This Isn't Your Grandfather's Crusade: Part 3

CULTURE SHIFTS I too see the shift from a word driven culture to an image driven one. I believe it is important for the church to recognize that paradigm change and utilize that understanding when making decisions about how to communicate the gospel. Evangelists, albeit slow to get on board like the rest of the church, recognize that shift also. Perhaps they are not doing it well yet, but this is certainly a trend they are picking up. But why are we so afraid to say that the spoken, preached, proclaimed word is still effective? Are all churches that have sermons without multimedia and PowerPoint really ineffective? Letterman and Leno still do their monologues. Oprah preaches. Joel Osteen seems to draw a good crowd. The 11 o'clock news still has a talking head. NPR's audience is huge. Garrison Keillor still enthralls us with his stories. Though our attention span may be shorter, we still listen and receive information through the spoken word. When done well, proclamation evangelism is still extremely effective. I've seen it many times where somehow God heals a heart, or brings conviction & repentance, or pours out joy & encouragement, all through a sermon — sometimes, even my sermons. There are indeed cultural shifts we need to pay attention to when communicating the gospel effectively, but let us not forget that preaching still works. Crusade evangelistic preaching is simple. In a bygone era and to a very small extent now, the preaching was emotion driven, over utilizing fear and guilt. In our recent Encounter, there was no pressure or arm twisting, no pulling at people's heart strings, no scaring the hell out of people. It was just a simple call for people to recognize the Spirit's work in their hearts and to come forward and receive a Savior they desperately need. A HIGHCOMMITMENT GOSPEL The gospel of crusade evangelism is a high commitment one both for the convert and the converted. Crusades call us as individual believers and churches to stand up and be counted among those who call themselves Christ followers. Believers are called to demonstrate boldness by inviting their unchurched friends to hear the gospel. There's no backdoor evangelism where you invite someone to a fun event, and oh by the way, here is the gospel. When we invite someone to a crusade we're saying "Here's a message you need for your life. You need to repent and follow Christ." It is very bold. What courage it takes to be converted at a Crusade! To literally stand up before friends and family, and by the very act of getting up and walking forward you admit your weakness and need of a Savior. Friends and family might not understand or think you've lost it but you go forward because God has called. And then working with someone to be discipled, possibly finding a new church. This takes incredible commitment. I don't think our culture wants a low commitment religion that has no entrance standards and no requirements for being a follower. People want to be part of a church that stands for something and calls them to a higher way of life. The gospel presentation and call to conversion at a Crusade does that very thing. Crusade evangelism also calls on our dollars. Crusades aren't cheap, although some are cheaper than others. Churches & believers take special offerings and sacrificially take money out of their budget. Area business leaders donate the majority of the cash budget but sometimes give gifts in kind like meals, car loans, hotel rooms, staging or lighting, decorations, etc. The gospel at a Crusade is not one of cheap grace where it's easy to get in and doesn't require much of you afterward. The evangelist brings to the forefront of what Christ has paid for you and calls you to live your life with that thought prominent in your being. CRUSADE EVANGELISM CAUSE BELIEVERS TO TAKE THEIR WITNESS SERIOUSLY The media gets involved in a crusade. They look for dirt on the evangelist or on those leading the event. They attend the event looking for an angle of who might be offended or for noteworthy citizens involved or attending the event. They want to know where the money goes and look for some impropriety. The Crusade team leaders and local churches have take stock of their life's witness for Christ during these times of scrutiny. Individual believers are also more careful about their witness as they know they will be inviting their friends, relatives, associates and neighbors. When the Crusade comes to town, Christians want to put their best foot forward. I think that is a good thing as it causes people to look inward and think about how their life impacts others. That's enough for tonight. Tomorrow I will tell you how Crusades are not relevant and how they could be tweaked.