The world is in a state of crisis. Politically, economically, morally, and spiritually, there can be no doubt that man’s best efforts to create a utopian society—or to recreate some perceived cultural greatness of the past—have utterly failed.
More and more people are finding it difficult to live a meaningful life in a meaningless world. Frustrated and disillusioned, some are turning to increasingly vile forms of sensual gratification while others turn to outlandish cults and conspiracy theories. Still others hope to binge away their uncertainties with heavy doses of alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, entertainment, sports, video games, and endless varieties of screen time.
But these distractions are not working, and (deep down) they know it. The technological revolution, hailed as a savior by many, has coincided with increased rates of depression, suicide, mass murder, and human sex trafficking. Meanwhile, with every tick of the clock, never-dying souls enter eternity. For many of them, including many in our own communities, it is a lost eternity in hell.
Nothing, it would seem, can save humanity from itself, much less from the infinite wrath of God. Nothing, that is, except the truth found in that old and tattered Bible now collecting dust on the proverbial shelf of a post-Christian society, with its “old, old story” of a holy God who punishes sin, a gracious Savior who makes all things new, and an abundant life of everlasting peace and joy. Unfortunately, most people refuse to read the Bible and have no intention of attending a church where it is faithfully proclaimed. How utterly tragic!
The world of humanity is in crisis, but we have the solution: We can go and preach Christ to them! God forbid, at a time like this, that we should hide our lamps under a bushel basket or allow our salt to stick to the bottom of our shaker. Now, more than ever, we need evangelistic urgency. For this reason, we once again turn our attention to the biblical and Reformed practice of open-air preaching.
True biblical evangelism, after all, is an alarm clock and not a snooze button. Street preaching, as such, offers no gimmicks, no carnival games, no circus clowns, and no balloon animals; just urgent, straightforward gospel preaching to the heart of man: We preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 1:23).
Quite naturally, all of this raises some important practical questions about how open-air ministry is to be conducted. What follows is our best attempt to answer these questions.
Q. Who should participate in open-air evangelism?
A. Fishing for men, much like fishing for fish, requires teamwork (Matt. 4:21; Mark 6:7). Speak to your pastor about forming an outreach team.
Each team member should be accountable to a faithful local church and should profess the true gospel with a Christlike attitude. Arrogant, contentious, heretical, or “Lone Ranger” Christians are likely to do more harm than good.
Team members will differ widely in their gifts and, consequently, in their roles. My two oldest sons (ages 11 and 12) do a great job of handing out tracts, but I would never ask them to man our literature table. That role is better suited to someone with a mature profession of faith who can clearly and winsomely explain the gospel. (Very often, the best person to man the table is a godly Christian woman.)
As for preaching itself, we encourage pastors and seminarians to lead the way, along with ruling elders and other godly men who are approved by their session and possess adequate gifts and graces.
Q. What sorts of activities are involved in open-air evangelism?
A. We tend to favor a three-pronged approach.
First, we preach the Word. Where there are multiple preachers, they can take turns in one location or spread out.
Evangelist Ray Comfort recommends standing on a small, foldable plastic stool to preach, thereby creating a natural “safe space” that even most antagonists will respect. Others gladly exchange the stool for increased mobility.
Where allowed by law, use amplification. It will save your voice and reduce shouting. Options range from the Aker AK-38 Voicebooster (Amazon: $88) to the Amplivox 50-watt Half Mile Hailer (Amazon: $439).
While some preachers invest in the Water-Proof Bible (Amazon: $45), I prefer a cheap hardback that fits in the front pocket of my hoodie. In rare cases, I use my phone.
Second, we have a literature table. An eight-foot plastic folding table should suffice. We use Velcro to attach a banner across the front that reads “Free Bibles and Christian Literature,” and we station a volunteer behind the table to engage inquirers and invite them to church. Our free materials include Bibles, Gospels of John, and gospel tracts published by Crossway (pricey but good), Chapel Library (free), and others. We place our church’s contact information and service times on every piece of literature using adhesive labels from VistaPrint.com, which also provides a great platform for developing your own tracts, flyers, and a banner for your table.
Third, we hand out gospel tracts. Tract distributors should spread out into areas with heavy foot traffic. When properly supervised, children tend to excel at handing out tracts. With a little creativity, adults can do it too. Once, while distributing gospel tracts outside a Joel Osteen event at Comerica Park, I had so few takers that I finally decided to conduct a brief social experiment. “Only one per person!” I began to shout repeatedly. Within seconds, it seemed like just about everyone heading toward the stadium just had to have one.
Q. Where and when do you engage in open-air evangelism?
A. Always respect law enforcement and obey local ordinances. Beyond that, a good rule of thumb is to follow the people. Where and when do people in your community come together, within a reasonable distance from your church, at a time when your team is available?
Look for a public place, such as a bus stop (captive audience!), park, or town square, where you can evangelize regularly. By showing up consistently—same time, same place, every week—people will start to recognize you and relationships will develop.
Are there any seasonal activities in your area? In Ann Arbor, one team ministers at University of Michigan home football games. In Grand Rapids, another team labors downtown at the ArtPrize festival. In Pontiac, we preach to long lines of people waiting 20 minutes apiece to enter a local “haunted house” in October.
In metro areas, be on the lookout for a major one-time event such as a political convention, papal visit, or major sports championship. In rural areas, target your county fair or a well-attended high school sporting event.
Q. What are some basic, practical tips for open-air preachers?
A. Here are five practical suggestions to consider:
1. Know your window. An audience waiting to catch the bus will require a far different approach than endless waves of pedestrians scurrying past you at warp speed. The first group might hear you for 25 minutes; the second for about eight seconds. Adapt your message to fit your auditory window.
2. Know your audience. Always preach to the lowest attention span imaginable. Use lots of illustrations, especially pointing to objects, signs, or slogans presently visible to your audience. Make thoughtful references to contemporary culture, current events, or societal problems. Address your audience directly (“you”) and respond to common objections with sympathetic, culturally sensitive arguments. To do all of this, you’ll need to know who you’re addressing, how they think, and what they think. So be sure and take time to converse with them.
3. Know your text and your message. Street preaching is extemporaneous, without notes. Your text should be brief and easily memorizable (e.g. Ps. 4:6 or Matt. 16:26), so that you can passionately expound and apply it without constantly looking down at your Bible. Remember, you are declaring a message that has radically changed your life and will impact the eternal destiny of your hearers. If you didn’t need notes to propose to your wife or to warn your child about the dangers of oncoming traffic, you shouldn’t need notes for this either.
4. Know your calling. You are a street evangelist, not a Bible scholar. Preach the basic gospel message. Avoid rabbit trails and fine distinctions. Expose mankind’s utter sinfulness, futility, and misery apart from our beautiful and all-sufficient Savior, Jesus Christ. Be simple and relevant, so that the common people will hear you gladly. If the cultural context of your passage is relevant to your audience (e.g. John 4, racial tension), tell the story behind the story. But always cut to the chase, and always speak the truth in love, especially to hecklers. The heckler, if handled properly, can help increase both your audience and your credibility.
5. Know your Savior. As with the apostles, your spiritual boldness will flow from quality time spent with Jesus (Acts 4:13). Don’t be an evangelistic Martha: always serving but never sitting at His feet. There is no substitute for personal communion with Christ. Pray before you preach. Pray after you preach. Pray without ceasing.
Q. Where can I find additional resources on open-air evangelism?
A. Read chapters 17–18 of Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students. In addition, Jeremiah Cry Ministries has republished Beneath the Blue Sky: Preaching in the Open Air by G. H. Pike, and The Open-Air Preacher’s Handbook by Gawin Kirkham.
The word on the street is that both Reformation Heritage Books and Banner of Truth plan to release new books on open-air ministry soon. Helpful video resources include Tony Miano’s YouTube channel and the recent documentary Go, Stand, Speak by the Apologetics Group.
Conferences can also be beneficial. Pastor Scott and I recently attended the Samuel Davies Conference on Evangelism, sponsored by the PCA’s Reformed Evangelistic Fellowship and overseen by Rev. Al Baker. It featured three riveting lectures every morning and open-air ministry at the Bristol Motor Speedway each afternoon. To inquire about this year’s conference, contact Rev. Baker (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)). Wouldn’t it be great if a large group of RPs were able to attend?
Adam Kuehner is pastor of Southfield, Mich., RPC. Craig Scott is pastor of First (Grand Rapids, Mich.) RPC.