Class Ends - Work Begins

We completed, last night, a series of about 3 months of classes on Thursday nights on Visitation, Door knocking and Soul-winning. We have had 8 (sometimes 9) people in the class. We ended the series with everyone coming to our house and we practiced knocking on our door and giving different responses at the door and how to deal with each.
The idea way (I believe) to train soul-winners is one-on-one, but we had 8 that wanted the training. So we had a corporate class and just tried to train them all at one time. We set up the classed so that they ended when daylight savings time begins. This will move the clocks forward one hour and we will have more daylight in the evening for door knocking.
I have a plan for covering the entire area. We will start a Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings door knocking time, going door to door covering all of the Northwest part of Leavenworth. Then move to the next part of town. I am excited to see how God will bless this effort. Along with the Church wide visitation times I will be going out with men in the church during the day time three days a week and my wife and two of the ladies are planning a Tuesday morning Ladies soul-winning time,
On Sunday nights we will pass out a slip to be filled out each week an put in the offering plates that records how many tracts were passed out, how many hours were spent door knocking and how many souls were saved. We will keep track of all our results and be encouraging others to get involved. By the summer we should have 6 or 7 ready to start training others as the Lord brings them to our church.
Pray with me that the Lord will send someone to direct the Soul-winning/Visitation program for the church. Someone with a heart for souls and a teachable spirit that I can train how I want the program set up and run. This person will be key to us being successful in the area of soul-winning, visitation, and door knocking.

Thoughts on Teaching

2 Tim 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Teachers who stop growing today, and you stop teaching tomorrow.
The teacher must be a learner, a student among students.
Good teachers are: faithful, available, and teachable.
The teacher must care. People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.
The true function of the teacher is to create the most favorable conditions for self-learning.
The way your students learn determines how you teach.
The teacher stimulates and motivates; the student investigates and discovers.
. Teach people how to think
. Teach people how to learn
. Teach people how to work
Maximum impact comes from maximum involvement.
Your task as a communicator is not to impress, but to impact; not just convince them, but to change them. There must be involvement that is meaningful.
You pour it in, but you must also draw it out through involvement.
To truly impart information requires the building of bridges.
Build bridges with people to win a hearing (on what you teach).
We communicate by reaching their feelings first.
. Need a good introduction (Audience says Ho Hum as you begin).
. Need good illustrations.
. Need good conclusion.
. Show how this applies to their life.
Teach from the heart to the heart.
The teacher must know the student(s).
The teacher must have:
. Character - produces confidence
. Compassion - produces motivation (to listen and heed)
. Content - produces results (to know what to do and then do it)
Teaching is most effective when the learner is properly motivated.
Motivate them to serve. Get them busy serving.
Mentor them as they learn.
Be prepared for your class
Be creative – not just busy work, but a clear objective in mind
Be thought provoking – lead to more questions – stretch their minds
Be doable – don’t over load

Leadership is Influence

I found this in one of my documents yesterday and thought you might find it as helpful as I have. I don't know where it originated. I got it from a pastor friend.

If Leadership is Influence. You develop influence by:

Integrity With People
Integrity is about small things. Influence becomes impossible without integrity. D.L. Moody stated, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.”
Nurtures Other People
Nurture people with encouragement, recognition, security, and hope. At the heart of this is a genuine concern for others. Give love, respect, and recognition to others. Learn to be ‘other-minded.’
Faith In People
When you believe in people, they do the impossible. Emphasize their strengths. Praise them in front of others.
Listens To People
Be impressed and interested, not impressive and interesting. Big people monopolize the listening. Look at the speaker; don’t interrupt; focus on understanding; ask questions for clarity; make listening a priority.
Understands People
Respect unique qualities in people. Learn to appreciate the differences in people.
Everybody wants to be somebody. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Enlarges People
Enlarging others is an investment. Carefully choose persons to enlarge. See their potential; cast a vision for their future; focus on their strengths. Allow them to soar.
Navigates For Other People
Most people need help working through some of life’s difficulties. Show them where they need to go; what they need to know; and how they need to grow.
Connects With People
Find common ground; discover what really matters to them; communicate what really matters to you. Do this from your heart.
Empowers People
Emphasize people, not policies. Empower people by giving them the authority to get a task done. Supply them with feedback. Release them to continue on their own.
Reproduces Other Influencers
Reproducing leaders gives the power of multiplication. Look continually for potential leaders. Commit yourself to developing leaders, not followers.

MILK MORE COWS

Pro 30:33 Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter,
When I was a boy we milked 4 cows. We did not have a dairy we just had 4 milk cows we used for our own milk. After we took out a gallon or two for us to drink (we kept the good stuff). We poured the rest of the milk into a separator and it would separate the cream from the milk. We used the cream to make butter. And we gave the separated milk to my grandparents and aunts & uncles. The milk we kept out before we separated it we put in the fridge and when ever we wanted a drink we had to stir the milk to mix the cream back up, because the cream always rises to the top.
My little brother tried to make butter once and he churned for the longest time and nothing was happening dad ask him where he got the cream he said out of the fridge in the basement. When we checked and he had gotten the separated milk and not the cream. He was guilty of trying to make butter out of milk not cream. You can never make butter out of the milk that is left after you remove the cream. If you want butter you must get more cream.
If the church is the bucket..
And the separated milk is those who wont do anything..
And the cream is the workers and leaders..
And you want more workers and leaders..
Then go milk more cows (go soul winning)
Our churches are full of separated milk and we complain about how we can't get people to do anything. My advise is to put some fresh milk in the bucket because: You can't make butter out of milk you have to use cream, and the cream rises to the top. We sometimes try to make butter (leaders and workers) out of separated milk (people who wont do anything).

I learned a long time ago there are some folks you just have to build around. They will come along for the ride but they don't help push the cart. Maybe we need to be more like Christ and stop saying "Listen to me" and start saying "Follow me" Then go milk some more cows (go soul winning)

The Spring Push

I was very encouraged to see the good crowd yesterday in spite of the 6 inches of snow. We still have a few out sick and we continue to pray for them. Lord did send us some first time visitors again. This makes 8 week in a row we have had first time visitors. We also have some come for a second and third visit and we are very encouraged by that.
This is our last week of our visitation/soul winning class, something we will do every winter. What a great thing this study has been we are ready to go out with the Lords help and share the gospel with a new found confidence. We will begin next week a three month push for the visitation and door knocking and soul winning. Between now and our Friend Day on the 31 of May we will go out on Thursday nights at 6:30 and Saturday morning at 10:00. We will also have soul winning pairs out on other nights of the week when it is convenient for them according to their work schedules. I will be going 2 or 3 days during the week with different men as their schedule will allow. We will pass out tracts and fliers and fill out commitment cards on the prospects, getting their name address and phone number. About a month away from the big day we will send a letter out to each one that has committed Then when we get two weeks out I will send out a personal letter. On the week before we will call each person we have a card on an remind them about the Friend Day.
I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do for our church because of this effort. We will be working toward our Friend Day on May 31 and have a goal of 150 for that Sunday, we currently run about 35. We will have commitment cards to fill out on those who tell us they will come. I have found that the majority of people wont do what they say they will do, so in order for us to have 150 in church that Sunday we will need to get about 3 times that many to commit to being there so we will try to get 450 commitments. I am pledging to get 100 of these myself. I believe we should lead by example. This is a high mark and I will need the Lord to help me reach it but I am confident He will help.