What makes for a successful gospel meeting? A generation ago, some congregations could expect to see several baptisms and restorations during a special week(s) of preaching. The church building would overflow with a huge crowd of brethren and persons from the community. All over the country, it now seems that such is no longer the "norm". Since the crowds and responses to the invitation have diminished, should gospel meetings be relegated to the past?

    In some corners of our fellowship we hear talk that says gospel meetings are nothing more than "tradition" within churches of Christ and that their effectiveness may have peaked years ago. Thus, they conclude, time, effort, and money should be spent on more effective programs. The reasons for the decline of the gospel meeting is due to both internal and external factors.

    External factors include societal changes in America over the last five or six decades. As American culture has moved from being predominately rural to more urban and suburban, Americans have become more and more skeptical of religion. We live in a culture that has an insatiable appetite for entertainment. And, adding in increased demands of work, sports, hobbies, etc., most people have a hard time seeing the importance of going to church during the week.

    Internal factors have also hampered gospel meeting efforts. For example, many brethren possess a mentality that when a gospel meeting is advertised in the newspaper or on the sign in front of the building, that people will just show up, walk through the door, and respond to the gospel call. Those days are long gone. Much effort has to be expended to invite friends and neighbors. Multiple invitations have to be made, and then those we invite may not show up. We also see decreased commitment by members of the congregation to support the meeting by their attendance. Our culture has impacted brethren greatly. Many local churches now consider it a success when the number of persons at a given night of the gospel meeting matches their Sunday evening or even their Wednesday bible class attendance figures. Sadly, it seems that more and more brethren treat gospel meeting attendance as "optional" at best.

    So, we ask again, what makes for a successful gospel meeting? The effectiveness of a gospel meeting will be determined by the efforts and attitude of the Christians within each local congregation.

A successful meeting is one in which God is pleased. Let us use our upcoming gospel meeting as an opportunity to stimulate our brethren "to love and good works", Hebrews 10:22-25. Your presence, singing, prayer, and study will be an encouragement to those around you. Your speaker will come well prepared and present lessons that will challenge our spiritual heart.

This gospel meeting will be a great opportunity for a spiritual awakening. View the meeting as a chance to reinforce yourself for the spiritual battles that you face in your life. Paul wrote, "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil", Ephesians 6:10-11.

Finally, we can use the gospel meeting as an opportunity to let those outside of Christ hear the gospel message. Only the gospel can save man from sin. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek," Romans 1:16. While we should invite our friends, relatives, and neighbors to services on a regular basis, our gospel meeting is a great opportunity to invite our friends out to hear the gospel preached. Some of our religious friends are usually "in church" on Sunday. This is a great chance for them to come hear the gospel at a more convenient time.

THE GOSPEL IS CALLED:...

THE GOSPEL PLAN OF SALVATION

God's Part:

1. The great love of God for man: -- Jn. 3:16.

2. He gave Christ as the Savior: -- Lk. 19:10.

3. Sent the Holy Spirit as a guide: -- Jn. 16:13.

4. Gave the Gospel as "the power of God" unto salvation: -- Rom. 1:16.

5. Provided atonement by the blood of Christ: -- Rom. 5:9; Col. 1:14.

Man's Part:

1. Hear the Gospel: -- Rom. 10:17; Jn. 8:32.

2. Believe the Gospel: -- Heb. 11:6; Jn. 20:31.

3. Repent of past sins: -- Lk. 13:3; Acts 17:30.

4. Confess faith in Christ: -- Rom. 10:10; Matt. 10:32.

5. Be baptized for remission of sins: -- Gal. 3:27; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38.

6. Be faithful unto death: -- Rev. 2:10.

God has done His part; will you do yours?

---David Deason