Liberty University reaches 1.3 million in online evangelism effort

Online missionary volunteers from Liberty respond to emails from all over the world.

Liberty University reached more than 1.3 million people with the Gospel in a three-day Internet evangelism campaign this week. The online effort directed people from all over the world, through a keyword search, to websites with a Gospel presentation, prayer, and a way to get connected with an online missionary.

A friend of Liberty, who asked to remain anonymous, donated the money to partner with Global Media Outreach for the outreach. On an interactive website, Liberty students were able to watch who was being reached, how many decisions were made for Christ, and where they came from – all in real-time.

“As the millennial generation there are things we can do to reach the world …  that were impossible before now,” Campus Pastor Johnnie Moore said in Wednesday’s Convocation.

He announced that out of the 1,310,650 people who viewed Gospel presentations online, there were 178,757 indicated decisions. People from countries all over the world made decisions, including India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia.

“This is the 21st century; you can sit at your computer screen and influence people all over the world. We can’t easily get into (some countries), but the Internet has connected the entire world,” Moore said.

This initiative was part of Liberty’s biannual Global Focus Week, which kicked off Monday. Students had the chance to meet representatives from mission agencies and attend special mission-focused Convocations and seminars.

In Monday’s Convocation, students heard from international evangelist Andrew Palau, who shared his story of God’s grace in life. Palau is the son of world-renowned author and evangelist Luis Palau, who spoke at Liberty’s 39th Baccalaureate Service in May.

In Wednesday’s Convocation, Tom Elliff, president of the International Mission Board spoke on having a heart for missions, asking students about taking the next step, “to consider whether you are willing to embrace whatever else it might be that God says to you about missions.”

Elliff has worked with IMB for 42 years where he pastored and served as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor’s Conference and spent two terms as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In Convocation he shared several stories from his travels from Japan, the Horn of Africa and his dad’s mission efforts as a 93-year-old.

He challenged students that this “heartbeat for missions” is to be “compelled by a serious debt, consumed with passion of a sacred desire to preach and to be confident in the Gospel.”

Elliff told students that they must not merely feel for the Gospel, but act on it.

“God never separates our faith from our activity,” he said.

At the close of Convocation, many students responded to the call and spoke with missionary representatives in the Vines Center.