Campbellsville—The town of Campbellsville is abuzz after seeing nearly 400 conversions last week during a crusade and other appearances by evangelists Rick Gage and Rick Stanley.

Many new Christians are teens or college students, including nearly 165 at Campbellsville University who responded to altar calls during Gage’s talks there.

In addition, 132 accepted an invitation to follow Christ last Wednesday. The finale of the four-day crusade was billed as “Youth Emphasis Night.”

“We had to put counselors with groups of people,” recalled Skip Alexander, pastor of Campbellsville Baptist Church, one of about 25 area congregations sponsoring the crusade. “I was counseling five at a time.”

In addition to the community and campus activity, Stanley spoke to inmates at the Marion Adjustment Center in Saint Mary, where 43 inmates accepted Jesus as their Savior.

While follow up will take weeks, it began Sunday, when a large group of students and other recent converts were baptized at Green River State Park. Taylor County Baptist Association churches sponsored the outdoor ceremony.

The most fervent reaction to Gage’s university appearances involved 134 freshmen at a First Class assembly Sept. 15. First Class is a required course for incoming students that teaches character, leadership and stewardship. All but about 10 decisions were first-time commitments to Christ, according to Campbellsville theology professor Ted Taylor.

“This was not a hyper-emotional event,” Taylor indicated. “Gage spoke for 20 minutes, extended an invitation and before we knew it, we had 134 students at the altar.

“He spent the next 10 minutes trying to talk them out of it, to make sure they were serious. We took them outside for counseling and talked to them again, and tried to talk them out of it again.”

About 40 more students answered an invitation for salvation two days later, when Gage addressed a campus-wide assembly.

“We use the mantra: ‘Find your calling,’” said John Chowning, the university’s vice president for church and external relations. “Certainly for those who made first-time professions of faith, that’s the first step in finding your calling.”

Although the university is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Alexander (also a university trustee) explained that embracing Christian beliefs is not necessary for admission. And that makes the Sept. 15 outpouring that much more exciting, he noted, adding that the converts represented nearly 30 percent of the freshman class of 448.

“In my ministry I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a third of anyone committing their life to Christ,” Alexander recalled. “Especially this generation, which (demographer George) Barna describes as suspicious of Christianity.”

The activity on campus spread over the town as well. During assemblies at area schools the first half of the week, Stanley spoke about making wise choices while relating some of his experiences as Elvis Presley’s stepbrother.

Gage followed up by inviting students to the “world’s largest pizza party” on Wednesday evening. Some 350 pizzas were served at the football stadium that night to a crowd of more than 3,500, marking the largest religious gathering in the history of Taylor County.

Alexander said he was excited about the entire week, especially the university, which saw the largest wave of salvations in its history.

“I was there and I saw life change in this generation that will affect the rest of their years,” he noted. “I saw future missionaries that were saved, future pastors, editors and industrial leaders who will be Christians and go on to do great things.”

The pastor said First Class, which includes small-group mentoring sessions during the week, provides the perfect avenue for follow up and discipleship.

Taylor, who co-wrote the curriculum, explained that the event was the culmination of six years of preparation that originated with him, Campbellsville University President Michael Carter and several others discussing and designing the course.

In addition, he credited the program’s 20 mentors, who began praying for the freshmen last spring.

“There’s never a move of God like this without a lot of prayer and preparation,” Taylor emphasized. “Not to take away from what Rick did—he shared the gospel and drew the net.”

Two first-year mentors were encouraged by the students’ reaction to Gage. Senior David Lee of Monroe-ville, Ala., saw seven of the 22 students in his group accept Christ.

For follow up, Lee said he hopes to take some of them hunting or fishing, encourage group members to stay in touch with each other, and closely monitor his e-mail.

He added that while students often daydream during an assembly, that was not the case last week. He said Gage’s background as a former football coach and his commanding presence kept their attention.

“It took me off guard,” Lee said of the reaction. “I didn’t expect that. God’s favor was really on (the assembly) and that’s what I’ve been thanking Him for. God is doing something here. I’m thankful to be a part of this.”

Senior Shajuana Ditto said four of 25 members of her group accepted Christ, something she attributed to an urgency to get to know the Savior.

“Freshmen weren’t ashamed of going up and having someone pray with them to accept Christ,” said Ditto, a native of Brandenburg. “If I could describe it in one word, it was amazing. I’m glad I got to experience it. On Sept. 15, my heart was changed.”

A “Tiger Hostess”—a group that gives campus tours to recruits and supports the football team in other ways—Ditto also talked with a number of players and encouraged them to get involved in a church.

Thirty-two football players answered Gage’s call, with 30 of them first-time conversions.

As for the long-term impact, Alexander would love to see a repeat of the 1970 revival at Asbury College in Wilmore, which ultimately touched people across the nation.

“The tenor of the campus probably changed” Sept. 15, Alexander noted. “Not that it was bad, but you don’t have to go to church on Sunday in college. We think it will be a phenomenal difference.”

Taylor agreed conditions are ripe for another revival, although after 37 years in ministry he tends to downplay such expectations. Still, he acknowledged what happened last week is impressive.

“This has never happened in the life of the institution and I’ve been here 15 years,” he said. “Can you imagine the impact on the freshman class?

“The proof’s going to be in the pudding. We’ll be able to see if this was real by the fruit in people’s lives. It could be immeasurable.”