Although previous analyses of rhetorical systems have considered philosophical influences, the influence of practical responsibilities has been overlooked. This study considers discussions of evangelization by the Roman Catholic Church, the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization, and the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism. From organizational documents about evangelism, systems of rhetoric are described and then compared to discover effects of maintaining the ideology, gratifying the membership, maintaining the organizational structure, and applying communication and rhetorical theory and practice. Three organizational rhetorics are identified: the rhetoric of hierarchy; the rhetoric of demographics; and the rhetoric of identification. In the process, several strategies for maintaining beliefs, membership, structure, and communication effectiveness are identified and evaluated.
