Coast shares gospel through over-the-top object lessons

Posted: 10/13/06

Coast shares gospel through
over-the-top object lessons

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Baptist Standard

Keith Coast isn’t a typical evangelist. After all, what other evangelist would crawl into a six-foot balloon, light his tongue on fire or ride a unicycle?

But Coast has a method behind his madness. By using over-the-top object lessons, Coast shares the gospel with children and their families.

“It always amazes me how people just need to laugh sometimes,” he said. “I had a young man share with me that his dad hadn’t really smiled since his mother had passed away, and he thanked me for squeezing myself into a balloon because it made his dad crack a smile for the first time in a long time.

Keith Coast inside of a six-foot balloon.

“I’ve had several grandparents come up to me and thank me for such an enjoyable time. It reminds me that no matter how old we are, we’re all big kids at heart.”

Because of his distinctive blend of humor, illusions and stunts used to teach valuable lessons, Coast has become a popular Christian entertainer for sports award nights, children’s programs, summer camps, fall festivals, retreats, and evangelistic crusades.

“I focus on providing churches with a high-quality experience for large outreach events, camps, retreats, and whatever they can dream up,” he said.

“I bring a message that is simple enough for a child to understand, but enjoyable for the whole family. I’m not just a comic or an illusionist, and I’m not an ordinary preacher. I’m just a guy who believes that Christians should have more fun than anyone else because of the joy we have in Christ.”

Before Coast established this creative evangelistic ministry, he was youth pastor at Central Baptist Church in Baytown. The son of a pastor, Coast said he was influenced greatly by his father using visual illustrations in his sermons.

“I always used object lessons in my teaching because the messages that I remembered the most growing up were the ones that had visual illustrations,” he said. “When I became a youth pastor, my object lessons really took a turn because you get to be a little crazy and fun with this age group.

“One day, I walked into a magic shop and was introduced to the world of illusions. I started using close-up tricks to get to know the kids coming to church, and then used an illusion to illustrate a biblical message. They loved it, and I started to work harder on making the message come alive.

“The Lord also brought me to another place in my walk. Instead of complicating the gospel and trying to impress people with how much I knew about a subject, I tried to make the message as simple as possible. To take a simple principle and illustrate it the best way possible became my goal.”

Then, four years ago, Coast felt God leading him in a new direction.

“I had served in different ministries since I was 15, and I really felt the Lord calling me out of a full-time staff position into evangelism,” he said.

“I had nothing on the calendar or any idea of how we would pay the bills, but I knew God was leading me into this area. My wife and I had a passion to help reach elementary-age kids and give them a foundation to build on. We felt like children’s ministry had been overlooked and pushed into the shadows for way too long.”

Today, he lives in Lawton, Okla., and keeps a busy schedule performing at children’s ministry events around the world—as far away as Iceland. During the summer, he performed at eight camps, including Mount Lebanon Baptist Encampment.

As for his upcoming plans in ministry, Coast said: “I honestly don’t know where this ministry will be in 10 years, five years, or even tomorrow. … I rely on the Lord to open doors and to close them. All I know is that I will be serving the Lord, however he sees fit. This ministry is not about me, but me allowing the Lord to use the gifts he gave me for the purpose he created me for. Until he directs me otherwise, I’ll just keep using creative and unique ways of sharing his message.”