Later, when my wife and I moved to London, we joined a church plant that regularly did door-to-door evangelism. This was another step outside my comfort zone.

And yet, those experiences were surprisingly encouraging. We were invited into homes. We listened to people’s stories. We prayed for individuals who were open and searching. Far from being hostile, many were receptive.

That season helped me realise something important: most of the fear surrounding evangelism lives in our imagination.

Discovering Street Evangelism in Lewisham

A major turning point came in Easter 2024, when my current church began partnering with London City Mission (LCM) and joined with them to do street evangelism. The experienced LCM missionaries brought a contagious confidence and seasoned skill that quickly inspired our church.

I quickly caught the bug.

What impressed me most was the creativity and variety. The outreach in Lewisham includes live music, short gospel messages, personal testimonies, and the serving of tea, coffee and hot food. It isn’t just someone standing alone with a raised voice — it’s a visible, united group of Christians from different churches worshipping together and engaging the community.

What has struck me though is that it’s often the people who may not feel comfortable walking into a church – often people facing significant struggles and addiction - who are most drawn to us. They join in the worship, they come over for a chat, they come to the refreshments table, get some food and a hot drink and hang around. It’s a beautiful sight to behold.

Creativity in Evangelism

The more I’ve been involved, the more I’ve become convinced that creativity matters in evangelism. Our God is the Creator. He is imaginative and generous in His design. Why wouldn’t we reflect that creativity in the ways we communicate the gospel?

There isn’t just one way to do street evangelism. There are many methods — preaching, conversations, music, literature distribution, prayer ministry, and more.

One method is Sketch board preaching, a creative form of street evangelism where you paint a bold, eye-catching picture while sharing a clear gospel message. As the image develops, curiosity gathers a crowd. The visual element lowers defences and helps people engage. Art becomes a bridge.

Standing in front of a board with a paint brush in hand feels very different from what I once imagined street preaching to be. The painting creates natural pauses. People ask questions. Conversations flow more easily.

And yes — it still takes courage. But it’s a different kind of courage than I once thought. It takes the courage to deliver the message you have prepared and to respond to any reactions. It also takes the courage to stand up for Jesus in a public place.

So does street evangelism work?

You might be thinking that this is all very well but does street evangelism work? Well, since starting to do it, I’ve received many encouragements, to show that it does.

One man was cycling past on his BMX. He heard the music and stopped to listen. We got chatting with him and gave him an invite to church. He came along soon afterwards.

Another man received an invite and started coming along to church with his family. He is still attending our church with his family and is investigating becoming a church member.

A lady in our team met another lady who was clearly seeking for Jesus. They got into a long conversation which ended up with them swapping phone numbers and agreeing to meet up again. These are just a few people out of many who have responded positively to us sharing the gospel on the streets.

Another reason street evangelism is so effective is that it establishes a visible, consistent presence and helps you build genuine relationships with people in your neighbourhood. Each time we go out, we meet individuals who are open to conversation, and different team members naturally connect with different people. As we meet our neighbours—and they meet us—we’re not just having one-off interactions; we’re helping to make our church known and trusted in the local community.

Is street evangelism for You?

Street preaching takes many forms—some go out alone while others work in teams; some use microphones, music, visual aids, or livestreams while others rely solely on unaided spoken word—but despite differences in methods and styles, the core practice remains the same.

And in my view, the most important qualification isn’t gifting, confidence, or personality — it’s willingness.

Street preaching isn’t reserved for a particular age group or personality type. I’ve done it alongside 19-year-olds and 69-year-olds. Introverts and extroverts. Musicians and non-musicians.

Availability, as someone once said, is the best ability.

Like most things I think street evangelism takes a while to get used to. My advice would be to come along and observe to start with. See what you like about it and how you would like to contribute. Then my advice would be to go for it! Take the plunge and give it a go. We all learn by trial and error so don’t worry about making mistakes. You never know, you might catch the bug too!

If you'd like to talk about reaching your local community with the gospel, and how we could support you, why not get in touch. Find out more here.