IMPORTANT QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK US ABOUT OUR GOSPEL CRUSADES IN AFRICA.
QUESTION 1: What do you do to follow-up with those who give their lives to Jesus in your Gospel crusades?
ANSWER: Firstly, we do not do "city-wide crusades," but rather target the townships where people live. The people who come to our crusades are local, and this makes the follow-up ministry easier for the local churches. We never bus people in to attend our Crusades. People who are bussed in are usually church people and we want to be wise stewards with God's money.
We ALWAYS work with the local churches. We have a three-week intensive Mobile Bible School that runs six days a week before every crusade. Our Africa Team teaches the attendees several subjects including evangelism, prayer, faith, healing, deliverance, In Christ Realities, and "How to disciple new believers." This latter course uses a 15-lesson booklet that I have written for new believers called "First Steps with Jesus."
To be a participating church in our crusades, we require the church to attend our Mobile Bible School and to suspend all their programs except for their regular Sunday services . We also require that their leadership and a sizeable percentage of their members attend the Mobile Bible School for three weeks. Those who pass the test on the final day serve as counsellors, intercessors, and ushers in the crusade.
After the crusade, there is a three-week follow-up period when the new believers are visited in their homes. Most often the entire family and even their neighbors receive Christ. During these visits they are taught using my booklet "First Steps with Jesus." They also receive prayer and advice/counsel if needed. Then they are introduced to a participating church that is close to their home. The pastors are also taught how to gear up their services to welcome new believers during these weeks.
Therefore, we see significant church growth during this period. It is not a perfect system, but it works very well for us. We have created this system ourselves, and we are always working to make it better.
The best thing is that through the Mobile Bible School we leave a pool of trained workers in each church. Using the impetus of the crusade as a springboard, the churches continue to grow because of their own ministry in their hometown.
QUESTION 2: How much does a Gospel crusade cost?
ANSWER: We go by an average cost which works out at approximately $30,000+ per crusade, counting all expenses.
QUESTION 3: How can you do it so cost-effectively?
ANSWER: We have our own full-time crusade team in Africa. We also have our own equipment: a 30-ton truck, two pick-up trucks, a generator, a platform, lights (enough to light up a football field), towers, a PA system, etc. Renting such equipment could drive up costs sky-high, but we have our own. In addition to that, our team handles all the funds and manages all the costs. Here at home, we run a simple office and take modest salaries from the ministry. We believe in getting the most "bang for our buck." All these things contribute to keeping our costs low.
QUESTION 4: Who supports this ministry?
ANSWER: We have churches that partner with us, plus individuals and businesses.
QUESTION 5: Who are you accountable to?
ANSWER: I am ordained by the PennDel District of the Assemblies of God. I am therefore accountable to my District Superintendent, Pastor Don Immel, as well as the pastor of our home church. I am also accountable to several pastor friends with whom I have a close relationship. On top of this, our ministry has a Board, and all decisions are made in consensus by the Board. My wife, Britta, and I are on the Board, but the eight others on the Board are all non-family members. The Board decides my salary (when I am not present) and makes financial decisions.
Originally posted on Facebook by Pastor Christopher Alam