By Larry Rosenbaum
Today, there is much criticism of open-air preaching by other Christians. Despite the tremendous Biblical support for this approach, many Christians think that this approach is ineffective, out-of-date, and only “turns people off” to the gospel. Generally, friendship evangelism, mercy ministry, and inviting people to church are proposed as inoffensive alternatives.
I witnessed on the streets for about seven years before I began street preaching. When I came to San Francisco, I saw a number of street preachers who would preach at Market and Powell, near the cable car turnaround. Many of them spent a lot of time arguing with one another, calling one another “devils” because they disagreed on some doctrine. Many of these street preachers did not have any regular church involvement. What I saw definitely did not make me want to be a street preacher.
After a few years, I met some other street preachers who joined us for our outreaches. They were good, solid Christians who preached under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the message was strong, emphasizing the holiness of God. At other times it was very gentle, emphasizing the love and mercy of God. After listening to them, I decided to give street preaching a try.
I was very nervous when I first started preaching, but I found that the Holy Spirit would give me words if I would open my mouth. While some preachers can preach comfortably without an amplifier, I find that using an amplifier helps me to speak loudly without yelling or straining my voice. I usually use a “Maximouse amplifier”, which contains a rechargeable battery, produces good- quality sound and is also excellent for music. The Maximouse is no longer made, but Crate makes similar amplifiers, such as the Taxi.
