The Friday Night Playbook
The whole night, in order.
14 steps from the car to the follow-up text, each with the three things to remember and the Scripture underneath it. Print it for the team, or save it to your phone for a night with no signal.
The kit, the playbook, all 14 street guides, Know Jesus and Scripture — ready with no signal.
Pray in the car
- Pray four lines out loud before the doors open, then get out together.
- Ask for courage and kindness. Boldness without kindness becomes a speech.
- If someone is afraid, name it and stay paired. Do not tease them into courage.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 · ESV
Read the full guideTheir name in the first thirty seconds
- Say your name, ask theirs, and ask one question. Then listen until they finish.
- Do not load the gospel into the pause. Permission comes after you have heard them.
- If the door stays shut, honour it. A person is allowed to be fine.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 · ESV
Read the full guideIf they get angry, do not match the heat
- Lower your voice. A louder gospel is still a harsh word.
- Say you will not argue, bless them if you can, and leave with your partner.
- If you are angry too, spend it in the car with your partner, not on the person.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 · ESV
Read the full guideWrite the name before you leave
- Write four lines before you leave: name, one true thing, next step, and permission.
- A name that waits for the car ride is already fading.
- If they said no to contact, write the no. Honour it.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34–35 · ESV
Read the full guideThe gospel in four sentences
- Four sentences: God loves them, sin is the break, Jesus died and rose, and they can trust Him today.
- Ask permission, say it slowly, and say His name. Then let them answer.
- We do not draw people. He does. John 12:32 is the reason you can stop talking.
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:32 · ESV
Read the full guideInvite them once
- One place, one time, one sentence. Then stop talking.
- Come and see is an invitation to a person, not a lecture about the night.
- A no is still a relationship if you do not chase it with a second pitch.
“And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."” Mark 16:15 · ESV
Read the full guideThe prayer they can say themselves
- Let them pray. A prayer you recite over a silent person is not their yes.
- After the amen, ask what they understood and give one next step.
- Write the name down, follow up within 24 hours, and do not turn them into a number.
“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"” Romans 10:14–15 · ESV
Read the full guideThe sixty-second pocket prayer
- Ask permission before you pray. A prayer nobody agreed to is a speech.
- The pocket prayer is five lines: thank God, name them, ask for the thing they named, bless them, and stop.
- After the amen, write the name down and follow up within 24 hours.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 · ESV
Read the full guideTell your story in two minutes
- A testimony is three beats: before Jesus, how He met you, and one thing that is different now.
- Two minutes is enough. If a friend cannot retell it, it is still too long.
- Ask permission, say His name, then stop. The prayer can be the next sentence.
“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.” Psalm 40:3 · ESV
Read the full guideHonour them when they say they are fine
- Fine is allowed. People do not owe you their pain.
- Ask one gentler question, then stop digging. A third probe is pressure.
- You can bless someone without their crisis. Come back next week either way.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 · ESV
Read the full guideDebrief before you scatter
- Debrief somewhere warm for ten minutes, before phones become the memory.
- Thank God for one specific thing, name the people, and assign one follow-up.
- Keep one wisdom for next week, pray, and go home. Sleep is part of the mission.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 · ESV
Read the full guideThe text you send tomorrow
- One message: their name, what you are praying, a thank-you, and one door.
- Use your real name. A paragraph is a sermon.
- If they asked not to be contacted, pray and do not send it.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 · ESV
Read the full guideFollow up within 24 hours
- The night is not the ministry. Follow-up within 24 hours is: one prayer, one message, one next step.
- Before you leave, capture a name, one true thing they shared, and permission to check in.
- If they do not reply, do not chase. Pray again. A late follow-up is still better than silence.
“Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."” Matthew 9:37–38 · ESV
Read the full guideYour table is already a mission field
- You do not need a stage. A table you already have can carry the Gospel.
- Invite one or two people, feed them, ask a real question, and put a second meal on the calendar.
- Your oikos is the mission field already in the room. Map the names and pray them.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 · ESV
Read the full guide
Not sure where to start? Know Jesus explains the good news simply, and the Outreach Starter Kit turns one night into a rhythm.