Evangelism - Missional Outreach Network for the Missional Church2024-03-29T10:57:15Zhttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/forum/categories/evangelism-1/listForCategory?feed=yes&xn_auth=noHave you ever been to India ? and involved in india Evangelism ?tag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2010-10-19:2422312:Topic:477352010-10-19T08:17:25.340ZJayaraj.Ehttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JayarajE
<span style="font-style: italic;">Have u ever been to India and involved in India Evangelism</span> ?<br></br> <font size="3">Dear Brothers and sisters</font>,<br></br> when we back to history of church in India, I realizes that many US saints, preachers and evangelists are there behind India evangelism . It is not easy for one to travel far countries like India leaving their families for many days , spending their valuable time for god's work and giving their money towards God's work in…
<span style="font-style: italic;">Have u ever been to India and involved in India Evangelism</span> ?<br/> <font size="3">Dear Brothers and sisters</font>,<br/> when we back to history of church in India, I realizes that many US saints, preachers and evangelists are there behind India evangelism . It is not easy for one to travel far countries like India leaving their families for many days , spending their valuable time for god's work and giving their money towards God's work in other countries like India. <br/> I heard and saw some brothers who are being involved since many years in India . <br/> Besides justifying to their roles as a parent , minister, husband and employee, they are spending their time for lords work throughout world . I think it is not easy as i said . since my childhood ,I know and saw some US missionaries visited my place in my country and helped many preachers , poor people,orphans and planted new congregations .<br/> I can say boldly that there are helping hands behind every work being done in India. there are many perishing souls are coming to lord , preachers being encouraged and being planted new congregations at every corner of India by such a great benevolence by some great men like you .<br/> it is great to see some are involving , providing their books ,tracts and material to India Evangelism .I am glad to say that recently , Bro.James Nored sent me some books "Story of Redemption" and also he and some of you are encouraging me thru your support of prayers .I always thankful to Bro.James Nored for his prayers and for his excellent network which is encouraging many saints and preachers throughout world .i do not know whether he is sleeping or not ? he is spending most of his time for lord's work . some of you are also in this work.like him.<br/> Have you or your friends ever been to India OR involved in India evangelism ? OR Did yo provide any material like books , tracts and something which is useful to God's work for India Evangelism ? or willing to involving in this work ?<br/> <font style="font-style: italic;" size="3"> Please share your experience and opinions with us if you or your friend ever been to India or participated in India evangelism ? OR Can you pray for India Evangelism ?<br/> </font><font style="font-weight: bold;" size="2">Jayaraj, india</font><font style="font-style: italic;" size="3"><br/></font> Missional Thought of the Day - The Gospel is Spread Through "Ordinary" Evangeliststag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2010-09-28:2422312:Topic:458562010-09-28T06:27:08.253ZJames Noredhttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JamesNored
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><img width="721" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1799731470?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="528" height="418"/></span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Michael Green, in his excellent book, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Evangelism-Early-Church-Michael-Green/dp/0802827683/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285654870&sr=8-1">Evangelism in the Early Church</a>,</em> discusses who the early evangelists were. "Professionals" such as apostles, traveling evangelists/missionaries, and bishops all played a significant role in the spread of the gospel.</span></p>
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<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">However, Green notes that “the very fact that we are so imperfectly aware of how evangelism was carried out and by whom should make us sensitive to the possibility that the little man, the unknown ordinary man, the man who left no literary remains, was the primary agent in mission.”</span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">I have always been struck by this phrase. And it is so true.</span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">One of our recent converts and her daughters are wonderful evangelists. The daughter, Tyler Anderson, brought 3 friends to our last small group meeting (see picture above). The mother, Haley Smallwood, invited four families from her neighborhood. And just like Green notes, most people do not know about this. You only know about it now because of the Internet era in which we live.</span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Centuries and centuries ago, there were few people to document, and no one to take pictures or blog about, the evangelistic witness of ordinary Christians. But it happened nonetheless.</span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><em>Where have you seen "ordinary evangelism" at work?</em></span></p> Organic Outreach for Ordinary Peopletag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2010-09-11:2422312:Topic:428222010-09-11T17:45:12.992ZJames Noredhttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JamesNored
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<br></br><div>I have just started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Outreach-Ordinary-People-Naturally/dp/0310273951">Organic Outreach for Ordinary People</a> by Kevin Harney, so I do not have a full review yet. But I love the concept or organic outreach--naturally telling people about Jesus and living incarnationally amongst non-Christians.</div>
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<div>The video gives some good examples of the…</div>
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<br/><div>I have just started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Outreach-Ordinary-People-Naturally/dp/0310273951">Organic Outreach for Ordinary People</a> by Kevin Harney, so I do not have a full review yet. But I love the concept or organic outreach--naturally telling people about Jesus and living incarnationally amongst non-Christians.</div>
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<div>The video gives some good examples of the material in the book. To touch on a section of the book, here are some questions that Harney gives for making conversations with nonbelievers more spiritual (p. 191-92).</div>
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<li>What are some joys you are experiencing in this season of your life?<img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1799731315?profile=original" align="right" hspace="10" vspace="10" alt="""/></li>
<li>What challenges and struggles are you facing?</li>
<li>What is your personal history when it comes to faith and God?</li>
<li>What do you believe about God?</li>
<li>What is your perception of Christians?</li>
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<div><i>What do you think of the concept of Organic Outreach? How do these questions strike you? Do you have others to add?</i></div>
</div> Should We Invite Gay People to Church?tag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2010-08-21:2422312:Topic:409162010-08-21T02:47:07.724ZJames Noredhttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JamesNored
<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img align="right" alt="" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1799729774?profile=original"></img></p>
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Today I met one of my neighbor's friends today at Starbucks. He saw that I had a flyer out on my table and asked, Is this for your church? I said yes. But when I said it was for a Dynamic Marriage class, he said, That's not for me. He said, "I'm gay." He went on to say that he had thought about going to church, and that he was very spiritual. But he said, "How do you get over the gay hurdle."<div><br></br></div>
<div>I said that we would love…</div>
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Today I met one of my neighbor's friends today at Starbucks. He saw that I had a flyer out on my table and asked, Is this for your church? I said yes. But when I said it was for a Dynamic Marriage class, he said, That's not for me. He said, "I'm gay." He went on to say that he had thought about going to church, and that he was very spiritual. But he said, "How do you get over the gay hurdle."<div><br/></div>
<div>I said that we would love to have him come and visit.</div>
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<div>After all, would not we do this with someone who struggled with anger? Materialism? Worry? Is not the Christian assembly something which can help someone come to faith in God and part--if not the whole--of the conversion process? </div>
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<div><i>Was I right or wrong in inviting him? What would you have done?</i></div> Author Anne Rice Quits Christianity--But is Still a Believertag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2010-07-30:2422312:Topic:388942010-07-30T05:16:50.596ZJames Noredhttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JamesNored
<img align="right" alt="" hspace="10" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1799729499?profile=original" vspace="10"></img><p class="MsoNormal">Now here is an <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100730/ap_en_ot/us_books_anne_rice;_ylt=Aog5MAAOr7mMeBbG5niJC59k24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTM3a25mYjYwBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNzMwL3VzX2Jvb2tzX2FubmVfcmljZQRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNub3ZlbGlzdGFubmU-">interesting article</a>. Anne Rice, a one time author of graphic vampire novels, made headlines a few years ago for converting to Christianity. Because of her conversion, she ceased…</p>
<img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1799729499?profile=original" align="right" hspace="10" vspace="10" alt=""/><p class="MsoNormal">Now here is an <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100730/ap_en_ot/us_books_anne_rice;_ylt=Aog5MAAOr7mMeBbG5niJC59k24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTM3a25mYjYwBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNzMwL3VzX2Jvb2tzX2FubmVfcmljZQRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNub3ZlbGlzdGFubmU-">interesting article</a>. Anne Rice, a one time author of graphic vampire novels, made headlines a few years ago for converting to Christianity. Because of her conversion, she ceased writing these types of<br/> novels.<br/></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Today she made headlines by announcing that she was renouncing Christianity and being a Christian: <br/></p>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal">"In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control," the author wrote Wednesday on her Facebook page. "In the name of ... Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span> Read the AP story here.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Here is another quote from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/annericefanpage?ref=ts">Anne Rice's Facebook page</a>:</p>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal">For those who care, and I understand if you don't: <b>Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity.</b> It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For tenyears, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.<br/></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">And yet, the article report this: "Although no longer part of any denomination, she remains a believer and continues to read theology and post Biblical passages on her Facebook page." <br/></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">So, what does this say about the perception of "Christianity" and "Christian"? I am reminded of a joke I heard once in which someone said this in trying to define Christians: "They are against things and go to a lot of meetings." It is interesting that Anne Rice defined Christianity and being a Christian entirely as being against things.<br/><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Now, there are things that Christians should be against. But we ought to be known primarily for what we are for.</b> Jesus said that we would be known as his disciples by our love for one another. He said that we should do our good deeds before people so that they would praise the Father in heaven. When Anne Rice thought of quiting Christianity and being a Christian, why did she not think of quitting loving one another or doing good deeds? The reason is simple. Whether we like it or not, the reality is that a great percentage of non-Christians define Christians as being against things and being judgmental.(Check our David Kinnamon's book UnChristian for stats on this.)</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">It is interesting that Rice says, "In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being a Christian." This seems to confirm that she is making a distinction between what Christ was actually for and about, and what she perceives Christianity and Christians are all about. I'm not sure if she is actually for homosexuality, or is just against being "anti-gay." The Bible, of course, says that this behavior is sinful.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span> Perhaps she is confronting mean-spirited behavior towards gays. It has been said that we should love the sinner and hate the sin. Sounds like a good idea. But so many times, sadly, it seems that people end of hating the sinner, or at least act and speak against "sinners" in a hateful manner. It is interesting that "sinners" seemed to really like Jesus, where as those who fall into the "sinners" category today often run from, well, Christians and Christianity.<br/> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Rice is defined by the writer of the AP article as still being a believer, and the writer notes that Rice continues to post biblical passages on her Facebook page.</b> Rice also writes: <br/></p>
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<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>"My faith in Christ is central to my life</i></b><i>. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me."</i></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.<br/></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I am glad that Rice took renounced atheism and has made her faith in Christ central to her life. Praise God! I do not know all the rest of her beliefs, and am not here to defend them--that is really beside the point I am making. <b>The point I am making is this--we need to be known primarily for the things Jesus said that we would be known for, such as our love for one another, doing good deeds in the community, etc.</b> We have a huge PR problem, and many<br/> non-Christians do not see us as a positive force in the world.<br/><i> </i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>What do you think is the cause of the world's negative perception of "Christians" and "Christianity"? How can we change this perception?</i></p> H20 - A Journey of Faith DVD Seriestag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2010-07-01:2422312:Topic:373382010-07-01T18:30:21.887ZJames Noredhttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JamesNored
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<div>H20: A Journey of Faith is a 10 week DVD series designed to share the gospel with non-Christians. The themes, high quality video and audio, and speaker are particularly well-designed to connect to a postmodern audience.</div>
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<div>Here is the website to <a href="http://store.cityonahillproductions.com/flagship-products/h2o/h2o.html">purchase the H20: A Journey of Faith video…</a></div>
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<div>H20: A Journey of Faith is a 10 week DVD series designed to share the gospel with non-Christians. The themes, high quality video and audio, and speaker are particularly well-designed to connect to a postmodern audience.</div>
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<div>Here is the website to <a href="http://store.cityonahillproductions.com/flagship-products/h2o/h2o.html">purchase the H20: A Journey of Faith video series</a>.</div>
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<div>Have you used this H20 DVD series? What has your experience been?</div> True Story. By James Choungtag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2009-10-05:2422312:Topic:259012009-10-05T17:24:25.400ZJames Noredhttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JamesNored
<p style="text-align: left;"><img align="left" alt="" hspace="10" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1799729100?profile=original"></img></p>
In True Story, James Choung seeks to illustrate how to re-present the gospel for today’s culture through a fictional conversion account. Through this story, he tries to show how the “Big Story”—the overall biblical narrative—has meaning for people’s lives. Much of this retelling is an attempt to correct gospel presentations of the past, and he concludes his work with a new shorthand presentation of the gospel.<br />
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Choung’s corrections of gospel…
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In True Story, James Choung seeks to illustrate how to re-present the gospel for today’s culture through a fictional conversion account. Through this story, he tries to show how the “Big Story”—the overall biblical narrative—has meaning for people’s lives. Much of this retelling is an attempt to correct gospel presentations of the past, and he concludes his work with a new shorthand presentation of the gospel.<br />
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Choung’s corrections of gospel presentations have three major emphases. First, Choung places emphasis upon the present reality of the gospel. In the past, the good news was presented as an opportunity to “go to heaven,” something which took place at the end of time. Choung draws upon the realized eschatology of Jesus’ life and teachings in the gospels to demonstrate the present reality of the kingdom of God. This emphasis is proper not only biblically, but also culturally, as postmoderns want a faith that impacts their lives today.<br />
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Second, Choung emphasizes the communal nature of the gospel. Past gospel presentations were highly individualistic, only highlighting personal salvation. In contrast, Choung brings out communal themes of Scripture, such as the creation account, the body of Christ metaphor, and the nations gathered together at the end of time. These are proper themes; however, Choung rather inconsistently fails to make a communal experience a part of the conversion process, assuming that a person becomes associated with a Christian community only after accepting salvation.<br />
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Since the church is a fundamental part of the Christian life, I wonder how effective these personal studies can be without the support of the broader Christian community. I have shared the gospel with hundreds of people, usually using an eight week study I have written called The Story of Redemption. Except for those with whom we were studying in the prison ministry, nearly all of those who were converted began to experience the Christian community at some point during the study. Furthermore, most of these studies have not been just one on one, but have also involved the seekers’ friend or family members. Going through this study together over eight weeks around the kitchen table creates a sense of community and trust that is essential for conversion today. People must feel that they belong before they believe. This is another reason why tracts and short hand presentations of the gospel are usually not effective today. Choung’s short hand presentation could, however, be used to spur interest in a fuller study.<br />
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Third, Choung emphasizes the missional nature of salvation. That is, Christians are saved for something—to be a part of the global reconciliation of humanity with itself, creation, and God. In my context, this is the point which I believe most needs to be better emphasized in our conversion process. The rest of his emphases, and the general outline of his presentation, fits amazingly well within the evangelistic Bible study that we use (The Story of Redemption); however, I need to incorporate this message more clearly into this study. FUSION by Nelson Searcytag:missionalnetwork.ning.com,2009-09-17:2422312:Topic:250662009-09-17T16:13:20.541ZJohn Dobbshttp://missionalnetwork.ning.com/profile/JohnDobbs
I just finished reading FUSION by Nelson Searcy and I must say it was a true blessing. FUSION is a book about assimilating new people into your church - with a focus on how to move first time guests into working members.<br />
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For those who do not know Searcy is a protege of Rick Warren, and many of the concepts from Purpose Driven Church are expressed here. Searcy, however, has had his own experience with church growth in New York City, and he has a plainspoken and simple way of sharing methods and…
I just finished reading FUSION by Nelson Searcy and I must say it was a true blessing. FUSION is a book about assimilating new people into your church - with a focus on how to move first time guests into working members.<br />
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For those who do not know Searcy is a protege of Rick Warren, and many of the concepts from Purpose Driven Church are expressed here. Searcy, however, has had his own experience with church growth in New York City, and he has a plainspoken and simple way of sharing methods and ideas with others. He has a podcast and a website (<a href="http://churchleaderinsights.com">http://churchleaderinsights.com</a>).He also leads a coaching network and has published several books.<br />
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This book helped me because it addresses an area of my life and ministry that is weak - organization. I can't say that there were any surprises in this book. There were no great secrets. There were no ideas that just WOWED me. But taking common sense things that need to be done and putting the flesh and bones of organization to them was very helpful.<br />
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Although much of the emphasis is placed on what happens at the church building, there is also considerable input into outreach following the first visit and subsequent visits. Here are a few concepts that I highlighted in the book:<br />
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*The concept that our guests are God's gift to us. How did you receive them? Did you show the Giver your appreciation? Did you treat those gifts as they deserved to be treated by having a plan in place to integrate them into the life of your church? First time guests are extraordinary gifts full of unparalleled potential.<br />
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*Assimilation is intentional hospitality. While guests are in your company, they need to feel comfortable and valued, no matter where they are in their spiritual development.<br />
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*The most powerful word for change in your church is "Because". When they understand the why, the what becomes a non-issue.<br />
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*We have been called to plant and water so that God can grow the harvest - and not to plant and water haphazardly, but to the best of our abilities as we are laboring for His Kingdom.<br />
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*Growing churches put their energy into reaching new people that God is bringing their way, while stagnating churches focus on reclaiming people who have passed through and fallen away.<br />
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*When guests return for a second look, you've won 80% of the battle of gaining new regular attenders and have drastically increased the chances that they will begin a journey with Christ.<br />
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This book relates more to what to do when people come to us (rather than us going to them), but I think it still offers valuable organizational information.<br />
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John Dobbs