What REALLY works in sharing the gospel?

Remember the adage, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket?" I could not find the derivation of this bit of information, but I believe it is true! Regardless of the effort, depending upon one means for success is a bit hazardous, if not foolish. This is true in nearly all matters of life. If you had all of your money invested with Bernard Madoff, it would have been a huge mistake. If your team relied on the expertise of one player, wins would be few. If your love was shared with only one other person, someone is going to be mistreated. You get the idea, right?

How does that apply to evangelism? I am glad you asked.

During my four decades of ministering among churches of Christ, I have found that many churches "place all their evangelistic efforts in a single basket!" Now, I grant you that the "baskets" are periodically changed, but most churches only use one "basket" at a time. For example, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most of us were dedicated to using "filmstrips" of one variety or another to preach the gospel. We would gather our five filmstrips, projector, screen, and record player and off we'd go to a "cottage" meeting. Let me quickly add that thousands of folk will enjoy heaven due to the efforts of this type of personal evangelism, but it was not a panacea. Soon afterwards, someone got the idea that "direct mail evangelism" was the answer to our evangelistic problems. So, many of us put our money and effort into sending literature into the homes of our neighbors and friends. It worked, but marginally so in my estimation.

By the early seventies, we were "bussing in" thousands of children to our Sunday schools. Many of whom were completely "unchurched" and were very excited that someone was showing concerned for them. Our philosophy? We will win the parents through their children! After all, if we show a genuine interest in their children, parents will appreciate us more and will allow us to study with them. There will be thousands of people in heaven someday due to the "Joy Bus" that rolled into their neighborhood!

I could have started earlier with gospel meetings, radio and television productions, large campaign efforts and ended with "exodus" movements, small groups, and "Jesus" seminars.

Each of the above was touted as "the answer to our evangelistic failures!" I am sure that I have over-stated the claims of each of these efforts, but I wanted us to note that we have had a bit of the "eggs in one basket" mentality! The truth is that there is no "one way" that will be the panacea for failed outreach efforts! The very nature of the above automatically excludes certain groupings in society. Not all will watch a movie, ride a bus, attend a gospel meeting, or host a dozen people in their home for Bible study and fellowship.

So, what is the solution? What will work in our world today? What are you doing that is working well in reaching the lost? What efforts is your church using to evanelize your community? I am eager to hear your responses!