I am old enough to remember the late Billy Graham reassuring the thousands of people who came to hear him preach in 1979, some possibly concerned about their ride home, that ‘the buses will wait’. Billy Graham drew huge crowds in Australia. The ABC estimated that during his first tour Down Under in 1959 around half the population of Australia heard him preach (either in person or via landline[1]). On the 15th March 1959, 143,750 people gathered at the MCG to hear Billy urge them to come forward and commit their lives to Christ. Thousands went forward, often experiencing significant change to their lives.[2]
Those Days Are Long Gone
It is difficult to imagine something like the 1959 or even the 1979 Billy Graham Crusade happening in Australia now. So much has changed. Even the famous ‘buses will wait’ line reflected a day when churches organised buses to transport people, and people turned up in droves. But, more fundamentally, the religious landscape is very different. The ABS Census figures show that the proportion of Australians calling themselves Christian has dropped from over 86% in 1971 to 44% in 2021. More, Christianity has shifted from being perceived as the best form of our prevailing culture to maybe the worst. Imagining half the population turning up or tuning into a Christian sermon stretches credibility.
It has become a well-worn mantra amongst evangelical Christians that the days of public rallies to evangelise the lost are long gone. The future of evangelism is relational. We have to get out there and build friendships with unbelievers, building relational bridges strong enough to cross the divide of of apathy and negativity. Public evangelism just won’t cut it. I have been on that bandwagon for decades. But I am not so sure now.
Are They Coming Back?
Many have chronicled a change in the wind in countries like the UK and Australia. Even if we aren’t sure what is changing and how big the change is, things are changing. It seems particularly pronounced amongst young men. The angst of loss of meaning and purpose, and the emasculation of masculinity with nothing to replace it seems to be leading many to search for something. I am seeing it on the university campuses where I work with the AFES. Many students are open to serious conversations about spiritual things, some exploring faith online before tentatively stepping foot into a Christian gathering.
There is other evidence of new spiritual green shoots. McCrindle Research suggests about two thirds of Australians say they would be open to an invitation to church from a Christian they know[3]. That translates to forty people in the block of flats I live in (if they knew me well enough to trust me). It could be worth trying a few things, like talking to them warmly in the lift, and inviting them around for a casual drink.
And maybe this is the time to be reconsider what strategies we could effectively use in our evangelism?
Another Go at the Evangelistic Rally
Maybe it is a good time to run something like an evangelistic rally, giving many of us the opportunity to invite friends and family. The Perth Gospel Partnership (a regional network associated with TGCA) are convinced enough to have go at something next month. We have invited Glen Scrivener to town to help us. We are planning three warm, open events where our friends and neighbours can hear something clear about Jesus, with an interview and some personal songs. Two of these events will be cultural apologetics, showing how many of the things we hold dear (like equality and compassion) find their roots in Jesus. The other will be more explicitly evangelistic, giving reason and opportunity to trust Jesus. There will be the opportunity to ask questions. We are using large church buildings for the first two events, then the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre for the last. And we are seeking to get the word out far and wide.
Glen is good at commending Jesus. His book The Air We Breathe does it really well, as does his YouTube/podcast Speak Life.
Feeling Anxious
I am a little anxious about it all. Is there an appetite for larger gatherings? I hope there is. Indications of a growing appetite for attending concerts gives cause for cautious optimism.[4] Will Christians pray for the salvation of their friends? I know some who do. Are we confident enough in the truth and beauty of Jesus and his grace? We are working on it. Will we have the courage to invite, making a clear and honest pitch? That will take some encouragement and teamwork. Will we lose money? It seems worth the risk.
In God’s kindness we hope and pray that many will be rescued from darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son, either at the events or through follow-up in the months afterwards. The fruitfulness is in God’s hands, but we think this is a good time to get on the front foot with unashamed larger-scale proclamation of the gospel of Jesus in Perth. If you share my longing to see fruit, please pray for ‘Lost and Found’ with Glen Scrivener. If you are in Perth, please join in the endeavour.
[1] Transmitted over telephone wires and played through speakers in homes or church buildings.
[2] TGCA published several articles on the occasion of Billy Graham’s death in 2018: ‘Remembering Billy Graham’, ‘Billy Graham and Gramps’, ‘When Billy Visited Melbourne’.
[3] Australia’s Changing Spiritual Climate, McCrindle Research, 2021, p. 16.
[4] For e.g. in 2025 concerts in Australia by The Kooks, Oasis, Dom Dolla, The Used, and Crowded House have all sold out.
