Archive for 31 Ideas of Outreach & Evangelism – Page 4

5 Ways to Make A Guest Feel at Home

By David Bond · Comments (0)
Wednesday, August 16th, 2017

One of my daughter’s friends comes to our house so much that we often tell her, “you aren’t a guest anymore…you’re part of the family!” Sunday School is about helping guests become family as quickly as possible. Consider these suggestions:

1. Expect Guests to Be Present

When guests arrive, they should not observe a mad scramble for an extra chair, a copy of the literature, or a pen and registration card. Lack of expectation communicates to the guest that they are an inconvenience or disruption. Preparation says, “we were hoping you would come.”

2. Use Name Tags for Everybody

Make guest and group member name tags look alike. If you re-use member name tags, have each person handwrite their own name card into a clip-on cover so that you can easily create a similar one for guests.

3. Leave Good Seats Available

Guests should be able to find a place in the midst of the group…not set apart and not on the front row!

4. Have Group Members Introduce Guests

For many people, introducing themselves to a group is terrifying. Train group members to learn the names and something about the guest who sits beside them and make the introductions.

5. Don’t Abandon Guests After Group Time

Make sure guests know how to find their children or their way to the worship center. Invite them to sit with you for worship. Offering to share a meal with them is always a great way to help people feel at home.

David Bond is a Sunday School/Small Group consultant at the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
Facebook – @DavidBond
Twitter – @DavidTBond
Instagram – @DavidTBond

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Greeting and Meeting Guests

By Mark Miller · Comments (0)
Tuesday, August 15th, 2017

 

“Every week may be somebody’s first week. If it’s not a good week, they may not ever come back for a second week…” wrote David Francis in Great Expectations: Planting Seeds for Sunday School Growth. I can testify from my personal experience in looking for a church when we moved to Spring Hill, Tennessee that David is correct. We visited five churches and three of them we never went back for a second visit.

Every group needs to be prepared to make a great first impression. If you expect new people every week, what are some things you will do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER they visit?

Before they visit, consider who’s saying “Hello” when they come? When my wife and I were looking for a church, we attended two classes at a well-known church. In both instances, only the teacher said hello.  Let me encourage you to have someone besides the teacher say hello.  One old idea is to have hidden greeters that will have this assignment.  A hidden greeter introduces themself and then introduces the guest to other members, and invites the guest to sit with them during the service.

During the visit, smile and show your teeth! Welcome everyone! Register the guest! Ask guests and members to wear a nametag! Inform the guest of Group Activities! Expect them to say YES and ask them if they want to enroll (belong to your group).

The real test of a friendly class comes after the benediction. Train your people to speak to each other and express care about each other. The guests are watching.  Offer to take guests to the Worship Service or to help them find where the preschool and children’s buildings are. Shake hands while exiting.

After the visit, follow UP! Send a text, an email, write a letter, make a phone call, meet them for coffee or dinner, and even go visit!

BTW, my wife and I ended up joining the one church that showed they really wanted us.

Mark Miller is the Group Specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

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Arranging Your Room to be Guest Friendly

By Fred Creason · Comments (0)
Monday, August 14th, 2017

Many of us know the terror of walking into a Small Group setting, where everybody seems to know everybody, but nobody knows us. We walk in, we search for a place to sit, usually in the place that nobody else wants to sit, and we wonder what to do next.

Many Small Groups think they’re friendly—when they’re only friendly to their members. They never look at their class, or their classroom through visitors’ eyes.  They don’t expect new people, enjoy new people, plan for new people, organize for new people, or organize their room for new people.

The room should be set up for guests: with drinks and snacks, open chairs, and name tags (for everybody in the class!).  There should be a fellowship area where people can stand, and talk, and greet new people.  There should be extra Bibles, in the translation the teacher uses, and extra quarterlies so the guests can follow along.

A clean room is important. Cookie crumbs, cake crumbs, and smells from last week’s pizza party are a turn-off to guests.  A room that looks good is important too. Peeling paint, tattered and stained carpet, old and ill-matching tables and chairs communicate a powerful message.  Old and worn-out Bibles and quarterlies communicate a message as well.

Class members make the greatest impression on guests. But classrooms make an impression too.  We should determine what we want to communicate.  And, as best we can, we should arrange our classrooms to communicate that message.

Fred Creason is the Leadership Strategist at the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention.

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First Contact: 7 Seconds That Really Count

By Jonathan Jordan · Comments (1)
Sunday, August 13th, 2017

We have the privilege of being the Church. Not a building, but a people who at our core, love others, or at least that is our charge. Many organizations across the world know the value of “first impressions.” The problem is we never get a “do over” to have a first impression and depending on who you study, it last about 7 seconds.

Here are a few reminders, simple as they may be, that might help you.

  1. Smile. It seems obvious but you would be surprised how many churches have done a great job of getting Greeters at the door, but failed to instruct them to smile –facial expression is important when it comes to making a good impression.
  2. Shake their hands. The handshake is the universally accepted signal of politeness and kindness. Make sure the handshake is not too firm or not too soft. Neither make a good impression.
  3. Kind Greeting. A simple “good morning” will do the job. If you want to come up with something like, “we are glad you are here today” that will work as well. Don’t make things complicated, just greet them in a kind manner that informs them you are glad they have chosen to attend your church today.
  4. Speak clearly. It would be counterproductive to greet them and mumble through the whole encounter. Speak clearly. Don’t speak too loud or too soft. Depending on where you are from in the country this might be troubling. (I am from Georgia, I get it) Make sure you can be understood by those choosing to be your guest.
  5. Maintain eye contact. When people come to your church make sure you make eye contact. Look at them to make sure they know they have been noticed. This is based on one simple principle. People matter; they matter to God and they should matter to us.

Jonathan Jordan is the State Missionary at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.

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Inviting Lost People to Your Group

By Bob Mayfield · Comments (0)
Saturday, August 12th, 2017

A pastor correctly said, “Lost people matter to God. They should also matter to us.” In Luke 19:10, Jesus states, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.” Inviting lost people to our group is a natural progression in our relationship with Christ. The closer we relate and imitate Jesus, the more compassion we will have for people who do not yet know Him as their Savior and Lord.

Inviting a lost friend or acquaintance to our small group can sometimes be an unsettling experience. All sorts of questions come to mind:

  • What if my friend doesn’t like my group?
  • Or even worse – what if my group doesn’t like my friend!
  • What if our group leader says something that might hurt my friend’s feelings?

I want to encourage you not to worry about the “what ifs” of inviting someone to your group. The chances are your friend already knows that you belong to a small group. In fact, they may be wondering why you haven’t invited them to come with you to your group!

Here are a few simple suggestions that may help…

  • Be intentional. Sorry, but inviting someone to your small group is not going to accidentally slip into the conversation. I enjoy fishing and hunting, but inviting someone to go hunting with me has never happened by accident. It is always intentional.
  • Be cordial. “Hey Larry, you know I have been intending to do this but sometimes it slips my mind. I would love for you to be my guest at our small group this Sunday if you don’t already have something planned.”
  • Be prepared. Your group should be ready for guests. Get in the habit of wearing nametags. Sit in a circle. Have extra Bibles available for guests. Never call on a guest to read, pray, or answer a question.

The simplest things can go a long way to easing any discomfort you might have about inviting a friend to your group. But one thing is certain…

They will not come if we do not ask.

_____________________________

Bob Mayfield is the Sunday School/Discipleship specialist at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Bob also has his own blog at bobmayfield.com.
Follow Bob on Twitter at @bobmayfield and on Facebook at facebook.com/thebobmayfield

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