Pentecostal Evangel Biennial Report

Fifty-third General Council of the Assemblies of God 2009

The Pentecostal Evangel continued its emphasis on ministry, not just publishing, during the biennium. Each week the staff met to pray and seek the direction of the Holy Spirit.

In 2008, Hal Donaldson left the magazine for full-time ministry at Convoy of Hope. Ken Horn, at the magazine since 1997, assumed leadership.

Nineteen million magazines were distributed during the biennium, with a weekly average circulation of nearly 183,000.

Letters continued to arrived daily from readers who were touched by the magazine in a variety of ways. Some 4,500 people mailed in coupons indicating their decision to follow Jesus Christ. Each new convert received a discipleship booklet and local churches were sent names so they could follow up.

Various special editions included some devoted to evangelism, providing churches with a witnessing tool to distribute in their communities. The annual Super Bowl Edition continued to be effective at reaching people who would not normally pick up a Christian magazine.

More than 1.6 million Evangels were sent to prisons through the Key Bearers fund and our partnership with Light for the Lost. This included a record 871,447 magazines in 2008.

Evangelio Pentecostal, the Spanish-language edition of the magazine, continued its pattern of steady growth.

Regular World Missions Editions continued through our partnership with Assemblies of God World Missions. In 2009, our first three Compassion Editions rolled off the press, the result of a partnership with Convoy of Hope. The annual Kids Edition continued to be among our most popular.

The biennium saw the magazine takes strides in additional media ventures. Our Web site generated about 700,000 hits per month and staff blogs and a podcast were intitiated. Our daily e-mail devotional, the Daily Boost, grew to 2,000 subscribers.

As media methods change around us, the Pentecostal Evangel will continue to fulfill its mission through print, while also utilizing the Internet and other means to reach people for Christ. Reaching the lost, building up believers, and celebrating our Pentecostal experience — this is the mission of the Pentecostal Evangel.