Twelve Ways
to Make Your Small Group Evangelistic
• Plan a social event or series
of social events. An example
of this would be a small group pumpkin
carving party, outside of the small
group time. Each member invites a
friend for this fun night of fellowship
and food. The only formal spiritual
connection will be grace if there
is a structured mealtime. Build bridges
between the group and friends. Plan
regular events, perhaps monthly, for
the explicit purpose of inviting new
comers.
• Minister to the needs of
others. As a group, help
a new neighbor move in, or bring food.
When you know of someone who is sick
in the community, come along side
them in practical ways such as housecleaning,
car pooling, food, b yard work, or
encourage them through cards or phone
calls letting them know they are being
prayed for.
• Target a family in the neighborhood
or in a group member's sphere of influence
to adopt. Encourage group
members to sincerely get to know their
neighbors, extending gifts of friendship,
words of encouragement and acts of
kindness. Adopt a family in the community
who needs assistance at Christmas
to provide a food hamper and gifts
for children during the holiday season.
Do this anonymously or deliver it
in person, inviting them to a special
Christmas service at church or small
group activity.
• Prayer walks in the community.
Walk silently through the community,
praying for each house and the families
represented. See the community as
God would, praying that each house
would experience the love of God,
a home filled with love and grace,
and that they would come to trust
in Jesus. As you walk past schools,
stores or public buildings pray that
God too would be known in the activities
that occur in each one.
• Follow up on visitors. Follow
up is one of the most important ingredients
to make a small group successful.
Visitors need to be followed up not
only by the person who brought them
but also by at least one other person
in the group. This could be done either
by a telephone call, email, invitation
to a sporting event (for example)
or card letting them know how much
they enjoyed having them apart of
the group with an invitation to attend
again.
• Use the empty chair. The
empty chair serves as a reminder that
there is always room for more people
to come to the small group and is
symbolic of the Holy Spirit's presence.
Pray that God will bring those friends
who group members are specifically
praying for to fill it.
• Identify and strategically
pray for sphere of influence.
Pray that God would place you in contact
with people that are in need of Him.
Identify at least three people in
your life that you could begin to
pray for and seek to build relationships
with in order for them to see the
need for Christ in their lives. An
example of this could just be going
out to eat or to a sporting event
together with the intentions of inviting
them to a church service or small
group meeting in time.
• Memorize scripture.
As a group, commit to memorizing scripture
that will remind them that lost people
matter to God or scripture they could
use to share when leading someone
to Christ. The group could have cards
made that would have the verse on
one side and the names of the three
people they are praying for on the
other. The cards should be placed
in specific places where individuals
would look often, for example on the
bathroom mirror, in their car, Bible,
etc…
• Whenever there is a first
time attendee, have someone ready
to share a short testimony of how
they came to trust in Jesus for the
first time. This could almost
be done on a regular basis when the
group meets. This way the sharing
of testimonies could become a group
routine. As people began to share
how they came to trust in Jesus for
the first time, others will begin
to see that they can trust Jesus as
well.
• Rethink topics. Are
they relevant? Does your group overuse
Christian jargon? Begin to ask yourself
as a group if your topics are relevant
to non-Christians or new believers?
Are they over their head? Do the topics
address reaching out to lost people,
whether directly or indirectly? As
a group, begin to simplify Christian
vocabulary so anyone can follow the
discussion.
• Assign roles – newcomer
follow-up, note senders, etc.
Be sure that each person keeps an
eye out for them at church on Sundays.
Have each person in the group be responsible
for specific things in the group,
such as have a person responsible
for sending notes to new comers, have
someone responsible for making telephone
calls, etc… It is imperative that
we don't forget about our visitors
when they attend other church related
activities as well. Keep an eye out
for them when attending morning worship
on Sundays. Offer to sit with them
and invite them out to eat afterwards.
• Have non-threatening visitor
cards available to fill in. Have
cards available for visitors to fill
out, so group members can follow up
on them. The visitor cards might also
include a space for interests and
hobbies. One can also begin to connect
visitors to other people within the
church that might have the same interests.
This might also be another way to
get them involved within the church's
ministries or small group in time.
For example, if one had an interest
in basketball, they might be interested
in helping with a basketball camp
for the children or youth.
This is a list of the ways that a
small group can begin to work in the
world to bring people to faith in
Christ. There are many different ways
that this list could be used. It could
be handed out to the members and discussed
at one of the group's gatherings.
Another way that it could be presented
is through the weekly Bible Study
the group engages in.
Following this list is an example
of a Bible Study to be used in your
small group to create passion for
evangelism. There is a place in the
study where this list could be presented
to the group. It also may be helpful
to present one of the twelve ways
to make your small group evangelistic
each week and practice it during that
week and then report back at the next
meeting. It is not crucial how these
tools are used, it is essential that
they are used and that people understand
the importance of their role in bringing
people to Christ.
Creating
Passion for Evangelism
Through Small Group Bible
Study
“For Christ's love compels us, because
we are convinced that one died for
all, and therefore all died. And he
died for all, that those who live
should no longer live for themselves
but for him who died for them and
was raised again. So from now on we
regard no one from a worldly point
of view. Though we once regarded Christ
in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; the old has gone, the new
has come. All this is from God, who
reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world
to himself in Christ, not counting
men's sins against them. And he has
committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal
through us. We implore you on Christ's
behalf: Be reconciled to God. God
made him who had no sin to be sin
for us, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians
5:14-21
Introduction
This Bible Study is written with the
believer in mind. The purpose is to
bring those of the faith to a place
where they begin to understand the
importance of sharing their faith
with all they meet. This is not a
“how to” lesson on methods of witnessing,
rather it is a stepping stone to holy
living.
The way I have constructed this lesson
is in a conversational manner. Included
you will find questions to lead in
a discussion and study time, possible
answers to those questions, and transitional
phrases for the leader that will make
the discussion flow, the latter being
optional are denoted with parenthesis.
If the leader of the group does not
use the parenthetical remarks, something
must be said at these points nonetheless.
There are exercises that will enhance
the time together but are not essential
to the study itself. Although engaging
in them would be helpful to people
with different learning styles and
personalities, they do not make or
break the small group time together.
Supplies Needed:
Clay for each group member
Large pad of paper
Markers
Opening Exercise
Provide for each group member a ball
of clay. Invite them to sculpt something
that they think represents who they
are in some way. This could be something
that relates to their job, their family,
their likes or dislikes, what they
do for recreation, or something that
interests them. After 5-7 minutes
go around the room and invite them
to share what it is they made and
why. After they are finished, have
them place their artwork on a table
in the center of the room. This activity
will figure into the discussion later.
Introductory Questions
1. If you could trade places with
any person in the entire world who
would it be and why? –The leader should
write down the answers to this question
on the pad of paper.
-Kobe Bryant, because he is rich and
a great basketball player. President
Bush, because he has power. Julia
Roberts, because she is a famous movie
star. Faith Hill, because she has
a gorgeous singing voice and has made
millions. Oprah, because she has such
wide influence and wealth.
2. What is compelling about these
people?
-They are famous, they have a lot
of money, their lives seem to be perfect,
they are doing what I always wished
I could be doing, they are respected
and loved.
3. Would you say these people are
in the upper echelons of our society
or are they the dregs of society?
-These are the cream of the crop.
(The list
that we have made together is one
that many groups would compile if
they were asked the same question.
It is interesting, isn't it, that
the people we have listed above
tend to be wealthy, famous and hold
sway in our society. The person
that we are talking about tonight
is the exact opposite of those we
have listed. He was not the most
popular or the wealthiest person
in the world. Looking at Jesus,
you would not have said, “Here is
the cream of the crop”).
Scripture Study
1. Let's make a list of the attributes
of Christ. –The Leader should write
down the answers to this question
on the pad of paper.
-Loving, peaceful, humble, poor,
the Son of God, wise, discerning,
grace-filled, miraculous, a teacher,
observant, willing to listen, a
healer, giving, unselfish.
2. In your life, what was compelling
about Christ for you?
-His grace, His forgiveness, His
love, the life He lived, His willingness
to die for me.
-Read the Passage aloud together.
(There are definitely compelling
things about Christ, things that
lead us to Him and make us long
to be in relationship with Him.
I don't know about you, but looking
at a list like this would not have
been enough for me to come to Christ,
it took much more than that. In
fact, the most important influence
in my decision to follow Christ
was not an attribute of Christ but
it was a person who lived out that
attribute.)
3. In our passage, Paul talks about
being Ambassador's for Christ, who
were the Ambassador's in your life?
-A Sunday School teacher in the
fifth grade, my friend who invited
me to church, my father, my mother,
my grandmother, my co-worker, the
person I commuted to work with.
-Would someone read for us verse
17? “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come.”
4. After being in relationship with
the Ambassadors we listed before
and coming to Christ how were you
transformed?
-I stopped smoking, I stopped lying,
I reconciled my relationship with
my husband, I let go of bitterness
that was holding me back in life,
I promised to live my life with
Christ as my guide and center point.
(Now we are going to backtrack in
our passage just a little bit. We
have talked about who Christ is,
what His attributes mean to us,
who led us to Christ, how we were
transformed after accepting Christ
and now we need to look at who we
are to be in light of all of this.
In verses 14&15, we see what
Jesus did for us on the cross. Paul
tells us that it is through Jesus'
death that we are given life.)
5. What kind of life are we called
to live according to Paul?
-A transformed life, a life no longer
lived for ourselves, one of reconciliation.
(All of these answers are correct
and all of them figure into the
way that we are to live our lives.
We have talked about what our lives
looked like after knowing Jesus
and how He transformed our lives
lets talk about the other two answers
given).
6. Can you think of any examples
of people living their lives no
longer for themselves?
-Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, the
firefighters that went into the
World Trade Center, missionaries.
7. What does it mean to live a life
of reconciliation?
-Living out the gospel, giving people
the opportunity to know and experience
God, bringing hope to people, Good
News
8. Have you ever run into Christians
who did not live a life of reconciliation
but one of condemnation? How did
this make you feel?
-Yes, I felt judged, I did not feel
welcome, I felt like grace was not
present, I felt like God was an
angry hateful God, I misunderstood
what Christianity was all about.
9. How do you think God feels about
these kinds of Christians?
-I think it makes Him angry, I think
it breaks His heart, I think He
judges these people more harshly
because they have the message but
they misconstrue it.
(Tonight we have talked about our
own faith, how Jesus has come into
our hearts and transformed us in
ways only He can. Paul tells us
that what Christ has done for us,
He wants to do for all people.)
Application
-Let's read together verses18-21
again. Listen carefully to what
Paul it telling us.
“All this is from God, who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world
to himself in Christ, not counting
men's sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message
of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors, as though
God were making his appeal through
us. We implore you on Christ's behalf:
Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.”
1. What does it mean to you that
you are Christ's Ambassador and
that God is making His appeal through
you?
-Overwhelmed, I don't believe He
could use me, Special that God would
consider using me,
2. How are you going to live the
life of reconciliation?
-This may be a place to introduce
the “Twelve Steps to Make a Small
Group Evangelistic”
-I am going
to pray for my neighbors, I am going
to invite my coworker over for dinner,
I am going to invite my friend to
church, I am going to live an authentic
Christian life, I am going to be
a man of integrity, I am going to
be a faithful mother.
(Let's close our eyes together tonight.
In a moment, we are going to pray.
Before we do so, I would like to
ask you a final question. This question
is one that only you can answer
in your communication with God.
Allow Him to reveal to you in this
quiet time whatever it is that you
need to do to be the person that
He has called you to be. Would you
each pick up your clay sculpture
and hold it in your hands. Is the
image that you created that represents
who you see yourself as, the image
that God would want it to be?)
3. What do you need to do in your
life, what do you need to give to
God, what changes do you need to
make in your priorities so that
your life can be lived as an Ambassador
for Christ that brings the message
of reconciliation that you have
received to others?
Closing Exercise
Have each member pick up the piece
of clay that they sculpted at the
beginning of the group's time together.
Give them a moment to reflect on
what they made and invite them to
roll whatever that was back into
a ball and to re-sculpt their clay
into a heart.
(We have made a heart tonight because
it represents how our hearts have
been transformed and also the hearts
in the world that are not yet filled
with the transforming power of Christ.
Living the life of reconciliation
is not an option for us, we must
share our faith. As a small group,
we need to be reaching out to the
lost. Go from this place no longer
shy about your faith, no longer
fearful about how others might look
at you, be bold and courageous using
the gifts and graces that God has
given you to be an Ambassador for
Christ. You may be the only way
that someone will hear the message;
Paul says that it is “as though
God were making his appeal through
us.”
The passage that we have studied
tonight has three important messages
that I would like to share with
you before we go. Hold the heart
that you sculpted in your hands
and listen. Christ's love compels
us. Christ's love transforms us.
Christ's love makes us Ambassador's
of reconciliation.)
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