One-Day Evangelism Training: From the Classroom to the Streets of Branson

By Brad St. Clair, Evangelism Coach

One-Day Evangelism Training banner: an open Bible and a Branson, Missouri town at sunset with a Ferris wheel.One Saturday of training, then out to the sidewalks of downtown Branson.

One-Day Evangelism Training: October 15, 2005 Archive

You can know exactly how to share your faith and still freeze when a real person walks by. Most believers aren’t lazy. They care, but are nervous and don’t know what to say.  

This is a report from a past evangelism outreach in Branson, Missouri.

A small group packed the entire Way of the Master Foundation Course (an evangelism training series by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron) into one day.

Then they walked out the door and tried it.  This happened in 2005, but the lesson still works today: You learn to share your faith by doing it.

Think of it as a one-day evangelism seminar with a street outing at the end. This took place just three days after Way of the Master Week 8.

As an Evangelism Coach, I’ve learned that classroom learning only gets you so far. Courage grows on the sidewalk (or practicing on people you know).

Back in 2005, I was still learning that myself.

Today, after more than 20 years of sharing my faith, I still get nervous when I walk up to someone. I still go.

And here’s the good news: The talk is almost never as scary as the first sentence.

Archive Note: This report was first published on October 15, 2005, by Repent and Turn Ministries, which is now YouEvangelized.


A Full Day of Way of the Master Training in Branson, Missouri

Today, my wife Leann and I taught a one-day Way of the Master Foundation Course class. It included all 8 episodes, plus discussion. (Yes, we watched all 8 in one day. Our eyes survived.)

We held it at our church, Tri-Lakes Center, in Branson, Missouri. It’s the former Mel Tillis theater.

Others said they wanted to be there, but they had scheduling conflicts. Throughout the day, between 4 and 9 people were in training.

Meet Will: A Boxer Fired Up by the Ten Commandments

One of the young men in class was named Will. He lives in Slidell, Louisiana. He was staying here with his mom, and he planned to head home in about a week.

Will is a boxer. His trainer witnessed to him using the Law (the Ten Commandments). That is how Will became born again (he put his trust in Jesus).

God can use a boxing trainer to do evangelism. No pulpit needed.

So, needless to say, this young man was fired up! He believes in using the Law to witness wholeheartedly.

From Classroom to Street Evangelism in Historic Downtown Branson

After 6.5 hours of classroom training, it was time to put it into action. (Sitting through 8 episodes is the easy part. The sidewalk is the final exam.)

We hit the streets of historic downtown Branson. We passed out about 200 gospel tracts. We probably had 3 or 4 one-on-one witnessing conversations with people.

It was a little tougher crowd than normal.

Will’s First Street Conversation

Will passed out tracts and even had a short one-on-one conversation with someone. He said this was exactly the training he needed.

It let him see what it’s really like to put into practice what we learned in the classroom.

He is going to start doing this when he gets back to Slidell, Louisiana.

First-Time Street Evangelism: Chastity and Julie Join In

Chastity was one of the ladies who went out with us. She passed out gospel tracts and had a good experience. This was her first time going out in public to witness, too.

Will’s mom, Julie, even went out with us. She passed out tracts and was doing one-on-ones.

I think she had only seen the Way of the Master show on TV and attended a couple of my Wednesday night training classes. She still went out and did great.

One Fired-Up Believer Can Make a Difference

All it takes is one true believer fired up to share the Gospel. God can use that person in an awesome way.

I want to thank God for these folks. They gave up their entire Saturday to learn how to witness effectively. Then they went out and got hands-on experience. They were nervous, but went anyway.


Key Takeaway: Training Gets You Ready. Walking Out the Door Makes It Real.

Back then, I watched first-timers take that step. Today, I’ve seen the same thing again and again: The hardest part is opening your mouth. The conversation is rarely as scary as that first sentence.

On this Saturday, a camera would have caught Will, a boxer, holding a gospel tract. He was talking with a stranger on a downtown Branson sidewalk.

He told me that was exactly the training he needed.

Your job is to share the Gospel. God’s job is to do the saving.

That takes a lot of pressure off of us.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
— 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)


If your stomach ties up in knots at the thought of talking to someone, this verse is for you. The fear isn’t from God, and He gives you power and love to take the step.

Your Turn: One Small Step This Week

Never handed out a gospel tract? This week, hand one to one person, or ask one simple question, like:

  • “Do you have any spiritual beliefs?”
  • “Did you go to church when you were younger?”

Keep it short, keep it kind, and leave the results to God.

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Brad St. Clair, evangelism coach and founder of YouEvangelized

Brad St. Clair is an evangelist and evangelism coach, and the founder of YouEvangelized — formerly Repent and Turn Ministries — with 22 years of hands-on ministry experience. He's an independent ordained minister with an Associate of Ministry Degree and a Diploma of Biblical Studies. Brad has trained hundreds of believers, led public-outreach sessions, and open-air preached to crowds. His ministry is documented at YouEvangelized. When he's not training others, Brad often turns motorcycle rides into opportunities for prayer and gospel conversations.