Written by Adam Kuehner and Craig Scott for The Reformed Presbyterian Witness.
Part three in a four-part series on open-air preaching.
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.