Great Soul-Winning Churches - Elmer Towns

In addition to being large, the Sunday School has an apparent quality education that is
evidenced by the number of teachers. Many other large Sunday Schools have gone to the large
room, master teacher plan, but Dr. Hyles still emphasizes the small classrooms with
approximately one teacher for every ten pupils throughout his Sunday School. Other Sunday
Schools have gone to the master teacher plan because of the difficulty of recruiting teachers;
however, Dr. Hyles is known as a “master motivator” and getting teachers is not one of his major
problems. Most of the adults who come into First Baptist Church are those who were led to the
Lord there and these make excellent candidates for teaching positions.
This fall the Sunday School is averaging over 6,000 and Dr. Hyles plans to average 7,000
before the year is over. At present 1,500 people go soul winning weekly through the 17 visitation
programs of the church. The 500 teachers and workers are required to visit, alone with the 300
college students. The deacons and every full-time staff member, and all the faculty members of
the college are required to spend at least two hours a week attempting to win others to Jesus
Christ.
The church has 450 retarded persons on roll and six classes to minister to their needs.
Also, there are nine classes teaching the 250 deaf enrolled in the church and five classes
ministering to the 200 Spanish-speaking people who attend First Baptist Church.
Hyles testifies that “First Baptist ‘out-socializes’ the social-action liberals.” He cites the
free hot meals given to the poor each week, the clothes distributed, the baskets of food and the
money given to those in need. Dr. Hyles testifies that his soul-winning church “does more social
action on the way to reach sinners than any liberal church in America.” He concludes, “It’s an
outward show with them, whereas with us it’s obedience to the commands of Christ.”
The Hammond City Rescue Mission, operated by the church, has two services daily and
serves three hot meals to those who attend. Also, there is a full-time church worker who
ministers to the shut-ins and handicapped of the city.
The church owns 102 buses and has 86 routes at present, bringing in approximately 2500
riders each week. The longest regular route stretches 30 miles from the church, even though one
bus goes to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station some 80 miles away (one way). When
viewing his bus ministry, a visitor humorously remarked that his buses ran from “Indianapolis to
Minneapolis.” The $200,000 bus center can park 60 buses in an inside heated garage, and this
author considers the bus director, Jim Vineyard, one of the best bus men in America.
A recent survey shows that Dr. Hyles ministers to 10,000 people at the First Baptist
Church in Hammond in some way every week. There are a number of visitors in addition to a
number of shift-workers who cannot attend Sunday School, but are present on Sunday evening,
Wednesday evening, or at other times during the week. Last December 19, the Hammond church
reported the largest Sunday School up to that time, when over 12,500 attended the Sunday
School.
When asked why so many preachers imitate him, Dr. Hyles responded, “I’m not a big
shot—I’m just common.” He indicated that most preachers could follow his example because he
is “copyable.” Even though Hyles testified to being a common man, the author feels he has a