Take it to the streets!

Group, Sep/Oct 2000 by Stier, Greg

When I was a teenager, I couldn't imagine doing street evangelism. As I plunged into my first "witnessing" experience, my heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty, and my knees were knocking. But somehow I managed to sputter out the gospel message to five senior highers I'd met. I was sick. I was scared. I was nervous. I was hooked. Now I lead thousands of kids on street-evangelism outreaches every year.

In the years that followed that first encounter, I've been hit, pushed, chased clown, yelled at, cussed at, and laughed at. I've also seen Satanists commit their lives to Christ in front of an arcade at a busy shopping mall, and atheists transformed into Christians in a matter of minutes.

If you're like most people, you'd rather eat rats on Survivor than stop strangers on the street to tell them about Christ's love. Most of us have crossed the street to avoid a bullhorn-wielding street preacher. You're thinking: "That kind of evangelism? Not me. Not my kids. Not ever."

I agree.

That kind of street evangelism is often loud, obnoxious, and judgmental. The gospel is good news, not bad news. But don't throw out the baby with the bullhorn. The kind of street evangelism I advocate is based on initiating conversations with strangers, not launching monologues.

We can equip our young people to take their faith to the streets in a loving way. If we do, we'll reap great benefits.

1. It will force your kids to trust God in a whole new way. A street evangelism experience will quickly motivate your kids to get serious about depending on Jesus. Believe me, you won't have to urge them to pray.

High school youth leader Dave Eloe, whose youth group has an evangelism team that does monthly street outreaches, says, "Street evangelism forces our kids to realize they are not in control.... It makes them trust God. And the effectiveness of prayer is reinforced when they actually go out and see God's power in action on the streets."

2. It will challenge your teenagers to defend their faith. Philemon 6 reminds us of a powerful truth: "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."

Mormons send their older teenagers on two-year missions to evangelize and thus cement Mormon beliefs in them. By the end of the second year, they're master Mormon theologians.

Street evangelism can do the same thing for a youth group. Jim Brooks, director of student ministries at Fellowship Community Church in Colorado, says he saw two of his kids solidify their faith after they reached out to an atheist at a mall. He says, "My students were put in a position of having to defend their faith. They were so excited afterward because they were able to respond to his objections. It gave them courage to share their faith with others."

3. It will ultimately help your teenagers share their faith with friends. If your kids can tell a stranger about Christ, then maybe they can do what's even harder-tell a friend about him. With strangers they have nothing to lose, but with friends they have everything to lose.

Gabe Thexton, an 18-year-old senior higher, says, "I have a friend named Eric. We met in the seventh grade. It wasn't until I learned how to share the gospel with a stranger on the street that I had the courage to bring it up in front of my friend. Although he hasn't become a Christian yet, I continue to pray for and witness to him."

4. It will generate youth group "war stories." When your kids are sharing their faith on the street, they'll all have stories to tell. The Old Testament Israelites were constantly telling "war stories," passing them on from generation to generation as. monuments to God's power.

We need to develop a community of kids who are bound together in the same way. Healthy youth groups have a sense of truth (theology), a sense of history (tradition), and a sense of purpose (evangelism). Street evangelism brings all three threads together in a special way.

5. It's not as hard as it sounds. Sometimes we forget that it's the spoken gospel that ultimately draws people to Christ. So get your kids out there, mixing it up with Wiccan teenagers on a street corner or atheist professors at the mall. It's good for them. Some tips on how to get started...

* Show kids how to start a conversation using nonthreatening questions.

* Equip them with a simple evangelistic method.

* Prepare them to handle objections.

* Train them to follow up with people they meet.

* Emphasize safety by directing them to go out in groups of two or three and to always stay within sight of an adult leader. Never let them enter a home or car.

* Debrief the experience afterward.

Greg Stier is executive director of Dare 2 Share Ministries International in Colorado. For information on street evangelism resources, call him at (800) 462-8355.