When "It Doesn't Work" Really Means "I Don't Like It"

Got an email last week from a guy who told me street preaching was "ineffective and embarrassing." So I asked him: "What method are you using instead?"

He didn't have one. He wasn't evangelizing at all.

You hear this criticism all the time in Christian circles: "Street preaching doesn't work."

They'll tell you it's too confrontational, too loud, too embarrassing. It turns people off. Pushes them away. Makes Christianity look foolish. They've got plenty of reasons why open-air preaching is ineffective, outdated, maybe even harmful to the gospel.

So you ask them: "What's your method? Show me what does work."

And they don't have an answer.

Because what's really going on is this—they just don't like street preaching. They're embarrassed by it. They're not bold enough to do it. And instead of just saying that, they hide their discomfort behind talk about effectiveness and strategy.

But the Bible doesn't care if a method makes us comfortable. It cares if we're faithful.

Now before you get riled up, let me say something: I'm not claiming street preaching is the only way to evangelize. Not every street preacher is doing it right, and not everyone is called by God to street preach. If you're out there door-to-door, having gospel conversations at work, inviting people to church, handing out tracts—this isn't for you. Keep doing what you're doing.

But if you're sitting on the sidelines criticizing the people who are actually trying? Then yeah, we've got a problem.

Because I think a lot of objections to street preaching aren't really about whether it works. They're about whether we're comfortable with it. And that's worth examining.

What The Bible Actually Says

Street preaching—open-air gospel proclamation—isn't some fringe practice invented by wild-eyed fanatics. It's biblical. It's what Jesus did.

Where did He preach? In synagogues, yes. But also on mountainsides, in the streets, by the sea—anywhere people gathered.

Look at the book of Acts. Peter preached in the street at Pentecost and three thousand got saved (Acts 2). Philip preached in Samaria and whole cities turned to Christ (Acts 8). Paul reasoned in the marketplace at Athens (Acts 17). The apostles didn't wait for invitations or comfort. They went where the people were and proclaimed truth publicly.

Now look, you can criticize the tone of some street preachers. Their approach, their spirit, their attitude—question all of that if you need to. And you should criticize street preachers who are hateful, proud, or more interested in confrontation than conversion. Not everyone with a Bible and a street corner is doing God's work—some are doing damage.

But that's a problem of the man, not the method.

You can't claim the practice itself is unbiblical. Scripture's too clear.

The Real Problem

You know what I've noticed? The same Christians who say street preaching "doesn't work" also aren't doing much of anything else.

They're not door-knocking. Not handing out tracts. Not starting gospel conversations with their co-workers. They're not even inviting people to church to have the preacher give them the gospel. They're not doing anything.

They've convinced themselves that the "better way" is building relationships, earning the right to be heard, living as an example. And look, those things matter. But their "better way" never produces gospel conversations. It just produces Christian friends who keep the gospel to themselves.

Romans 10:14 says it plainly:

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

People need to hear. Not eventually. Not when we've built enough credibility. They need to hear now.

Open-air preaching gets the gospel into ears that might never walk into a church building, sit down for a conversation or read a gospel tract.

Does every listener get saved? No. Do they all respond positively? Of course not. But that's not what faithfulness looks like. Faithfulness is obedience.

You're Embarrassed

That's what this is really about. You don't want to be associated with the guy on the street corner with a Bible. You don't want your coworkers thinking you're one of "those Christians." You're afraid of looking foolish.

Paul dealt with this in 1 Corinthians 1:18:

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The cross is foolish to the world. The gospel offends natural men. Public proclamation of sin and judgment and repentance—it's always going to look crazy to people who are dead in their sins. But Paul didn't shrink back from that.

Romans 1:16 says it:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.

Not ashamed. Not embarrassed. Not worried about looking foolish.

If you're more concerned about your reputation than lost souls, that's a heart problem.

Your silence is also a witness. When you refuse to publicly proclaim Christ, you're teaching the world something—that either the gospel isn't urgent enough to risk embarrassment, or it isn't true enough to stake your reputation on. Your refusal to speak preaches a sermon about what you really believe about heaven and hell.

Show Me Your Fruit

So here's what I want from every Christian who criticizes street preaching: Show me your fruit.

Show me the people you've led to Christ with your "better way." Show me the gospel conversations you're having. Show me the souls you're witnessing to, the tracts you're passing out, the scripture signs you're holding.

Because if your method is so superior, there ought to be evidence that you're a soldier on the battlefield for souls.

But most of the time, the people criticizing street preachers aren't winning anybody. They're just quiet, comfortable, safe—and critical of the people who are actually doing something.

James 2:18 puts it bluntly:

Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

The objection's coming, I know: "Okay, but how many people have actually gotten saved through street preaching?"

I don't know the full count. You don't either. The man who plants and the man who waters often never see the harvest (1 Corinthians 3:6-8). The fruit is that the gospel went forth. And that's what we're commanded to ensure happens, whether men believe it or not (Isaiah 55:11).

God doesn't call us to control results. He calls us to be faithful.

Not the Only Way—But a Biblical Way

Look, I'm not saying street preaching is the only way to evangelize. Door-to-door works. Personal conversations work. So does tract distribution and holding scripture signs.

Paul at Mars Hill was invited to explain "this new doctrine" (Acts 17:19). His synagogue preaching fit within an established religious setting where public discourse was expected. His reasoning in the marketplace aligned with the philosophical culture of the day. In other words, each method Paul used made sense within its context — there was a framework the audience already understood. Does this mean we need an invitation before we can preach? No. Should we only preach where it's culturally comfortable? Absolutely not. But we should be wise about how we preach.

Being bold doesn't mean being foolish. And being confrontational doesn't give you permission to be cruel.

But street preaching is a biblical method. As a matter of fact: there isn't one passage in the entire Bible where the practice is ever forbidden. It reaches people no other method can touch. It plants seeds in hearts that might never be open to a private conversation. The gospel gets put in public spaces where people have to hear the truth they'd otherwise avoid listening to.

And frankly, it takes courage that most Christians don't have.

Faithful, Not Successful

Here's what matters: Are you proclaiming the gospel? Are you taking it to the lost? Are you obeying the Great Commission, or are you just critiquing the people who are?

Because God doesn't call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful. Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). Be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Some will do that on street corners. Others door-to-door. Some at work. Some in their neighborhoods. Some over coffee with friends. The method varies, but the mandate doesn't.

Before You Dismiss Street Preaching

What are you doing instead? If the answer is "nothing," you don't get to critique. You can't criticize the faithful while sitting on the sidelines.

Are you more concerned about looking foolish or seeing souls saved? If it's the former, that's a heart problem. The gospel will always look foolish to those who are perishing.

When you stand before Christ, what will you say? "Lord, I wanted to share the gospel, but street preaching made us look bad"? Or "Lord, I told them—however I could, wherever I could, whether they liked it or not"?

The world is dying. Hell is real. The gospel doesn't wait for perfect conditions or comfortable methods.

Be faithful somewhere. But don't criticize people who are trying while you're doing nothing.

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.