Evangelism - Revision history

AlfRedekopp: "the Indians" replaced by "the Indigenous"

2023-01-26T17:40:50Z

"the Indians" replaced by "the Indigenous"

AlfRedekopp at 11:45, 12 May 2021

2021-05-12T11:45:40Z

SamSteiner at 14:13, 31 December 2018

2018-12-31T14:13:02Z

RichardThiessen: Text replace - "Mennonitisches Lexikon" to "''Mennonitisches Lexikon''"

2017-01-16T07:27:40Z

Text replace - "<em>Mennonitisches Lexikon</em>" to "''Mennonitisches Lexikon''"

RichardThiessen: Text replace - "Mennonite Quarterly Review" to "''Mennonite Quarterly Review''"

2017-01-15T23:05:35Z

Text replace - "<em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em>" to "''Mennonite Quarterly Review''"

SamSteiner: added link

2016-08-26T15:36:11Z

added link

SamSteiner: Changed Negro to African American

2016-01-18T13:51:23Z

Changed Negro to African American

RichardThiessen at 01:50, 12 March 2015

2015-03-12T01:50:45Z

SamSteiner: added link

2014-11-07T15:41:39Z

added link

RichardThiessen: Text replace - "Michigan (State)" to "Michigan (USA)"

2014-02-20T06:29:30Z

Text replace - "Michigan (State)" to "Michigan (USA)"

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 A striking exception to the above pattern has been the [[Mennonite Brethren in Christ|Mennonite Brethren in Christ]]-[[United Missionary Church|United Missionary Church]] (now Evangelical Missionary Church). Founded (1874-1883) by leaders with a strong evangelistic emphasis, such as [[Brenneman, Daniel (1834-1919)|Daniel Brenneman]], [[Eby, Solomon (1834-1931)|Solomon Eby]], and [[Gehman, William (1827-1918)|William Gehman]], this group has grown largely by evangelism among non-Mennonites in all areas. This is notably true of its [[Michigan Conference of the Missionary Church|Michigan Conference]], which in the 1950s had 2,000 members, won almost wholly in non-Mennonite territory. One of the outstanding early evangelists was [[Hershey, Eusebius (1823-1891)|Eusebius Hershey]] (1823-91) of Pennsylvania, who spent 43 years in evangelistic work mostly among non-Mennonites in eastern [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada|Canada]] before going abroad as the first foreign missionary (1890) from any Mennonite group in the United States. Another was [[Good, Andrew (1838-1918)|Andrew Good]] (1838-1918), who traveled over 200,000 miles preaching in nearly every state in the Union, also making 20 trips to Ontario. The first evangelist in Ontario was [[Detweiler, Noah (1839-1914)|Noah Detweiler]], who spent 12 years in evangelistic work in Ontario besides working in [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]] and [[Kansas (USA)|Kansas]]. Numerous men have served as full-time or part-time evangelists for periods of 20-40 years. The evangelistic work of this denomination has up to recent times far exceeded that of any other Mennonite group. It was the first group in [[North America|North America]] to operate a [[City Missions (1953)|city mission]], opening its Grand Rapids, Mich., mission in 1884. All the group's city missions, over 100, were founded as evangelistic centers and have been used to build up churches from the non-Mennonite sources. A major method of evangelism used by the M.B.C.-U.M.C. group was the "[[Camp Meetings|camp meeting]]," a method taken over from the Methodists. The first such meeting was held in 1880, and every district conference of the church sponsored such a meeting annually for many years. Of the two goals of these meetings, revival and evangelism, the latter was always the predominant one. A high percentage of the members of any typical congregation in the 1950s would be found to have been converted at a camp meeting.
-Part of the Mennonite groups who came from [[Russia|Russia]] to the [[United States of America|United States]] 1873ff. brought with them an awakened mission and evangelistic interest, resulting from their support of the Dutch Mennonite mission work in [[Java (Indonesia)|Java]] (now [[Indonesia|Indonesia]]), as well as influences from Moravian, Baptist, and pietistic sources. This, fortified in North America in the case of the General Conference group by an awakened spirit in the [[East Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Church|Oberholtzer group]], the urge of the immigrant groups from the Palatinate, and the [[Wadsworth Mennonite School (Wadsworth, Ohio, USA)|Wadsworth school]], led to a strong work in 1880ff. among the American Indians in Oklahoma and Arizona (later in [[Montana (USA)|Montana]]) by the General Conference Mennonites, and by the Mennonite Brethren among the American Indians, certain Volga Russian immigrant groups in the Dakota region and elsewhere, and among the Mexicans in [[Texas (USA)|Texas]]. It did not produce a corresponding outreach in [[City Missions (1953)|city missions]] or rural missions in either group. Of the smaller groups the Evangelical Mennonites, the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren, and the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren showed a strong evangelistic spirit. The [[Missionary Church|Missionary Church Association]] which branched off from the Defenseless Mennonites in 1898 was very strongly evangelistic from the start and grew very largely by evangelism among out-group persons. After World War I, evangelistic work among the Mexicans living in the United States developed, with the Mennonite Church (MC) working in [[Chicago (Illinois, USA)|Chicago]], Colorado, and [[Texas (USA)|Texas]], the Mennonite Brethren group in Texas, and the Church of God in Christ Mennonites in [[Mexico|Mexico]] and in [[New Mexico (USA)|New Mexico]]. The latter group also began work among the Indians in Arizona and also in [[Alberta (Canada)|Alberta]].
+Part of the Mennonite groups who came from [[Russia|Russia]] to the [[United States of America|United States]] 1873ff. brought with them an awakened mission and evangelistic interest, resulting from their support of the Dutch Mennonite mission work in [[Java (Indonesia)|Java]] (now [[Indonesia|Indonesia]]), as well as influences from Moravian, Baptist, and pietistic sources. This, fortified in North America in the case of the General Conference group by an awakened spirit in the [[East Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Church|Oberholtzer group]], the urge of the immigrant groups from the Palatinate, and the [[Wadsworth Mennonite School (Wadsworth, Ohio, USA)|Wadsworth school]], led to a strong work in 1880ff. among the American Indians in Oklahoma and Arizona (later in [[Montana (USA)|Montana]]) by the General Conference Mennonites, and by the Mennonite Brethren among the American Indians, certain Volga Russian immigrant groups in the Dakota region and elsewhere, and among the Mexicans in [[Texas (USA)|Texas]]. It did not produce a corresponding outreach in [[City Missions (1953)|city missions]] or rural missions in either group. Of the smaller groups the Evangelical Mennonites, the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren, and the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren showed a strong evangelistic spirit. The [[Missionary Church|Missionary Church Association]] which branched off from the Defenseless Mennonites in 1898 was very strongly evangelistic from the start and grew very largely by evangelism among out-group persons. After World War I, evangelistic work among the Mexicans living in the United States developed, with the Mennonite Church (MC) working in [[Chicago (Illinois, USA)|Chicago]], Colorado, and [[Texas (USA)|Texas]], the Mennonite Brethren group in Texas, and the Church of God in Christ Mennonites in [[Mexico|Mexico]] and in [[New Mexico (USA)|New Mexico]]. The latter group also began work among the Indigenous in Arizona and also in [[Alberta (Canada)|Alberta]].
 [[File:BrunkGeorgeRII.jpg|250px|thumb|right|''George R. Brunk II in 1966.<br />

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 [[File:unruhah.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''A. H. Unruh'']]
-About 1906 a young Mennonite Brethren schoolteacher, Adolf Reimer, dedicated himself completely to evangelism among the Russian people. He worked intensively throughout Russia, including St. Petersburg, until his death of [[Typhus|typhus]] in 1924, reaching even the circles of the pietistic nobility in St. Petersburg. He edited a Russian <em>Abreisskalender</em> (block devotional calendar), which had extensive circulation. [[Unruh, Abraham H. (1878-1961)|A. H. Unruh]], founder of the [[Tchongrav Mennonite Brethren Bible School (Tchongrav, Crimea, Ukraine)|Bible school at Tchongrav]] ([[Crimea (Ukraine)|Crimea]]) and later for many years a teacher in the [[Mennonite Brethren Bible College (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)|Mennonite Brethren Bible College]] in Winnipeg, did evangelistic work among the Russian people before 1914 and was at one time on this account imprisoned together with G. Froese, his lay coworker. The Mennonite Brethren Conference began a public mission work among the Russians about 1905, which soon had to be stopped because of opposition by the government. But regular support of evangelistic efforts among the Russians was continued privately by financial support of native Russian evangelists, a somewhat dangerous procedure. The treasurer of this secret fund was [[Isaak, John Phillip (1861-1918)|J. P. Isaak]]. The M.B. publishing house "Raduga" at Halbstadt promoted evangelistic effort among the Russians by the publication of evangelistic and [[Devotional Literature|devotional literature]] in the Russian language, particularly in connection with the Russian preacher Prokhanov of the Russian Evangelical group.
+About 1906 a young Mennonite Brethren schoolteacher, Adolf Reimer, dedicated himself completely to evangelism among the Russian people. He worked intensively throughout Russia, including St. Petersburg, until his death of [[Typhus|typhus]] in 1924, reaching even the circles of the pietistic nobility in St. Petersburg. He edited a Russian <em>Abreisskalender</em> (block devotional calendar), which had extensive circulation. [[Unruh, Abraham H. (1878-1961)|A. H. Unruh]], founder of the [[Tchongrav Mennonite Brethren Bible School (Tchongrav, Crimea, Ukraine)|Bible school at Tchongrav]] ([[Crimea (Ukraine)|Crimea]]) and later for many years a teacher in the [[Mennonite Brethren Bible College (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)|Mennonite Brethren Bible College]] in Winnipeg, did evangelistic work among the Russian people before 1914 and was at one time on this account imprisoned together with G. Froese, his lay coworker. The Mennonite Brethren Conference began a public mission work among the Russians about 1905, which soon had to be stopped because of opposition by the government. But regular support of evangelistic efforts among the Russians was continued privately by financial support of native Russian evangelists, a somewhat dangerous procedure. The treasurer of this secret fund was [[Isaak, John Phillip (1861-1920)|J. P. Isaak]]. The M.B. publishing house "Raduga" at Halbstadt promoted evangelistic effort among the Russians by the publication of evangelistic and [[Devotional Literature|devotional literature]] in the Russian language, particularly in connection with the Russian preacher Prokhanov of the Russian Evangelical group.
 The [[Mariental (Samara Oblast, Russia)|Mariental Mennonite Brethren Church]] in Alt-Samara developed direct evangelistic work among the native Russian population of its environment beginning about 1914, first in the Russian village of Koshki, where a meetinghouse was secured. Jakob Hein was a regular worker living in the village from 1917 until his death in 1921. There were converts, but the work was given up when no further regular workers could be provided. In 1920 work was begun among the Mordvins with good results. In 1924 work was begun among the Russian population in the cities of Samara and Simbirsk with excellent results. Both the above mission efforts were in operation in 1925, according to a report published in <em>[[Unser Blatt (1925-1928)(Periodical)|Unser Blatt]]</em> in December of that year.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:13, 31 December 2018
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	[http://www.moodyministries.net/about/index.aspx Dwight L. Moody]		[http://www.moodyministries.net/about/index.aspx Dwight L. Moody]
	{{GAMEO_footer\|hp=Vol. 2, pp. 269-273; vol. 5, pp. 283-284\|date=1989\|a1_last=Bender\|a1_first=Harold S.\|a2_last=Augsburger\|a2_first=Myron S.}}		{{GAMEO_footer\|hp=Vol. 2, pp. 269-273; vol. 5, pp. 283-284\|date=1989\|a1_last=Bender\|a1_first=Harold S.\|a2_last=Augsburger\|a2_first=Myron S.}}
		+	[[Category:Theology]]

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 The institution of <em>[[Reiseprediger|Reiseprediger]]</em> (itinerant minister), which came into the South German groups about 125 years ago and somewhat later into France, [[West Prussia|West Prussia]], and [[Russia|Russia]] (both Mennonite Brethren and General Conference) and more recently into Switzerland, has not been a case of evangelism, since the <em>Reiseprediger</em> is in effect an itinerant pastor, visiting scattered families and seeking to provide spiritual help to members of the church, particularly those in danger of falling away. However, some of the <em>Reiseprediger</em>, as well as some local pastors, having secured training at St. Chrischona (Basel, Switzerland) or other Bible schools in [[Germany|Germany]], France, and Switzerland which fostered an evangelistic spirit, brought with them something of the spirit and practice of evangelism into their Mennonite congregations. Several of them, such as Christian Schnebele and Ulrich Hirschler of South Germany, served as evangelists in such non-Mennonite organizations as the Tent Mission (<em>Zeltmission</em>) and the Pilgermission. Some congregations, such as [[Montbéliard (Doubs, Franche-Comté, France)|Montbéliard ]]in France and [[Ingolstadt (Freistaat Bayern, Germany)|Ingolstadt]] in Bavaria, have conducted evangelistic services to reach their neighbors. In German-speaking areas such meetings are called Evangelisation. J. B. Muller of [[Toul (Meurthe-et-Moselle, France)|Toul]] and Pierre Widmer of Montbéliard served as evangelists for the American Mennonite mission in [[Belgium|Belgium]].
-According to [[Neff, Christian (1863-1946)|Neff]] (<em>Mennonitisches Lexikon</em> I, 616), the outstanding South German evangelists, Elias Schrenk (d. 1911) and [[Vetter, Jakob (1872-1918)|Jakob Vetter]] (d. 1919), as well as others, found entrance into Mennonite congregations in Switzerland, Württemberg, and the Palatinate. Vetter, in particular, exerted considerable influence.
+According to [[Neff, Christian (1863-1946)|Neff]] (''Mennonitisches Lexikon'' I, 616), the outstanding South German evangelists, Elias Schrenk (d. 1911) and [[Vetter, Jakob (1872-1918)|Jakob Vetter]] (d. 1919), as well as others, found entrance into Mennonite congregations in Switzerland, Württemberg, and the Palatinate. Vetter, in particular, exerted considerable influence.
 In [[Russia|Russia]] German Baptists and Pietists (Eduard Wüst), [[Moravian Church|Moravian Brethren]], and English Plymouth Brethren of the evangelistic type about the middle of the 19th century visited certain Mennonite areas and scattered the seed of the evangelistic spirit there. B. Harder of Halbstadt was the most outstanding pulpit speaker and evangelist of the Mennonite Church in Russia. Jakob Quiring (Samara, died in New York) was also an outstanding evangelist in his younger years. The Mennonite Brethren arose (1860) to a large extent as the result of the Wüst revival and naturally perpetuated it more than did the main body of Russian Mennonites. The first recorded evangelistic outreach by a Mennonite among the Russian people was that by Johann J. Wieler (1839?-89) of the Mennonite Brethren, who had a thorough knowledge of both the Russian and German languages and served as a teacher in the Halbstadt Zentralschule 1879-83. Upon leaving the school he became a <em>[[Reiseprediger|Reiseprediger]]</em> and worked much among the Russians. As a result he was banished from [[Russia|Russia]] and went to Rumania, where he engaged in evangelistic work, establishing a congregation and where he lost his life accidentally in 1889 at the age of 50. Another early worker among the Russians was a certain Kalweit, also M.B., the grandfather of the Adolf Reimer mentioned in the next lines.

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 Graber, Joseph D. <em>The Church Apostolic.</em> Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1960.
-Hostetler, John A. "The Impact of Contemporary Mennonite Evangelistic Outreach on the Larger Society." <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 27 (1953): 305-30.
+Hostetler, John A. "The Impact of Contemporary Mennonite Evangelistic Outreach on the Larger Society." ''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' 27 (1953): 305-30.
 Hostetler, John A. <em>The Sociology of Mennonite Evangelism.</em> Scottdale, PA, 1954.
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 Lederach, Paul. <em>A Third Way.</em> Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1980.
-Littell, Frank H. "Anabaptist Theology of Missions." <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 21 (1947): 5-17.
+Littell, Frank H. "Anabaptist Theology of Missions." ''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' 21 (1947): 5-17.
 Littell, Frank H. <em>The Anabaptist View of the Church.</em> 1952, particularly Chap. 5, "The Great Commission": 94-112.
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 Shenk, Wilbert R., ed. <em>Anabaptism and Mission.</em> Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1984.
-Umble, John. "John S. Coffman as an Evangelist." <em>Mennonite Quarterly Review</em> 23 (1949): 123-46.
+Umble, John. "John S. Coffman as an Evangelist." ''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' 23 (1949): 123-46.
 Umble, John. "Race Prejudice an Obstacle to Evangelism in the Mennonite Church." <em>Goshen College Record Review Supplement</em> (September 1926): 29-132.

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 Source: CanadianMennonite photo'']]
-With the evangelistic emphasis, especially in the Mennonite Brethren in Christ and Mennonite Church (MC) groups, a class of workers arose known as "evangelists." This consisted largely of preachers or pastors who gave much of their time to evangelistic meetings in Mennonite congregations, But few of these became full professional evangelists giving all their time to such work as was customary in other larger churches except in the Mennonite Brethren in Christ group. After World War II mass evangelism developed in the M.C. group -- George R. Brunk, Jr, Howard Hammer, and Myron Augsburger were outstanding in this work. This type of work is marked by the use of large tents holding 2,000-6,000 persons, and extended community-wide campaigns of 3-6 weeks in a location. It remains to be seen whether this type of work is more a revival effort among Mennonites, or a real evangelistic outreach to unbelievers. By 1956 it had remained largely the former.
+With the evangelistic emphasis, especially in the Mennonite Brethren in Christ and Mennonite Church (MC) groups, a class of workers arose known as "evangelists." This consisted largely of preachers or pastors who gave much of their time to evangelistic meetings in Mennonite congregations, But few of these became full professional evangelists giving all their time to such work as was customary in other larger churches except in the Mennonite Brethren in Christ group. After World War II mass evangelism developed in the M.C. group -- [[Brunk, George Rowland (1911-2002)|George R. Brunk]], Jr, Howard Hammer, and Myron Augsburger were outstanding in this work. This type of work is marked by the use of large tents holding 2,000-6,000 persons, and extended community-wide campaigns of 3-6 weeks in a location. It remains to be seen whether this type of work is more a revival effort among Mennonites, or a real evangelistic outreach to unbelievers. By 1956 it had remained largely the former.
 With the development of the evangelistic spirit and activity has often come, particularly in North America, a change in type of piety in the direction of a warmer, more expressive, more verbalized spirituality, and an emphasis upon crisis [[Conversion|conversion]], together with some change in theological emphasis in the direction of more attention upon conversion and status, rather than ethics and [[Discipleship|discipleship]]. These subtle changes have as yet not been fully studied nor evaluated. Influences of other kinds have also come to bear upon Mennonites of various groups, from the same sources that have brought evangelistic influences, often from the Bible institutes and Bible schools where numerous Mennonites have secured training, and which are usually quite evangelistic. This influence includes not only new methods of church work and a considerable emotionalism, but also such doctrines as eternal security, second work of grace, and millennialism. Thus the movement for evangelistic activization has been accompanied by significant side-effects and related changes. In the major groups, and some of the minor ones as well, these changes have produced a significantly different Mennonitism.

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 [[File:EbySolomon.JPG|300px|thumb|right|''Solomon Eby'']]
-The spirit of evangelism finally penetrated the older Mennonites east of the Mississippi in the 1880's and following, coming from the outside -- largely through the aggressive work of the [[American Sunday School Union|American Sunday School Union]] and the frontier evangelism of the Methodists, [[Baptists |Baptists]], United Brethren, and similar groups, with whom they often came into close contact. The evangelistic revivalism of Charles G. Finney (beginning in 1837) and more especially of [[Moody, Dwight Lyman (1837-1899)|D. L. Moody]], 1870-1900, and his successors, had probably still greater influence. But the old inhibitions were still powerful. The tensions stirred up by the new spirit led to the schism of the Evangelical Mennonites in 1858 in [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]] and the [[Mennonite Brethren in Christ|Mennonite Brethren in Christ]] (Evangelical Missionary Church in 1999) in 1874-75 in [[Indiana (USA)|Indiana]] ([[Brenneman, Daniel (1834-1919)|Daniel Brenneman]]), in [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]] 1870ff. ([[Eby, Solomon (1834-1931)|Solomon Eby]]), and elsewhere. Meanwhile, in the old [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]] the ferment grew, and [[Coffman, John S. (1848-1899)|J. S. Coffman]] introduced the spirit and method of evangelism (also revivalism) 1879ff. He was followed by others. A Mennonite (MC) Evangelizing Committee was organized at Elkhart, Indiana in 1882, followed by a Mennonite Evangelizing and Benevolent Board in 1892, the forerunner of the Mission Board of 1905 ([[Mennonite Board of Missions (Mennonite Church)|Mennonite Board of Missions]] in 1999). [[City Missions (1953)|City missions]], beginning with [[Chicago (Illinois, USA)|Chicago]] in 1893, were a definite fruit of the new spirit. Evangelism was definitely established and recognized as a church function and responsibility by 1910 and came into its own in overwhelming force after World War II. In the mid 1950s this group (MC) had over 250 evangelistic mission outposts, plus additional mission Sunday schools, many in the immediate vicinity of the base congregations, others in faraway Vermont, Alabama, northern [[Minnesota (USA)|Minnesota]], northern [[Michigan (USA)|Michigan]], northern [[Alberta (Canada)|Alberta]], northern Ontario, and [[Kentucky (USA)|Kentucky]]. A similar outreach has developed in Negro missions, Jewish missions, radio evangelism, colonization evangelism, and a large tract distribution program. The effectiveness of these extensive efforts remains to be seen, but they are a testimony to a widespread and powerful interest in evangelistic outreach, indicating that the group fully accepted the evangelistic responsibility and discarded the <em>Stillen im Lande</em> spirit. The sense of mission that was lost for almost three centuries returned.
+The spirit of evangelism finally penetrated the older Mennonites east of the Mississippi in the 1880's and following, coming from the outside -- largely through the aggressive work of the [[American Sunday School Union|American Sunday School Union]] and the frontier evangelism of the Methodists, [[Baptists |Baptists]], United Brethren, and similar groups, with whom they often came into close contact. The evangelistic revivalism of Charles G. Finney (beginning in 1837) and more especially of [[Moody, Dwight Lyman (1837-1899)|D. L. Moody]], 1870-1900, and his successors, had probably still greater influence. But the old inhibitions were still powerful. The tensions stirred up by the new spirit led to the schism of the Evangelical Mennonites in 1858 in [[Pennsylvania (USA)|Pennsylvania]] and the [[Mennonite Brethren in Christ|Mennonite Brethren in Christ]] (Evangelical Missionary Church in 1999) in 1874-75 in [[Indiana (USA)|Indiana]] ([[Brenneman, Daniel (1834-1919)|Daniel Brenneman]]), in [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]] 1870ff. ([[Eby, Solomon (1834-1931)|Solomon Eby]]), and elsewhere. Meanwhile, in the old [[Mennonite Church (MC)|Mennonite Church (MC)]] the ferment grew, and [[Coffman, John S. (1848-1899)|J. S. Coffman]] introduced the spirit and method of evangelism (also revivalism) 1879ff. He was followed by others. A Mennonite (MC) Evangelizing Committee was organized at Elkhart, Indiana in 1882, followed by a Mennonite Evangelizing and Benevolent Board in 1892, the forerunner of the Mission Board of 1905 ([[Mennonite Board of Missions (Mennonite Church)|Mennonite Board of Missions]] in 1999). [[City Missions (1953)|City missions]], beginning with [[Chicago (Illinois, USA)|Chicago]] in 1893, were a definite fruit of the new spirit. Evangelism was definitely established and recognized as a church function and responsibility by 1910 and came into its own in overwhelming force after World War II. In the mid 1950s this group (MC) had over 250 evangelistic mission outposts, plus additional mission Sunday schools, many in the immediate vicinity of the base congregations, others in faraway Vermont, Alabama, northern [[Minnesota (USA)|Minnesota]], northern [[Michigan (USA)|Michigan]], northern [[Alberta (Canada)|Alberta]], northern Ontario, and [[Kentucky (USA)|Kentucky]]. A similar outreach has developed in African American missions, Jewish missions, radio evangelism, colonization evangelism, and a large tract distribution program. The effectiveness of these extensive efforts remains to be seen, but they are a testimony to a widespread and powerful interest in evangelistic outreach, indicating that the group fully accepted the evangelistic responsibility and discarded the <em>Stillen im Lande</em> spirit. The sense of mission that was lost for almost three centuries returned.
 Similar developments, though not so extensive, have taken place in other North American Mennonite groups. In some groups persistence in maintaining the German language continued to be a severe practical block, as well as an internal inhibition to evangelistic advance. Distinctive patterns of Mennonite behavior and custom have often interfered with evangelistic effectiveness, at times to the great frustration of those in the front line of evangelistic effort. Actual net gains of outside converts have often been small.

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 Evangelism, "spreading the Gospel," the outreach of the Christian Church to win unbelievers. Evangelism is to be distinguished from revivalism, which refers to reviving indifferent or spiritually weakened members of the church, though in popular language in North America the term "revival" is often used indiscriminately to refer to evangelistic outreach as well. This latter confusion is due in part to the fact that at times evangelistic and revival efforts are combined in the same meeting or series of meetings in a congregation or community, and the joint effort called "revival." The problem of terminology is further confused by the fact that by the 1950s many North American Mennonite congregations in various branches have come to have an annual series of meetings of a week or two in length, to serve both of the above purposes, and also to secure conversions of their own [[Children|children]]. The common name given to such a series of meetings was "revival meetings," although "evangelistic services" was also not infrequently used, and at times the terms were used interchangeably to refer to the same thing. Usually a preacher was called in from the outside to conduct the meetings; he was almost always called "the evangelist," not "the revivalist," although his work may have been, by nature of the local conditions, far more revivalistic than evangelistic. Some congregations tried to have their Sunday evening services of an evangelistic nature, including the preaching of an evangelistic sermon. In some congregations evangelistic appeals (by which is meant appeals for unconverted persons to accept Christ as their personal Saviour) was made in the regular Sunday morning services. Personal work by individuals who seek to win others to Christ in personal conversation was often called personal evangelism. The term was used also for literature evangelism or tract evangelism, and radio evangelism. Visitation evangelism was used for house to house solicitation of commitments to Christ and [[Church Membership|church membership]]. Thus the term "evangelism" was used in the 1950s for many and varied procedures, and can be used for any attempt to win men and women to Christ and church membership.
-The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptists]][[Anabaptism|Anabaptism]] were originally intensely evangelistic. Their only hope of expansion was by this method. Since they controlled no political units as the Reformers did, they had to win others. However, the main reason for their strong evangelistic program, as Franklin H. Littell has clearly shown, was their acceptance of the Great Commission of Christ as their action program. Kenneth S. Latourette has pointed out that the Anabaptists were the only group in the Reformation period to carry out the Great Commission, and that the Free Churches have always been in the forefront of missionary and evangelistic action. The Reformers were not evangelistic (in the strict sense), partly because they adopted the principle of the territorial state church, and the principle that the ruler determines the religion of his people. Thus they were immobilized by political boundaries and the state church concept, whereas the Anabaptists had full mobility.
+The [[Anabaptism|Anabaptists]] were originally intensely evangelistic. Their only hope of expansion was by this method. Since they controlled no political units as the Reformers did, they had to win others. However, the main reason for their strong evangelistic program, as Franklin H. Littell has clearly shown, was their acceptance of the Great Commission of Christ as their action program. Kenneth S. Latourette has pointed out that the Anabaptists were the only group in the Reformation period to carry out the Great Commission, and that the Free Churches have always been in the forefront of missionary and evangelistic action. The Reformers were not evangelistic (in the strict sense), partly because they adopted the principle of the territorial state church, and the principle that the ruler determines the religion of his people. Thus they were immobilized by political boundaries and the state church concept, whereas the Anabaptists had full mobility.
 The records are full of accounts of the vigorous itinerant evangelism of the early Anabaptists. The Hutterian Brethren in particular had a magnificent record, sending their missionaries all over [[Germany|Germany]], [[Austria|Austria]], and Switzerland, often two by two, through. out the 16th century and later. The scaffold and the stake, indeed all scenes of execution, became evangelistic platforms. The evangelistic appeal of the death of the martyr and accompanying testimonies was so attractive that at some places the authorities forbade public executions, conducting them in private to avoid the undesired effects. Many individual evangelists could be named. One of the outstanding evangelists of Holland besides [[Menno Simons (1496-1561)|Menno Simons]] was [[Leenaert Bouwens (1515-1582)|Leenaert Bouwens]] (d. 1582), who baptized 10,378 persons in many different places from [[Meenen (West-Vlaanderen, Belgium)|Meenen]] to Danzig, according to his diary. The Reformers could not understand men who left their families to engage in itinerant evangelism, as many Anabaptist missioners did, and vehemently condemned them for it.