A New Model for Evangelism: The Portland Story
God loves your city.
Whether you realize it or not, God has been at work in your city. He always has been. He always will be.
And we – the Church – get to join Him in this effort. As the Palau Team, we’ve never seen this more apparent than in our hometown of Portland, Oregon.
After a very difficult crusade in Chicago, it became clear that the old methods were not working as well as they used to. It wasn't anyone's fault. It seemed to be obvious to most of us that the culture was shifting. I, Kevin Palau, wanted to tell people about the relationship with God I had found as a young man. I wanted to show others the person of Christ I saw in my dad, Luis Palau, my mom, Pat, and in so many other leaders.
Being the son of an evangelist had given me such a global view of the Gospel—how it could change a person's life, and how that changed life could lead to a changed community. I wondered, was there a better way? A way to creatively unleash the power of the Gospel naturally, and empower believers to live it out on a daily basis? I wanted to really practice what we preached in our hometown of Portland. And I still remember talking about it with Andrew and Dad in his kitchen.
The thought came to me: what if we put on a two-day music festival in a park? Great bands, food, and a family fun zone so people don't need to get babysitters. Maybe folks would be more likely to bring their friends who need to hear the message. Maybe they'd feel more comfortable if they can come and go as they please. We talked and talked, and the kitchen idea caught on!
When the festival week came, Dad was so nervous. I was, too! But during that summer in 2008, more than 100,000 people gathered at Waterfront Park for an evangelistic festival led by the Church community.
But it was more than a moment. It was the beginning of a movement.
the maYor was blown away…
The festival turned out to be a blast, and most importantly, the Church visibly gathered together in the heart of the community, worshipping together, and sharing the life-changing message of Jesus.
While planning the festival, the evangelical leaders decided to meet with the Mayor of our proudly progressive and post-Christian city to ask a simple question: “If we could mobilize 15,000 people from the churches to serve Portland, what would you like us to do?”
The mayor was blown away. He’d never heard such a question – from any group. He quickly highlighted areas of need — hunger, homelessness, healthcare, foster care system, schools.
Whatever we could do would be a blessing. That summer, a movement was launched.
More than 600 churches from throughout the region rallied 27,000 volunteers to accomplish what the Mayor called, “the largest, most successful service initiative the city of Portland has ever seen.”
The effort drastically changed the fabric of the city. It also changed the perception of the Church…
Unlikely partnerships were formed.
Life-giving friendships were developed.
Common ground was established.
And the deep, overwhelming needs of the city were met in tangible ways.
For more than 10 years, the partnership and service in Portland continued in strength.
Then, in 2018, we decided to re-evaluate the effort. We found the service elements were stronger than ever. Churches were still deeply engaged in the needs of the city and making a real impact.
But sadly, evangelism efforts had waned.
We realized we needed a fresh perspective – a revitalized vision for the ongoing City Gospel Movement in our city. In an effort to seek the peace and prosperity of the region, we needed to double down on prayer, service, and evangelism. And we needed specific teams to ensure each area would continue for the long term.
The result today is what we call Together PDX.
TogetherPDX exists to see our community flourish by uniting, strengthening, and serving local churches, pastors, and leaders of the Portland area. One of the key elements of Together PDX is a specific Evangelism Team – what we call Share PDX. It is made up of strategic local leaders – including pastors, non-profit leaders, evangelists, and other people of influence – who are passionate about sharing the Gospel.
Meeting regularly, their goal is to come up with initiatives and ideas to ensure evangelism stays a central part of the greater Gospel Movement in Portland. And today, Portland has a very different view of the Church.
Our service has earned a seat at the table. It has given us the right to speak into difficult situations. And it has helped meet the deep physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the region.
And we truly believe the best is yet to come.
We are called to actively partner with the Living God and work for the Shalom of our city. To follow Jesus on to the streets of our city and join Him as we work for peace, as we proclaim His love and truth. And clear, direct evangelism must play a key part in that effort.
This is God’s heart for you, for me, and for every city around the world.
Peace and prosperity.
Love and joy.
Salvation and wellness.
God loves our cities, and He wants us to love our cities as well. The work is not easy. It can be messy and difficult at times. But it is good work. It is godly work. And it reflects the heart of Christ.
This new model for evangelism had felt risky, but instead of being a flop, it had been a spark. A spark that launched this new model around the United States and the world.
This is our calling. This is our mission. Not a moment, but a movement—a City Gospel Movement.
“When Kevin [Palau] and his dad [Luis] asked to meet with me about how they wanted to help in our public schools, I remember thinking to myself, They want my support for them to do what?! I assumed most evangelicals were judgmental, accusatory, closed off, and unwelcoming. I was wary, but their attitude was not at all what I expected. They were humble, not judgmental. They made it clear they had no hidden agendas. They offered community service, not self-promotion. CityServe Portland and the faith community have done serious and important work for our city—in liberal Portland of all places! I have come to see the evangelical community more clearly, and the partnership to serve our city has changed our city. It has changed me and the lives of countless others.”
—Sam Adams, former mayor of Portland