Using The Word One to One for follow up after evangelistic events
If you're looking for ways to help your church family follow up with guests after your outreach events or your evangelistic courses, The Word One to One could be a great option.
If your congregation aren't already familiar with the concept of Bible sharing and using The Word One to One, you can find out how to introduce them here.
Here are some practical ideas to help you integrate The Word One to One as a follow-up option in what you may already be doing.
Outreach Events
Preparing your congregation
Remind your congregation to pray and take the initiative to follow up with the people they’ve invited. It can be as easy as inviting them to look at the first 18 sentences of John together over a coffee (virtual or in-person). Remind them that each episode only takes about 20 minutes to read through. Encourage the church family to help one another do this through prayer and maybe by providing other support to kick things off. The Word One to One can also work in triplets or a slightly bigger group.
Inviting guests to follow-up
At the end of an outreach event, from the front, you could:
Suggest visitors take a look at the first 18 sentences of John with the friend that brought them along. Insist that the drink of choice will be on the friend!
Direct people to a page on your website with options to help people find out more about Jesus. The URL should be something easy to remember, such as, yourchurchwebsite/explore
On the webpage, you could include:
The option to sign up to any courses you are running.
Any other useful resources/short videos to help explain the gospel.
A little explanation about how a great place to start exploring is by reading one of the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
Suggest that they ask a Christian friend to look at the first book from The Word One to One with them and link to The Word One to One website.
Offer to connect them to a Christian, with a line like: “If you don’t know who to ask but would like to read it through with someone let us know here.” That could click through to a form that people can fill in with some basic details to help you link them up with someone from your church.
An example webpage from All Souls, Langham Place
Coordinating follow-up
You will need someone to coordinate linking people. Since reading one to one is very much relational, you probably won’t get many people signing up this way but it’s worth offering. You should assess what safeguarding processes to have in place for this option.
After an evangelistic course
Keep reminding your leaders throughout to be praying and planning how to follow-up with the participants towards the end of the course. Suggest they use The Word One to One. Give them a little refresher on how it works if needed to build confidence.
You could also offer reading The Word One to One as an option on a feedback form to the participants at the end of the course. This will bring to your attention anyone who wants to read John with someone and hasn't yet been personally invited to do so. The person coordinating the course can approach the leaders of their group as a first port of call to read with the participant.
Of course, The Word One to One is for life, not just for after events and courses! Why not remind and encourage your congregation to proactively invite their friends and family whenever there’s an opportunity – they don’t have to wait until an event! Sharing stories from those who are actively doing it, is a wonderful way to encourage and inspire others to give it a go!
Find out how The Word One to One can help support your ministry and release your people to share the gospel.
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