Networking

• Young Families Didn’t Want Me to Come Over
• Feel Out a Visitor Before They Leave
• Make Sure They Sign 
• Discover Their Connectedness
• Use the Telephone
• Reaping the Harvest

I am going to step on some old ways of doing evangelism.  I was always taught to visit a new family who visited us in worship within 48 hours.  Unfortunately, this never worked.  I found there were a lot better ways to handle new people as well as to bring in more new people.  Here is what I found:  young families didn’t want me to come over to their house.  Why?  How rude could these folks be?  Schedules are so busy and hectic that no time was really a good time to intrude on them.  Houses were never maintained to the desired level for a visitor to come.  The couple would have to get properly attired and have some kind of refreshments to offer a guest.  What would they do with their kids?  They would need a sitter!  Do you see the problem we are running into with young families? 

Evangelism:  Body of Christ Building is Both Internal and External

• We Are about Making and Sustaining Disciples 
• You Can’t Stop It from Growing
• People Everywhere Are Looking for the Spirit 
• Too Many Churches Have Become Revolving Doors

The Great Commission from Matthew 28: 16-20 must form the Scriptural basis for building the Body of Christ.  We are about making and sustaining disciples, exactly what the church of Acts did.  This has to be the mission statement of every church.  Now, I know this rubs some folk the wrong way.  They are saying, “Here comes this church growth person.”  My answer is this sets the tone for everything else to happen in building the Body of Christ.  The Spirit of God will cause numerical growth and wants the Body of Christ to provide spiritual growth for those who are in the Body.  When the Spirit is growing people in the Body, then the Body will experience numerical growth.  Of course, this bothers a whole lot of folks.  Most of them will be coming from Bodies who are not numerically growing.  Such people quickly point to how much they are growing internally/spiritually.  Yes, we are really feeling the Spirit, but where are the people?  You see, if we have the Spirit working in our folks, they can’t help but want to share it with others outside of the Body.  It’s like a contagious disease.  You can’t stop it from spreading.

Power of Care 

• This Responsibility Falls on Every Person
• You Need to Be Reactive
• Don’t Be Afraid to Overwhelm Someone with Love   
• Visit from the Pastor Isn’t Needed as Long as Others Are Doing It

Prayer and Care go hand in hand.  In fact, learning to care for one another often begins with learning to pray for one another.  Caring, in this discussion, will mean looking after people who are in our Body of Christ.  This responsibility falls on every person who calls himself a disciple of Christ.  It no longer falls on the minister to be the “ personal chaplain” of visitation.  The job of the minister is to make sure the sick and the shut-ins are being visited by the congregation.  This includes hospital visits. Many times people think there is some magical training in visiting the sick at home or in the hospital.  Any visit is really just using common sense.  When you visit a sick person, you need to be reactive.  By this, I mean that you will see how the person is and what he wants from you.  You may visit and find the patient a sleep. Just leave a note and say that you were there.  Never stay any longer than fifteen minutes--  a lot less, if the person you are visiting is tired.  Don’t expect the sick person to entertain you.  You are there as an expression of Christ’s love.  Try to be upbeat unless there is some stark talk about the serious nature of the illness.  Don’t play doctor, but comfort with words of reassurance. Don’t lie to the patient about getting better if she isn’t.  Many older people like a passage from the Bible.  If you don’t have a Bible with you, there is usually one in most hospital rooms.  Prayer is another tool used in a visit.  Ask the patient if she wants a prayer.  Don’t be offended if the person tells you not to pray.  When you do pray, take the person’s hand and wait until the room is quiet enough to offer the prayer.  Ask the person whom you are praying with what he or she would like in the prayer.  When the visit is finished, see about things you and others in your church can do to help. You will want to check with family members and others in your small group about meals, travel, school, etc.  It is also good to check with others in your group as well as the family about setting up visits.  Remember, my rule of thumb is to err on the side of too many people caring than not enough.  Don’t be afraid to overwhelm someone with love. 

Photo courtesy of www.efffective.com.

For the next several weeks, you will be invited to do a Bible study looking at what it means to be a Christian.  We all have the same DNA once we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and receive the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Church of Acts/The Six Pillars
If you read the Book of Acts, you will see the six pillars for growing the Body of Christ: Prayer, Care, Studying the Word, Evangelism, Worship, and Mission.  There was no greater time in the growth of the Body of Christ. The present Body of Christ must rediscover these pillars.  All growing churches have them.  Each church may name them differently but these must be present to grow as an individual, a small group, a ministry, a local church, a district, or a denomination.