A street preacher in El Paso, Texas, is encouraging Christians to become bold and take the gospel to the streets.

As part of Christ in the Wild Ministries, Ryan Denton goes to various public events to preach, most recently on a public sidewalk adjacent to El Paso’s Plaza Theatre.

“This particular night they did have the drag queen event going on,” recalls Denton. Although his group doesn’t specifically target such events, he say it isn’t intimidated either. According to Denton, they go to that area every year at this time to preach the gospel to the lost.

“In the past, it seemed like you could actually get some lost people into the church or into a Billy Graham Crusade or something like that,” explains Denton, “and today I think, for the most part, that’s just not happening.”

Because of the lack of motivation to attend a Christian meeting, Christians must individually or collectively take the gospel to the streets, Denton urges.

“You know, I pray to God for it … because it’s biblical,” says the street preacher. “We’re not called to stay inside the church; we’re called to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ outside the church.”

Denton has discovered obedience may come at a price. At the drag queen event in El Paso, a few participants started complaining about his preaching, hecklers joined in, someone called the police, and Denton was arrested. He is now waiting for the outcome, knowing the Constitution protects free speech – even if people disagree with the message.