Tip of the Week-- Focus on meeting getting to know people

Bottom line --- Discipleship requires people!  It's all about people!

Learning to Fish! 

• How are you at meeting people?
• Christians? Non-Christians?
• Jesus was continually meeting, interacting and capturing the attention of people.

I am scared, feel awkward, feel old etc.... One of the greatest challenges when starting a ministry is learning how to connect with 

students. We may not start with a very big sphere of influence or it may be made up of Christians who are already committed to other Christian ministries.  

In order to reach and disciple students, we must be able to connect and build new relationships.  We will need students to help us for sure... but it must start with us. 

Question:   

How many students do you personally know on campus?

How many are not involved in another campus ministry?  (We do not want to sheep steal or stay in a safe Christian bubble)

Goal:   To interact and meet with students...  so they know you and what you are about.

starting points:   lunch, talk to them at a book table, survey, servant evangelism, common interest... etc.

Prioritize people and relationships

We often spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for a small group, bible study, worship gathering, prayer meeting when we do not yet have people to share these gatherings with.

why? the preparation is more comfortable than meeting new people... sense of accomplishment... we defer the responsibility of gathering people to others. It takes time, but they need to know us.   

Build Friendships/share vision 

It will take more than publicity... make good posters, send facebook invites, have a good website, but people will need relationship.   Create a growing family and love people. Build community.

Perhaps a great speaker or worship leader will attract some Christians, but not students who are not yet Christians.  Most of us are not that talented anyway... We cannot have a mentality that expects them to come to us, we must be missional and go to them. It is not build it and they will come, but love them and bring them with you.  We must win them to us, before we win them to XA or to Jesus.

eg.  
Let me put it another way...

We are called to go and make disciples...

The 4 E's 
Evangelize and connect with people, Christians, seekers etc.
Establish new believers and believers in the faith and in the community
Equip and develop students gifting and calling to accomplish the Great Commission
Expand as we help students join us in discipling others

Our disciples need to be able to connect with people, establish new believers in the faith, equip students to walk and live for Christ and be able to expand the kingdom as their disciples join us in doing the same.


How do we gather students on campus? Where do we begin... I don't know that many people on campus and the ones I do know may already be in another ministry.

Let's keep the process as simple as possible:

What will it take for you to connect and gather students? (Time and opportunity)

Everything starts here... no students= no community... no worship... no prayer, no discipleship etc

my personal experience:
In the process of becoming a fisher of men... I find that many areas of my own weakness are revealed-- areas of discipleship and character are brought to the surface... my comfort zone, my own sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, my love for people, my time management, my priorities, and my fear of man, rejection, insecurities surface. We learn and develop a lot in the process of learning how to reach out and love other people.  (Growing pains are normal)

Let me leave you with some questions to wrestle with...

1. What will it take for you to meet and get to know students on campus? Are you meeting/hanging with students?
2. What is your strategy for connecting with students and calling them into a relationship with you and Chi Alpha that will change their life? 
3. What hinders your effectiveness (fears, behavior patterns etc)? 
4. Why should a student come and be a part of your XA ministry? 

I always think... If I was going tothrow a party... do I know people on campus (that are not in other Christian ministries) to bring to the party? How many people? I need to be increasing my sphere of inlfuence... I need my leaders (core) to be reaching out to other students and expanding our community spehere of influence... in the beginning it may be just me.

Secondly, as we are growing in relationship with people (facebook friends, lunch gatherings, racquetball friends etc)... do I know how and do we have a strategy for how these new friends can come and be a part of Chi Alpha... ie. Do I have an appropriate entry point for... new believer, seeker, strong Christian.... I have to have a place to bring them to...

Let's talk and pray together that God will help us be gatherers of students .. so we can be and do all God has called us to do! I look forward to talking with each of you as God helps you be fruitful.

God has called and given each of us unique interests, experiences and personalities which He will use to help us connect with people.

examples from my not so talented life

• I started playing video games with students
• I started inviting guys to watch and play Football and sports
• I would invite students to catch a Coffee or good food with me
• Love playing games-- I found guys who liked Risk or Euchre and pulled them in.... 
• Eating with and cooking for people

Focus on getting to know people and sharing your heart with them.

Jeff