LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 312

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310 EVANGELISM

couragement from the Evangelism Department of the Synod.
Four annual conferences have been held:

Nov. 28—30, 1969, Camp Walcamp, IIl., Attendance 50.

Oct. 23—25, 1970, St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington
Heights, Attendance 400.

Oct. 29-31, 1971, St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington
Heights, Attendance 600.

Oct. 27—29, 1972, St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington
Heights, Attendance 600,

In 1972 nine synodical colleges and both seminaries were
represented with students in attendance: six of these schools
had faculty representatives. A special meeting was held
with these faculty representatives to discuss evangelism on
the campus and their involvement in Key 73. A paper called
The Ambassador was initiated by students in 1970 and dis-
tributed regularly on the synodical campuses.

Academic training in evangelism at synodical schools has
come through its inclusion in other courses and has been
largely theoretical. In recent years, elective credit courses
in evangelism have been developed at the following schools,
according to a survey conducted by the Board for Evan-
gelism: Concordia Seminary, Springfield; Concordia Semi-
nary, St. Louis; Concordia Teachers College, Seward; Con-
cordia College, Milwaukee; Concordia Lutheran College, Ann
Arbor; St. John’s College, Winfield (for the Parish Worker
program). Concordia College, River Forest, has had a stu-
dent-taught evening course, and Concordia Senior College,
Fort Wayne, an evening course taught by a local pastor.

No school of the Synod requires a course in evangelism
for future pastors or teachers, or DCEs. Some of the schools
in the last several years have involved students in an ex-
posure to the Kennedy method of evangelism through clinics
or in a local congregational Kennedy training program.
Unique has been the arrangements in the Missouri District
whereby twice a year 15 students from each of the semi-
naries are enrolled in a 3-day Kennedy clinic conducted by
the Director of Stewardship and Evangelism of the Missouri
District, the Rev, Leroy Biesenthal, with the cost covered
by a grant from the Aid Association for Lutherans.

The Board for Evangelism makes the following recom-
mendations:

Recommendation 6— Evangelism at Synodical Schools

a) that we commend the Missouri District and the Aid
Association for Lutherans for making Kennedy-type evan-
gelism training possible for seminary students

b) that we commend those who developed and made
possible the annual Concordia Evangelism Conference and
the paper The Ambassador

c) that we encourage students to continue to develop
voluntary programs for evangelism training and experience

d) that we encourage the synodical schools to assign
a faculty advisor to the evangelism programs on their cam-
puses, a person who has experience and interest in evan-
gelism, and give him load weight hours for this assignment.

e) that we encourage our synodical schools to continue
to develop elective courses in evangelism

f) that we urge our terminal schools to comply with
Res. 8-09 of the Milwaukee convention, “to do whatever
may be necessary, through both required and elective
courses, to assure that the candidates for pastoral and teach-
ing ministry in our Synod are equipped with both knowledge
and skills, to assist the congregations of our Synod in evan-
gelistic outreach,” and direct them to establish required
courses in evangelism.

7. Confrontation Evangelism

“Confrontation evangelism" means a method by which
a clear presentation of sin and grace is presented in direct
conversation followed by a request for a response such as:
belief, further consideration, or rejection. A number of
methods and tools for training people to witness in this way
have been developed and congregations that have pursued
one of these methods have shown remarkable results in
changed lives and Christian growth.

In the Missouri Synod almost all of the Districts have
Some congregations using the “Kennedy method” and have
clinics available to train pastors in its use or are planning

such clinics. Again the congregations of the Synod who
have used the “Kennedy method" over a period of some
time have demonstrated its effectiveness by the results that
are visible in lives of the callers as they attain a new level
of commitment to Christ, in pastors as they make more
evangelism calls than ever in their ministry, in congrega-
tions as they become more conscious of their commission to
“make disciples of all nations,” and in the number of people
who are won for Christ and the church.

The features of these methods of confrontation evan-
gelism that seem to be the chief elements of its success
today, under the power of the Holy Spirit are:

a) commitment to a discipline of calling each week

b) training by observing someone else until one is ready
to solo

c) direct systematic presentation of Law and Gospel
d) request for a response to the Gospel presentation

The Board for Evangelism recommends:

Recommendation 7 — Confrontation Evangelism

We recommend:

a) that congregations be encouraged to systematically
train members to make evangelism calls using the four chief
elements of confrontation evangelism. a discipline of calling,
training by observation, systematic presentation of Law and
Gospel, request for a response

b) that the Synod commend the individuals and Districts,
who provide leadership training in confrontation evangelism
for pastors and teachers and encourage others to follow their
example

c) that the Board for Evangelism provide guidelines for
training pastors and lay people in confrontation evangelism.

8. Open House Services

In the 1950s the “Preaching-Teaching-Reaching” program
motivated many of our pastors and congregations to examine
their outreach program as they worked together in such
activities as: canvassing their community; establishing a
prospect or responsibility file; recruiting and training callers:
organizing to send out callers and receiving specific reports:
conducting a series of special nightly services. and a daily
study period for the clergy. While for some this experience
was only a short spurt away from normal activity to pass
in a short while, yet for many it was the stimulation needed
to develop a more effective ongoing program. And the re-
sults did show in the statistics, in that the years following
saw the Missouri Synod reach its highest point of adults and
children received into membership from outside the church.

Several variations followed, such as the “Spiritual Life
Mission” and the “Families for Christ” programs. Some con-
gregations have followed the tradition of these three pro-
grams and periodically conduct a series of “Open House
Services.”

In the fall of 1972 the Iron Mountain Circuit of the Mis-
souri District (9 congregations) conducted a P-T-R Mission
according to the traditional format. using some of the
original materials which Synod still had available. It was
closely observed by the District and synodical evangelism
leaders as a “pilot” to test the validity of the P-T-R as
a viable approach in evangelism today.

The results were extremely encouraging: The total com-
municant membership of the nine congregations was 2,511.
The nightly services had an average of 768 in attendance
with an average of 104 visiting nonmembers, Other statistics
indicate: 442 calls completed, 58 enrolled in instruction
classes; 33 desired transfer: 9 reaffirmation; 54 children en-
rolled in Sunday school; 19 desired baptism. The pastors,
both the host and the guest missioners, were enthusiastic.
Comments were made such as: “It was one of the most
stimulating experiences I have enjoved"; "The P-T-R, re-
vised, has great potential... .” “Still a good, viable pro-
gram for building the Kingdom.”

Many minor variations or “improvements” were suggested,
and others will no doubt grow out of the experience of the
Michigan District where a Districtwide week of Open House
services are planned for October as part of their Key 73
program.