed by an invitation.
4-Man, Best-Ball Golf Tournament: Eighteen holes of best-ball golf, followed by an all-you-can-eat barbecue rib dinner. Throw in some door prizes and a short gospel message and there you have it.
Unfortunately this list doesn’t include all of the gimmicks I have employed to attract the unsaved to an evangelistic event. And I also didn’t include all of the gimmicks I have employed to “motivate” Christians to invite their unsaved friends (Sunday School contests, Camp scholarships, VBS prizes, etc.). Without a change of philosophy I might be only a year or two away from the Video Game Party, just change the game from Hal0 to Madden 08.
The philosophy driving these events goes something like this:
The unsaved won’t come to church just to hear the gospel.
Neither are we willing and/or able to go to them to SHARE THE GOSPEL.
Therefore we must “bait” them with something they want to do so that we can ambush lovingly share with them the gospel.
The usually unspoken advice we give people is: “Don’t tell them about the gospel message that will be shared. Just tell them about all of the exciting things they are interested in.”
At the end of the event when we are counting up the professions of faith, we become even more convinced that this “works.” “Just look at how many people trusted Christ. I can’t wait until we do this again next year!”
I do not know the historical background on this type of evangelism. I don’t know who the first person was to suggest this method, nor what the initial response was. But in 2007 this approach to evangelism is not only accepted, it is also promoted by almost every stream of fundamentalism and evangelicalism.
When we seek to hide the “hook” of the gospel inside an attractive “bait” of any kind we have become pragmatists. We have declared our belief that we must resort to the unseemly advertising tactics of the world, or people won’t be saved.
What happens when these events stop “working” as well? What will we do when the unsaved get tired of our bait-and-switch? What will we stoop to next? Are you still enticed by the door prizes at the local car dealership? Are you still attracted by the “chance” to win that new car?
Most of us would criticize and have criticized the churches that offer money for people to be baptized, plasma TV’s to visitors, or Awana bucks for bringing visitors (Oops, did I say that?). Yet we employ the same kind of methods and call it an evangelistic event.
What have I been doing? What have I been thinking? Am I willing to change?
Since evangelism is all over the New Testament I continue to ask where are we finding this specific philosophy and methodology exemplified?
On a personal note:
What have I been thinking, an unchanging message is still the same message for a changing world!
God is the same yesterdaay, today and tomorrow!!
I pray the strength not to CONFORM to the ways of the world
Father forgive us we know not what we do
Father HELP US!!
WHAT WE WIN THEM WITH IS WHAT WE WIN THEM TOO!!
EVANGELISM IS NOT A PROGRAM!!
