The New Open-air Preaching
Ryan Dunn
On April 2, 1739, John Wesley committed a vile act. Around 4PM, as weary miners began their treks home after a hard-days work, Wesley stood roadside and began preaching on Luke 4:18:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”
John previously thought “field preaching” an outlandish undertaking. “I could scarce reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields,” he wrote, “…having been all my life — ‘til very lately — so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order.”
Field preaching soon became a regular endeavor for Rev. Wesley and the chief medium through which his Methodist movement spread. Wesley noted that he was often out and about preaching sermons at 5 a.m., reaching people headed to work.
The practice of field preaching was all about meeting people where they were, and without it we may not have today’s expressions of the Methodist movement. In the earliest iterations, the Methodist movement was noted for its social outreach, as it utilized field preaching, circuit riding, and a willingness to move towards the people outside of the church (as opposed to calling more people into the structures of the church).
How might our expressions of ministry today embrace the outward moving spirit of the early Methodist movement? There are creative ways the church moves to meet people where they are. And certainly the digital realm opens up many opportunities for the church to practice presence with those who are not yet engaged in traditional practices like weekly worship attendance or midweek Bible study. One increasingly accessible form of digital presence is represented in podcasting, which may actually be a modern-day form of open-air preaching.
More than 584 million people listened to podcasts in 20251. In the U.S., about 158 million people tune into podcasts every month. On average, podcast listeners spend about 7 hours per week listening to their favorite shows.2
A regular complaint amongst parish ministers sounds like “I only have an hour a week to instruct or interact with my congregation.” Even such complaints might be a little optimistic compared with the statistical reality. According to Barna Research, Americans born between 1997 and 2007 go to church, on average, about 23 services per year. Churchgoing Gen Xers, attend about 19 out of 52 Sundays, while Boomer and Elder churchgoers average just under 17 worship services.3 That represents a very limited amount of shared presence between church leaders and congregants.
When Wesley committed to field preaching, he noted that he “submitted to be more vile.” While many in the church may view digital content as a misrepresentation of presence, the data suggests it is a means of exposure–much like the open-air preaching of Wesley’s day. Digital content like podcasts present opportunities for ministry leaders to share the good news present in their faith, or the wonderful stories of compassion emerging in their congregations, or the spiritual practices which ground individuals in peace and connection. These stories and ideas are a means of introduction–they allow for our faith communities to be discovered and known. As people of faith, we carry a world-changing message. Podcasting provides an invitation to hear and interact with the message.
Perhaps the question is not whether podcasting is the future of ministry, but whether it might be one field worth stepping into. Like Wesley’s roadside sermons, podcasting does not require perfection, polish, or universal approval. It simply requires a willingness to show up where people already are and then hold faith that God is present beyond our buildings and schedules. And, maybe, our listeners and viewers will make the connection to God’s presence on their commutes, walks, lunch breaks and quiet moments.
https://riverside.com/blog/podcast-statistic
https://podcastatistics.com/
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/study-gen-z-leads-church-attendance-average/
 | A guest post by
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I love this! You know I am on the podcasting bandwagon and have been for years. The challenge for me is the move beyond audio-only to virtually everything needing to also include a video component, which raises the bar of cost, prep time, editing time, and the number of things that need to go right.
And, as Rob notes in his comment, there was a way to attract a crowd by showing up where the people were. In the digital space, especially those governed by algorithms, "where the people are" is a much different thing. Millions upon millions may listen to podcasts, but it doesn't mean they will find yours.
I love the comparison of field preaching to podcasting. One of the challenges for me is attracting listeners outside of my own bubble. In field preaching, Wesley met a lot with folks who didn't attend church or were nominal at best followers of Jesus. The reach was wide. This is a challenge for those with niche Christian (or denominational) podcasts. Thanks for the post, Ryan!