Attractional vs. Missional

At our most recent leadership development session we were talking about these two basic approaches to outreach. Both are easy to identify. Both are even modeled for us in scripture. But which would you say describes the ideal strategy? Attractional is best seen in the crowd affect of Jesus gaining greater and greater numbers attracted to himself as he went public with his message and power. People were drawn to him like a magnet – not just to see the miracles, but to hear the teaching and learn about the kingdom he was powerfully demonstrating. Come and See is a good summary of the attractional model.

Jesus also propelled people away from him in missional ministry. After the 12 had been with him a while, he empowered them to go preach about the kingdom. Missional ministry equips people to go and tell. Go and serve. Take the kingdom everywhere people are who need Jesus.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could harness the power of BOTH. As you look at your ministry – your group – which model are you drawn to? Does your group attract seekers who can be led to faith in Jesus? When you look at the Christians in your group, what potential do you see for equipping those people to take the mission outward from your group.

Take a few minutes to glance through the handout you’ll find here: Leadership Development 11-07-10 Evangelism

Be sure to look ahead at what’s coming up in Jan 2011 between Lee Strobel’s visit to CCC and Easter. Those three months will hold a lot of opportunity for enriching your ministry with attractional and missional evangelistic energy! Get in front of your group with the tools and options Tim has outlined in the handout above. Stay tuned for more details about Lee Strobel, The Jesus Class, Intersections evangelism training and Mark Ashton’s evangelistic message series in March and April.

November Leadership Development

Last night we hosted the Leadership Development for November and it was a great night. I was excited to see so many leaders there and encouraged/challenged by the discussions we had about evangelism in our groups. Tim Perry's notes will be available soon, but I wanted to go ahead and post two resources that we presented to help develop evangelism as a central element in your Journey Group.

One of the resources is the Initiates Interest in the Gospel series of our RISKS material. This 6 session material explores different Biblical metaphors of evangelism (like the sower) and is available for free on our website at http://cccomaha.org/journey-group-resources.php

The other resource is the Intersections material that CCC has developed over the last several years. This training gives you the tools you need to seize opportunities to share your faith and the gospel. We'll be highlighting this more at our mid-year training in January and I would encourage every Journey Group to use the 6 session study at some point between January and May. If you want more info right now, contact Tim Perry at timp@cccomaha.org

Serve Together

One of the consistent remarks we heard through the survey at the end of last year was "my group needs to serve together more." With that in mind, I wanted to make sure you were aware of the service opportunities that are available through CCC right now. Click over to the home page and look for the Extend a Helping Hand link in the news feeds for the list of opportunities. Discuss the options and decide as a group which project you want to support. Dave

Key November Dates

Hey Everybody, I hope you're having a great week so far! I wanted to touch base with you on a couple key dates in November for Journey Groups. November 7 - this is our second leadership development night. On 10/3, we discussed how our character impacts our leadership ability. On 11/7 we will be discussing how to lead our groups so that we keep a healthy emphasis on evangelism. We'll meet from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm in EC 188 at the Old Mill campus.

November 15 & 22 - this is more of an FYI since it doesn't directly deal with existing Journey Group leaders. These are the days we are planning to host orientation for new leaders to be ready to go in January. I am currently working to identify the new leaders for this orientation. If you have any suggestions, pass them along and I'll follow up with the individuals. Pray with me that God will call out and raise up the leaders we need. The need is great, but our God is greater!

If there is anything I can do for you or your group, don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Dave

Don't forget the fun!

I don't know about you, but I want to be in the kind of Journey Group that laughs easily and often. There are certainly times when the group will be serious and maybe even somber, but hopefully that's not all the time. Having fun can be one of the greatest ways to lower our relational walls and help us open up with others. With that in mind, let me suggest a couple resources to help your group have fun... One great resource is website designed for student ministry (they definitely know fun). Their list of games and "crowd breakers" can be a great way to open your journey group time. Check out the website and see which ones your group might love to play.

Another great resource for fun is the "Minute To Win It" website. This TV show is a competition based on completing tasks within a 60 second window. Some tasks are simple and some seem to be based much more on chance than skill. It could be a lot of fun to pick on of these games and see which couple or person can do it the fastest or finish first. Check out their website for a list of games and supplies needed.

Looking down the road...

Hey Everybody, I hope you are all doing well today! As I'm looking ahead in the Journey Group year, I see a few important items that I want to share with you...

1. Even though our Journey Groups are just starting, I need help identifying people who can step up to lead groups in the future. We will be hosting a new leader orientation class in early November so that we can launch new groups for people in January. Will you help me by sending me names of people whom you think can lead a group? I'll follow up with them and see if they are interested.

2. Our first Leadership Development night is coming up on Sunday, October 3. We'll be meeting in EC 188 at the Old Mill Campus from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. This month we'll discuss the most important part of your leadership...having character that's strong enough to support your leadership.

3. As I am working to place new people in a journey group I am realizing how important it is to have up-to-date information on our groups (I can hear one of my co-workers cheering as I write this!) If you didn't respond to the group info survey sent out earlier, will you do so now so we can better connect new people to a Journey Group? You'll find the survey here. Thanks for your help in this!

If there's anything I can do for you or your group, be sure to let me know.

- Dave

Tips for getting started

In a recent blog post, Mark Howell suggested several great tips for starting a new small group well. Regardless of how long (or how little) you have been leading a Journey Group, I think you'll find something here helpful as you get your group off and running this year. Preparing for Your First Meeting

• Call your group members early in the week at a time when they'll likely be home. Don't just leave a voice mail message. At this stage, personal contact is critical.
• Enlist someone to help you make the calls. Increased buy-in is important.
• Ask each person to bring something (cokes, chips, etc.). This cements their attendance. They're much more likely to show if you're depending on them.
• When you call them your enthusiasm is very important. Get yourself ready to call.
• Make a map to your house and send this out a week ahead of time. Email can work great for this.

At the first meeting

• Recruit another member of two to be there early and help greet people at the door.
• Have name tags and markers ready at the door.
• Start your group off with an informal "meet and greet" session. The agenda for this meeting is all about helping people feel relaxed and comfortable with the other members of their new group.
• Arrange for an uninterrupted session (i.e., childcare needs, food prepared in advance, etc.).
• Make sure everyone knows the plan for the next meeting before you dismiss.

Follow-up after the first meeting

• Call or touch base with each person who attended the meeting to encourage them. This extra step helps them to continue to forge a relationship with you. Look for them at church. Any contact in between meetings will help cement them to their new group.
• Call all of your new group members a couple days before your next meeting. Don't assume that they'll remember. They need your encouragement.

The beginning of the year is the most critical time for helping people "stick" in a group. Whether they are joining an existing group or part of a new group, new group members need a little extra attention. If we help them past this hurdle, then we'll have the privilege of their involvement for the long haul.

Important Journey Group Dates

I hope you are enjoying the summer season with the long evenings, cookouts, and time with friends and family. And hopefully you have enjoyed a break from the rigors of leading a Journey Group. I for one, am thankful that God gives us times of rest and refreshment along with times of fruitful ministry. As August rolls around, that means that our season of rest is coming to an end and it is time to regroup and rally the Journey Group team for another year of strong discipleship. You will be receiving more detailed information from us in the coming weeks, but I wanted to drop you a quick note with these important dates:

Sunday, August 15 - this is the date for our Journey Group Leader Fall Kickoff event. This is a very important time to come together as Journey Group Leaders and Coaches to align ourselves around one mission and vision for the year as well as sharpening our leadership abilities. We want every leader to be there for this! We’ll send you an invitation with additional details, but you can plan on a 6:00pm – 8:00pm timeframe.

Sunday, August 22 (Old Mill only) – this is “promotion Sunday” for the kids and typically the first Sunday for groups that meet on the Old Mill Campus on Sunday mornings. Due to the holiday weekend on September 5 and the fact that the church wide curriculum does not begin until September 12, we will follow this schedule for the first few weeks:

August 22 - 2nd/4th Sunday groups meet (a relational time to reconnect) August 29 - 1st/3rd Sunday groups meet (a relational time to reconnect) September 5 - no groups meet (holiday weekend) September 12 - resume regular monthly schedule for groups and begin using the curriculum provided

Sunday, August 29 – this is the date for GroupLink this year. If you are launching a new group or your group has room for new members, we want you there to meet and mingle with people who are looking for a group. This is a very effective way to help people get connected into a group. If your group is already full, I invite you to give me a call to talk about ways to add a few more and multiply your leadership. GroupLink will be held in the Old Mill Student Center from 6 PM – 8 PM.

Sunday, September 12 – even though we won’t have a big party with fireworks and such, this Sunday marks the first official week of the Journey Group year. As a church, we will all be studying the book of Acts from September 12 – October 10 (only 5 weeks!) so please plan to use this curriculum in your Journey Group for those weeks. We will have the leader materials (if not the complete Journey Group material) for you at the Fall Kickoff on August 15.

I know there are more than a few Journey Group leaders that I have not met yet. I look forward to meeting each of you in time and serving along side you. If you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns that you would like to share with me, please feel free to call or email and we’ll talk.

Dave Irwin

New Journey Group Leader Orientation

Wanted to be sure we posted details about our next Journey Group Leader Orientation coming up Monday, June 14th and Monday, June 21st in the Student Center. This orientation is for any new leader who'll be starting their Journey Group this summer or next fall. Any leader who has not been through any form of Journey Group Leader training in the past as well as our coaches are encouraged to come as well! Here's a glance at the topics and the schedule. Also, please make sure that you have filled out an application for Journey Group Leadership and submit it to Dave Irwin before coming to the first session.

Session One - Mon, June 14th, 7:00pm

• Dessert, coffee and mingle
• Welcome from Dave Irwin
• Journey Group vision and development plan
• Break
• Images of Leadership (The Leader as Shepherd) - Tim Perry

Session Two - Mon, June 21st, 7:00pm

• Leadership networks and Coaching - why leading in community is essential
• Tools and Tips for a great Journey Group start
• The Life Cycle of a Journey Group
• Images of Leadership (The Leader as Sower)
• Ongoing leadership development plan
• Team Communication
• Dessert and a break in there somewhere this week too!

Week one of the orientation will be the best jumping on point for new leaders till we get kick off in the fall and have Group Link. The week in between the two sessions will be our opportunity to finalize the application with anyone who is still in the approval process.

You'll need to bring a pen and a notebook with you each week.

Lighten my Load as a Journey Group Leader

Just trying to get some good ideas out to many of our Journey Group Leaders who may have missed last Sunday's celebration. First of all if you couldn't make it, I wanted to pass on my gratitude to you for serving your Journey Group this past year. We celebrated with stories, smoothies and some encouraging words from our Lead Pastor Mark Ashton.

I wanted to make sure you saw this sheet that Mark covered with us when we where together. As we are wrapping up a year of Journey Group leading, it's a great time to think about inviting others into leadership. Here are a few great thoughts from Mark on how to develop an apprentice.

First of all, you need to be selective. Who in your group fits Mark's criterion here:
Faithful
Available
Teachable
Thankful
Enthusiastic
Respectful

Yes, you are looking for someone who spells FATTER! A great potential leader fits this profile!

Second thing Mark outlines are the steps you'll want to take to gradually bring that individual into leadership and ownership of the group.

The last and most important step: Keep looking for Apprentices in your group even if you've already found one. As your group grows it will push the need for more leaders and co-leaders. Keep looking for leaders! As you model giving away leadership, those you invite into leadership will learn that same skill from you!

I'll pull this sheet out again in a future post to talk about the other idea here: How do I actually divide my group?

Be looking for potential leaders in your groups and get their name to me and/or Dave Irwin! Thanks!