Introduction

You may know the process to become a member of LifePoint Church.  I know that you are probably investing in others in order to invite them to church, but even more, invite into a relationship with Christ.   Your Small Group probably has people that are not Christ-followers and/or members of LifePoint Church.  We are writing this to assist you in helping a friend, family member, SG member (investee) to cross the line of faith, be baptized and become a member of LifePoint Church.

Invest to Invite (I2I)

Each week you can hear someone talk about I2I and updating others on the progress.  I2I may not make sense to you.  This is where we practice Luke 5: the Matthew Party; and Matthew 28:19-20:  making disciples.   I2I is basically developing relationships with others who may not be Christ-followers in order to help them make the most important decision of their lives.  As you build these relationships (invest) you love them whether they ever cross the line of faith or not, but you also let God work through you to show His love for them.  Spend time discovering their story.  Listen to them.  Look for God at work in their story.   God will help you discern next steps in your relationship and investing.   It will become clear on if/when to invite them to church, to an event or even discuss deeper matters of sharing how you became a Christ-follower.

Sharing Your Story:  Be Real, Be Honest and Share What Happened When You Became a Christ-Follower

The book of Romans in your Bible has a very simple plan to guide someone to cross the line of faith.  Read Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10; 12:1-2.  Tell your story.   Ask them if they would like to become a Christ-follower.  Ask them if they would like to meet a pastor/staff person at church.  If they have questions you cannot answer, feel free to email a staff person or bring them to the Pastor’s Connection after any worship service.

Sharing Their Story

If your investee invites Jesus Christ into their life, steps across the line of faith, becomes a Christ follower, gets saved (trying to cover all the phrases we use), invite them to a worship service!  Offer to pick them up, sit with them, and walk with them to the Pastor’s Connection.  If you have been in church much of your life you remember the invitation time at the end of the service.  This is where many of us “walked the isle” and told the preacher we wanted to get saved.  Today, the Pastor’s Connection serves as the place to share that decision.  So many people are new to church and new to the BIG auditorium; we have tried to overcome these obstacles for people.  As you probably experienced in your life, the actual decision (prayer of salvation) did not happen as you walked the isle or talked with pastor at the altar.  You probably prayed the prayer at the end of the service or at home or with a friend sometime before that.  The “isle walking” was just a way to share your story.  At LifePoint Church, we offer the Pastor’s Connection as that place.

Baptism  After

A Person Becomes A Christ-Follower, The Very Next Step Is To Be Baptized.  To help your investee make this step, please walk with them to the Pastor’s Connection.  There they will have the opportunity to talk with an Encourager about baptism and receive information.  They will receive a packet of information about baptism and the baptism video.  We provide an outline for the video that has four sentences they complete for the video.   They will also have the opportunity to schedule their baptism date and in which service they want to be baptized.    Their family or SG can accompany them to the baptistery. http://www.lifepointchurch.org/baptism

Church Membership

For anyone to become a member of LifePoint Church, they must attend Discover LifePoint.  This one hour class is offered in Café 1 at 10:45am on the first and second Sundays of every month.  Kyle Goen and Eddie Mosley lead this class that helps answer questions and shares the mission and vision of LifePoint Church.  In Discover LifePoint  a person will have the opportunity to become a Christ-follower, join LifePoint Church and ask any question.  They will also have time to talk with an Encourager in more detail concerning their questions and/ or decision.    Anyone can take Discover LifePoint at any time; you do not have to be a Christ-follower, a church member or even considering joining, yet.  It is a place to “kick-the-tires” and help people find where God is leading them.

LaVerne is an Area Pastor at Willow Creek Church in Chicago.  He was our guest speaker at the annual Connexus Development day at FBC Smyrna.  Among other things, LaVerne has a unique gift of listening.  He has the ability to get to know people in just a few minutes by asking questions and listening.   I invited him to write on my blog today and share some of his ideas on “listening.”

Friends,

In Acts 2:42-47, Luke describes what biblical community looked like in the 1st Century church. People were discipled, served others, and did life together. They likely knew everyone’s story.  Given the level of engagement and community, it is likely the people were part of most stories.  Relational listening was natural and normal.  It was a place where needs were discovered, growth revealed, and the Spirit of God palpated in lives. Is that true for you today in the community you are connected?

If not, begin listening to stories God sends your way.  The story of a person could be the pathway He chooses to communicate with you.  Listen for God working.  Pay attention to clues that reveal God’s hand and presence.  Check your heart.  Be open to promptings the Holy Spirit may place on your heart and mind.  Sound mysterious? At times it is and we can be confident it was for those in the 1st century church.  God has been and always will be in control. Do not miss an incredible encounter with Him through lives of people on your journey. Prepare to be “filled with awe”.  Listen well!

-Be present when listening:  focus on them

-Listen with a purpose:  what do they need from me?

-Facts become tracts to truths:  watch for the deeper journey

-The ”story” is a home to a marker in their life

LaVerne

Just thought I would list some of our expectations for Small Group Leaders:

1.  build a leadership team/share the load, you can’t do it alone and are not expected to!

2.  conduct life-changing group meetings, go in the direction of the study but watch for where God wants to lead you time.

3. shepherd the members of your group, love on them like you would want to be loved on

4. complete group covenant, helps everyone have the same direction for the group and cuts down on confusion.

5. develop an apprentice, we all need to share what we know with someone else.  At least we need to  leave someone behind to take our place.

Do you think these be on your “to strive for” list?

One of the concerns about Small Groups is curriculum.  Who decides what groups study.  At FBC Smyrna three – four times a year we will come together and every group/class will study the same subject that our worship series.  This is one of the outcomes discovered during Purpose Driven Life back in 2003.  These preaching-teaching sessions are called Fusion.   We have experienced much unity develop and church-wide spiritual development through Fusion Studies.

Then there are the other months that Small Group leaders must look for studies.  We have put together a Small Group Curriculum Guide that has suggested resources related to the church’s FIVE EXPECTATIONS.  Most Groups spend time in The Crosswalk Bookstore at FBC reviewing the options.  Some will take the Curriculum Guide brochure to the next group meeting and discuss what subject/study would fit the group.  We encourage the leaders to review the five expectations and pray for discernment as to which  expectation the group is lacking.

This Guide is not complete or perfect, but it has given some on-going direction to the tough job of choosing a study for your group.

Check out the Curriculum Guide here or at The Crosswalk Bookstore on the campus of FBC Smyrna.

My job at FBC Smyrna is to help connect people from the worship services and community to Small Groups throughout our area.  God is sending many people to FBC and the Small Group leaders are reaching out to neighbors and friends and adding even more to the Small Group ministry.

“Our Small Group is all about the parties” is a statement I hear coming from a discouraged Bible Study leader.   Week after week they plan their studies and try to lead a fairly in-depth study with their group.  But most of the time few people show up or when they do show up they want to hang around the food and talk. Here are a couple of ways to help this leader not feel too discouraged and yet help the group value the meeting:

1. Share the Load:  Steve Gladden of Saddleback Church has a CD set on this vary issue called “Don’t Lead Alone.”  By letting people serve in their passion you are giving them responsibility in an area the love to serve.  With that responsibility comes ownership where they will want to make the meeting a success.   Some of the areas to share include:  child-care, food, location, socials/parties, study choices, apprenticing/leading.

2. Pray for the group by name, daily:  I would have listed this one first, but you may not have read the second one. ha ha  There are a lot of reasons why people may not attend a group meeting or constantly be late for the meetings.  It is leader-nature to evaluate and blame yourself for these.  However, you never know what baggage, what issues, what fears someone has.  Be patient and let God open the door for discussion and help you discern the next step in your relationship.

I hope this helps you in your Small Group Leadership.