Overview
Are you interested in learning more about sharing the Gospel message by preaching in the open-air in the public square?
Join us for expert training and application by three experienced open-air evangelists. Jon Neifert, Dr. Anthony Silvestro, and Brad Tower bring over 3 decades of experience and will present various topics to help you get started or improve your open-air preaching. This workshop will give you the Biblical foundations and fundamentals for engaging in and preparing to preach in the streets and public square. You will also receive very practical guidance on the basics of open-air and how to handle challenging situations. We will accelerate your learning by giving your opportunity to put your learning into practice and receive constructive feedback from these experienced leaders.
This workshop is built upon three basic principles, Biblical Open-Air Preaching is:
1. Founded on Scripture: We teach its basis in scripture, and hold scripture as the core of its message.
2. Focused on the Gospel: When proclaiming the truth in public our purpose is to call the sinner to repent and believe. The call of the Gospel must be clear, and we must depend on it’s power to convert the soul (Romans 1:16).
3. Delivered boldly and with gentlenss and respect: We seek to follow the Disciples’ and Apostles’ example and speak boldly of God, His glory, and His salvation. We are guided by Peter’s urging to always be ready to give a reason for our hope (1 Peter 3:15).
What you will learn
- Biblical foundations and examples of open-air preaching.
- Understand the basics of proclaiming the gospel message from scripture in the open-air.
- Basics of preparing for and planning to preach on the streets in the open-air.
- Practice and expert feedback from experienced open-air preachers.
- We want you to feel equipped and confident to go home and begin open-air in your hometown.
The cost of this workshop is a suggested donation of $49 for both days of the workshop. Early registration before January 15 is reduced to $29.
Schedule
March 27 - 28, 2026| Friday | ||
| 9:00 am | The Biblical Decree for Open-Air Preaching | Dr. Anthony Silvestro |
| This talk will describe the Biblical basis for Open-Air preaching, with examples from the Old and New Testaments. We will also discuss the do’s and do not’s while proclaiming the Gospel in the open-air! | ||
| 10:00 am | Biblical Preparation to Open-Air Preach | Jon Neifert |
| This is a practical, lay-level teaching to study the biblical text you will be preaching to ensure you are listening to God's Word. It will prepare you to clearly and boldly proclaim the name of Christ and the Gospel message. | ||
| 11:00 am | Common Bible Passages | Brad Tower |
| In this session, Brad will walk through key Bible passages that are commonly used in open-air preaching and personal evangelism. Attendees will learn how to use these Scriptures when presenting the gospel. The focus will be on using God’s Word effectively and biblically —allowing Scripture to do the heavy lifting as we point people to Christ. | ||
| Noon | Break for Lunch | |
| Depart from the church, meet at a nearby restaurant for lunch before heading to the UI campus for our open-air demos. | ||
| 1:30 pm | On Campus Role Play & Demo | Speakers & Students |
| We will have roughly 2 hours of open-air preaching with our speakers starting first to demonstrate. Any student who wishes to preach should have an opportunity as well. | ||
| 4:00 pm | Debrief | |
| We will gather together to share experience, and conclude for the day around 4:00. | ||
| Saturday | ||
| 9:00 am | Answering Questions Biblically | Brad Tower |
| Open-air preaching often invites honest, difficult, and sometimes challenging questions. In this session, Brad will equip attendees to respond biblically, thoughtfully, and graciously—without getting sidetracked or argumentative. Using a presuppositional apologetic approach, the focus will be on grounding answers in Scripture, addressing the heart behind the question, and keeping the conversation centered on the gospel. | ||
| 10:00 am | The Fishing Hole: How-To | Jon Neifert |
| We will look at many practical details to select your fishing hole and setup to preach in the open-air. We will help you understand your audience, select the time and location, and the equipment you will need. You will learn some practical advice from our experience to get started and working through your time "on the box" and other activities at your fishing hole. | ||
| 11:00 am | Refuting False Religions | Dr. Anthony Silvestro |
| This talk will go through a number of the most popular false religions and give several of the basic tenets of each as well as how to refute them. These false religions will include: Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, JWs, Mormons, and Seventh Day Adventists. We will also discuss how to refute all false religions at once! | ||
| noon | Break for Lunch | |
| Depart from the church, meet at a nearby restaurant for lunch before heading to the UI campus for our open-air demos. | ||
| 1:30 pm | On Campus Open-Air | Students |
| We will have roughly 2 hours of opportunity for open-air preaching. Our speakers will be there to encourage and provide constructive feedback. | ||
| 4:00 pm | Debrief, Q&A | Speakers |
| After our time of open-air preaching we will debrief, sharing your experience, and providing closing remarks. | ||
Speaker Information
Brad Tower has been involved in open-air evangelism for over 15 years, spending 13 of those years regularly preaching on the campus of the University of Iowa. He has had the privilege of participating in a variety of local and national outreaches, including four Super Bowl outreaches and the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis. Brad has served as both a participant and team leader at the Ambassadors Academy in California through Living Waters, the ministry led by Ray Comfort. In addition to campus ministry, he has consistently engaged in evangelism at farmers markets, festivals, concerts, and public events throughout the year, including the past seven Tulip Time outreaches in Pella, Iowa. Brad and his wife, Cara have been married for ten years and are blessed with five children.
Dr. Anthony R. Silvestro, Jr., was once an unsaved evolutionist but now is an avid Biblical creationist – teaching adults and kids alike that God didn’t create man from ape-like creatures, and that the Bible can be trusted from beginning to end, starting with the book of Genesis!
Dr. Silvestro resides in a suburb of Cleveland, OH, with his wife Julie, and his son, Anthony III. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Math and Chemistry from Baldwin-Wallace College, he attended The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and received his dental degree. Dr. Silvestro continues to practice general dentistry in Middleburg Hts., OH, and is also trained in most of the dental specialties.
After years of training and self-study, Dr. Silvestro speaks for Creation Training Initiative with former Answers in Genesis speaker, Mike Riddle, on many popular topics. He also trains new evangelists at Ray Comfort’s Ambassador’s Academy every year. You may have even seen him in the Christian movies, American Gospel, and American Gospel 2!
Christians have benefitted by his teaching at conferences, youth groups, and Christian radio shows, including ApologeticsLive.com. Fan-favorites include presuppositional apologetics for the layperson, problems with the social justice movement and critical race theory, Biblical evangelism, and street-level apologetics to be able to witness to anyone, even your family members at the Christmas dinner table! He also does teaching on Biblical Creation and how science supports the Biblical account of creation as well as the age of the earth.
Dr. Silvestro especially enjoys teaching presuppositional apologetics, the biblical apologetic method, to help equip Christians to proclaim the Gospel. He recently published his first book, On the Origin of Kinds, to help teach Christians how to Biblically evangelize using the Law and Gospel while answering any objection to the Christian worldview.
His book, On the Origin of Kinds, is one-of-a-kind. While many fantastic books exist that teach Biblical evangelism, presuppositional apologetics, and creation apologetics separately, there are not any that put everything together into one easy-to-apply book like this does. In this book, you will learn how to Biblically evangelize, using the Law and the Gospel, and to handle the most common objections using presuppositional and creation apologetics.
Founder of Tulip Gospel Outreach, Jon Neifert finds jubilant joy in sharing the gospel message! He grew up as a pastor’s kid in the Friends (Quaker) Church and currently serves in his local church, Tracy Christian Reformed Church.
With his degree in Applied Computer Science from William Penn University, he employs his skills in creatively coordinating evangelism efforts at churches, fairs, camps, schools, and online. This passion led him to establish the Bibles and Bullhorns Podcast with fellow evangelist Jonathan Morris and to serve as a team leader for the Living Waters Ambassador’s Academy— a “Gospel Highlight”.
Jon, his wife, and two sons enjoy technology, and all things outdoors including hiking, watching wildlife, and raising animals on their acreage near Pella, Iowa.
Location
Chinese Church of Iowa City
570 Madison Ave, North Liberty, IA 52317
Lodging
We do not sponsor or recommend any particular hotel or motel, you are responsible for your own lodging if needed. However, if you are looking for a place to stay, there is a Sleep Inn located within walking distance of the church, just off exit 4 of I-380. It is only 20 minutes from the Eastern Iowa Airport for those travelling from further distances.
Sleep Inn & Suites North Liberty - Liberty City
Address: 485 Madison Ave, North Liberty, IA 52317
Phone: (319) 853-4143
Event Sponsor: Jon Neifert