At the F.A.I.T.H. Rider’s ministry tent during the 86th annual Sturgis motorcycle rally last week, “I met a quiet man with tattoos all over his arms wearing a T-shirt with cutoff sleeves who said he wanted to hear my testimony and enter our bike giveaway,” a F.A.I.T.H. Rider said.
“As part of my personal story” he noted, “I shared how I was convicted about my sin, understood that Jesus’ death paid the cost of my salvation, pledged to turn away from my selfish desires, and made Jesus my boss.”
He continued, “That man experienced the same conviction, confessed his sins, accepted Jesus’ gift and made Him his Lord,” F.A.I.T.H. Riders’ board chairman Warren Abraham said. “From my first testimony-sharing experience at the 68th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2008 until now, my testimony, the gospel message, and salvation invitation have been the same. How the audience responds to the Holy Spirit’s conviction is up to them.”
‘Sturgis model’
This is the “Sturgis model” of intentional, relevant, evangelistic witness at events that draw large, specific-interest crowds. There’s a motorcycle (prominently displayed on the sidewalk) to be given away, a “catcher,” who invites passersby to enter a 15×30-foot tent for a chance to win that motorcycle; a “sharer” who gives his/her gospel-centered testimony in 3 minutes; and a “recorder” who takes the listener’s information and places it into a rotating drum with all other entries.
“Our testimonies establish rapport with our audience and open the door for our focus: sharing the gospel and inviting a response,” Abraham said.
The concept was first used by Southern Baptist Evangelist Ronnie Hill in 2004 at a NASCAR rally in Bristol, Tennessee.
Jim Hamilton, then-executive director of the Dakota Baptist Convention and a motorcycle enthusiast, heard about it and adapted the concept for Sturgis in 2006.
For the next four years, Hamilton brought Hill to Sturgis to train up to 150 volunteers a year in correctly giving their 3-minute testimonies.
Dakota leaders eventually took over the training.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Karen Willoughby and originally published by Baptist Press.
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