True, mass evangelism has its weaknesses but still, it holds a significant place in the urban context for the following reasons. Firstly, in a mass rally, people can preserve their privacy. In a big stadium, they can come, sit in and walk away without much notice. The privacy and anonymity of the person is maintained. This is highly important for those whose interest in our faith is a sensitive issue.

Secondly, mass evangelistic rallies provide Christians with the opportunity of bringing their friends to public meetings specially geared towards outsiders rather than to Christian worship services tailored for insiders.

Mass evangelism unites churches in a way that nothing else does. It bonds churches and often, in the process of working together, the churches are revived. One lasting result of mass evangelism is the co-operation between local churches as evidenced in our past efforts in organising Emmanuel Celebration, Breakthrough 2000 and Celebration 2000.

At a mass evangelistic rally, the pastors and church leaders involved normally spend months together planning, preparing and executing their plans. As they share and pray together, they will be edified, encouraged and energised to attempt greater exploits for the Lord. The outcome of mass evangelism is often that the churches "get moving" and this momentum needs to be maintained after the evangelistic rally is over to sustain lasting results.

Mass evangelism is useful in bringing in people from other non-Christian ethnic backgrounds. People from other religious traditions can come in without being noticed and hear the gospel for the first time. And they tend to prefer to come and listen to well-known mass evangelists such as Carlos Annacondia or Billy Graham than go to church to hear the gospel preached by the locals.

So, mass evangelism should not be written off though it has its weaknesses. Instead, what we need to do is develop newer forms of mass evangelism which takes seriously the reality of the universal youth culture. Our youths are used to mass experience nowadays. Mass music and worship experiences must be used more in the cities as a respected vehicle of the gospel.

The work of preaching the gospel should be exciting and creative. May God enable us to discover the creativity of the Holy Spirit for we have nothing to be ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation. It is the power of God for the unreached. It is the power of God for the powerless in our community. It is the power of God to transform lives in our city. Let us embrace Paul’s attitude expressed in 1 Corinthians 9 towards the preaching of the gospel, "...to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some".