A movie produced entirely in Aramaic and Latin with subtitles may not be a teenager’s first choice for a Friday night flick, but Baptist youth groups across the state are lining up to see just that.
Mel Gibson’s much anticipated “The Passion of the Christ” movie has Alabama Baptists excited and ready to reach the state with the gospel. And it’s not just students who geared up for the Feb. 25 debut of the film depicting the final 12 hours of Jesus’ life.
Adults have planned movie outings as well. And several pastors are developing sermon series around the controversial movie predicted to break box office records. LifeWay Christian Resources, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions office of evangelism also are offering various resources to go along with the movie.
Sammy Gilbreath, director of evangelism for Alabama Baptists, said, “This could be one of our greatest opportunities to penetrate the unchurched culture.
“It is a marvelous opportunity where the unchurched culture is coming to our door,” Gilbreath pointed out. “They are coming to us. We are not seeking them out.”
Gilbreath, whose office mailed a strategy for intentional evangelism built around the movie to all 3,200 Alabama Baptist churches, said Christians need to be ready for the dialogue that will come from the movie.
“There will be natural questions and conversations once people watch the movie,” he said. “Be sensitive and be prepared. If we are going to be salt and light as Christians, we ought to be prepared for the dialogue that is going to occur naturally in the marketplace.”
Gilbreath said churches and associations across Alabama are renting out theaters, buying blocks of tickets and offering them free to non-Christians, handing out tracts and even considering purchasing billboard space.
Churches using billboards
Lamar Advertising is offering billboard space in towns across the state for churches and/or associations to put their names and messages on pre-printed posters of the movie. All posters will look exactly the same except for the message from the church.
Lamar reduced the monthly rate on this particular billboard with what the company is calling “The Passion blitz,” said Tuscaloosa-area Lamar account executive Todd Arendale.
Gilbreath said his office will help churches and associations with the $450 per month rate in order to get these “in-town” billboards up across the state. “This is a great opportunity.”
Rick Davis, pastor of Fleetwood Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, agreed. Fleetwood secured a billboard that says, “Hear the rest of the story at Fleetwood Baptist” and contains the church’s Web site and phone number.
‘What do we do now?’
“I think this is a great opportunity,” Davis said. “I hope a lot of churches put them up because the question on the minds of the people
will be, ‘What do we do now?’” Davis noted. “The responsibility of the church is to be prepared (to answer that question).”
Davis said along with the billboard promotion, Fleetwood also rented the Fox Theater in Tuscaloosa Feb. 25.
“We sold out of the 320 tickets the first day,” Davis said, noting the church sold church members tickets but gave them an equal number of tickets free in order to bring unchurched or non-Christian friends or co-workers.
“We are also offering free child care Wednesday through Sunday for anyone going to the movie,” Davis added.
Fleetwood members were trained Feb. 22 with NAMB’s “one-hour witness training,” Davis said. “We are preparing our people to be able to talk with the parents when they pick up their children as well as to talk with others who have seen the movie.”
Davis also has a sermon series planned, “Experiencing the Passion,” which will end Easter. And the youth at Fleetwood went through a four-week study preparing for the movie, Davis added.
Several youth from Fleetwood Baptist attended the early viewing of the movie Feb. 24, sponsored by the Youth for Christ for Greater Tuscaloosa. Others are seeing it within the first days of its release.
Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham Association is offering a training and movie attendance opportunity similar to Fleetwood, said Ben Hale, minister of evangelism and missions.
Immediately following the movie, those from Dawson will meet for dessert and discuss their responses to the movie, Hale said. “We will also have a brief presentation of the gospel.”
A three-session video-based study, “The Passion, Purpose and Person of Jesus,” will then be offered at the church, he added.
Shades Mountain Baptist Church, also in Birmingham Association, is doing a community mail-out and offering an alternative movie for people concerned about the R rating. The church also is offering “The Passion House” discussion across from the Rave Theaters in Vestavia Hills following movie show times.
In St. Clair Association, the staff of Cropwell Baptist Church, Pell City, saw the movie at lunchtime Feb. 25. Pastor Greg Corbin planned to present a message during the Feb. 25 Wednesday night service outlining a simple strategy for discussing the film with a non-Christian.
In Madison, Mobile and Montgomery associations, churches are also catering these basic intentional evangelism ideas to their areas.
Faith Family Fellowship in Baldwin Association rented a theater for three nights. Pastor Philip B. Wilson will present an official invitation each night.
Heritage Baptist Church in Montgomery Association also plans to present an invitation following the showing of the movie.
First Baptist Church, Opelika, in Tuskegee Lee Association rented the Auburn theater and focused on reaching students.
Along with churches renting theaters and buying blocks of tickets, theaters will also offer the normal general admission showings. At press time, 29 theaters across Alabama indicated they would be showing “The Passion” beginning Feb. 25.
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