Each One Win One
One of my heroes of the Disciples of Christ, Christian Church movement has been Jesse Bader. Recently, I happily discovered Jesse Bader's first full-time ministry was here at First Christian Church, Atchison, KS!
During his seven years in Atchison, the membership grew from around 300 to 1,400! Bader emphasized the role of lay people in evangelism with the slogan, “Each one win one.” Rev. Jesse Bader was the Pastor when the current church was completed! Imagine, while building this incredible sanctuary, the church was adding 180–200 members each year! What a period of growth!
After serving in WW1, he returned to a Kansas City church and drafted a proposal for a five-year evangelistic program, titled “Win a Million” for the International Convention of Disciples of Christ, the national assembly of Christian Churches in the USA and Canada at that time. According to his writings, Bader had developed a passion for the centrality and prioritization of evangelism in the ministry of the church, saying in a well-known quote, “What the Lord made primary, we have no right to make secondary.”
Later in life while holding a national office in Evangelism in the National Council of Churches, he gave valuable counsel to the young evangelist Billy Graham. (This counsel saved Billy Graham from the scandals that have hurt so many evangelists over the years.) Bader had been a pioneer in promoting the idea that evangelism and ecumenism went hand in hand, as opposed to being mutually exclusive. He died after a brief illness in New York City, on August 19, 1963. Bader was 77 years old. His funeral was held at First Christian Church, Atchison, Kansas.
What a wonderful minister and Disciple of Christ! A great example for us to study. Each One Win One!
Your Pastor, William Mitchell
During his seven years in Atchison, the membership grew from around 300 to 1,400! Bader emphasized the role of lay people in evangelism with the slogan, “Each one win one.” Rev. Jesse Bader was the Pastor when the current church was completed! Imagine, while building this incredible sanctuary, the church was adding 180–200 members each year! What a period of growth!
After serving in WW1, he returned to a Kansas City church and drafted a proposal for a five-year evangelistic program, titled “Win a Million” for the International Convention of Disciples of Christ, the national assembly of Christian Churches in the USA and Canada at that time. According to his writings, Bader had developed a passion for the centrality and prioritization of evangelism in the ministry of the church, saying in a well-known quote, “What the Lord made primary, we have no right to make secondary.”
Later in life while holding a national office in Evangelism in the National Council of Churches, he gave valuable counsel to the young evangelist Billy Graham. (This counsel saved Billy Graham from the scandals that have hurt so many evangelists over the years.) Bader had been a pioneer in promoting the idea that evangelism and ecumenism went hand in hand, as opposed to being mutually exclusive. He died after a brief illness in New York City, on August 19, 1963. Bader was 77 years old. His funeral was held at First Christian Church, Atchison, Kansas.
What a wonderful minister and Disciple of Christ! A great example for us to study. Each One Win One!
Your Pastor, William Mitchell
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