DIVIDE THE WORD

I think you should all checkout this ministry headed up by Seth Kniep who does open air preaching and evangelism: Divide the Word

There are a lot of great recourses there that will equip you and encourage you. 

This was particularly helpful to me!

The Five "Don'ts" of Open Air Preaching

© Seth Kniep, 2008. All rights reserved.

Here's a few "don'ts" I've picked up from doing open air every week:

* Don't get discouraged if some people nearby refuse to look at you. This does not mean that they aren't listening. This distracted me my first time and effected my edge, but the next time I prepared mentally and went for it. I once heard a story about George Whitefield open air preaching on a day when no one showed up to listen. But one farmer could hear him, though Whitefield could not see the farmer. The farmer heard everything Whitefield said and that day surrendered his life to Jesus! 

* Don't over prepare. Too much material makes it cumbersome and you lose their attention fast. Open air is totally different from preaching inside a building or teaching a class. A lot of people passing through will decide whether or not they will keep listening after listening to 90 seconds of your message. That means you have 90 seconds for them to hear the gospel which means you can't slowly build up to your point. I try to repeat my main point so much that everyone who hears any part of the message will know what it is.

* Don't have more than one point. One verse, one point, lots of illustrations, an attention getting intro and a hard hitting conclusion I've found very helpful. It's up to you, but Alex Montoya and Ray Comfort (open air preachers) have both advised that you keep it simple, clear, and keep hitting the same point from 10,000 different angles.

* Don't use notes. This will distract more than anything else. If you know your message and trust the Spirit, He'll carry you through.

* Don't make excuses. The first time you open air do not start by saying, "This is my first time doing this kind of preaching" or some other excuse. It sets the wrong tone for the whole message. Just jump right in with confidence and passion.

But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose. So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea" (Luke 4:43-44).