Evangelism Consultation Held in Louisville
Diocesan Press Service. June 25, 1973 [73156]
LOUISVILLE, KY. -- A consultation on Evangelism was held in Louisville, Kentucky May 17-19 in response to a newly-discovered interest in that subject within the Episcopal Church. Twenty-three Church leaders -- clergy and lay -- were brought together by the National Church to explore what is being done and what needs to be done about evangelism.
When representatives of the Executive Council had visited the dioceses last year, evangelism rated second only to Christian education in the hearts and minds of Churchpeople. The summary report of data gathered from those visits had shown "an almost 'un-Episcopal' preoccupation with evangelism. " It received the greatest number of individual responses, and the many comments reflected a broad concern over outreach and a conviction that mission begins with renewal and rebirth.
Following welcoming remarks by the Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, the group of three bishops, nine priests and eleven laypeople quickly got down to business. Most had participated in the visitation exercise in their own dioceses and had studied the summary report. That background was supplemented by panel discussions with local church leadership and community representatives not primarily church-oriented, and a presentation by Mr. James Christensen, executive secretary of the American Baptist Church, on the subject "An Evangelistic Lifestyle."
The information gathered was then considered in connection with three questions: (1) What have the Church and community said to us? (2) What possible responses might the Church initiate? (3) What should be recommended to General Convention?
Although there were areas of disagreement, the group clearly felt it sensed many of the needs of the Church in the field of evangelism, and how they could begin to be met. A committee was named to meet in New York in late June to summarize the findings and conclusions of the group.