A recent study found that nearly all of the 811 Protestant ministries surveyed engaged in evangelism during 2006. The survey by Ellison Research of Phoenix, which was published in LifeWay magazine, found that 97 percent of the churches studied held evangelistic activities last year. Vacation Bible School was the most popular action, with 70 percent of the churches participating. Distributing tracts and other literature had the second highest participation, with 59 percent reported use. The study found that while it was common for Protestant churches to evangelize, the methods varied according to denomination. Noncharismatic evangelical churches were likely to participate in diverse evangelism activities, from pregnancy counseling to sports programs. But they were less likely to engage in community programs such as outreaches to the homeless, blood drives and domestic-violence programs. Pentecostal churches frequently used concerts, revivals, “invite a friend to church” days and audio-visual productions to evangelize. But they were less likely to host vacation Bible schools, the study found. In general, 39 percent of churches said it is more important to focus on programs that address spiritual needs rather than physical needs.
