Put together 350 churches and church-based organizations; 25,000 pamphlets; 11,500 response books; 20,000 prayer cards; more than 1,000 people trained in evangelism; $260,000 (Australian dollars) worth of television and radio time; twenty-two giant billboards; and hundreds of people praying and what do you have?
A 'Jesus. All about life' poster in Frome Street,
Adelaide, Australia. |
The answer is: Australia’s first outreach campaign using prime-time media to reach a whole city with the message that Jesus is all about life. The “Jesus. All about life” (JAAL) campaign was developed by Bible Society New South Wales (NSW) and was launched August 8th in Adelaide, South Australia. The five-week campaign was aimed at raising awareness of the person and message of Jesus Christ and at encouraging people to investigate the abundant life that Jesus offers. Most visible in the campaign were six television commercials aimed at young people, families and baby boomers. The commercials were produced following extensive research which included focus groups and a series of “think-tanks.” Central to the success of the campaign was the involvement of local churches that were led by a committee made up of church and Christian business leaders. Bible Society NSW developed the JAAL campaign as part of its strategy to “engage with a post-modern culture.” The prayer was that by reading the specially-produced response book and coming into contact with local churches, the people of Adelaide would experience the truth of Jesus’ message.
To support the campaign, Bible Society NSW and Ambassadors for Christ also produced a five-week DVD-based course which looked at topics such as: “The Spiritual Search;” “Can I Trust the Bible?;” and “My Relationship with God.” Presented by co-director Reverand Karl Faase, the course used the JAAL response book as its main text. The Adelaide campaign is now completed and Canberra is looking to launch the project in March and April of 2006. Committees in Brisbane and Melbourne have also been established and Perth and Hobart have shown interest.
 (L-R) Rev Karl Faase, co-director, 'Jesus. All about life;' Martin Johnson, co-director, 'Jesus. All about life' and communications manager, Bible Society NSW; Rev Daniel Willis, CEO, Bible Society NSW; and David Smith, Genesis Foundation (Project supporter) standing in front of a 'Jesus. All about life' poster in Frome Street, Adelaide, Australi |
Bible Society NSW has made a major investment in the “Jesus. All about life” project and believes it will be used to bring thousands of people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Adelaide campaign generated 1,500 requests for the information pack, which included the response book. Churches gave away 10,000 books in their local communities. In addition, local churches ran over 400 events—all under the “Jesus. All about life” banner. Although JAAL uses prime-time media and outdoor advertising, the real strength is the involvement of the local church. In the words of Michael Fitch (who ran a similar campaign in Ireland in 2002, called “Power to Change”), it’s really about “motivating the quiet Christian to share their faith.”
