Author Archive for Sean Keith – Page 3

Finding Them and Keeping Them

By Sean Keith · Comments (0)
Monday, October 10th, 2016

searchWHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? In a recent blog post by Thom Rainer, he identified the single most significant factor that causes decline in church membership and attendance. Do you know what it is? It is an inward focus. When all of your attention is on keeping one another happy and satisfied, your class or group will decline. How do you continue to focus on the needs of the group but also focus outwardly on the people in your community? Is it possible to have both? The answer is YES, but it takes leadership.

WHAT DO I DO? During an average week, how much time is spent focused on meeting the needs of the group? Now, how much time and energy is your class or group focused on those in your community who are not YET part of your group? Might I make a few suggestions of how to begin to focus outwardly?

  • Pray weekly for the lost (by name) in your community and their needs.
  • Pray for and plan for opportunities to connect with prospects or conduct a project in the community to meet ministry needs.
  • Be intentional about connecting relationally with the unchurched and or lost in your own neighborhoods.
  • Regularly invite people you connect with who are outside your group to your weekly time of Bible study, prayer and ministry.

These are just a few ideas of how to begin to focus outwardly in your community. Oddly enough, when you do that, you just might discover you are growing closer together as a group as well.

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Categories : 100 Small Changes, Evangelism, Outreach/Evangelism
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Finding Them & Keeping Them

By Sean Keith · Comments (0)
Saturday, September 3rd, 2016

evangelismIn a recent blog post by Thom Rainer, he identified the single most significant factor that causes decline in church membership and attendance. Do you know what it is? It is an inward focus. When all of your attention is on keeping one another happy and satisfied, your class or group will decline. How do you continue to focus on the needs of the group but also focus outwardly on the people in your community? Is it possible to have both? The answer is YES, but it takes leadership.

During an average week, how much time is spent focused on meeting the needs of the group? Now, how much time and energy is your class or group focused on those in your community who are not YET part of your group? Might I make a few suggestions of how to begin to focus outwardly?

  • Pray weekly for the lost (by name) in your community and their needs.
  • Pray for and plan for opportunities to connect with prospects or conduct a project in the community to meet ministry needs.
  • Be intentional about connecting relationally with the unchurched and or lost in your own neighborhoods.
  • Regularly invite people you connect with who are outside your group to your weekly time of Bible study, prayer and ministry.

These are just a few ideas of how to begin to focus outwardly in your community. Oddly enough, when you do that, you just might discover you are growing closer together as a group as well.

_______________

Sean Keith is the Sunday School specialist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention

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Categories : 100 Small Changes
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Equip Your Members to Share the Gospel

By Sean Keith · Comments (0)
Monday, August 29th, 2016

EvangelismMost members of your group have never shared the gospel with anyone. Most of them, wouldn’t even know a gospel presentation to use if the opportunity were to arise. And yet in Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “You shall be my witnesses”.

Why not equip them with a simple gospel plan. There are lots of choices. There are even apps for your phone that are gospel tracts. There is the Roman Road, the one verse with a bridge illustration, and so many more. Pick one. Here are some ideas you can use to help your class or group learn a gospel presentation.

  • Weekly help your members to memorize gospel verses like Romans 3:23, 6:23 and 10:9-10.
  • Plan a Sunday to have your members write out their personal testimony. Have them describe their life before they met Christ, How they discovered their need for Christ, and what their life has been like since they met Christ.
  • Show them how to use a tract or an app to share the gospel.
  • Let them practice on one another.
  • Get use to letting people share their testimony in class.
  • Show them how to use a marked New Testament.
  • Encourage them weekly to pray for lost friends, relatives and neighbors. Challenge them to pray for an opportunity to share the gospel

It takes personal initiative on your part to make this happen. If it’s important; talk about it. Sharing our faith is important. Helping people to know how is part of your responsibility.

______________

Sean Keith is the Sunday School specialist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention

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Categories : 100 Small Changes
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The Need to Belong

By Sean Keith · Comments (0)
Friday, August 26th, 2016

belongingDo the people in your group or class genuinely care about you? Your perception of how you believe people feel about you guides how you behave in your relationship with them. If you feel like no one in your group cares about you, you are less likely to join them weekly in a Bible study.

People need to feel loved. They need to know that they “belong” in a group. They need to feel connected. They want to feel like they are a part of a family.

Having a sense of belonging to your group or class is what keeps people connected. So, how do you help people feel like they belong?

  • Know the people who are a part of your group or class by name and their story. The more we know about them, the easier it is to help them feel accepted. Ask them open ended questions about their life and listen.
  • Engage people by making them feel a part. Give them responsibility or a role in the group or class. People who have a role are more likely to attend and stay connected.
  • Connect with them regularly through social media, texting, calling, at socials, events and church functions.
  • Give them the opportunity for input into the direction, work and ministry of the class. The more opportunities for input a person has the greater they feel a part of something.

How can someone really belong unless they are connected?

_______________

Sean Keith is the Sunday School specialist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention

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Categories : 100 Small Changes
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What to Know in Order to Grow, Spiritually

By Sean Keith · Comments (0)
Friday, August 5th, 2016

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (HCSB) Growth is a natural byproduct of all living things. If we are not growing; we are dying. In essence, the very nature of the walk of a disciple of Christ is to be growing in His likeness. We are to know the truth, understand how it applies to our lives, and daily live like Him everyday. That takes commitment, sacrifice, and discipline.

Naturally, the first thing we need to do as leaders is to “die to self”. In order to live for Christ, I must daily die to myself. (Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20) Secondly, I need to depend upon and trust in God and God alone. (Philippians 4:19) Thirdly, I must practice regularly, spiritual disciplines that will provide the context for growth. We need to daily participate in things like; prayer, Bible reading, sharing the gospel, ministering to the needs of others, participating and attending church, tithing, service projects, mission projects and so much more.

As you make disciples through your leading and teaching, those who follow you need to see a “live” demonstration or model of a disciplined, authentic, and imperfect follower of Christ. The greatest asset of an effective leader is a growing, dynamic, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “The only Jesus some will ever see, The only Bible some will ever read, is the one in you and me.”

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