EVANGELISM FOR THEOLOGIANS

by Mark Howe

Suddenly, everyone is very attentive. "He expects me to do that at the end of this week?" Every year the initial reaction to my course in open-air evangelism at Geneva Bible Institute is the same. A few obviously feel that preaching on the streets is a fringe activity best left to those endowed with loud voices and abnormally thick skin. Others are willing to try, but doubt that they have "the giftings" required.

Geneva Bible Institute aims to equip its students to work in pioneer situations in the French-speaking world. Practical courses such as mine are therefore treated as core subjects. Students have to be able to preach on the streets in order to pass their first year, hence their consternation during the first lecture.

The course, which is taught over four mornings, covers the content of an evangelistic message, as well as tips on speaking in the open air and organising a team. Study time in the afternoons and evenings is spent preparing messages and practising on the sketchboards.

Students are often surprised to discover that painting is relatively easy compared to the challenge of explaining the Gospel in a concise and non-technical way. Open-air evangelism helps them to develop presentational skills which are transferable to many other areas of Christian ministry.

This year the open-airs were once again held in the shopping centre under Geneva train station. The students were thrilled to see people actually stopping and listening, that evangelism is something they can do. Everyone passed the course, and several students showed great potential. They will be able to gain more experience during the regular evangelism programme of the Institute and during their placements in France and Switzerland.