Christian Evangelism: D.L. Moody From Pew to Pavement
- Trace Pirtle
- Aug 8
- 8 min read
"But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:5 (NKJV)
The Call Every Christian Cannot Escape
If you are a Christian, then there's no question about your call to evangelism. Although "evangelist" is only mentioned in the King James Version and New King James Bible twice (Acts 21:8 and 2 Timothy 4:5), we shouldn't get hung up on specific words when God's intention is clear. Jesus Himself said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15).
If you want to understand what evangelism looks like, the New Testament is your primary reference. No other written Word can bring to life what it means to be an evangelist as when we read of the Apostle Paul and other disciples' ministries.
And if you want a more recent example of a pure Christian evangelist, D.L. Moody is one we can trust as worthy of our study. God reminds us through the writer of Hebrews, "...do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12).
So in this post, I'll use D.L. Moody as an evangelist to "imitate" and explore how we are expected to get off the pew and onto the pavement as ambassadors of Christ.
Christian Evangelism: From Back Row to Front Lines: My Door-Knocking Discovery
Reading about evangelism from the comfort of the back row pew and doing it are very different indeed. I understand how easy it is to think evangelism is for someone else, but not me, especially if we simply show up to church on Sunday. In all of my nomadic wanderings from one church to the next, I was never "expected" to do the work of an evangelist, as Paul reminded Timothy.
But that changed when I visited an independent fundamentalist Baptist church in December 2024. These brothers and sisters were serious. They went out door-knocking in neighborhoods in town a minimum of two Saturdays a month. I thought only Jehovah's Witnesses were out on Saturdays! When I was "invited" to participate, I willingly accepted and joined them on the appointed Saturday morning.
I don't have a problem talking with strangers, but that first house seemed to have a two-mile-long driveway, although in reality it was probably only 50 feet. And knocking on the door, well, I'll admit I wondered if someone would greet us with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Door knocking for the uninitiated believer is like the old school dad who throws the kid in the lake to teach him to swim. No stepping in the shallow end with inflated floaties on your arms, just splash! Once you get over the shock of the cold water, you realize you can tread water before trying the dog paddle.
But before you know it, you are approaching each door with joy and expectation that this may be a chance to share the gospel and "win a soul" for Christ.
Spoiler alert: Most people are nice enough, but remember, God does the converting, not us. Keep realistic expectations for what determines a "successful" soul-winning Saturday. Like sales, you will get a lot more "no" than "yes."
D.L. Moody: From Shoe Salesman to Soul Winner
As we step into D.L. Moody's evangelistic shoes, it's important to recognize where Moody came from professionally before turning to ministry. He was a shoe salesman, starting with his uncle's shoe shop. He was saved in the same shoe store and had a successful career until he felt called to ministry. In addition to working with the YMCA, he also taught Sunday School for disadvantaged children in Chicago.
Although Moody didn't have formal theological training, he began preaching and had a well-established church before the 1871 Chicago Fire. The fire destroyed his home, his church, and the YMCA. Just the week prior to the fire, Moody gave his congregation a week to decide if they would come to Christ. He never saw his congregation again.
Perhaps his "no excuses" approach was fueled by the fire, but from that point on, he felt God calling him to full-time traveling evangelism. While tragic, God can use a crisis to change a life course in the direction He (not necessarily we) desires.
But it wasn't just the fire in Chicago that fueled his passion for evangelism—it was the fire in his heart. Without a fire in our hearts, we'll forever be content to sit in the pews.
So what were some of his not-so-secret secrets to successful soul winning?
Moody's Foundation: The Love of God
In Moody's note to the reader, and continuing in his first chapter of "The Way to God," Moody calls our attention to the love of God. And for anyone who would think that they need formal (or informal) training in evangelism before they should step away from the pew and onto the pavement, hear what Mr. Moody says:
"'GOD IS LOVE,' I would take that single text, and would go up and down the world proclaiming this glorious truth." D.L. Moody
He continues and reminds us that if people knew that God loves them, we should "find them crowding to get into heaven." But Moody says the problem is that people think God hates them. I wonder if this is why so many church-attending Christians find it impossible to share the gospel? At some level, do they feel God hates them, too? This could certainly help explain the reluctance to share the "Good News" if the news is subconsciously perceived as bad.
Love Works Across All Temperaments
For those introverts among us who hide behind our outgoing brothers and sisters and believe God only uses extroverts to share His message, consider the introverted Christian mystic, Brother Lawrence, who wrote letters and greeted guests but never failed to share what he knew to be true: do all for the love of God.
So we see that God can use extroverted shoe salesmen and introverted dishwashing monks in a Carmelite monastery to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. He can use the seminary-trained and ordained professionals as well as anyone with a heart on fire for the love of God. Note also that neither Moody nor Brother Lawrence was formally trained.
If we truly believed that God loves us and doesn't want anyone to perish, would we leave the pews and hit the streets? Because the not-so-secret secret to evangelism success begins with love and ends with love. Everything in between is supporting material.
Practical Steps: From Pew to Pavement
But how do we imitate D.L. Moody if we don't have a church that invites and expects us to hit the pavement? Let's look at this from a practical standpoint. How do we extract ourselves from the comfort of the pew and splash down in the sea of humanity with the gospel? Here are a few thoughts:
The Heart Check
Ask yourself the question, "Does God love me?" Be honest in your answer.
If the answer is "yes," then ask yourself, "Do I love Jesus?"
If the answer is "yes," then ask, "Does Jesus expect me to follow Him as He does His other disciples?"
If "yes," then ask yourself, does Jesus' directive to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15) not apply to you? If not, why not? Why are you acting as if you are exempt?
If the answer to any (or all) of these questions is "No," then it may not be the time to get off the pew. Christians who can't answer those questions in the affirmative can do more harm than good in the world.
From Knowledge to Action
If you know that God loves you, you love Jesus, and you know you are a called disciple who has a part to play in the Great Commission, then we have a gap between knowledge and doing. More specifically, we have become "sluggish" as the writer of Hebrews 6:12 suggested. If you agree, then consider a few more practical ideas.
Simple Steps Forward
Share what you know with others. Make sure you are clear about your personal testimony (1 Peter 3:15) and practice sharing it with others you know. This is the foundation, the story that no one can argue (if you fear confrontation).
If you only know John 3:16—"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"—then that meets the first requirement for all who receive the Good News from you. Simple! You can do this!
If you have never been thrown in the lake, find a door-knocking church and ask to go with them. That experience alone will help you overcome the fear of talking with strangers about God. Trust me, after that, everything gets easier!
Creative Evangelism Experiments
If you are still shy about talking to "the world" about Jesus, do what I did—make it an experiment. For example, I didn't believe that people were unaware of John 3:16, so I had sweatshirts/t-shirts made with John 3:16 in bold letters and numbers across my chest. I was a walking billboard for Christ. When I would get a cup of coffee, for example, I would point to my shirt and say, "Have you ever heard of John 3:16?" I would say it in a way that insinuated, What a dumb question, everyone has heard of that! But to my shock, even in my town, some people hadn't heard of it, or had heard but couldn't place where. That was a point for conversation to begin.
Go with a friend who is also a believer. Have a little discussion at the counter about John 3:16. Ask the attendant, "We are talking about John 3:16, that God so loved the world...did God really mean everyone or just a few?"
If you have the fire to engage with a lost world, then the number of ways to do it is limited only by your imagination or Divine Appointments and interventions. It's not about training and preparation beyond the most fundamental of our faith and why we believe it.
Volunteer to teach a Bible study class at a local nursing home. This provides a structured environment where people are genuinely interested in spiritual matters and have time to listen. Many residents are facing end-of-life questions and are more open to the Gospel than they've ever been in their lives.
Commit to reaching out to a minimum of three people each week with a message of God's love. It could be a phone call, a text, an email, or a handwritten note/card, but get in the habit of sharing God's love. The more you practice, the easier it gets.
The Fire That Changes Eternity
The fire that burned in D.L. Moody's heart wasn't kindled by theological training or evangelistic techniques—it was ignited by the overwhelming reality that God loved him, and through him, God wanted to reach a lost world. When we truly grasp that Divine love, eternity changes. The pew becomes a launching pad, not a hiding place.
Moody's secret wasn't complicated: he simply believed that if people truly understood God's love, they would come running to Jesus. His role wasn't to argue them into the kingdom or impress them with his knowledge—it was to be a love-filled ambassador pointing them to the Savior who had already done all the work.
As you consider your own journey from pew to pavement, remember that every conversation, every John 3:16 t-shirt, every door you knock is simply an opportunity to let God's love flow through you to someone who desperately needs to know their Creator does not hate them. You're not trying to win debates—you're sharing the best news in the universe.
Whether you're a shoe salesman like Moody, a monastery dishwasher like Brother Lawrence, or a retired professor in the Texas Hill Country, Jesus has given you the same commission: go into your world and let people know they're loved by God. The pavement is waiting, pilgrim. The question isn't whether you're qualified—it's whether you're willing to let the fire of God's love burn away your excuses.
Romans 1:16 (NKJV): "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
The Bridge IS Jesus. Will you help others find their way to Him? P.S. If you really want a heart check, read "How did I do?"Jonathan Roumie Interview
About the Author
Trace Pirtle is a Christ-centered writer and a fellow pilgrim on the narrow path. He encourages believers to move beyond religious routine into a deeper, daily walk with Jesus.
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