Is Crusade Evangelism Effective?

By Jeremy Myers

Crusade evangelism is a strategy that has been used since the First Great Awakening in mid-1700’s. It began in England and American where popular preachers gathered together large crowds of people, and preached the Gospel to them.

Some of the leading evangelists to use this strategy include D. L. Moody, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, Charles Finney, Billy Sunday, and in more recent years, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Luis Palau, and Greg Laurie. And should we include Tim Tebow’s dad in there as well? Check out the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association.

Without a doubt, millions of people around the world have heard the Gospel and received eternal life as a result of these crusades. They are, and continue to be, a meaningful and effective way of spreading the good news about Jesus Christ.

Crusade Evangelism Statistics

And yet, in a 1990 interview with PBS, Billy Graham himself stated his believe that only about 25% of those who come forward at one of his events actually became Christians. In recent years, studies have shown that only 6% of people who “come forward” at an evangelistic crusade are any different in their beliefs or behavior one year later. Of course, it is estimated that Billy Graham preached to more than 200 million people, and 6% of 200 million is still 12 million. That’s significant.

In recent decades, ministries that are involved in crusade evangelism have tried to increase the long-term effectiveness of their efforts by engaging local churches and ministries to perform follow-up discipleship with those who come forward at a crusade. They recognized, rightly, that the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 calls for discipleship, not just evangelism. It calls for people to learn about Jesus and follow Him; not just pray a prayer or make a decision about Jesus. This is a step in the right direction.

Moving Toward Relational Evangelism

But if crusade evangelists are taking a step in “the right direction,” what is the direction they are stepping toward? They are moving toward relational evangelism, recognizing that big tent, big event evangelism does not achieve the long-term results which comes only through long-term relationships with other people. And so they have tried to take the relational emphasis of effective evangelism and tack it on to the tail end of their events.

But if they recognize that relational evangelism is more effective, then why not dump crusade evangelism altogether, and just focus on training people in relational evangelism? We’ll look at more of this tomorrow.

Check out these related posts on Scripture, Theology, and Church:

Going Door to Door for Jesus

Evangelism Never Stops

Is Need-based Evangelism Needed?

Right Here, Right Now

Stop Christian Cloning

In Close Your Church for Good, Evangelism

https://theway21stcentury.wordpress.com/ unkleE

Hey Jeremy,

I don’t want to be pedantic, but either your maths is bad or I’m misunderstanding.

6% of 200 million is indeed 12 million. But the 200 million was the number he preached to, and 6% is the percentage of those who came forward. The maths would only add up if 100% of people came forward. Am I understanding your figures correctly?

A quick Google search suggested about 3-4% of attendees would come forward, so if you factor that into the maths, you get:

Converts = 200 million x 6% x 4% = 480,000 or approx 0.5 million

I find that figure unbelievably low, but that’s the maths. What do you think?
- http://www.tillhecomes.org Jeremy Myers
  
  Well, the quote from Billy Graham was hard to understand. I wasn’t sure if he was talking about 6% of the 25% that came forward, or 6% of the total people who attended a crusade. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and went with 6% of 200 million.
  
  So here is how I understood it:
  
  200 million attended
  25% of 200 million “came forward”
  6% of 200 million actually converted
  
  But as it turns out, there is an easier way of doing this.
  
  I did some more research, and found that in 2002 the BGEA report that “3.2 million have responded to an invitation at a Billy Graham Crusade to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior (Source). He stopped doing crusades in 2005, so we can add to these numbers bit, but I doubt it goes much past 3.5 million. Let’s give him 4 million, just to be generous.
Sam

Whether it is twelve million or 480,000 I still wonder how these numbers hold up. I have never known any believer who claimed to have become a believer in any “crusade”.

I do remember a “hippy” friend in the 70′s who, with a group of other “Jesus people”, spent a Sunday afternoon at the beach with the “five spiritual laws”. They reported that over two hundred people “got saved” in something like three hours. Of course, no one knew anything about any of those people.

One friend went to a Billy Graham crusade years ago to “see what was happening” and said that other people he knew went for the same reason. I wonder how many of the twelve million (or 480,000) “converts” thought they were actually following Jesus a year or two later.
- http://www.tillhecomes.org Jeremy Myers
  
  I get in to this tomorrow a tiny bit. The BGEA recognized this problem in the mid 1990′s, and began to try to get people who came forward to get plugged in to local churches for ongoing discipleship.
https://theway21stcentury.wordpress.com/ unkleE

I certainly know, and know of, people who made decisions at Billy Graham crusades and stayed believers, and it is generally accepted that his 1959 crusade n Sydney had a big and lasting impact. I think we can recognise the good he did while also querying his methods and results.
- http://www.tillhecomes.org Jeremy Myers
  
  Absolutely. I want to be very careful here, because I think he did a lot of good, and so is his son, Franklin Graham. We support various aspects of his ministry.
Tom Griner

Are Gospel Crusades Effective?
For those of us who do crusade evangelism the answer is, “Yes, of
course they are effective.” But it is not an unreasonable question to ask,
“How are they effective?” Especially in the light of those who discount
their worth on the grounds of some statistic touting the low number of
decisions for Christ that actually became infolded into a local church.
For instance, some of these statistics have reported that only 5
percent or less of those making a confession for Christ in certain American
crusades ever become part of a local church.
Also, in a recent missions newsletter that I read, the writer made
this statement, “Of the hundreds of thousands who make decisions for
Christ in the evangelistic crusades in the third world nations (like Africa),
only a tiny fraction end up regularly attending any church.” The article
then cited statistics where 1 million were said to have received Christ
with only one-tenth of 1 percent being found in a local church ninety days
after the meetings. From this perspective, the article then drew the
conclusion that the “meager” results of crusades compared to the great cost
in time, energy, and money represented a failed stewardship of God’s
resources.
I can understand what’s being said here, but as one who has held
evangelistic crusades in various parts of the world, I know there is more to
the story than that reflected in these statistics or this mission’s article. My
experience tells a different story. After our crusades it is not uncommon
that a new church might be formed, or for the existing churches to swell
twice their size with new members.
I think that the reason some gospel events might lack in fruit is that
a watered-down version of the gospel is being preached—a version that
doesn’t really save. In our meetings we preach repentance and the cross of
Christ calling the people to make a whole-hearted commitment to Jesus
as Lord and Savior. We don’t give them a feel-good sugarcoated gospel.
138 WOUNDED CONTINENT
We don’t beg them to come to Christ for what they can get. We extol the
cost of truly following the Lord. They often run to our altar calls with tears
streaming down their faces. The results are genuine salvation. These new
converts are then encouraged to fill out a follow-up card. Within days,
trained local counselors visit each one to pray with them and to explain
further this new life in Jesus. The results are often strong new converts.
Besides new church members, there are other valuable benefits from
a gospel crusade. For one thing the gospel is preached in public. The atmosphere
is saturated with the message of Jesus Christ crucified and risen from
the dead. The place is plowed and seeded with the Word of God. And no one,
this side of heaven, can fully measure the results. Only God knows the fruit
that may come up in a year, or for that matter, in three years.
I think of David Livingston, the great missionary to Africa, who had
what seemed to be little fruit during his missionary journey. His heart is
buried in Blantyre, a town in Malawi, just a short distance from where we
have held crusades in Chipata, Zambia. Who knows if our reaping in Chipata
may have been in answer to David Livingston’s prayer and the fruit of the
gospel he sowed years before. After all, the Scripture says, “Some reap
where others have sown.”
On another note, how can one measure the significance of a
communit-wide event where churches and pastors come together in unity
to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord? The Scriptures say:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the
head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron,
running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the
dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion;
for there the LORD commanded the blessing—life
forevermore.” (Psalm133:1–3)
As the churches work, pray and praise together, the community
experiences a unified expression of the body of Christ. The impact of the
gospel is multiplied, changing the hearts of men and consequently the
moral climate of the township. There is blessing.
Then, the manifestation of signs, wonders, and miracles are a lasting
testimony to the love of Jesus. For those who witness them and for those
who receive them, there is joy:
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and
preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one
accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and
seeing the miracles, which he did. For unclean spirits,
crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were
possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were
healed. And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:4–8)
Are gospel crusades effective? The answer is a resounding yes. They
are a first step in answering the call of the Lord to go into all the world and
make disciples: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the
world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew
24:14).
- http://www.tillhecomes.org Jeremy Myers
  
  Tom,
  I tried reading this comment, but the formatting makes it very difficult. Can you summarize your basic idea in a new comment for me?
Tom Griner

Hey Jeremy, thanks for your dialogue. Or you saying the post is to long? Please feel free to delete it if is our of the bounds. I appreciate people getting to the point myself. I am passionate about this subject so have given an apologetic for my response. Since this topic is not theory to me but life experience, my brief synopsis would be “of course Mass Evangelism” is effective.
- http://www.tillhecomes.org Jeremy Myers
  
  Tom,
  
  No, no. It’s not too long. I read through it, but the paragraph breaks and sentence breaks were missing, and so I had trouble following the comment.
Tom Griner

Sorry for the misspellings.
Tom Griner

For those of us who do crusade evangelism the answer is, “Yes, of course they are effective.” But it is not an unreasonable question to ask, “How are they effective?” Especially in the light of those who discount their worth on the grounds of some statistic touting the low number of decisions for Christ that actually became infolded into a local church. For instance, some of these statistics have reported that only 5 percent or less of those making a confession for Christ in certain American crusades ever become part of a local church. Also, in a recent missions newsletter that I read, the writer made this statement, “Of the hundreds of thousands who make decisions for Christ in the evangelistic crusades in the third world nations (like Africa), only a tiny fraction end up regularly attending any church.” The article then cited statistics where 1 million were said to have received Christ with only one-tenth of 1 percent being found in a local church ninety days after the meetings. From this perspective, the article then drew the conclusion that the “meager” results of crusades compared to the great cost in time, energy, and money represented a failed stewardship of God’s resources. I can understand what’s being said here, but as one who has held evangelistic crusades in various parts of the world, I know there is more to the story than that reflected in these statistics or this mission’s article.

My experience tells a different story. After our crusades it is not uncommon that a new church might be formed, or for the existing churches to swell twice their size with new members. I think that the reason some gospel events might lack in fruit is that a watered-down version of the gospel is being preached—a version that doesn’t really save. In our meetings we preach repentance and the cross of Christ calling the people to make a whole-hearted commitment to Jesus as Lord and Savior. We don’t give them a feel-good sugarcoated gospel. We don’t beg them to come to Christ for what they can get. We extol the cost of truly following the Lord. They often run to our altar calls with tears streaming down their faces. The results are genuine salvation. These new converts are then encouraged to fill out a follow-up card. Within days, trained local counselors visit each one to pray with them and to explain further this new life in Jesus. The results are often strong new converts. Besides new church members, there are other valuable benefits from a gospel crusade. For one thing the gospel is preached in public. The atmosphere is saturated with the message of Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. The place is plowed and seeded with the Word of God. And no one, this side of heaven, can fully measure the results. Only God knows the fruit that may come up in a year, or for that matter, in three years. I think of David Livingston, the great missionary to Africa, who had what seemed to be little fruit during his missionary journey. His heart is buried in Blantyre, a town in Malawi, just a short distance from where we have held crusades in Chipata, Zambia. Who knows if our reaping in Chipata may have been in answer to David Livingston’s prayer and the fruit of the gospel he sowed years before. After all, the Scripture says, “Some reap where others have sown.”

On another note, how can one measure the significance of a community-wide event where churches and pastors come together in unity to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord? The Scriptures say: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forevermore.” (Psalm133:1–3) As the churches work, pray and praise together, the community experiences a unified expression of the body of Christ. The impact of the gospel is multiplied, changing the hearts of men and consequently the moral climate of the township. There is blessing. Then, the manifestation of signs, wonders, and miracles are a lasting testimony to the love of Jesus. For those who witness them and for those who receive them, there is joy: “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles, which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:4–8) Are gospel crusades effective? The answer is a resounding yes. They are a first step in answering the call of the Lord to go into all the world and make disciples: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew24:14).
- http://www.mopcolorado.blogspot.com FedExMOP
  
  Tom,
  
  I hear what you are saying, and I guess that the answer to “is crusade evangelism effective?” is “Yes”. But the question of just how effective remains. In a world of infinite resources, the expenditure of many hundreds of millions of dollars for a few thousand real converts would be ok. But in a world of limited resources (ie the real world), where millions of people are dying of hunger even in American cities, perhaps a more cost effective approach is called for. Just saying that maybe if we actually used those hundreds of millions of dollars to meet the needs of widows and orphans to show them the love of Jesus, maybe that would be even more effective.
  
  FedEx
  President,
  Men of Praise Motorcycle Ministry
- http://www.tillhecomes.org Jeremy Myers
  
  Tom,
  You make good points. There certainly are good results from Evangelism Crusades. I guess I was just arguing that personal evangelism might in the long run be even more effective, especially when we help people understand that they don’t need all the polish of the stage production put on by evangelism crusades, but can simply love people in their neighborhood.
  
  So yes, crusades are effective. There is no denying it. But I think that relationship evangelism could be more effective, and helps more people get involved in evangelism.
http://www.mopcolorado.blogspot.com FedExMOP

Tom,

I would indeed agree with that. No matter the style of evangelism, crusade, one on one, or whatever, non of it has much lasting value unless it points to a deeper relationship with Christ, and leads to a relationship with His body in this world, the church. God bless,

FedEx,
President,
Men of Praise Motorcycle Ministry
Tom Griner

The little article I posted is ( I think) a good response to how effective city evangelism is. I was just in Mazabuka Africa (Nov. 2011) doing a crusade (You can see a little high-lite on our website). The first people I meet when I came into town were two men who had been saved 12 years ago in open air meetings from another town. One was a pastor. In yet another crusade meeting in Nakonde Zambia, I meet a young man who was pastoring a church of about 300 who was saved and called to the ministry in one of my meetings. The Bible Gospel Church of Africa whose Bishop is Peter Ndholvu was catapulted forward from his involvement in one of our crusades. Anyway, this is what I am saying. From my vantage point I see great fruit. I am there on the ground. And, from the number of people who confess Jesus for the first time in a meeting, we estimate it costs us about $3. I don’t think millions of people are dying of hunger in the USA. But they are in the rest of the world. That is why we raise money to feed and educate thousands of vulnerable children in Africa. Check it out, http://www.fhafrica.org. So, we preach, we feed and we educate. We are bringing Scripture to life.
- http://www.mopcolorado.blogspot.com FedExMOP
  
  Tom,
  
  Thanks for the response. I did not mean to say millions were dying of hunger in America, but that millions of people are dying of hunger, and some of them are in America. I have not heard of your organization, but I will look into it. My experiences have only been with those crusades with millions of dollars in overhead costs. None of them have offered a per soul cost as far as I can see, but I am guessing their cost is much more than $3/person. I would be interested in knowing what percentage of people making first time confessions become and stay involved in churches. From what you say, it sounds like your organization is doing some really great things both with direct personal impact and with crusade-style preaching.
  
  FedEx,
  President,
  Men of Praise Motorcycle Ministry
Tom Griner

I must read more closely. That makes sense. So, in answer to your question, church attendance is high after the meetings, maybe 50% but depending on the follow up of each church, it may or may not last. This is were we need the relational connection. For some, this is a process that might take years before they are full converted. So, open air evangelism has a place in reaching the masses as a prophetic voice, but as I think you believe, nothing can take the place of relationship evangelism as the solid ground game of the Church.
Tom Griner

Now that is said very well. Thanks for the chat.
- http://www.tillhecomes.org Jeremy Myers
  
  Tom and FedEx,
  Great discussion! I learned a lot from your exchange.
http://helapingsten.wordpress.com/ Micael Grenholm

To prove effectiveness in evangelism by statistics is quite hard. The main problem with advocating relational evangelism instead of “crusade” evangelism or street evangelism is that it’s extremely hard to get how many percent of people who meets relational evangelism accept the Lord. So while we mock Billy Graha for “only” bringing 6% to the Lord, the results in relational evangelism may be even lower. How do we know that it should be more than 6%? Jesus preached to a lot of people, still after His resurrection only 120 persons gathered to pray in the upper room.

Instead of staring at statistics, I would like us to look at Scripture. And indeed Jesus gathered large crowds and preached to them. Over and over again. He also built relations with disciples. He confirmed the message with signs and wonders. And He loved people and cared for their needs. My proposal is that we do the same. Let’s not act like “crusades” and relations are something that compete against each other but that complement each other. To gather large crowds and preach the Gospel to them is Biblical, so whoever mocks that type of evangelism actually mocks the way Jesus did evangelism. And as Paul said, we should preach the Gospel in words, deeds and in the power of signs and wonders (Rom 15:18-19). That’s effective.

/Micael, Sweden.
- Samuelyen232
  
  I think you’ve made the best comment. Billy Graham in his crusade evangelism will lead more people to Christ than millions of people engaging in “relationship evangelism” which can be a gimmick. If the only reason you are friends with someone is to lead them to Christ, chances are they will see right through it, if they have a brain.
  
  As you have all mentioned, one of the hardest parts of evangelistic crusades is getting people plugged in to a local church. THe evangelist, if possible, should even look at staying in the local area of the crusade and delivering sermons that get people on their way to a relationship with God. Or you get local pastors to actually pay attention to people who make decisions to follow Christ at these crusades and counsellors should be actively involved in building people up after their decision for Christ.
  
  Also, I disagree with the whole idea of counting how much $$ it takes to get people to receive Christ. I studied business and God’s Kingdom is not a cost-effectiveness calculation you make and you make your choice based on dollars cost to receive a soul. Just because you are not called to be an evangelist does not mean you belittle the calling of God’s great evangelists!! Where would we be without great evangelists such as D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, Luis Palau, Charles Finney, Reinhard Bonnke, Daniel Kolenda, George Whitfield, John Wesley, John Sung and William Carey??