Missional Open-Air Preaching

If you are new to the conversation, see my previous posts:

1. The Gospel in the Open-Air Again
2. Guidelines for Open-Air Preaching
3. Open-Air Preaching is Optional?

It would also be helpful to peruse the various quotes over the last few weeks I've posted from Spurgeon and others. I just want everyone to know what the context is, that I feel there needs to be a movement of sane, theologically-sound, gospel-centered preachers into the open-air again. Now, to the post. And this is where the "sane" part comes in.

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One question I get is, How does the idea of public preaching jibe with being missional? My response is that I think it will enhance it...if we do it well. Mean open-air preaching is obviously bad and will kill relationship opportunities. Or even preaching good words but with a bad, unfriendly demeanor can hurt. So my take on good open-air preaching is that it's the guys who get "missional" that will do it well and better.

So here are my thoughts. I don't have it all figured out by any means. Trying to get these thoughts down takes a lot of editing and I probably still need to change some things. So I very much need your feedback. 

To be Missional is to live as "sent." The church lives sent as the missionary, we are all missionaries. Somehow we make that about being only relational, meaning evangelism must almost always take 6 months to get to the gospel. I may be overstating it, but at least hear where I'm coming from. I'm sensitive to this approach, embrace it, and want to do evangelism well in whatever form it comes and however long it takes.

But for those called of God to preach, we then by preaching publicly (outside our buildings, apart from Sunday mornings) will be scattering seeds that will lead to better opportunities for our people to live missionally. It provides the chance for Christians who attend our open-air preaching to connect with the listeners with a relational response. It will also create a larger swath of people in our communities who are hearing the Gospel or at least touched by the positive or negative buzz it creates. 

Let me illustrate, and I think I remember most details correctly. I would not do it this way, but it helps to show that even in a less than ideal approach, we can still through a kind of open-air preaching make missional connections.

I remember reading of a guy who would go sit in a bar next to folks and order a soda. A bit later a friend would come in, start preaching the Gospel openly and loudly, and then fairly quickly would get kicked out for obvious reasons. The dude at the bar would then look at the shocked people around him and begin to say, "Wow, that was weird. What do you think about what that guy was saying about Jesus and salvation?" And then would in a more relational way, connect with the lost.

Even a bad way of doing open-air preaching led to conversations about the Gospel. So "missional" in this way means that any sort of public preaching can be used positively (or negatively) to start a conversation that leads to a relationship, Gospel disucssion, and more. (Remember, I'm not advocating this approach.)

BUT, imagine if our open-air preaching IN ITSELF is missional-flavored? I'm not just meaning it's a way of getting our "missional" people there to make "missional" contact. I mean that being missional should affect the preacher's approach to the audience. That our desire to be relational should affect very much what we say in public preaching, and how we say it.

What would missional open-air preaching look like?

We see ourselves as local. My posts have not been about itinerant open-air Gospel bombers who hit-and-run and let the locals figure it out. I'm talking about pastors who are called to love their cities toward Jesus getting the Gospel in the open-air again. So the ultimate goal in evangelism, of whatever sort, is to make disciples. Disciples are made in relationships, though it may start without it (Acts 2). And that means we aim that our hearers in open-air preaching will eventually (Lord-willing) join our churches and connect in Gospel-centered community with us. Our open-air preaching will be winsome to those being saved, though it will be foolishness to those who are not (1 Cor 1:22-24).

So with that mission in mind we need open-air preaching to be quite different from what we typically see in America. Here are a few ways our open-air preaching can, and I think must, be missional. They blend together so much that separating these ideas isn't easy. But I'm going to try...

Be Prayerfully Broken First | Don't start preaching until you feel heat from the flames of hell that the people you are about to preach to will face one day soon. Don't start until you weep over them in prayer. Don't pump yourself up beforehand with rock music, trying to gain the courage to get out there and "go get'em." Calm yourself by seeking the Lord for them, remembering your own helplessness to change any hearts apart from the Spirit's work. Remember you want to gain a relationship with the people you will speak to.

Be Real | When have you seen and heard an open-air preacher who seemed like a guy who really cares about you? Who didn't seem distant? I've never experienced that, except one time after conversion watching a friend doing it. I watched him truly listen, look in their eyes. Compassion was written on his face. Longing for the hearers to be saved was clear in his words. His heart was on his sleeve. Missional open-air preaching demands that you are acting like a person who wants to relate to people. That you not only feel compassion toward your hearers, but that it's apparent. You are genuine. You have a personality. You are appropriately transparent. You don't take attack personally, but absorb it because it may help that guy or that girl to see your suffering or the insults and see something different about you.

Leave your placards and signs and clever tricks behind. Leave your creative canned presentations behind. Just be a guy who loves Jesus and these people, and has no desire to argue. Talk how you talk. Be who you are. Speak to who they are. And speak through your longing for them to know our great God.

Be Gentle & Respectful | They will expect you to judge them, to yell, to stand in pride of your position over them. What if you don't respond as loudly as them? Teachers at our local school were telling us that getting louder to talk above a class full of loud students just keeps escalating. If you lower your voice, they will lower theirs to hear what you are saying. Has any open-air guy tried that? Most preachers I've seen just keep ramping up. Even the ones preaching the Gospel more clearly! We are called to gentleness in the hope that we lead people to repentance.

2 Timothy 2:23-26 | Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

1 Peter 3:14-16 | But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

I'm not calling for more open-air preaching like we have. I'm aiming at something relational, gentle, humble, respectful, honest, calm, reasoned, genuine, real, and heartbroken.

Please help me think this through.

Comments

[Jim]

Steve, I think you are on to something here.

I wonder, will open air preaching help the disenfranchised Christian, the one who feels neglected or wounded by his/her church? Will reaching out to that person touch their soul and let them know that God really is there for them? This soul that is floundering in this life with no church home and a feeling that nobody cares?

I believe that this is JUST the person that will respond and that there are so many of these people out there that NEED this kind of contact.

This is not to say that the rest of us don't need it as well, in fact, I believe that more of us need this contact than one might imagine.

Some thoughts from a painter.

[JR]

David Wells once said:

Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is, no longer have the categories to understand it, no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories in their non-moral universe — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty.

That reality requires a very savvy open air preacher.

[Jody Sneed]

Prolly the last person to comment but...in most churches, are there parishioners called to preach? Except for mission trips to foreign lands, are they given the opportunity?

To be clear, I am just talking about someone, for a season or longer, that has something on their heart that with the discernment of fellow believers, they have to preach about.

For my 31 years of church experience, I have seen it happen only a couple of times from the pulpit. Open-air (plein aire is the artistic term) may be that venue for the Holy Spirit to speak out through someone.

[Steve McCoy]

I mostly agree, JR. I wouldn't say it quite so strongly as I think a Christian memory still lingers around in most of our culture. But I wouldn't make a big deal about it.

I just think that means we need a plain open-air preacher. A simple one. A clear one. A loving one. And we need to have the story of the Bible down and have solid theology down so we can bring it to bear on our cities.

[Steve McCoy]

That's interesting, Jody, if I get your meaning right. I'm all for others in our congregations to preach in the open-air. I think we teach our people to preach in the pulpit but fail to teach them to preach elsewhere. Good stuff.

[Frank!]

Good job Steve, you took the words right out of my mouth. I think the hardest part for many of us will be sticking around and actually discipling those who confess faith in Christ. Good job. I'm still reading some stuff by R.A Torrey on the subject and hope to share that on my blog.

[tom]

I appreciate your posts on open air preaching Steve. It seems like this idea just needs people to get out there and actually start doing this preaching as a catalyst for change. I think learning how to do this rightly will occur on the ground through experience and others will join in and follow as they see people stepping out in faith.

[[email protected]]

Great post, Steve. After I read some stuff and watched the vids you posted I made a short list of things I can do right now as I'm not ready to go stand on the street and start preaching. My list was 1) begin to pray for the right heart, 2) make a solid intentional list of verses and memorize them, 3) find the right spots in my community, 4) compile a list of texts conducive to preaching the gospel in open air.

My hang up is, in addition to the qualities you mention that you're calling for in open air preaching, doesn't there have to be an attractional element to gather people? What does that look like other than being in a public place and raising your voice really loud?

[Steve McCoy]

Jesse, if you don't mind I'm going to use this comment as a spark for a new post on moving toward open-air preaching. I'm basically where you are. I think saying "Get out there and do it!" in a world that isn't used to it and for preachers who haven't done it is unwise. I think it takes prayer and preparation, asking some hard questions, etc. Good thoughts, bro. A post will be up in a bit. Love for you to bounce these and other ideas there too.

[Jessewinkler]

Cool, looking forward to it.

[Jeff]

Steve,
Thanks so much for leading us down this path. First note. I highly agree we don't need "open-air Gospel bombers." Great line by the way.
I am a pastor who is often unsettled by the lack of personal evangelism in my own life. And I have thought about what you've begun to explore here. I'm with you and look forward to the continuing conversation.
As I'm beginning to think about it, my question is where does this fit in my community. In the NT there was a culture of open-air debates and the men of the city gathering at the gates to discuss the issues of the day, I believe.
Where does this happen in my small city (100,000 +/-). And since that's not part of everyday American life now, where can I create a space for this to happen.
I do believe it will sow seeds that should give our people more opportunity to then follow on and preach the gospel in one-to-one encounters.
Let us know when you're ready to go for your first open-air. Chicago's within driving distance:-)

[Steve McCoy]

Jeff, I have some of the same questions. I think I've found one really solid area locally (so far) where most bars are located. When the winter ends something will happen there.

[GHD Straightener Outlet]

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