Street Preaching

Street preaching and camp meetings are a thing of the past. As time and context has changed those are poor tools to reach out.

 

Because people see it as strange and that takes away credibility. When one does that we are nothing more than a telemarketer or a JW. The culture no longer sees it the same way.

Today building relationships individually is far more effective. Otherwise people will not trust you.

 

:thumbs::thumbs:..many have gone out...but with no authority...

 

You misunderstood what I said. It is not that they will necessarily think that is what you are, it is that you will be seen as being just like them. And how you feel about has nothing to do with it.

 

Blessings on you and your work.

It takes a special type of person to work the streets. There was a woman at the seminary in Prague who worked with the street walkers there. It was not soap box preaching, but sitting in a coffee bar or regular bar and simply talking to them, hearing their problems, telling them the good news and helping them when possible. Listen is often as if nor more important that preaching IMHO.

There was a young man at the same seminary who had a call to work with the homeless street people. Again, it was not so much preaching, but talking to, listening to them and helping them when possible.

I am not surprised that you have trouble getting people to go along ... as I said, it takes special people.

I agree with Ann. Building relationships will be more important and in the long run more effective ... again IMHO.

 

Depending on where one lives... it can still be quite effective....it is a perfectly Biblical model...the Apostle Paul used it regularly it appears...I have seen it be effective where I live here in Central Fla. Moreover, its "effectiveness" is to be judged more by whether or not people in need of the gospel hear the gospel. If people needing the gospel hear the gospel faithfully preached...then it is successfull. I am dumb-founded as to why it appears that the Calvinists who are responding negatively towards street-preaching seem to be guaging its merits on some kind of sum-total of souls saved...What would that have to do with it? They will either be irresistibly drawn or not no?

As a preacher myself, I know exactly what you mean by feeling you had "authority". if you are preaching with authority you know it; if you are preaching without authority...you know it as well. It is quite easily felt.

 

WHAT???!!! Salty actually agrees w/ CTB on something????

 

Regeneration.

I preach on the streets when I get a chance. I pastor a rural church.

 

Sure they do. It wasn't accepted in the first century, either. They called Paul insane. They arrested him and stoned him....not exactly culturally acceptable.

And actually, Jehovah's Witnesses do not street preach. Nor do telemarketers. They DO try to use modern business models and "build relationships" with people.

Hogwash. Paul did not try to get the Jews to "trust him." That goes against the Biblical model. In every single instance in the New Testament, the model was to give the gospel as quickly as possible to people. "Relationship evangelism" is not a biblical model. It denies the urgency of the cross.

Rom_1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who

 

I pray the Lord uses you mightily.

 

Personally, as I am neither the Messiah...nor a Pharisee personally trained by Gamaliel...that is an opportunity heretofore not available to me.

Why not? Given the opportunity, I would.

Not always, some are quite rude...some very appreciative.

No, I usually know what they say about it. It is also none of my concern.

If only ONE of these people has a back-sliding, a falling away, or what-not this entire perfect-world formula collapses...We should of course Always be Discipling, and reaching others via personal relationships...but take just one person out of year 5 and re-run your numbers...then maybe calculate what would occur at year 10 if 2 people fail to successfully disciple one person...to continue this pyramid scheme...then again, it breaks down. I have heard sincere people teach this for 20 years or more...never quite seen it work that way. It never will either...(not likely) There is nothing wrong with focusing on the salvation and discipleship of 1 person...focusing a bulk of your energy towards that one person is not wrong...but we all have different gifts...Not everyone would make a great evangelist or street-preacher. Not everyone disciples as well as others.

Then, again...I wouldn't claim that I've seen 1k make professions from any street-preaching I have done either..:jesus: People can also become unfaithful to the Lord regardless of what evangelistic method might have been used....I dunnit myself before.