"An Experiment in 'Saturation Evangelism'," an article published in Christian Advocate (December 17, 1964) (1964-10-07)

              7^" ^-g^2^ ^U^t^C
AN EXPERIMENT IN "SATURATION ''h/ANGELISM"
by Franklin K* Littell*
In the week of September 30-0ctober 4 there took place iseddra one
06  the most remarteble projects in mass evangelism to be held in America
in many decades. The area in which a large complex of programs occured
numbers c. 60 000 population, and included, both banks of the Missouri
River at Far^o, Worth Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota, The name of the
week of "saturation evangelism11 was Religion-in-Life Week, and the effort
bore some resemblance to the multiple approach which we in America have
0 to associate with a good campus program of that name. It might be
said that the extraordinary richness of events - movies, VI  and radio
programs, lectures, discussions, newspaper articles, plays, musicals *
did resemble a Religion-in-Life Meek - but this time aimed at a metropolitan area rather than a campus community*
Another source of inspiration was the Kirchentag;. the great laymenfs
rally which has since 1949 developed a similar style of "saturation
evangelism1* in regular events in Germany, Although the Kirchentag has
attracted attention in good part' because of the vast congregations which
attend its final sessions (from 250 000 to 675 000 in a single worship
service), as a matter of fact its main emphasis too is on a wide variety
of programs in the week proceeding the mass demonstration. Both the
American Religion-in-Life Week and the Kirchentag have derived inspiration
and encouragement- from the remarkable Kjrchliche Woche developed by German
Protestants in the years before the rise of Hitler temporarily cut short
any mass effort of the Churc h,to reached the untouched masses of the great
cities.
The man who initiated the Religion-in-Life Week experiment in America