The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman: Review and Application
A word that evangelicals use in order to describe what they want to accomplish is “movement.” It’s a shorthand word for describing what evangelicals want to see: revival, mass conversions, social change, and so on. “If we could only start a movement, then we could [fill in the blank].” Movements are typically thought to be self-sustaining once they are started. Like a self-winding watch, the movement simply continues as long as the vision is captured by people.
Dr. Robert Coleman would have something to say about evangelicals’ current obsession with movements. In fact, he did say something way back in 1963 with his book, The Master Plan of Evangelism.¹ The question is asked, “How do we go forward with an evangelism — a widening of the circle of faith so that it includes more and more people who have transformingly trusted Christ as Savior — that is continuous, contagious, and compelling?”² This question indicates a desire — a desire that could be packaged in the language of movements. It is this question he seeks to answer in his book.
It’s this answer that will be summarized in this post in three parts. First, I’ll provide a summary followed by a critique. And, while I don’t agree with all of Dr. Coleman’s answer to his own question, I will seek to interact with his message in a productive way and try to apply it.
Summary — Looking for a Few Good Men
How we can go forward with an evangelism that is continuous, contagious, and compelling? Dr. Coleman’s answer is both simple, compelling, and can be summarized as follows: do what Jesus did.³ After all, Jesus started Christianity, maybe we should go back to the founder? So his book is a study of what Jesus did — his methodology. Coleman says at the outset of his work that “the plan of the study has been to trace the steps of Christ as portrayed in the gospels without undue recourse to secondary materials.”⁴ In this exercise, Coleman identifies 8 guiding principles to Jesus’s method. These are principles that must be in place if we are to evangelize effectively.
First, Jesus selects a few disciples. Jesus chose 12 disciples who were willing to learn. Through these men, his message would be carried on after he was gone. We, likewise, should seek to find a concentrated group of disciples who are willing to be molded into the image of Christ. This is the emphasis of his book. Every other principle flows from this one.⁵ The underlying idea behind this is that “the more concentrated the size of the group being taught, the greater the opportunity for effective instruction.”⁶ Likewise, we too, show go forward and invest in a few people — not just with instruction — but with our very lives. Jesus’s method was people; ours should be also.
The second principle is what Coleman calls association. Here, he notices that most of what Jesus did was let his disciples be with him. There was no formal training, the training came as the disciples watched Jesus do his thing.
Next, the third principle Coleman identifies is consecration. The way he explains it, this is obedience to the commands of God. Jesus was wholly consecrated to God in his actions, and Jesus demanded it of his followers.
The fourth principle was impartation. This is the need for the Holy Spirit. Jesus was led by the Spirit and imparted the Spirit to his followers. We can give the Spirit to our followers, but if they aren’t Spirit-indwelt believers, our evangelistic efforts won’t get far.
The fifth principle was demonstration: teaching people, showing them how to live, and so on.
The sixth is delegation, or giving work for his followers to do.
The seventh is supervision. Jesus watched his disciples and corrected them when they did things right. Rebuked when they were in sin, and corrected when needed.
And finally, the eighth principle was reproduction. The disciples of the Master were to go out and preach the kingdom of God had come in Jesus, just as Jesus had.
Do We Only Need a Method?
As with any methodological book, there are ways that The Master Plan of Evangelism could be improved. I think the biggest critique I would have for the book is related to its biggest strength, which is that he develops his entire methodology from the actions of Jesus. This wouldn’t be a problem if Jesus was a mere man, but Jesus isn’t just a man. He is the God-man. So when we embark on the task that Jesus did. We shouldn’t expect the same results. Jesus, being God, never failed to accomplish what he planned. We can and do.
What the book leaves as implicit should be made explicit: we can’t ensure the results of our evangelism by following a methodology (even if it’s from Jesus). We can only be faithful and entrust to the results to Jesus (1 Cor 3:5–9). Ever since the invention of the “anxious bench” and “the alter call,” evangelicals have assumed that the right methodology can secure “a decision for Christ.”
In such a world, a clear statement of what the aim of the evangelist should be is called for. If we misunderstand the “why” of what we’re doing, we’ll misapply even the best methodologies. The goal for the evangelist is trusting faithfulness: being faithful to sow broadly and trusting God with the growth. I don’t think this goal is agreed upon within evangelicalism so it should be made explicit in any evangelism manual written to evangelicals. As the perfect man, Jesus is a great model, but he’s not just a man, and we would do well to remember that we may follow all of his wisdom and still see little fruit. God gives the growth.
Wisdom for Discipling
Dr. Coleman presents this book as an evangelism book. Even though I think he’s presented the best way to evangelize the most people, I don’t think it’s chiefly an evangelism book. I think it’s a discipleship book. On page 21 Coleman begins the books by saying that men were the method and he doubles down on that statement in the epilogue. Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19 to go and make disciples. That’s what Jesus did and that’s what Coleman points out. In light of this truth, there are three things — among others — that we can take away from the book.
First, we should invest deeply in people. Jesus’ plan for evangelism was to invest in people and to invest deeply. Colossians 1:28 makes this clear, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, [so] THAT we may present everyone mature in Christ” (emphasis mine). This is really the emphasis in Coleman’s message isn’t it? We should demonstrate, supervise, and associate…doesn’t this sound a lot like discipleship? Doesn’t it sound like that action of presenting someone mature in Christ that Paul describes in Colossians? In our discipleship we should also be encouraging those we spend time with to be faithful to the mission — to evangelism. And as they spend time with us, we trust that they will go on to spend time with others, and those “others” will disciple still more people. Thus, generations of multiplication take place.
Next, we should do what we can. Coleman’s stress on investing in a few is noteworthy too. Not all of us have the same amount of cash in our social wallet. The extroverts among us can spend lots of time with many people, and that has its uses. The more introverted may need to spend time with less people. The introvert may be able to go deeper with a few while the extrovert may be a little more shallow, but with more. These are just personalities. Station in life, marital status, context, and job will all contribute in determining the thickness of your wallet. Whatever the case, we should know our limits and spend it all. We should not be cold and callous to the need to disciple.
Finally, people get excited about discipling and think they need to put together a Bible reading program or a book club or be someone’s personal Christian Yoda. Discipling can look like those things. But Coleman points out that much teaching happened simply through being around Jesus. This is especially useful for those with busy schedules. Go grocery shopping together. Invite one another to just spend time. Spend time doing the mundane together, and as your “disciple” sees you in the mundane, they’ll learn how to live as a Christian as they watch you live as a Christian. Parents, this should be an encouragement to you as you have kids in the home. How many people come to Christ during their childhood? Or, if you have the capacity, how many people might learn to parent by simply hanging out with you while you parent? The life-on-life discipleship that Coleman calls for will be messy,
Conclusion
I began by considering our current culture’s obsession with movements. Sometimes, movements are developed rapidly through the sudden outpouring of the Spirit (e.g. Pentecost). But over Christian history, we typically see movements occurring over time. It may not seem like Christianity is spreading but as a generation of disciples gives way to another generation, we can see the constant expansion and handing down of the faith from one to the other. How is this done? Coleman says the answer can be found in the life of Jesus: by investing in the lives of others and seeking to present them mature in Christ. I agree.
[1] Coleman, Robert E.The Master Plan of Evangelism. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2010.
[2] Coleman, 11.
[3] Coleman, 14.
[4] Coleman, 17.
[5] Coleman, 21.
[6] Coleman, 26.
