Harvest: Greg Laurie

A "Lost Boy" Finds His Way:

When Greg Laurie attended local baseball games as a kid in Southern California, he had no idea he would later preach to the masses from second base at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Through God's intervention, Laurie overcame a troubled childhood and drug-laced adolescence to become a passionate evangelist and preacher, founding Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., one of the largest churches in the U.S.

"Jesus People" and Beyond:

At age 17, Laurie became a Christian and gave up drugs and alcohol, joining the Jesus People—hippies who rejected substance abuse for a relationship with Christ. He matured in his faith and eventually became the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., and was eager to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to Southern Californians in a non-traditional way. In 1990, with little more than personal experience, deep conviction, and great vision, the Harvest Crusades were born as Laurie, along with Chuck Smith, pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, developed a simple strategy for presenting Christ's gospel message in a contemporary format. A plan evolved for a casual evening of hip music, authentic worship, and a clear presentation of biblical messages.

Reaching a New Generation:

At a time when many in the U.S. were questioning the effectiveness and the future of modern crusade evangelism, Laurie and Smith believed that large-scale evangelistic outreach had great potential for a new generation. The format would be contemporary and would appeal particularly to youth.

"I strongly believe that we've got to communicate the gospel so that it can be understood by secular-minded people," writes Laurie in his autobiography Lost Boy. "Otherwise we just end up talking to ourselves."

Remarkably, more than 90,000 people attended what was the first Harvest Crusade in 1990, featuring Greg Laurie as the evangelist.

Taking God's Story to the World:

Since 1990, crowds totaling more than 3.8 million people have attended Harvest events across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Events scheduled for 2009 include visits to Rapid City, South Dakota (May 15–17); Long Island, New York (June 13–14); and Anaheim, Calif. (Aug. 14–16). Over the past twenty years, more than 317,000 people have registered decisions to commit their lives to Christ as a result of these events.

Technology—Harnessing the Power of Story:

Beginning with its first live crusade webcast in 1997, Harvest has pioneered the use of innovative technology to share its message of faith and hope with the world. Since that time, more than 533,000 people have participated in live Harvest Crusade events via the Internet.

In addition to interactive webcasts, in 2009 Harvest will provide video podcasts and blog accounts of each of Greg Laurie's messages, available at http://blog.greglaurie.com/. "Behind the scenes" updates from Greg Laurie leading up to each Harvest event will also be available on Twitter at http://twitter.com/greglaurie.

"All of our technological offerings are simply tools to bring people into a one-on-one conversation about their faith in Jesus," said Greg Laurie. "At Harvest, we want to be both high-tech and high-touch."

Beyond the Crusade:

Besides conducting evangelistic outreaches, Harvest Ministries produces A New Beginning, an international radio program with messages by Greg Laurie. In addition, television specials featuring past Harvest Crusade events air internationally on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Greg Laurie serves as president of Harvest Crusades, Inc., (a position for which he receives no compensation). Harvest Crusades, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation that exists for the sole purpose of presenting the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, and to help believers mature in their faith.