“It will never work! The days of mass evangelism are over!” These are familiar words in the ears of those considering a vocation in crusade evangelism. One might think these statements are from the modern days. They are, however, from early in the 1900’s.
These people felt that the future of evangelism was only in personal witnessing and local church ministry. They were spoken only a short time before God awe-struck the nation through a little known evangelist named Billy Graham while preaching under a tent in downtown Los Angeles.*
Evangelist D.L. Moody was the highly acclaimed figure at the turn of the Century. With his death in 1899 and the turn to a new century, many thought the days of mass evangelism were over. Thus, the above statement may have seemed justified. At the historic LA meetings in 1949, God, however, demonstrated that He was not through with this form of evangelism. Billy Graham went on to have the most spectacular ministry the world has seen.
In our day, we too have turned to a new century, and many aspiring crusade evangelists are in the shadow of yet another great man: Billy Graham. As he nears the finish of his race, many are saying, “The days of mass evangelism are over!”
Are they correct? Has culture and society reached a point where mass evangelism is no longer a viable option? This question must be seriously considered. To answer this question, this article will consider the history of mass evangelism as well as consider the role that crusade evangelists play in the plan of God for the world.
History
This brief historical sketch is important because I will attempt to demonstrate that mass evangelism has had a virtually unbroken tradition since its inception in the early 1700’s. It all started with George Whitefield. He began preaching in the 1730’s, but due to unfortunate factors among the other clergymen, Whitefield was not permitted to preach in many churches. To fulfill his calling, he went out into the fields and preached in the open air. He preached to crowds estimated at 30-50 thousand people, which were incredibly large at a time without amplification. Whitefield introduced John Wesley to mass evangelism, and Wesley continued in the tradition long after Whitefield’s death, preaching to as large of crowds as his associate.
Whitefield issued a challenge to send a host of preachers to the “New World” to evangelize the frontiers-men and the natives. Wesley rose to that challenge by training and sending many preachers to continue evangelistic work in the Americas. As the First Great Awakening came to a close, mass evangelism continued to take place. Evangelists would come to the town, preach in the churches and in the open air. The towns were smaller then and people were more spread out, so the preachers had to stay on the move. For this reason, these itinerant preachers were called “circuit-riding” preachers.
Mass evangelism then began to take the form of what was called “Camp Meetings.” Christians from a variety of denominations would gather together and camp out for several days to listen to non-stop preaching from several evangelists. Sometimes there would be two or three preachers preaching at one time in different places throughout the camp. Thousands would gather for these events. They became the hallmark for the Second Great Awakening, which took place during the early 1800’s.
One of the most famous evangelists from the 1800’s was Charles Finney. He was converted toward the middle of the 2nd Great Awakening in 1821, and began his itinerant ministry in 1823. It is reported that when he went to a new city, he would ask who the praying people were in the city, before he would begin his work, to request their prayers and to see how the Lord was burdening people’s hearts.
Finney saw the rise of his contemporary D. L. Moody. Moody was converted in 1855 and began preaching in 1858. The revivals that propelled Moody to international recognition took place in 1873-1875, just before Finney’s death. Moody had worked as a preacher/teacher with the YMCA and grew to be such a popular preacher that he was propelled into itinerant preaching. It was said of Moody that the Holy Spirit had a monopoly on him.
Moody died in 1899 and R. A. Torrey took his place. Torrey is a little known genius of evangelism and theology. He was Moody’s direct successor. He too conducted mass evangelism meetings that lasted well into the early 1900’s. Billy Sunday (the baseball player turned evangelist) was also conducting meetings at this time.
In 1934, evangelist Mordeci Ham was invited to conduct meetings in Charlotte, NC. The tabernacle that was constructed held 5000 people. Many people were converted during those meetings, including a young man named Billy Graham. Billy Graham’s first major campaign was in September 1947. The historic LA meetings referred to earlier were held in 1949.
Now, at the twilight of Billy Graham’s ministry, it is estimated that there are 26 Crusade Evangelists in the U.S. at the present, with several more abroad. They are already conducting their own crusade meetings.
Based upon the history of mass evangelism, I have a distinct suspicion that it is not going to become obsolete any time soon. It is rooted in 300 years of tradition, and it will continue throughout the present century. In every generation since 1700’s, God has raised up at least one person to carry on the work of mass evangelism. There is no reason to believe that He will not raise up many more to continue this great work.
God’s Use of Crusade Evangelists
As we examine another proof of God’s use of crusade evangelists, we turn to consider God’s heart for cities as a whole. North American Christianity in the 1900’s saw the rise of an egotistical focus. The focal point of our beliefs became ourselves, as opposed to cities, communities, and groups of believers. This was in step with the secular mind-set in a post Sigmund Freud era. It became almost entirely focused on the individual: My faith, My personal Lord and Savior, My conviction.
This personal aspect of the faith is only part of the picture with God. God deals with entire cities as much as he deals with people individually. Think of the compassion in God’s tone as He spoke of the city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, “And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” (Jonah 4:11).
Jesus was quoted speaking to entire cities as well: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgment, than for you” (Matt 11:21-22). Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). Elsewhere, Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!” (Luke 13:34).
Historically, it has been mass evangelists who have dedicated their lives to this aspect of God’s heart in order to focus their attention on reaching cities. The contemporary crusade evangelist (CE) is in a unique position, different from that of the pastor. First of all, the CE is able to remain denominationally neutral, thus able to minister to a larger portion of the body of Christ. Secondly, they have the benefit of specialized training in city-reaching. In addition, they take on the responsibility to mobilize and train Christians for evangelism. Because of this vantage point, the CE is able to focus the Christians in an area on a unified effort.
The reputation of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association attests to the essential role that CE’s have in the plan of God. They have exemplified the character of mass evangelism for the next generation of evangelists. When all is said and done, crusade evangelism is not just a matter of Pragmatics (if it works, do it), though it is pragmatic. It is rather a matter of Principle because it is the right thing to do and the right thing to support.
*Drummand, Louis. Canvas Cathedral. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003, pg. 2.