July 01, 1986 by John Holzmann

Imagine 8,000 dedicated, God-fearing evangelists from every corner of the globe in attendance at one conference. Imagine the fervor, the excitement, the am of God's presence.
You've just imagined the $21 million Amsterdam '86 International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists (1Cm) sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

Held July 12 21 in Amsterdam. Holland, the tCIE marked what United Nations officials agreed was the most widely representative international meeting in history. More than 75 percent of those in attendance were from developing countries.

Billy Graham, honorary chairman of the meeting, said. "This Amsterdam conference brought together the unheard of and unsung people who are on the cutting edge of evangelism in the jungles, up the rivers, in the big cities and little villages throughout the world"

There is no question that people came from all over the world, and most of them are involved in evangelistic work. The dedication of these men (fewer than 200 women were present) was obvious, as was their heart for the Lord. But the "bush" or "barefoot evangelist" presence, as described in Christianity Today, was minimal. A survey of over 7,000 participants showed that only 8 percent have had 'no formal education," while 85 percent have received at least a Bible school education, and more than 12 percent have been to seminary.

Graham said the conference's purpose was to provide practical training for evangelists. Training included plenary addresses, seminars, and workshops offering ideas for nearly every aspect of evangelism. On the afternoon of the second Saturday of the conference, participants fanned out across Holland for brief experiences of open air evangelism and personal follow up.

Most of those present were from churches in medium sized cities or villages. For them, it seems especially for those working in Asia. Latin America, and Africa south of the Sahara the training they received was appropriate and well received.

When asked on an informal basis what they believed they would rake home with them once they left the conference, it was not the seminar or workshop contents they mentioned, but the excitement they felt from being part of such a large group. The conference was a definite encouragement to those in attendance. One journalist described the atmosphere as charged with "the spirit of revival." Conference sessions were sprinkled throughout with tears, singing, shouts of "hallelujah," and applause.

But despite the good feelings most participants enjoyed, some mission observers left with sadness in their hearts. The concept of reaching peoples an admittedly missionary concern was entirely absent from the program. Program Director John Cons said the meeting was planned that way on purpose. "Reaching the Hindus and reaching the Muslims am not evangelistic functions; they're mission functions. This is a conference for evangelists."

To a point, of course, the distinction between missionaries and evangelists is valid and useful if it is understood and maintained.

At Amsterdam '86, however, the words "mission," "missions," and "missionary" were carefully avoided in all documents and public meetings.

One spokesman explained that the BGEA prefers the term evangelism over missions or other such words because "evangelism is the only word that is not provocative, or that does not have overtones that are difficult to deal with." Perhaps because of its recent forays into China and eastern bloc countries, the association wants to avoid the appearance of launching missionary invasions into these countries,

But the refusal even to define or mention missions may have actually hurt the future ministries of Amsterdam '86 participants and led to mm confusion than understanding, The U.S. Center for World Mission is in favor of evangelism. People individuals need to hear the Gospel. Individuals within reached groups, however, have the tremendous advantage of hay. ing a church movement in their midst that has become indigenous ("native") to their culture. Unmatched peoples need cross cultural (or "missionary") evangelism.

Many of the evangelists who were present at the ICIE come from peoples among whom there is a great need for evangelism. Yet most of them are within peoples where the church has been planted. Among mission observers at the icm, the concern was expressed that the eyes of the church in those cultures will remain closed to the needs of die unreathed peoples who am right at their doorsteps living among them, yet beyond the church's cultural boundaries.

Phil Bogosian, a member of the U.S. Center staff and one of those who was in attendance at the conference, said, "In my work people often say to me, 'Don't worry if the USCWM fails. The concept of unreached peoples has now been deeply rooted in the church around the world.' At the 1Cm, however, I heard at least one of the top speakers say many times   'You evangelists could reach the world by the year 2(.' How can they reach the world if they never move beyond their own peoples?

"At one point, someone told the story of a tribesman who walked for two weeks to attend an evangelistic crusade aimed at, a different cultural group. When he got there, the mm was converted. He went back to his own village and planted a church that is thriving today.

"I say, that's wonderful. God sometimes works in miraculous ways like that. But is that the only appropriate strategy for the church to follow? Should we expect representatives from all the unreached peoples to come to us to be saved and then go back to preach to their own tribes and villages? I think not! "Even those who were present at the conference, the vast majority of them, were not spiritual sons and daughters of itinerant evangelists. They were the spiritual sons and daughters of missionaries, There is still a need lot missionaries  people who will go where there are no evangelists, people who will cross cultural and linguistic barriers in order to reach those who have not yet heard,

"I'm not afraid of the evangelists losing their fervor for evangelism," Bogosian said, "butt am afraid that Christians in general may get the wrong impression and start thinking there is no more need for missionaries. They may say, 'Oh, the evangelists can finish the job, the "national missionaries" can do ii' And then a lot of important and necessary work will go undone."

Dr. Gottfried Osei. Mensah, former executive secretary of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, spoke on the Great Commission.

Dr. Winter commented, "When Osei. Mensali was through, I was stunned to realize he never once mentioned the word or developed the concept of peoples. The command is to 'make disci' pies of all erhne peoptes, nations,' How can you preach on the Great Corn. mission and ignore its central thrust?"

In at least a few instances, the workshops themselves might have been improved had there been a desire more directly to address the issue of the distinction between evangelism and missions,
John Bacon, a paslor from a church in San Salvador, El Salvador, was the main speaker in a workshop on Evangelism and Church Planting. Burro used his own story as a teaching tool.

For years, he said, his church limped along at 3 attendance even though the building was constructed to accomodate 2,000, Finally he began preaching on the Lordship of Christ. For 13 Sundays in a new he preached on the Lordship of Christ. Young people began to come forward: "Let's pray," they said. And so they began praying every night Within 7 years the church had an attendance of close to 22,O.

In the meantime, the congregation sent out elders into various parts of San Salvador to start daughter churches. Each elder took about 50 people with him to form a core group for the new church. Thirty one daughter churches have been founded to date; some of them have as many as 3,000 in attendance. Bueno's was a fascinating, exciting. challenging, and encouraging story, Yet Bueno is an Assemblies of God "missionary" to El Salvador, who is acting in the role of a pastor. How should itinerant evongelisry apply Bueno's "missionary pastor" experience to their own situations? No one asked, and the question was not answered.

"My concern," said Winter, "is not so much for Western missions and Western missionaries. I expect we'll be around awhile whether or not there is talk of 'national evangelists' finishing the task. My concern is for people in Third World congregations among whom God wants to stir a missionary vision. Will their legitimate mission concern receive the support it deserves?

"We want to affirm and congratulate the Graham association in the work it is doing. God has called them to a wonderful, useful ministry. At the same time, if evangelists are to have no part in the missionary enterprise if they are not going to establish Gospel beachheads among peoples where the Gospel has yet to be preached we at the U.S. Center for World Mission have a lot more work to do. and will have to work far harder than we ever thought would he necessary."