Here is an interview I conducted with Don Gann, then the director of the Baptist Student Union at Mississippi College, on October 23, 1994. I had the pleasure of taking Church Growth Evangelism with renowned evangelist, Malcolm McDow.

INTRODUCTION

This report is based upon an interview with an evangelistic pastor -- Don Gann, Mississippi College Baptist Student Union Director. Though not a pastor of a church, Don fulfills the pastoral role with a more specific congregation. This interview will include demographics of the community, school and B.S.U. There will also be a summary of the interview and an evaluation of the evangelistic program presently in use.

DEMOGRAPHICS

1. Mississippi College is located in Clinton, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, the capital of Mississippi.
2. The actual population of Clinton is around 21,000, but the Jackson Metropolitan Area has a population of over 200,000 people.
3. The city of Clinton is a classic example of a "bedroom" community.
4. Mississippi College is owned and operated through a trustee system by the Mississippi Baptist Convention.
5. The enrolment of the college for the 1994 fall semester is 3,758.
6. Of this 3,758, approximately 2,500 (or two-thirds) of the students are commuter students.
7. The remaining 1,253 "on campus" students is comprised of 859 male and 924 female.
8. The Baptist Student Union is funded fifty percent by the Department of Student Work and fifty percent by Mississippi College.
9. Each year the Baptist Student Union involves approximately 700 students in some ministry activity.
10. The Baptist Student Union is the main campus ministry outlet for the students of Mississippi College.

SUMMARY OF THE INTERVIEW

The interview was conducted in a dialogue format. It occurred in the home of Don Gann at around 2:00 P.M. of Sunday, October, 23. The center of discussion was developed around two themes. The first was the evangelistic program and emphasis of the Baptist Student Union. The second was the personal view of evangelism of both Don Gann and Myself.

The evangelistic program of the Baptist Student Union is developed each year by the Executive Council with much advice given by Don Gann. The Baptist Student Union has two main activities that remain firm from one semester to the next. The first of these activities is called the "Gathering." The Gathering is on Monday evenings. The format of Gathering includes prayer time, singing, drama, Bible study, and personal testimony. An attempt is made to present the Gospel at every Gathering with high attendance of seekers. The number of students that attend such meetings averages between 125 to 300.

The second activity is named "Noonday." It occurs during the lunch hour on Tuesdays. The Baptist Student Union provides a home cooked meal for $2.00 and includes an informal Bible Study and share time. The unique ministry of Noonday is that many lost students are invited to come eat and relax without being scared away by the threat of being force fed the Gospel. The attendance at this activity is relatively high at about 150 students.

The evangelistic focus of the Baptist Student Union is centered around the Here's Hope campaign, a joint program of the Home Mission Board and the Nation Student Ministries Department of the Sunday School Board. The Baptist Student Union has adopted a program called One to One, also known as "1-2-1." This program encourages each student to form a relationship with someone that they know is lost and share the Gospel in both proclamation and incarnation. The students are strongly encouraged to not stop at one, but to share the Gospel with all that they come in contact.

The Baptist Student Union also sets aside a week each semester for spiritual emphasis. Spiritual Emphasis Week coincides with the Campus Revival chapel programs. This is a good means for reaching many lost students because of the mandatory chapel attendance policy at Mississippi College. During this week an attempt is made to present the Gospel in a meaningful way, so Don Gann has been placed in charge of developing the program.

The Baptist Student Union has many other activities during the semester that include evangelism. There are the Fall, Mid-Winter, and Spring Retreats. The students are taken each year to a Student Week at either Glorieta or Ridgecrest or some regional student meeting. The students are also engaged in action teams, which are revival teams sent to churches which cannot afford regular revivals. Finally, the student are actively involved in local ministries like working in the soup kitchens or tutoring at the children's home. In all these events, evangelism is the goal, the activity is simply the means.

EVALUATION

WEAKNESSES:

1. Out of personal experience, what is intended evangelistically from a program is often over shadowed by the program itself.
2. The Baptist Student Union can often times become simply another group on campus rather than an outlet for ministry.
3. Don Gann needs to regularly remind the students involved in the Baptist Student Union to actively include evangelism into their daily routine.
4. Not only must Don Gann encourage evangelism, he must also set the example by both his actions and his lifestyles.
5. Because of the tendency to "circle the wagons," the Baptist Student Union must put itself in the business of bridge building over the many obstacles of the Gospel.
6. The obstacles include: apathy on the part of the Christian students, being to busy to present the Gospel to a lost student, and not even knowing in importance of evangelism in the Christian life.
7. The present focus of the Baptist Student Union is very close to falling into one of many misconceptions of evangelism -- "it is everything that I do." Simply having programs and outlets for social ministry does not mean that evangelism is occurring, evangelism occurs when the effort is made specifically to win the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

STRENGTHS:

1. At present, the Baptist Student Union is on the right track, with the focus of ministry being placed upon evangelism.
2. Don Gann has a proper, Biblical view of evangelism and constantly seeks to both live it out and encourages others to do the same.
3. The Baptist Student Union stands at a place of tremendous ability coupled with tragic need, with its focus placed firmly on Jesus evangelism will continue to grow.
4. All of the programs of the Baptist Student Union encourage both evangelism and discipleship and have not become ends in and of themselves.
5. With the current leadership under Don Gann and the Executive Council, the Baptist Student Union will continue to seek and to save those who are lost.
6. The Gospel train is running smoothly upon the tracks of proclamation at Mississippi College.
7. Under the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit, the supreme example of Jesus Christ, and the highest authority of the Father, the Baptist Student Union of Mississippi College will move with evangelistic zeal into the campus, the community, and even the world with the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.