Lenten 
 
 Campaign on 
 Evangelism 
 
 1920 
 
 , Purpose : 
 
 To put the Protestant Church 
 of America in Circulation 
 for Christ 
 
 Interchurch World Movement 
 of North America 
 
 45 West 18th Street, New York City 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2017 with funding from 
 Columbia University Libraries 
 
 https://archive.org/details/lentenevangelismOOinte 
 
Victory 
 
 Through Prayer 
 
 The history of every great spiritual tri- 
 umph is the history of answered prayer. 
 “With our Lord,” says George Adam Smith, 
 “prayer was not a preparation for the bat- 
 tle; prayer was the battle.” The reach and 
 power of the evangelistic campaign will 
 depend upon how far this spirit dominates 
 the lives of the leaders and permeates the 
 churches and communities where the work 
 is going forward. In the secret places of 
 fellowship with God the triumph will begin. 
 
 Words are inadequate to express how im- 
 perative it is that everything possible be 
 done to call out and release the prayer 
 power of the church. 
 
 The following suggestions are offered as 
 some of the ways of bringing this about: 
 
 1. Utilize to the fullest possible extent the 
 members of the Fellowship of Interces- 
 sion or any other list of enrolled inter- 
 cessors by giving them definite subjects 
 for prayer and special evangelistic 
 tasks. 
 
 2. Ask all Christians to pause for a mo- 
 ment of prayer for the campaign at 
 twelve o'clock each day. While the 
 
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campaign is in progress ring all church 
 bells or chimes for a moment at noon as 
 a reminder of the prayer time. 
 
 3. Give special place to prayer in all stated 
 church meetings. One or two Sunday 
 church services might well be set aside 
 entirely for intercession. 
 
 4. Use the Group or Unit Leaders for the 
 circulation of literature on prayer and 
 for the holding of special group meet- 
 ings for prayer. 
 
 6. Organize community prayer meetings 
 where practicable, relating them to defi- 
 nite personal work and other evangelis- 
 tic plans. 
 
 Every Church Evangelism 
 
 These suggestions are not intended to in- 
 terfere with the perfect freedom of any 
 pastor or church in making its own evan- 
 gelistic program. The purpose of the In- 
 terchurch Evangelistic Campaign is to sup- 
 plement the work of the local church and 
 the resident minister by suggesting certain 
 forms of common evangelistic endeavor 
 which will make it easier and more effec- 
 tive for every pastor and every church to 
 secure the largest evangelistic product. 
 No evangelistic agency can compare in 
 value and power to the local religious so- 
 ciety called a church. Nothing should be 
 allowed to deprive that local church of its 
 mission to be a continuous and compelling 
 evangelist in the community. 
 
 4 
 
The slogan of this campaign is; 
 
 Every Christian an Evangelist. 
 Every Church a Center of 
 Evangelism and Community Service. 
 
 Evangelism which does not fruit in 
 community service is socially deficient. 
 Community service which does not root in 
 evangelism is spiritually deficient. 
 
 Every Protestant Church in America is 
 Urged to Conduct a Series of Special 
 Evangelistic Services Under the Direc- 
 tion OF THE Resident Minister for at 
 Least Two Weeks Preceding Easter 
 Sunday 
 
 Out o£ Circulation 
 
 No members of the Protestant churches 
 of America ought to face more fearlessly 
 Christ’s parable of the lost silver than the 
 men and women in official position in our 
 churches. What was the matter with that 
 piece of silver? It was lost. In what 
 sense? Lost in circulation. It was a good 
 coin if it could be found. But it was out 
 of circulation. Nothing could be bought 
 with it while it was out of circulation. If 
 you take money out of circulation you in- 
 duce a financial panic. Spiritual bank- 
 ruptcy will come in the church unless her 
 leaders get in circulation for Christ. Christ 
 can be counted on; can He count on the 
 church officials of America to be His wit- 
 nesses, His ambassadors, His partners? 
 
 5 
 
Our slogan for our lay officials is: 
 
 As the Church Officials go for Christ, so 
 goes the Whole Church 
 
 In every community, as early in Lent as 
 possible, the church officials of every Pro- 
 testant church should be brought together 
 in an assembly and face the entire Pro- 
 testant evangelistic obligation in that com- 
 munity. If this group will not face the 
 facts in the light of the face of Christ, 
 there will be no spiritual awakening. The 
 evangelistic destiny of any community is 
 determined by the church officials. They 
 are the biggest unused evangelistic asset 
 in America. 
 
 “Not by Bread Alone” 
 
 No word of Jesus seems more imperative 
 for men who are earning higher wages and 
 have secured more material comforts than 
 at any hour in the history of the world. 
 We have but one gospel for the employer 
 and the employed. We know only one 
 Christ for all men regardless of social, 
 financial, or economic distinction. In har- 
 mony with the teaching of Christ that all 
 men are brothers, suggestion is made that 
 every possible enterprise be manifested in 
 securing a hearing for Jesus Christ among 
 the industrial groups of the nation. 
 
 1. Through the recognized community or- 
 ganization such as ministers’ associa- 
 tions, Federation of Churches, Y.M.C.A., 
 and other organized groups of Chris- 
 6 
 
tian leaders, to arrange an extensive 
 Shop and Factory Campaign during 
 Lent. Meetings could be held once a 
 week during the month preceding Easter 
 and possibly each day during Holy 
 Week at the noon hour. On Good Fri- 
 day request, wherever possible, a rea- 
 sonable extension of time on the pay of 
 the employer, so as to secure a fair 
 hearing for the Good Friday message. 
 
 2. To arrange with the labor groups of 
 the community to go into their halls or 
 labor unions and interpret the Chris- 
 tian message on the basis of the Ser- 
 mon on the Mount. The Industrial Re- 
 lations Department of the Interchurch 
 Movement is heartily cooperating in this 
 plan. 
 
 Our slogan: 
 
 The Working Men of America for the 
 Master Workman of Galilee 
 
 Take Somebody Your Size 
 
 Emphasis has been given to the necessity 
 of winning folks to Christ in the ’teen age 
 so that one wonders whether the Christian 
 church has given up hope of winning 
 adults. When an adult is won to Christ 
 he may be only an addition table; when 
 you win a boy to Christ he may be a mul- 
 tiplication table. But has the church no 
 unsolved problem in losing her adult men? 
 Is Christ unequal to the task of winning 
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strong men I successful men; prosperous 
 men; professional men? Tlie church is 
 not winning such men in any considerable 
 numbers. Is Christ incompetent or is the 
 church helpless? 
 
 What are we doing to win men like 
 Nicodemus, like Matthew, like Saul of 
 Tarsus? The challenge of this campaign 
 to the “big business” men in the church is 
 to “Take Somebody Your Size.” Challenge 
 the bankers to win other bankers. Chal- 
 lenge the lawyers to win other lawyers. 
 Challenge the merchants to win other mer- 
 chants. Challenge the directors of big 
 corporations to win other directors. Chal- 
 lenge the biggest Christian men in the com- 
 munity to win others just like themselves. 
 Easy to win the boys and girls. Easy to 
 approach the drunkard. Easy to talk with 
 the unprivileged classes. “Take Somebody 
 Your Size.” 
 
 Call together in a series of business 
 men’s luncheons the brightest, best, biggest 
 business men in town. Summon them to 
 this service of winning other big men to 
 ChMst. Challenge them to test their sales- 
 manship by selling the gospel to other men 
 like themselves. 
 
 Men. Women 
 
 MEN — -1, Every well organized Y. M. C. A. 
 in the country conducts a men’s meeting 
 either on Sunday afternoon or on a week 
 night. The pastors of America are urged 
 to cooperate with the local Association 
 leaders in making these men’s meetings 
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during Lent distinctly and definitely evan- 
 gelistic in spirit and method. Unless men 
 are brought face to face with Christ, and 
 their personal allegiance to Christ is se- 
 cured, we can hardly justify our organized 
 Christian work for men in any community. 
 
 2. In communities where there is no 
 Y. M. C. A. organization, but where there 
 are several churches, it is hoped that the 
 pastors and laymen of these churches will 
 unite in holding at least one evangelistic 
 meeting every week for men only. All the 
 Christian men in the community should 
 join in this united effort to reach the men of 
 the community for Christ. Sunday after- 
 noon is suggested for such a community 
 evangelistic meeting for men only. 
 
 WOMEN — 1. In our large centers we have 
 our Y. W. C. A. What has been indicated 
 as a policy for the Y. M. C. A. during Lent 
 applies equally to the Y. W. C. A. Special 
 efforts should be made to win the young 
 women to Christ. 
 
 2. There is a unique opportunity for the 
 Y. W. C. A. to bring the Christian message 
 to the business women of our cities. Our 
 churches should cooperate heartily. Both 
 the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. W. C. A. are 
 the Protestant churches in action serving 
 special social groups in the name of Christ. 
 
 Holy Week 
 
 This is the largest evangelistic oppor- 
 tunity of the entire church year. No Pro- 
 9 
 
testant church in America should fail to 
 use it to secure new disciples for the Christ 
 of Calvary and the open tomb. 
 
 1. Palm Sunday, March 28, Acknowledg- 
 ment Day. Many will make decisions 
 to follow Christ during Lent who will 
 acknowledge Him openly on this day. 
 Every denomination can doubtless se- 
 cure ample literature from its Sunday 
 school Board on “Decision Day.” Adapt 
 it for Palm Sunday both in the Sunday 
 school and in the Young People’s So- 
 cieties. This day should mark a spirit- 
 ual epoch among the young people of 
 America. 
 
 2. Daily noon-day meetings for all people 
 
 should be held in the business sections of 
 our cities in some downtown church or 
 theater. ' 
 
 3. The church bells or chimes of every 
 Protestant church in the community 
 should be rung as a call to prayer for 
 a spiritual awakening throughout the 
 nation and especially in the churches of 
 that community. 
 
 4. Good Friday Three Hour Service. In 
 several sections of our larger cities and 
 in every community where there are 
 several Protestant churches, a devo- 
 tional service of three hours, from 12 
 o’clock noon until 3 o’clock, ought to be 
 held. The best music of the community 
 should be available, interpreting Christ 
 
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and His cross. The seven sayings of 
 the cross should be the subjects of ad- 
 dresses, petitions, praise. 
 
 5. Stores Closed. The merchants in many 
 cities will close their stores for the noon 
 hour on Good Friday if requested by the 
 churches. Try it. No testimony to the 
 need of the Christ of the cross will be 
 more effective. 
 
 6. J oin-the-Church Sunday — Easter, April i. 
 This day should witness the reception 
 into church fellowship of the largest 
 number of new disciples of Christ who 
 have ever been received on any one day 
 in the history of Protestantism. It 
 should be the beginning of a new world 
 Pentecost. 
 
 The suggestions in this leaflet are in- 
 tended to supplement those contained in 
 the booklet entitled “The Nineteen-Twenty 
 Evangelistic Campaign,” the common evan- 
 gelistic features of which are commended 
 to all cooperating denominations. 
 
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No. 476 SR. II. 165. Mar. 1920