SERVANT EVANGELISM through REBUILDING TOGETHER PETALUMA

Let's Rebuild Something Together

A service evangelism project is...

• Simply a way (through an act of service or other means) to help people experience the love of God.  If you don’t have a service evangelism project  that you and your group are excited about, then we’d like encourage you to take part in Rebuilding Together Petaluma as your service evangelism project.

What Is Rebuilding Together Petaluma…

• Rebuilding Together Petaluma (RTP) is a non profit organization that does free home improvement projects (using a volunteer force) for members of our community that could use a helping hand. New Life has partnered with RTP for a number of years and this Spring they offered us the chance to take 10 sites for the spring project.

When Is RTP's Next Project… 

• The project that we can partner w/ RTP on is APRIL 21

What does this mean for us…

• This is an incredible opportunity to make a long lasting impact in Petaluma through one day of selfless service. To be able to man the 10 sites we will need at least 150 people (probably closer to 200 folks). If you are looking for an incredible service evangelism project, then we want to highly recommend RTP.

How Do I Register W/ My Group...

• You can register with your group by clicking here  (NOTE: each person in your group who is working on this project must register). The #1 best way to ensure that everyone registers is to take a laptop to your group (or use the hosts computer) and sign your group up on the spot. The sign up only takes a minute or two per person. This will ensure that your group members actually sign up.

• There is a box for “I prefer to work with the following group or persons” place “New Life” in this box (not NLCF, just New Life). 

 1 VERY VERY IMPORTANT FINAL STEP...

 I (Kevin) need to know right when you sign up with your group for Rebuilding Together so that I can email the folks at RTP and let them know to place your Life Group on the same project. If you don't email me your Life Group WILL NOT be working together. When you sign up please email my at kevin@newlifepetaluma.org so that I can work to ensure that your group serves together.

WHERE'D THEY GO? Why God Cares About Follow Up!

WE ALL HAVE SOMEONE who signed up for our group and either only showed up once, or never showed up at all. Which leaves us with the question that EVERY Life Group leader must ask at some point during this session. Why & How (if at all) should I follow up with someone who signed up but didn't show up?

4 REASONS WHY Follow Up Is Vital

1.  GOD CALLED THEM INTO YOUR GROUP! At some point during our promo month God stirred something in them to join your group. Following up opens the door for people to act on the promptings of God.
2. EVERYONE IS BUSY: I sent a personal email out to 60 people who joined groups last Fall but did not join a group this Spring. My goal was simple: figure out what happened (did something happen in the last group that made them not want to join again, did they have a hard time finding a group that they wanted to join, etc). The vast majority of responses (over 95%) said that they were just too busy to join a group this spring. 
• GOOD NEWS: While the person who hasn't showed up is likely busy, they have already committed to being in your group which means they have the that time set aside for group.
3. IF YOU ASK, THEY WILL COME: A number of the people who I emailed responded saying that the email was the impetus that they needed to join a group, so they went online and signed up that day.
4. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU: When people don't show up for our group, if often plays into our own insecurities, but the truth is, someone not coming almost always has NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU.

3 TIPS FOR MAKING CONNECTION

1. CALL IMMEDIATELY: Make a 20 minute appointment on your calendar for the DAY AFTER every Life Group to make follow up calls. We should be calling every person that missed our group the day after they miss.
2. CARE (People Are God's Passion): The goal of connecting with someone who missed life group (either frequently or infrequently) is not simply to get them back to your group. It is to let them know that they matter to you (and by extension matter to God). He has placed them in your group so that you can care for them. 
• In Matt. 18 Jesus talks about a good shepherd leaving 99 sheep to go after the 1 that wandered away. God wants us to connect with the one missing person (even if we have 14 other committed folks who come every week).
3. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY: Make sure that you know what you want to communicate to the person that you are calling. This is key to helping them feel like you are Checking IN with them and not checking UP on them. Here's a potential outline:

Hi __________

"I missed you at Life Group last night and wanted to make sure that everything was ok."

• Wait for their reply. If something happened offer to pray for them on the phone, and let them know that you'll be praying for them this week.

"I'd love to have you join us at group next week, do you think you'll be able to make it."

• Note: asking the question and waiting for a response is key to helping people make commitments.

"Fantastic, I'll shoot you the info from this week so that you're ready to go. I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday and at our next gathering."

What's With All the Questions...

ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS is one of the hardest things for many leaders to do is also one of the essentials for a healthy group. Asking questions has incredible benefits to you and your Life Group including but not limited to:

• Giving people ownership in the discussion (and as a result, ownership in the group which helps them stick around).
• Allowing others to share their thoughts in a safe environment.
• Giving external processors the time to process. Many people learn best when they are talking their thoughts out loud.
• Asking questions relieves you from having the burden of always talking.

WHAT IS A GOOD QUESTION? Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing down and asking questions:

• What is the heart of this week's study, and does my question get people closer to the heart of the topic?
• Does my question elicit a conversational response or a yes no answer? 
• Tip: Try to stay away from questions that lend themselves to a one word response or you will feel like you're pulling teeth to get people to talk.
•  A good question should spark a dialogue in your group. If you are asking the right questions, you may only need 3-5 questions for your entire discussion.
• Tip: It can be helpful to let the question spin into other questions that the groups has, but beware that this can easily get the group off track of the heart of the study. If this happens, gently guide the conversation back by saying something like "That's a great thought that I'd love to explore more later, but for now is it alright if I move us in a different direction?"
• A good question brings multiple answers. 
• Tip: Stay away from responding to each person's response. Instead say, "That's a great thought, does anyone else have something to add to that?"

HOW IS MY QUESTION TO COMMENT RATIO?
If you're anything like me then it might be easier to monologue than it is to ask questions (makes for a good preacher, but poses an obstacle in Life Group leading). In your group this week I want to encourage you to notice your question to comment ratio. Here's how:

• Somewhere on your notes try keeping track of the number of questions that you ask, and the number of comments (or statements) that you make. I believe your question to comment ration should be at least 2 to 1 (two questions for every comment). See if you can do the 2 to 1 ratio in your group this week.