News

Media Campaign Targets Unchurched

The conservative Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has jumped into the vast ocean of modern communication in the belief that secular advertising will reach the secular masses.

Launching a $98.7 million “Go … Tell a NEW Generation” evangelism campaign, the International Lutheran Layman’s League is placing Lutheran Hour Ministries squarely into the world of mainstream media, using radio, TV, newspapers, cassettes, pamphlets, and toll-free phone lines.

Viewers in various California, Iowa, and Oklahoma markets have seen a 30-second spot on major TV channels that talks about improving family communication. Dialing an 800 number, a caller connects with a volunteer who provides a booklet and audiocassette that offer biblically based answers.

“This is the outreach that really has the sizzle,” says Dale Meyer, principal speaker on The Lutheran Hour, a weekly radio program heard on more than 1,200 stations. “It is not bait-and-switch. It’s not going to be an electronic altar call.”

But callers will be contacted again. After each campaign, area congregations offer seminars—in neutral, nonthreatening locations—for those interested. Later, a Bible study is offered. To date, more than 9,000 people have responded.

“People sitting on the couch watching Coach or Roseanne don’t want to be preached at,” says Cathy Sargent Mester, a Pennsylvania State University communications expert. “But a seed can be planted if you present a situation they can identify with.”

Temporarily replacing his white-collared black garment with more casual attire, Meyer is also appearing in On Main Street, a Christian social-issues program designed for secular television. Targeting baby-boomer topics and featuring interaction with a live audience, the 18-week broadcast is being seen in six markets, including New York City.

Money for the campaign will be raised by Lutheran Hour Ministries over a three-year period, with most coming from past donors, wills, estates, and personal solicitations. Convinced that it is “high time that the church takes the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers and puts it into practice,” Meyer says the volunteer initiative involves equipping 100,000 laypeople.

“This program will obviously benefit the Lutheran church, but a rising tide raises all ships, and we intend this to be a blessing to all Christendom,” Meyer says. “Our goal is not to make 1.2 million more Missouri Synod Lutherans. Our goal is to foster Christ’s kingdom.”

Copyright © 1994 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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Cover Story

Reaching the First Post-Christian Generation

Randall Terry Attacks Religious Right

Christians Aid Forgotten Guyanese Poor

Christians Suffer Renewed Attacks

Muslim Death Threats Protested

Protesters Offer Silent Witness in Haiti

Florida Shootings Stifle Pro-lifers

Science Finds Religion at Symposium

NORTH AMERICAN SCENE: Fragrance-free Service Initiated

New Catechism a Bestseller

Christians Decry Rights Bill

Urban Relocators Build Bridges

Jews for Jesus Fights Cult Label

City Erects Pagan Sculpture

Has Rift Between Orthodox, Protestants Begun to Heal?

Group Picks First American Leader

Churches Challenge Synod Ruling

BOOKS: Rating Our Theologians

SIDEBAR: Worth Mentioning: News, notices, and curiosities of religious publishing

PHILIP YANCEY: What Surprised Jesus

Christians Suffer Renewed Attacks

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FEC Targets Political Ad

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News Briefs: September 12, 1994

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Closing the Ultimate Sale

Talking 'Bout a Generation

In Praise of Premise Keepers

The Unrepeatable Tom Skinner

Editorial

EDITORIAL: Blinded by the ’Lite’

Editorial

EDITORIAL: AIDS Policy Failure

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Hard-Core Porn Technology Hits Home

SIDEBAR: Busters Online

SIDEBAR: X-ing the Church

ARTICLE: Testing the Spiritualities

ARTICLE: Charting Dispensationalism

SIDEBAR: Dispensationalisms of the Third Kind

ARTICLE: Clocking Out

ARTICLE: Who’s Afraid of the Holy Spirit?

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