Methodology of Urban Missions: Reading Scripture open-Air

I am a member of a group called Project Ezra, which has the goal of reading the scripture in the open air. So this is not a new method, but I have found it to be an excellent method to help people break the sound barrier, to draw a crowd, start a conversation, and to launch into an open air message based on the scripture.

Reading John 1 at Penn Station

1. Reading Scripture: Anyone can do it!
Last year in New York, my wife broke the sound barrier by reading John 3:16-19. She was very against open air preaching, and said she would never do it. But she agreed to read the scripture, and she launched right into a short testimony afterwards. It was a touching and incredible moment for me, and for the crowd which had gathered. This year at the Repent and Witness Camp in New York, I had two fellows on my team Ryan and Bryce who desired to preach in the open air, but they had never done it. I suggested that they would come up with a chapter and read it open air.

Ryan read from John 3

Ryan is an awesome talent music wise, but was a bit shy about breaking the sound barrier. With a little encouragement, he read John 3 in the open air at Penn Station. When he was finished, I went to pray with him, and he was shaking like a leaf. This approach to reading God’s word should be an example to us all. We should take the word seriously, and should tremble before God as we approach his holy Word. (Like in 2 Kings 22, Ezra 10)

Bryce read and preached from Psalm 23

Bryce is also very shy, and being a real techno- gadget guy, he had the scripture on an I phone and some notes so he could share with people about the good Shepherd, Jesus. Both these guys from NA-VAH-DUH really stepped out of their comfort zone to honor God and proclaim His Word.

2. Reading Scripture draws a crowd!
I use lots of different methods to draw a crowd; my favorite is trivia. In urban settings, you just have to go to a crowd. This was true in Panama City Beach, New York City, and at the Sonshine Festival where we have preached this year. There are natural crowds all over. The best one was at Battery Park, where THOUSANDS of people lined up for hours to go on a boat to see the Statue of Liberty. There, we opened up the Project Ezra prescribed reading of Romans 5.

James reading and proclaiming the Word

Reading and Preaching from Romans 5

Kris reading the Scripture

We also read the Word as we were waiting underground for the Subways, and even sometimes as we preach walked!
As far as drawing a crowd, we experimented at Union Square Park trying to draw a crowd so that many could preach. Debra, a fellow Ambassador, stepped up and read Romans 5, and this drew some real interest. We then began preaching the good news of God’s great love and the crowd grew larger. I wonder if the strangeness of reading the Word of God in the open air has something to do with it? I think that for some, it was a very unique and curious thing. For some, they were convicted and we had instant hecklers! Whatever it was, God’s Word was read and heard all over Manhattan.

3. Reading Scripture Starts a Conversation!

No, I am not talking about this type of conversation

I am not speaking about an emerging conversation. When you read the scripture in the open air, often times someone will stop you and want to talk about the scripture you had read. In Union Park, this meant the ‘Black’ Jewish people (Its a real strange cult), the Jehovahs Witnesses, some Catholics, and even the Rastafarians got involved.

Reading the Word.....

...sometimes leads to great conversations.

Many people, even people who claim to be Christians, have never really read the entire Bible. In many churches, the Bible is an afterthought. To actually hear it read is a shock to the system, and it confronts beliefs that people have about Jesus Christ and their faith! This is why so many wanted to have an in-depth discussion over the scripture, because of their tightly held beliefs that the scripture refutes. I personally have had some awesome discussions directly after reading the scripture in the open-air.

4. Reading the Scripture naturally launches Preaching
When I read the scripture aloud, I love to exegete it aloud. The urban setting allows for this to happen, as did the Panama City Beach setting. You can literally preach a Sunday-like message (gospel centered, of course) to the crowd which has heard the reading. We had a stack of Gospels of John and Romans which we distributed to the crowd and we invited them to follow along as we would read and preach from those books.

Preaching on Romans 5

This is not a new method, nor one that I can claim that I started, or have even perfected. And though I have written this from an urban perspective, wherever you are you can read scripture in the open air. It does not matter if you are the only one listening! I encourage you to find a place where people are, like a park, a movie theatre line, a main street, wherever. Just open up a chapter of the Word and read it. You will see some incredible changes in yourself and the people who hear you.

~ by pastorboy on August 25, 2009.