lay renewal weekend - namb renewal weekend church preparation manual forward you may experience one...

AwakeningLay Renewal Weekend

Church Preparation Manual

www.churchrenewal.net

What is the Spirit saying to the church?

Church Renewal Journey is a Ministry Of the Mission Education Team

North American Mission Board (NAMB) 4200 North Point Pkwy.

Alpharetta, GA 30022-4176 1 888 634-2462 ext. 6481

Renewal Contact E-mail: [email protected] Resource Web site: www.churchrenewal.net

Renewal Application and Events Web site: www.churchrenewal.net

This is a revision of theLay Renewal Weekend Preparation Manual.

Revised September 2009© Copyright 2009, North American Mission Board, SBC

Special thanks to Wanda Dellinger of High Point, N.C., for her many hours of volunteer service in updating this manual.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, in this manual have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, © Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB

are federally registered trademarks of the Holman Bible Publishers.

Lay Renewal WeekendChurch Preparation Manual


Forward You may experience one of the most awesome weekends of your Christian life. Whether you are a layperson or a pastor, the Church Renewal Journey could be a spiritual turning point for you as well as a time of great closeness between the Holy Spirit and your church. Already you’re probably thinking that I’m making awfully bold statements, and you should proceed with caution. Let me assure you that I’m speaking from actual experience. In 1974, the Holy Spirit worked in my life and church during a Lay Renewal Weekend, and I have seen Him continue that work in many churches since. It is hard to explain how the Renewal Journey works, but it always does. The church spends three to six months in prayer and preparation, seeking the Holy Spirit and placing Him first in their lives. The work of the Weekend is not accomplished by human hands, but by the Holy Spirit in response to prayer. This revised (2009) version of the Lay Renewal Weekend – Church Preparation Manual will be a tremendous help to you as you get ready for the Lay Renewal Weekend. It will be continually updated, so you will always have access to the latest version on the Internet. I recommend that the pastor and the General Chairperson have a complete copy of this manual, but others may only need the sections that deal with their responsibilities. The Preparation Group responsibilities are included in this word document; this will allow you to print just the pages you need for each group. Please use these materials and e-mail us your suggestions of how we can make them better or be of more help to you. You can contact us at [email protected] or 1 888 634-2462, ext. 6481.

You can find additional help on the National Renewal Resource Web site www.churchrenewal.net where you can get more information and fill out your online Renewal Journey Application Form. Copies of the form will be e-mailed both to the North American Mission Board Renewal staff and to your State Renewal Coordinator. Another great source for Renewal resources is www.churchrenewaljourney.net. There are now five Weekends for your church to consider. These are: The Lay Renewal Awakening Weekend, The Lay Ministry Equipping Weekend, The Marketplace Evangelism Commissioning Weekend, the new Prayer Empowering Weekend, and Acts 1:8 Sending Weekend.

Keep a check on the Web site for updates to these manuals. I believe God is using the Church Renewal Journey as a mighty tool for awakening and equipping His churches. I pray that we will be ready and prepared to be used as He leads. I am having the most exciting time of my life serving you. If I wasn’t positively sure that God is in charge of Church Renewal, I would be a bit scared at the speed with which it is building and growing. I invite you to join me in the Journey. Serving with Joy,Bob FoyNational Church Renewal Coordinator North American Mission Board1 888 634-2462, ext. 6481

Lay Renewal Weekend Preparation ManualTable of Contents

Chapter 1: Overview of the Church Renewal Journey ……………….…….……….…................ 11 Exhibit 1: Flow Chart for Lay Renewal Weekend ………..………..…………................. 12

Chapter 2: The Rationale for Renewal……………………………….….……………................... 15 Chapter 3: What is a Lay Renewal Weekend?.................…………………………….............… 17 Exhibit 2: Lay Renewal Weekend Schedule ............................................................ 19

Chapter 4: Preparations for the Lay Renewal Weekend ...…………….…………................ 21 Exhibit 3: Suggested Method of Organizing the Preparation Groups………............... 23 Exhibit 4: Four-Hour Leadership Prayer Retreat (Optional)..................................…. 25 Exhibit 5: Time Alone with God Prayer Guide………………….............…...………… 26

Chapter 5: Pastor’s Responsibilities .....................................................................…......... 31 Exhibit 6: Checklist for the Pastor ……………………………………….……............... 32 Exhibit 7: Church Renewal Journey Overview Application Form ……...…….............. 34 Exhibit 8: Renewal Weekend Application Form ..................………………………… 35 Exhibit 9: Budget for a Lay Renewal Weekend ………………………..............……… 36 Exhibit 10: Sample of Pastor’s Welcome Letter to Team Members ...……...….............. 38 Exhibit 11: Sample of Pastor’s First Letter to the Congregation……………..….......... 39 Exhibit 12: Sample of Pastor’s Second Letter to the Congregation ……………............ 40 Exhibit 13: Typical Lay Renewal Sunday School Schedule ………………...…............ 41 Exhibit 14: Typical Lay Renewal Sunday Worship Schedule ……………….…........... 42 Exhibit 15: Sample Outline of Pastor’s Evaluation Letter to Team Members…........ 43 Exhibit 16: Pastor’s Evaluation of the Lay Renewal Weekend ...…………...…......... 44

Chapter 6: General Chairperson’s Responsibilities .......................................................... 47 Exhibit 17: Checklist for General Chairperson ………………………….……..........… 48 Exhibit 18: Lay Renewal Weekend Planning Calendar …………………....…….......... 51 Exhibit 19: Sample Letter from the General Chairperson …………….……...….......... 52 Exhibit 20: Flowchart for Information on Visiting Team Members ...…..….…............ 53 Exhibit 21: Renewal Church Music Questionnaire ……………………….……............ 55 Exhibit 22: Sunday Night Commitment and Evaluation Service .……….................. 57 Exhibit 23: Lay Renewal Commitment and Evaluation Form ……………….…............. 59 Chapter 7: Spiritual Growth Group Responsibilities ......................................................... 61 Exhibit 24: Daily Devotions Subgroup Checklist …………………............……………. 63 Exhibit 25: Literature Table Subgroup Checklist ...................................................... 64 Exhibit 26: Literature Table …...........................................………………………..…. 65 Exhibit 27: Facilitator Checklist for Group Formation Night ….…………..............…… 70 Exhibit 28: Small Group Studies Subgroup Checklist ................................................ 71 Exhibit 29: “What’s Next?” Subgroup Checklist ............…………………………….… 73 Exhibit 30: Information on MAPCHURCH ……………................…………………..…. 74

Chapter 8: Prayer Group Responsibilities ........................................................................ 75 Exhibit 31: Season of Prayer Subgroup Checklist .................................................. 77 Exhibit 32: 24-Hour Prayer Vigil Sign-up Sheet......................................................... 78 Exhibit 33: 24-Hour Prayer Vigil Subgroup Checklist ................................................ 80 Exhibit 34: One Hour Alone With God Prayer Guide ….…..……………….…............. 81 Exhibit 35: Tabletop Prayer Reminder Subgroup Checklist ....................................... 86 Exhibit 36: Tabletop Prayer Reminder Card Sample ................................................ 87 Exhibit 37: Acts in Prayer Booklet Subgroup Checklist …….……………………...…..… 89

Chapter 9: Communication Group Responsibilities ........................................................... 91 Exhibit 38: Correspondence Subgroup Checklist ………………………………........... 93 Exhibit 39: Housing Subgroup Checklist …………………………….……...….............. 97 Exhibit 40: Welcome Subgroup Checklist ……………………….…………….............. 100 Exhibit 41: Facilities Subgroup Checklist ………………………...……………............. 101

Chapter 10: Coffee Group Responsibilities ……………………………..……….……….............. 103 Exhibit 42: Attendance Subgroup Checklist ……………………………..….…............. 105 Exhibit 43: A Method of Dividing Membership into Coffees ………………..….......... 106 Exhibit 44: Sample Postcard to Invite Guests ………………………………..…........... 108 Exhibit 45: Coffee Hostess Subgroup Checklist ……………………………................. 110 Exhibit 46: Coffee Transportation Subgroup Checklist …………………................... 112 Exhibit 47: Sample of Directions to Coffee …………………………………............... 113

Chapter 11: Publicity Group Responsibilities ………………………….………..…............... 115 Exhibit 48: Seniors Subgroup Checklist ……………………………………................. 116 Exhibit 49: Suggestions for the Seniors Subgroup ……..…………………….….......... 117 Exhibit 50: Adults Subgroup Checklist ……………..………………………..............… 120 Exhibit 51: Sample Drama Sketch …………………..……………………................... 121 Exhibit 52: CRJ Logo Clip Art …............…………....……..………………………....… 123 Exhibit 53: Samples of Advertising ……………………....……………………............. 124 Exhibit 54: Sample Bulletin Board …………...........…....…………………………..…. 126 Exhibit 55: Youth Subgroup Checklist …........…….....……………………………....… 128 Exhibit 56: Local Church Youth Questionnaire ……….....…………......…………....... 129 Exhibit 57: Children’s Subgroup Checklist ............................................................... 132 Exhibit 58: Suggested Promotion Poster Contest for Children ….......……………...… 133 Exhibit 59: Local Church Children’s Questionnaire ……………...…………..........… 134 Exhibit 60: Nursery Subgroup Checklist ………............…………....…………….…… 136 Chapter 12: Food Group Responsibilities ………………….......……………………….....….... 137 Exhibit 61: Meal Preparation Subgroup Checklist ………………………............…… 140 Exhibit 62: Fellowship Hall Subgroup Checklist …………..........………………..….. 141 Appendix: Frequently Asked Questions – The Church Renewal Journey ….….................... 143

Glossary …………………………………………………………………………….....................…….…. 147

church preparation manual 11

Chapter 1Overview of the Church Renewal Journey

It is helpful to look at a brief overview of the Church Renewal Journey (CRJ) before moving into the details.

The Lay Renewal Weekend is the awakening step of the Journey and is an opportunity to re-awaken the church to its purpose and passion. It takes believers, wherever they are in their spiritual journey, and refreshes them with a godly perspective of their role in service to others. This is an inward journey that renews and restores the love of Christ to those who have drifted away from their commitment. This weekend also brings the church body together as a family.

“Therefore repent and turn back, that … seasons of refreshing may come from … the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

The Lay Ministry Weekend serves as the equipping step by sharing how God designs each believer for ministry. Using the acrostic, SHAPE, this weekend teaches about Spiritual gifts, what God is saying to our Heart, and how our Abilities, Personality, and Experiences have uniquely prepared us for specific ministries. It is here that many laypeople understand for the first time that they are called to ministry as much as their pastor. This weekend prepares Christians for the outward journey.

“Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God … so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

The Marketplace Evangelism Weekend is the commissioning step of the Journey and is an application of the awakening and equipping steps. Church members are encouraged to prayerwalk their everyday environment, whether that is a marketplace, a school, or a neighborhood. They ask how God wants to use them outside the church walls. Those who commit to God’s calling are commissioned by their church and return to where God has placed them. However, now they go as missionaries to witness and minister with their unique giftedness.

“Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). The Prayer Weekend is a time for the church to dedicate themselves to concerted individual and group prayer. Participants focus on Kingdom priorities; through prayer they seek personal holiness and guidance for carrying out the Great Commission. God responds by unleashing His church to be on mission with Him in their world. The church as a whole and its individual members are empowered to follow God’s leading.

“He was praying in a certain place … one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’” (Luke 11:1).

The Acts 1:8 Weekend is typically the fifth step of the Church Renewal Journey. It also can be used as the first step or to launch the church into a new and exciting journey. This sending weekend encourages church members to be witnesses in their Jerusalem (involving local or associational ministries), their Judea (involving state or

lay renewal weekend12

state convention ministries), their Samaria (involving national or North American Mission Board ministries), and to the Ends of the Earth (involving international or International Mission Board ministries). Churches are encouraged to register as an Acts 1:8 Church through the North American Mission Board, and adopt and work towards its eight suggested goals.

“But you will receive power … and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Other Renewal Weekends are available for churches desiring to continue the Journey.

Exhibit 1Flow Chart for Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW)

GENERAL CHAIRPERSON’S PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

1GC. Pastor and General Chairperson recruit six Preparation Group (PG) Chairpersons.

2GC.

GC and PG Chairpersons recruit a person or subgroup chairperson for each assigned task. (All assignments are made prior to PG training.)

Renewal Coordinator or Consultant assigned contacts pastor and confirms date for LRW.Coordinator recruits Visiting Team members and sends names to church.

3GC.

8GC.

Pastor, GC, and Coordinator set date for Preparation Group Training.

GC, Spiritual Growth Chairperson, and Pastor meet to begin executing plans for What’s Next and plans for Small Group Studies that take place after Lay Renewal Weekend.

4GC. GC distributes handout resources for each PG Chairperson or subgroup Chairperson.

5GC. Coordinator leads PG training for GC and all PG Chairpersons, subgroup Chairpersons, and Volunteers (8-10 weeks prior to LRW). Church staff is encouraged to attend training.

6GC.

7GC.

Lay Renewal Weekend takes place.

GC sends Coordinator a copy of Sunday Night Evaluation Form from any church members saying they are interested in becoming a team member on future Renewal Weekends at other churches.

General Chairperson and Pastor complete these responsibilities at the same time.


PASTOR’S PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

1P.

Pastor submits request for Church Renewal Journey (CRJ) Overview (available at www.namb.net/crjoverview or see Exhibit 7 in this manual).

North American Mission Board (NAMB) or State Renewal Coordinator assigns CRJ Consultant to call pastor to explore CRJ Overview.

NAMB sends Pastor’s Guide and Church Resource CD to pastor.

2P.

Pastor appoints potential General Chairperson (GC), may be a married couple. Pastor and Consultant agree on best 3 possible dates to submit on the Overview Application.

Overview is presented.Church decides to hold Renewal Weekend.

❏ Yes (go to 3P) ❏ No (end)

Pastor submits Renewal Weekend Application form (www.namb.net/crjweekend or see Exhibit 8 in this manual).

Weekend Coordinator is assigned by NAMB or State Renewal Coordinator.3P.

Pastor and assigned Coordinator agree on the best three dates to submit on Weekend Application.4P.

Pastor and General Chairperson recruit six Preparation Group (PG) Chairpersons. Coordinator recruits Visiting Team members and sends names to the church.5P.

Pastor, GC, and Coordinator set date for Preparation Group Training.6P.

Pastor writes Visiting Team Welcome Letter (sent by pastor or Correspondence Group, see Exhibit 10).

Lay Renewal Weekend takes place.7P.

Pastor writes thank you/evaluation letter to Visiting Team Members (e-mailed or sent by pastor or Correspondence Group).8P.

Pastor, GC, and Spiritual Growth Group meet to evaluate and determine next steps (should take place two weeks after LRW). Inviting Weekend Coordinator is also an option.

9P.

Pastor sends evaluation letter to NAMB (see Exhibit 15).10P.

General Chairperson and Pastor complete these responsibilities at the same time.


Note Page


Chapter 2The Rationale for Renewal

What Is It? In the life and ministry of the church, the term “renewal” is increasingly heard. Renewal is the act of beginning again. For the Christian, it is establishing a Christ-centered lifestyle, where His indwelling presence is in control. This is what Jesus referred to as the abundant life.

Renewal differs from a “church revival” in the method of presentation and in the emphasis. Revival involves a pastor sharing the gospel with a group of people. Renewal involves one layperson telling another about the daily reality of Jesus Christ in their lives. Both revival and renewal result in spiritual awakenings. However, while revival concentrates on the immediate harvest, renewal is a long-term discovery and discipleship process. Why Is It Needed? Too often the church has a superficial involvement in Christian ministries. Churches experiencing renewal discover a spiritual foundation for everything a church undertakes. Organizations and programs no longer exist for their own sake; they take on new meaning because they are focused on ministry, evangelism, and missions.

Church renewal is God’s work. Scripture and church history indicate His readiness to renew and awaken His people to His reality and purpose for them. The Scriptures portray spiritual renewal in individuals’ lives, as seen in the examples of Jacob, Moses, David, and Peter. God renewed His nation Israel again and again. The ultimate renewal of our world will take place when Jesus returns. Many Scriptures speak of God’s willingness for His people to experience renewal. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 there is a prescription for renewal; God’s people must humble themselves and pray, seek God’s face, and turn away from besetting sins. In 1970 Findley Edge wrote, “Ultimately the battleground for the Christian is in the world. It is the world for which Christ died. It is the world to which we as Christians are sent. What ultimately happens in the world depends upon what first happens in the local church.” God chooses to involve man in His great redemptive world mission. Genuine renewal will impact individual believers, the church, and the world for Christ.


Who Needs It? Renewal is essential for the church body. A myriad of books and articles has been written criticizing the body of Christ. Critics denounce it for being irrelevant in a world that is truly falling apart. The church is criticized because it:

♦♦ Devotes its energies to maintaining programs that do not meet needs. ♦♦ Guards tradition and rituals at the expense of encouraging vibrant worship. ♦♦ Fosters a faith that is superficial and mechanical. ♦♦ Concerns itself with its organizational life rather than with its spiritual ministry.

In the eyes of the church, organizational and spiritual goals usually are viewed as identical. However, in reality, organizational goals may be reached without achieving spiritual purposes. The church as a collective body must be renewed so that church’s activities and God’s purposes are one. The clergy also need renewal. Pastors and other full-time Christian workers are leaving their ministries at an alarming rate. The clergy’s sense of frustration and futility result in burn out and subsequent bail out. It is imperative that these discouraged ministers experience renewal. A fresh breath of God’s Spirit in their personal lives also will impact the flock they shepherd. Finally, renewal is essential to awaken the “sleeping giant” –the laity. God’s plan to redeem the world cannot be done by the clergy alone. His plan always has been to show the world He is real through every believer. He calls out an enormous army, but in many cases only the “commissioned officers” engage in the battle. Both groups need to awaken to God’s call. Those in the pews must experience an authentic and deepening spiritual journey before they will respond as soldiers in the battle. Some church members never enter the battle because their lives are not transformed by Christ. Others must examine themselves to discover if their ministry is being done in the power of the Holy Spirit or in their own strength. Joy and fulfillment are present when Christians are led in the power of the Spirit. Truly the church and the individuals who comprise it need renewal. David knew it was essential in his life when he prayed in Psalm 51:

Surely You desire integrity in the inner self wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.Let me hear joy and gladness…God, create a clean heart for meand renew a steadfast spirit within me.Restore the joy of Your salvation to me …Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways,and sinners will return to You.

As the Scripture clearly points out, personal renewal and restoration must come before evangelism. For the church to be relevant in the world, renewal must take place in the church as a body, in the lives of the leadership, and in the lives of all believers.


Chapter 3What is a Lay Renewal Weekend?

Many people have tried to define the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). It is a difficult task, for words cannot describe such a personal experience. Perhaps it would help to talk about what it is and what it is not.

Lay Renewal is:♦♦ The initiating event for the Church Renewal Journey.♦♦ An experience of showing love for others regardless of how they respond.♦♦ An example of what full, honest, and vulnerable commitment looks like in the lives of everyday people. ♦♦ A weekend of renewal for the local church.

Lay Renewal is not:♦♦ A “cure-all” for the problems in the church.♦♦ A training event in techniques of soul-winning.♦♦ Door-to-door witnessing.

The Weekend begins as men and women arrive at your house of worship from other churches and communities. These are laypersons, not professionals, and they are not perfect Christians. They are ordinary people searching for answers in their spiritual walk and in their relationship with God. Each of them has begun to find an answer and is willing to share it with others. They not only talk, but also listen! Team members will pay attention as church members tell their doubts and dilemmas, hopes and dreams, and their thoughts about Christ and the church. On countless occasions, this sharing has produced miracles of renewal and transformation through the working of God’s Spirit. In some instances your church members will have an opportunity to minister to some of the team members. While Lay Renewal teams have a substantial number of trained members, they may also have some that are not as advanced on their spiritual journey. This provides a point of identification for everyone.

Each team is unique and does not become a “team” until they arrive at a church for a given weekend. Team members have experienced renewal in their personal lives and most have experienced a Lay Renewal Weekend in their own church. They are supportive members of their church, recommended by their pastors, and coming at their own expense. The team is led by an experienced Visiting Coordinator.

The Lay Renewal Weekend focuses on a deep and complete giving of self to Jesus Christ. The term “total commitment” is used often throughout the weekend. It is defined as “committing as much of myself as I know to as much of Christ as I now understand.”


In large and small group gatherings, team members demonstrate honesty, acceptance, and personal vulnerability. The four small group meetings allow church members an opportunity to share spiritual joys, needs, or struggles. An accepting environment permits people to talk or simply listen. Many begin to take off their “spiritual masks” to show who they really are. The response is love and compassion. Those who are brave enough to become transparent may find they are not alone in their struggles. A spirit of unity prevails.

Although this is not the focus, a Lay Renewal Weekend often inspires local believers to become involved in new and varied areas of service. An equipping ministry may emerge. As new opportunities are discovered, the layperson becomes the minister in the community and the pastor becomes the minister to the “marketplace ministers.”

The Lay Renewal Weekend demonstrates through ordinary people a new understanding of “a witness.” The word “witness” becomes a noun (a person) as well as a verb (an activity). In short, the church discovers what they have in Christ and in each other, and they begin to celebrate and share it!

What Can I Expect to Happen? The weekend arrives after three-to-six months of preparation by your church involving as many members as possible.

On Friday night, the team joins your local body for a fellowship meal. Then the church and team will join in a time of praising the Lord led by the visiting Music Coordinator. Some of the team members will give a testimony about how God is at work in their lives. School-age children will go with the visiting Children’s Coordinator and other team members to their learning activities. Adults and youth will have separate small group sharing times followed by a joint review session. Adjournment is about 9:30 p.m. Team members go home with host families for the evening.

On Saturday morning, adults have “Coffees,” neighborhood gatherings with simple snacks, in the homes of church members. Preschool child care is available at the church. Children have activities at the church under the guidance of the Children’s Coordinator. Teens gather with visiting teens and adults for an outing led by the visiting Youth Coordinator.

At noon, the adults return to the church for lunch. Typically the youth have a cookout away from the church. Following lunch, the men and women have separate meetings while the children and youth continue with their activities. All groups are dismissed by 2 p.m.

On Saturday night, all groups meet together in a general session. Again, God speaks through music and testimonies. Then the different groups assemble–children with their team leader, and youth and adults in small group sessions led by a team member. Following this, a joint time of commitment is held in the worship center.

On Sunday morning, the team leads youth and adults in Sunday School, and the Visiting Coordinator provides leadership for the morning worship hour. An invitation to commitment is issued. After a brief lunch, the visitors leave.

On Sunday evening, the local people join in a “Commitment and Evaluation Service.” This service is led by the General Chairperson. The body is encouraged to share how the Lord has spoken to them though the weekend experience. It is one of the most meaningful events of the weekend.


Exhibit 2Lay Renewal Weekend Schedule

(This schedule should be adjusted to fit the church’s needs.)

Thursday3:00 p.m. 24-Hour Prayer Vigil begins at church

Friday5:00-6:00 p.m. Visiting team prayer and preparation meeting with Pastor and General Chairperson6:30 p.m. Nursery opens 6:30-7:30 p.m. Fellowship dinner for entire church family in the fellowship hall7:30-8:15 p.m. General Session: children, youth, and adults meet in sanctuary8:15-9:00 p.m. Planned activities for children and youth; adult small discussion groups9:00 p.m. Group reports and closing prayer time: everyone meets back in the sanctuary

Saturday7:15 a.m. Host/guest(s) eat breakfast in the home of the host family8:30-9:30 a.m. Visiting team prayer and preparation meeting with Pastor and General Chairperson9:30 a.m. Nursery opens, children and youth activities, drivers for Coffees meet at church 10:00-11:30 a.m. Coffee in church members’ homes for adults12:00-1:00 p.m. Churchwide lunch (youth sometimes have a cookout or lunch away from the church)1:00-2:00 p.m. Separate men’s and women’s meetings. Youth and children continue with their classes/

activities.2:00-5:00 p.m. Free time Visiting team members may want to rest at host family’s home.5:00-6:00 p.m. Visiting team prayer and preparation meeting with Pastor and General Chairperson6:30 p.m. Nursery opens 6:30-7:15 p.m. Fellowship dinner for entire church family7:30-8:15 p.m. General Session: children, youth, and adults meet in sanctuary8:15-9:00 p.m. Planned activities for children and youth; adult small discussion groups9:00 p.m. Closing prayer time: everyone meets back in the sanctuary Sunday8:30-9:30 a.m. Visiting team prayer and preparation meeting with Pastor and General Chairperson 9:45-10:45 a.m. Sunday School11:00-12:00 p.m. Morning worship service12:30 p.m. Lunch for visiting team members and host families Visiting team leaves after lunch 6:00 p.m. Churchwide Commitment and Evaluation Service (No other church activities should be

scheduled.) The church has a chance to openly discuss and evaluate the weekend and to share what the Holy Spirit has said to them. This is the highlight of the weekend.


The Importance of Attending All Sessions

The Lay Renewal Weekend is structured so that one experience builds on another. Publicity and promotion of the Weekend should challenge members to give 42 hours to a potentially life-changing experience. At the same time, be careful not to discourage those who can attend only one or two sessions. Renewal can still occur when someone attends only a portion of the Weekend. Leaders should stress that the LRW is for the entire church body. Child care is provided for young children. Children and teenagers will have special activities. Youth need to know that other young people will be coming to share with them.

Some Benefits of the LRW

The pastor and leadership of the church should make preparation for the new life that will emerge from the LRW. As a result of the weekend you can expect:

♦♦ A new depth of Christian love and fellowship to develop. A number of people will have a deeper awareness of God and others, and will be more self-giving, caring, and open.

♦♦ A focus on a personal commitment to Christ. People respond to the positive way that this is presented rather than the erroneous idea that Christian commitment is “something to give up.”

♦♦ A deeper desire for involvement in the life of the church. When folks have a vision of the living church, they seek opportunities to represent Christ to others.

♦♦ A total membership visitation. As part of the preparation for the weekend, each member of your church will be contacted three separate times and given personal invitations to participate.

♦♦ A new vision of the church. Through the example of the team members, participants will see that laypeople can perform a significant ministry in the church.

♦♦ A discovery of new friends within the congregation. Members may meet “neighbors” that they didn’t know existed!

♦♦ A new joy–joy in being God’s people and joy in giving themselves to Christ and others.

The Church Renewal Journey will be underway!


Chapter 4Preparations for the Lay Renewal Weekend

Preparation is the key to a successful Lay Renewal Weekend. The responsibility of planning and promoting this weekend lies with the pastor, the General Chairperson, and six Preparation Groups.

Introducing Renewal Possibilities Ideally, the pastor and key church leaders should have a good understanding of the Church Renewal Journey (CRJ) as the church considers initiating the renewal process. There are a number of trained volunteer Consultants who can help the church leadership understand the Journey. A pastor can talk with a Consultant by contacting the North American Mission Board (NAMB) Church Renewal Journey team at 1 888 634-2462 extension 6481 or [email protected]. The pastor may want an overview of the Church Renewal Journey presented to the congregation during a regular service. This can be requested by completing the Church Renewal Journey Overview Application Form (online www.churchrenewal.net or by mailing in Exhibit 7). An overview does not obligate the church in any way. However, if the church wishes to explore the renewal possibilities further, a Spiritual Growth Group should be formed. Weekend Scheduling

Ideally the LRW needs a distinct emphasis. For this reason, it should be scheduled during a season when no other major events are pending on the church calendar. There should be a minimum of six weeks before and after the Weekend without other churchwide emphases. This allows the small group Bible studies which follow the LRW to become well-established.

The weekend should be scheduled only after the church membership agrees to it. The pastor should then submit a Renewal Weekend Application Form (available from Exhibit 8 in this manual or online at www.churchrenewal.net).

Visiting Team Leadership If your state convention does not have a State Renewal Coordinator, the National Church Renewal Coordinator will assign a Visiting Coordinator for your church. If a specific person is requested, every effort will be made to honor the request. After a Coordinator is assigned, it is the church’s responsibility to invite him to visit the church and initiate planning for the Weekend. The Visiting Coordinator will secure a Youth Coordinator, a Children’s Coordinator, and a Music Leader to help lead during the Weekend. He will also enlist the Visiting Team Members and send that information to the appropriate local leadership so that housing may be arranged and a “Welcome Letter” may be sent (see Exhibits 10 and 20).


Local Leadership

A committed local leadership team is the key to ensure a good Lay Renewal and a positive follow-up. The pastor or church leadership should choose a General Chairperson (it may be a married couple). He or she should have the spiritual gift of administration and much time to invest in preparing for the Weekend. It is helpful if the General Chairperson can communicate by e-mail.

The pastor and General Chairperson need to form a close working team. They will choose and frequently meet with the leaders of the six Preparation Groups (see Exhibit 3). The Pastor and the General Chairperson not only delegate responsibility, but also check periodically to be sure each function is being performed properly. They work closely with the Visiting Coordinator in all phases of the church’s preparations to anticipate any problems and assure a well-prepared Weekend. See chapters 5 and 6 of this manual for a more complete listing of the pastor’s and General Chairperson’s responsibilities.

Six Preparation Groups and Their Responsibilities

Preparation for the Lay Renewal Weekend is centered on the work of six groups. These are called the Spiritual Growth Group, the Prayer Group, the Communications Group, the Coffee Group, the Publicity Group, and the Food Group. It is very beneficial for the leaders of each group to have e-mail capability. A brief description of each group and their functions can be found in Exhibit 3.

Each Preparation Group Chairperson will recruit volunteers to carry out their group’s responsibilities. Even small churches will want at least one person for each of these duties, or a minimum of 6 people. However, it is best to get as many church members as possible involved. Every function must be fully carried out for the weekend experience to have its greatest value.


Exhibit 3Suggested Method of Organizing the Preparation Groups

The pastor appoints a Church General Chairperson (or couple) for the Renewal Weekend. Together they recruit a chairperson (or couple) for each of the six Preparation Groups. In turn, these leaders enlist one or more church members for each of their subgroups.

Preparation Group 1: Spiritual Growth Group A. The Daily Devotions Person or Subgroup encourages church members to begin daily devotions in

preparation for the Renewal Weekend.B. The Literature Table Person or Subgroup sets up a book table with Bible study resources.C. The Small Group Studies Person or Subgroup lines up Bible studies and leaders for the small groups

that begin after the Renewal Weekend. D. The What’s Next? Subgroup should consist of people who are visionaries. The pastor should be a

member of this subgroup, and may chair it.

Preparation Group 2: Prayer Group A. The Season of Prayer Person or Subgroup considers having a Prayer Seminar or Special Season of

Prayer during a Wednesday night service prior to the Renewal Weekend.B. The 24-Hour Prayer Vigil Person or Subgroup is responsible for lining up the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil

that begins the day before the weekend.C. The Tabletop Prayer Reminder Person or Subgroup creates and distributes a prayer reminder.D. The “Acts in Prayer” Booklet Person or Subgroup orders and distributes an appropriate prayer

booklet for each church family.

Preparation Group 3: Communication GroupA. The Correspondence Person or Subgroup sends out a welcome letter to the team, and informational

letters to the church body.B. The Housing Person or Subgroup recruits church members to house visiting team members.C. The Welcome person or subgroup creates a welcome table, name tags, and sometimes a goody bag

for visiting team members. He also provides name tags for church members.D. The Facilities Person or Subgroup sets up rooms for breakout meetings and works with the video and

sound systems for the Renewal Weekend.

Preparation Group 4: Coffee GroupA. The Attendance Person or Subgroup assigns all church members to a Saturday morning Coffee.B. The Coffee Hostess Person or Subgroup recruits church members to host a Coffee meeting on

Saturday.C. The Coffee Transportation Person or Subgroup recruits church members to drive visiting team

members to the Coffees.

Preparation Group 5: Publicity GroupA. The Seniors Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among seniors of the church.B. The Adults Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among adults of the church.C. The Youth Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among the youth of the church and acts

as a liaison with the team Youth Coordinator.D. The Children Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among the children and acts as a

liaison with the team Children’s Coordinator.E. The Nursery Person or Subgroup recruits outside workers for the preschoolers.

Preparation Group 6: Food Group

A. The Meal Preparation Person or Subgroup prepares meals during the Renewal Weekend.B. The Fellowship Hall Person or Subgroup cleans up after meals.


Preparation Group Training

After the leadership for the Lay Renewal Weekend has been selected, a date is set for the Preparation Group Training. The purpose of this gathering is to give an overview of the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) and to acquaint each Preparation Group with its responsibilities. The Visiting Coordinator and the General Chairperson work together with the pastor to set the date, which should be approximately eight to 10 weeks prior to the actual Renewal Weekend.

This is usually the first meeting of the Preparation Groups. Copies of the group responsibilities should be given to all chairpersons prior to the meeting. These responsibilities are on the Church Resource CD that NAMB sends to the General Chairperson, online at www.churchrenewal.net, or in this manual. The Visiting Coordinator leads this training.

The Preparation Group Training takes approximately two and one half to three hours. It can be held on a Saturday morning and start with a light breakfast at 8 a.m. and end about 11, or begin at 10 a.m. and end with a sandwich lunch. Another option is to schedule it for Sunday after worship. In this case, a simple lunch could be planned. An option for the Preparation Group Training is to combine the training with a Leadership Prayer Retreat (Exhibit 4). Many churches have found this to be very helpful. Church staff members and all LRW chairpersons should attend this retreat. It is usually held at the church. This four-hour session introduces the concept of renewal through small group experiences, and through testimonies given by the Coordinator or Visiting Team members. Many of the participants will begin to experience renewal, which will motivate them even more to want it for their church.


Exhibit 4Four-Hour Leadership Prayer Retreat (Optional)

Preparation Group Training/Renewal Spiritual Awakening

Suggested Schedule:

♦♦ 8:30 - 9 a.m. Refreshments

♦♦ Opening thoughts, introduction of Visiting Coordinator

♦♦ Instructions and preparation for devotional time

♦♦ Individual devotions using Time Alone with God Prayer Guide (Exhibit 5)

♦♦ Discussion of quiet time

♦♦ Testimonies by team members

♦♦ Preparation Group training

♦♦ Lunch (optional)


Exhibit 5Time Alone With God Prayer Guide

For use with the Four-Hour Leadership Prayer Retreat (Exhibit 4)

Goal #1: To get to know God through fellowship with Him

Key Scripture: “Jesus answered, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him’” (John 14:23).

Thoughts: You invited Jesus into your heart. Have you allowed Him to settle in and be at home there? Is He comfortable? Can He do as He wills with you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, speak to my heart today from these Scriptures. I want to get to know You. I want to learn to abide in You and for You to abide in me.

Read each of the following Scripture passages. Use them as a plumb line to measure your own life against the truths they present. Pray quietly. Write your response to each in the space provided.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

What do you boast about? Do you glory in understanding and knowing the Lord? Do you delight in His attributes? Do you boast in His name? Read Psalm 20:7. Praise Him. Call on Him by His names you love the best.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Luke 10:38-42

Jesus says only one thing is necessary. Have you chosen the good part: sitting at His feet, learning from Him? Ask Him to remove things from your mind that worry and bother you. Read and listen to His voice in Isaiah 26:3-4, 41:10, and 43:1-2.

______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Philippians 3:8-10

Do you yearn to know Christ? Are you conformed to His image? Would you pray, “Lord, teach me what it is to have Your life reproduced in me”?

______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________


Goal #2: To receive direction for daily decisions

Key Scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths”

(Proverbs 3:5-6).

Thoughts: Jesus told us that without Him we can do nothing. We are told if we lack wisdom, to ask and it will be given liberally.

Pray: Lord Jesus, too often I have attempted to go my own way and control my own life. Lord, help me to really learn to turn the controls over to You. Help me listen to Your still, small voice as I search Your Word.

Psalm 121 Read Psalm 121 and thank the Lord that your help comes from Him. Write down some

areas in which you need God’s help and direction. ______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

Jeremiah 29:11-14a We can trust God. His plans and purposes are for our benefit, or for the benefit of others.

Call upon Him, pray to Him, seek Him with all your heart. He will be found, He declares. Rest in His Word.

Read the following Scripture passages. Write down what the Lord says to you personally.

Psalm 27:13-14________________________________________

Psalm 37:3-7, 23_______________________________________

Psalm 46:10___________________________________________

Hebrews 4:14-16_______________________________________

Hebrews 7:25, 11:6_____________________________________


Goal #3: To bring needs before God

Key Scripture: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Thoughts: Our Father knows our needs before we even ask Him, but He wants to hear from His own and He has promised to supply our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Pray: Father, teach me to pray as I ought. You said we have not because we ask not, or we sometimes ask amiss. Teach me to discern my needs from my wants and to pray according to Your will. Thank you for inviting me to cast my every care on You because You care for me.

Intercession for Others: 1 Timothy 2:1-5

Write people’s names and needs that you want to bring before our mediator, Christ Jesus. ______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Read Habakkuk 3:17-19. Will you, like this prophet of old, confess your complete confidence in God, even when circumstances are hard? Who is your strength?

______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

What Is Your Greatest Need Today?

Write out what your greatest need is today. ______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read John 14:13-14, John 15:7, and 1 John 5:14-15. Pray concerning your needs, and ask the Father to lead you to His will through the Scriptures. Ask Him to show you a promise in His word specifically for you. Be patient. He will direct you through His word.


Goal #4: To Enable Me to Bear Spiritual Fruit

Key Scripture: “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think—according to the power that works in you—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Thoughts: Jesus never intended us to struggle to produce something for Him. He intended us to simply abide in Him and allow Him to bring forth fruit. Our part is to love Him, to abide in Him, and to keep His commandments.

Pray: Lord Jesus, I want You to be glorified in my life as I bear much fruit. I realize that You, as the vine, will produce the fruit—much fruit, fruit that remains—as I continue to abide in You. Teach me how to constantly abide in You, Lord.

Psalm 51:10-17

Do you need to ask God to do a new, creative work in you—creating a clean heart and renewing a steadfast and willing spirit within you? Is witnessing a natural overflow of the joy of His presence in your life? Write down your own Psalm 51 for cleansing and power.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Write your personal prayer request concerning each of these Scripture passages:

Matthew 28:19-20 _____________________________________________________________

Luke 9:23 _____________________________________________________________________ 2 Timothy 2:2 _________________________________________________________________

Romans 12:1-2

Will you present your body as a living sacrifice to God, now—consciously? Will you be His disciple indeed? _____________________________________

Read John 8:31-32. Will you make a commitment now to spend time alone with God daily for the next 30 days? _________________________________


Preparation Group Meetings

The Preparation Group Chairperson should meet on a regular basis with his group. Likewise, the General Chairperson should meet frequently with the six group leaders. In both cases, the meetings are to function more as a “share group” than as a committee carrying out a duty. They will find that a real sense of renewal can begin in the process of preparing for the Weekend.

A possible format for each gathering could follow this schedule, allowing one-third of the time devoted to each area:

1. Bible study and review of group responsibilities in the manual 2. Share expectations, concerns, needs, and victories 3. Pray for God’s guidance and for the needs shared The brief Bible study time focuses on examples of renewal, such as in the lives of Jacob, Moses, David, or Peter. Bible promises that show God’s desire to renew His people can be shared. Also, during this time group responsibilities and the progress made to date are discussed.

The personal needs of individuals in the group and the anticipation of the Weekend should be the focus of the sharing time. One suggestion is to follow the format in the Acts in Prayer booklet (available from LifeWay Christian Resources, ISBN 0805492097, and from North Carolina Baptist Men). Prayer times should concentrate on group tasks, the Holy Spirit’s power and presence in planning for the Weekend, and on personal burdens. A list of unsaved people should be prayed for by each Preparation Group. Resist using “around the circle” sentence prayers. Instead, allow people to pray spontaneously and conversationally as they feel led.

Many significant renewal experiences have come from these team meetings. Groups gain a vision that God’s Spirit will awaken the church to spiritual vitality and new life. Excitement about the Lay Renewal Weekend grows as the group experiences unity and answers to prayer.


Chapter 5Pastor’s Responsibilities

It is essential that the pastor be involved in the investigating stage of the Church Renewal Journey. He will be a part of the “What’s Next?” Subgroup, and may chair it. He should seek the mind of the Lord concerning renewal and lead the church to anticipate a significant work of God.

The pastor and other staff members should be very involved in making decisions that affect the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW), meeting regularly with the leadership to give support. They should be quite familiar with all of the preparation materials. However, no staff member should try to coordinate the planning of the LRW. When leadership comes from the laity there is a much greater impact on the membership of the church. Keeping this in mind, the pastor chooses a General Chairperson and then together they select the six Group Chairpersons. The pastor should communicate regularly with the General Chairperson to give guidance to the preparation tasks. He must also stay in touch with the Visiting Coordinator to communicate special needs or problems encountered along the way. In addition, the pastor communicates with the congregation, preparing them for the Weekend and encouraging them to take part.

The Flow Chart (Exhibit 1) gives an overview of the preparation for the Weekend. Exhibit 6 gives a more detailed list of the pastor’s responsibilities for the Lay Renewal Weekend. A Pastor’s Guide can be requested by e-mailing [email protected] or downloaded at www.churchrenewal.net.


Exhibit 6 Checklist for the Pastor

____ Talk with a Consultant by contacting the NAMB Church Renewal Journey (CRJ) team at 1 888 634-2462 extension 6481 or [email protected].

____ Submit a request for a CRJ Overview (www.churchrenewal.net or Exhibit 7). NAMB will assign a Consultant based on this request.

____ Select a church member (or married couple) as the General Chairperson and work with him to assure that all preparation responsibilities are completed as planned.

____ Following the Overview, ask the Church to vote (agree) to schedule a Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW).

____ Submit a Renewal Weekend Application (www.churchrenewal.net or Exhibit 8). NAMB will assign a Visiting Coordinator based on this request.

____ Consult with the church staff to determine potential dates for the LRW that are distant in time from other churchwide events.

____ Confirm the LRW date with the Visiting Coordinator, and place it on the church calendar.

____ Estimate the budget for the LRW (Exhibit 9).

____ Work with the General Chairperson to select six Preparation Group Chairpersons (Week 14-12 prior to LRW). Plan to be a part of (but not chair) the Spiritual Growth Group.

____ Assign a staff Administrative Assistant as a point of contact for the Preparation Groups in order to coordinate work between the groups and the staff. (Larger churches)

____ The Visiting Coordinator invites the team members and sends a copy of the positive replies to the church. The pastor should write a “Welcome” letter to Visiting Team Members (Exhibit 10). Directions to the church should be included with the letter. The Correspondence person (or subgroup) should promptly send the letter (by mail or e-mail) as Team Members accept the invitation to come.

____ Direct teaching/preaching time to spiritual renewal, incorporating concepts from The Purpose-Driven Life, Forty Days of Community, MasterLife, etc.

____ Write/approve the first letter to the congregation (Exhibit 11). It can be placed in a church newsletter or bulletin (Week 6) in lieu of being mailed.

____ Write/approve the second letter to the congregation (Exhibit 12). This letter should be physically mailed out by the Correspondence Person (or subgroup) to church members and visitors. A copy of Acts in Prayer booklet can be included. (Week 4)

____ Assist the Chairperson of the Small Group Studies Subgroup in planning for the formation of small groups following the Weekend (Exhibit 28).

____ Review LRW Sunday School and Worship Schedules (Exhibits 13 and 14) with the staff.


Following the LRW:

____ Send an evaluation letter to the Visiting Team Members as soon as possible following the Weekend (Exhibit 15).

____ Send an evaluation of the Weekend (Exhibit 16) and a list of recommended names for prospective team members from your church. (Note: The Sunday Night Commitment and Evaluation Service gives an opportunity for church members to express an interest in being a team member.)

____ Reconvene the “What’s Next?” Subgroup two weeks after the Lay Renewal Weekend. Assist them in considering the possibility of another Church Renewal Journey Weekend.

____ Contact the Visiting Coordinator for a post-weekend consultation.


Exhibit 7 Church Renewal Journey Overview Application Form

This form also can be completed online at www.namb.net/crjoverview.

The Overview presentation takes about an hour. There is no cost or obligation for scheduling an Overview. Consider scheduling the Overview for the congregation at one of the following times:

Wednesday night service–Sunday night service–Sunday School hour with all adults meeting together (most requested/preferred time).

If preferred, the Overview can be presented to a smaller group first, such as the deacons and/or church council. Still have questions? E-mail [email protected] or call 1 888 634-2462, ext. 6481.

Pastor’s name ____________________________________________________________________________________

Pastor’s e-mail _________________________________________ Pastor’s phone ____________________________

Church __________________________________________________________________________________________

Church address __________________________________________________________________________________

City/State or Province/ZIP or Postal code _____________________________________________________________

Church phone _________________________________ Church e-mail _____________________________________

Church Web site __________________________________________________________________________________

Association ___________________________________ State convention ____________________________________

Resident membership __________________________ Number of church families ____________________________

Average Sunday School attendance: Adult ____________ Youth __________ Children (grades 1-6) ____________

Preschool (ages 4-5) ______________________________ Nursery (up to age 3) _____________________________

Preferred dates are not required, but are helpful if you have a date or dates in mind. Please allow at least three to six months of preparation time between the Overview and the actual Renewal Weekend dates.

Please give three possible dates with times for the Overview Presentation in your preferred order:Date and time,

1st Choice_______________________ 2nd Choice ______________________ 3rd Choice _______________________

Possible Renewal Weekend Dates (please allow three to six months preparation time):

1st Choice_______________________ 2nd Choice ______________________ 3rd Choice _______________________

Pastor’s signature _________________________________________________________________________________

Please complete this form and fax to: (678) 624-3412, e-mail to [email protected], or mail to: Church Renewal Journey, North American Mission Board, SBC, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022-4176.


Exhibit 8Renewal Weekend Application Form

This form also can be completed online at www.namb.net/crjweekend. Pastor’s name _____________________________________________________________________________________

Pastor’s e-mail ___________________________________________ Pastor’s phone ___________________________

General Chairperson (GC) __________________________________________________________________________

GC e-mail _________________________________________________ GC phone _____________________________

Church ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Church address ___________________________________________________________________________________

City/State or Province/ZIP or Postal code ______________________________________________________________

Church phone ______________________________________ Church e-mail _________________________________

Church Web site ___________________________________________________________________________________

Association _____________________________ State convention _________________________________________

Resident membership ____________________________ Number of church families __________________________

Average Sunday School attendance:Adult ___________ Youth ____________ Children (grades 1-6) ___________ Preschool (ages 4-5) ____________ Nursery (up to age 3)_____________

Check the type of Weekend you are requesting:□ Lay Renewal Weekend (Awakening) □ Lay Ministry Weekend (Equipping)□ Marketplace Evangelism (Commissioning) □ Prayer Weekend (Empowering) □ Acts 1:8 Weekend (Sending) □ Other ___________________________________

Preferred Date (please allow three to six months preparation time):1stChoice___________________ 2ndChoice ___________________ 3rdChoice ____________________

Consultant Preference ___________________Weekend Coordinator Preference ___________________

Has your church experienced a Renewal Weekend before? □ Yes □ No

Type of Weekend __________________________ Approximate year __________________________

Pastor’s signature __________________________________________________________________________________



Exhibit 9Budget for a Lay Renewal Weekend

Acts in Prayer Booklet Expense

The only resource the church needs to purchase for a Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) is the Acts in Prayer booklet, currently available from LifeWay Christian Resources for $1.29.

These booklets also can be purchased for $.75 each (which includes postage and handling) from North Carolina Baptist Men by contacting them at 1 800 395-5102, ext. 5599. Most churches order one copy for each church family. It also can be taught as a Wednesday night study or during Sunday School to help church members develop a prayer life in preparation for the LRW.

Weekend Meals Expenses

The biggest expense to the church for the Weekend is the meals. However, many churches place a donation box at the start of the meal line and recoup all or most of these costs. Remember that the Visiting Team Members will be guests at the churchwide meals.

The meals include:

1. Churchwide meal Friday night (this could be a covered dish)2. Churchwide lunch Saturday (youth could have their own pizza lunch away from the church)3. Churchwide meal on Saturday night (this could be covered dish)4. Sunday Lunch for the Visiting Team (some churches also include the host families)

Postage Expenses for the Weekend

The pastor is responsible for writing two letters to the congregation promoting the weekend, but the first letter can be printed in the church newsletter and/or bulletin rather than being mailed. The second letter should be mailed with first-class postage and include the Acts in Prayer booklet.

The church’s General Chairperson should send a third letter to the congregation via first class postage and/or e-mail. This letter includes a copy of the weekend schedule and other important information about the youth and children’s activities.

The pastor is responsible to mail and/or e-mail the Visiting Team members a thank you note for coming and serving in the church. It should include a report on the Sunday night Evaluation Service.

Publicity Expenses

The church may want to print Lay Renewal posters and banners in order to display them in the church and community; $150 should be sufficient to cover these costs. Often a church member can do this on a computer (see Exhibit 52). Some churches put large banners outside. These can be printed and laminated at office supply locations or print shops.


We recommend that the children and youth hold a poster contest to promote the Weekend (Exhibit 57). First, second, and third place winners in the two age groups can be recognized on a Sunday morning with ribbons or simple awards.

Some churches have a multi-media contest. Youth compete by making a promotional video for the LRW. A prize or award is usually given to the winners. Winners can enter their videos in a national competition where awards are given annually. Ask your Visiting Coordinator for more details.

Preschool and Nursery Expenses

Some churches hire professional day care workers to take care of the youngest children for the Weekend (the Visiting Team will work with grade school children). Another possibility is to hire Acteens from another church, or to work out a “swap” with another local church doing a LRW at close to the same time. Ideally church members should not be involved in nursery/preschool child care so that they are free to participate in the Weekend.

Team Member Expenses

There is no cost to the church for the visiting Team Members or for the Visiting Coordinator. They travel at their own expense. If they prefer to stay in a local hotel rather than be housed with church members, they are responsible for their own reservations and expenses.

There is also no charge for the Overview Presentation and the Preparation Group training. No love offering will be taken up during the LRW, nor will there ever be any discussion of team expenses.


Exhibit 10Sample of Pastor’s Welcome Letter to Team Members

(This letter should be mailed or e-mailed to the Team Members as soon as they reply that they are participating. It lets them know that the church is expecting them and should include a map and/or directions to the church. It can be very brief and is sent from the pastor. The General Chairperson makes sure that someone from the Correspondence Subgroup is assigned to send out this letter.)

(Date)

Dear (Team Member’s name),

Thank you for agreeing to serve as a visiting Team Member for our Lay Renewal Weekend. We are looking forward to what God has in store for our church and are glad that you are going to be a part of it. A map and directions to the church are included in this letter. (Include the church street address in the directions.)

Our church has a membership of approximately (number) with an average Sunday School attendance of (number). Our membership is composed of (List facts about your church you would like to include—for example, a general cross section of people, more young than old.). You may want to look at our Web site to learn more: (church Web address). If you have any questions or need to know anything about our church or about the Renewal Weekend, please call our church at (church phone number) or contact our Church’s General Chairperson (Chairperson’s name and home phone number).

Thanks again for devoting your time to participate in the Renewal Weekend with our church family. We look forward to meeting you and appreciate your prayers on our behalf. Sincerely,

(Pastor’s name)Pastor – (church’s name)


Exhibit 11Sample of Pastor’s First Letter to the Congregation

(This should be sent out or placed in church publications six weeks prior to the Lay Renewal Weekend).

(Date) My Dear Church Family: I am writing you today about an important event on the calendar of our church, the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). The event is scheduled (Weekend dates here), and I believe it holds tremendous possibilities for each of us. During the LRW, we will have large group learning sessions and small group sessions. The Weekend will begin with a dinner on Friday night, (Friday’s date here). There will be Saturday morning Coffees in church members’ homes, followed by lunch at the church. There will be a Saturday evening dinner and learning session, and special programs in our Sunday School and worship services on Sunday. I believe that this Lay Renewal Weekend is coming at an important time in the life of our church. Without a doubt, this will be a time of spiritual growth and enrichment that will strengthen our ministries. The Weekend is just 42 hours long. To maximize this experience, I want you to attend each session. There will be a team of laypeople coming to share with us their experiences as well as listen to ours. It will be an opportunity to grow closer to others in our congregation and also grow in faith. Mark your calendar today, and plan to attend each session. Notices will appear in church bulletins and newsletters to sign up for meals during this weekend. Sincerely, (Pastor’s Name Here)Pastor


Exhibit 12Sample of Pastor’s Second Letter to the Congregation

(This letter from the pastor is to be sent by the Correspondence Subgroup four weeks prior to the Lay Renewal Weekend. Enclose the Acts in Prayer booklet with the letter.)

(Date)

Dear Friend, I hope that you’re getting excited about our upcoming Lay Renewal Weekend on (date). I am counting on you to be a part of it!

I am enclosing a little booklet that I think you will find extremely helpful in your own search for new life in Christ and for a deeper faith.

For the last month our church has been deeply involved in getting ready for the Lay Renewal Weekend. A number of groups already have been at work, and we have high hopes that this will be one of the most meaningful experiences we have had in our church in a long time. I urge you to attend all the sessions. There is a dinner on Friday evening, Coffee groups on Saturday morning, men’s and women’s luncheons on Saturday at noon, and a dinner meeting on Saturday evening. The nursery will be in operation during the entire weekend. Plan to be present at each session. Please make these short 42 hours a church weekend. This indeed may prove to be one of the most meaningful experiences of your life. Join me in prayer that this will truly bring new life to our congregation.

Sincerely yours,

(Pastor’s name)

enclosure


Exhibit 13Typical Lay Renewal Sunday School Schedule

Nursery, Preschool, and Children’s Sunday School

The church’s usual nursery, preschool, and children’s Sunday School teachers and workers should plan to handle the Sunday School hour normally.

Youth Sunday School

The Visiting Youth Team usually will lead the Sunday School hour.

Adult Sunday School (Option 1)

The usual adult Sunday School teachers are asked to prepare to teach the regular lesson during the Sunday School hour. However, we ask them to be flexible with the time.

A visiting team member(s) will be assigned to each adult Sunday School class. The usual teacher should be informed that a Visiting Team Member(s) will be in their class and that they should introduce the Team Member before starting their lesson.

When the visiting Team Member is introduced, he will ask if any class member who participated in the Lay Renewal Weekend would like to share what the Weekend meant to them. Hopefully other class members will join in the discussion, giving their comments about what the Renewal Weekend has meant to them.

This discussion will hopefully take up most of the class time. If the discussion runs short, the Sunday School teacher should finish out any remaining time with a summary of the prepared lesson.

If no one in the class attended the Lay Renewal Weekend or if they choose not to share, then the visiting Team Member will give a five- to 10-minute testimony about how Christ changed their life during a Renewal Weekend. He will thank the class and teacher for allowing the team to come and share in the weekend and the worship time with them. The teacher will then teach the prepared lesson.

The Visiting Team Member will not be prepared to teach a Sunday School Lesson. It is important that the regular Sunday School teachers understand that they will need to be prepared to teach, if needed.

Adult Sunday School (Option 2)

The Coordinator may request all adult Sunday School classes meet in the fellowship hall or sanctuary and ask several church members to explain the Weekend thus far for those who were not able to attend Friday or Saturday. A brief overview of the next steps of the Church Renewal Journey may be given by the Coordinator or a Team Member.


Exhibit 14Typical Lay Renewal Sunday Worship Schedule

The church should open the Sunday worship as they normally do with music, announcements, and receiving the offering. Having a choir for the opening worship is optional. After receiving the offering, the pastor introduces the Visiting Coordinator, who takes the service from this point. The Coordinator needs as much of the worship time as possible.

Opening music and song led by church Minister of Music ______________________________________

Opening prayer and announcements by Pastor or someone he assigns ___________________________

Offertory prayer by Pastor or someone he assigns _____________________________________________

Offertory music led by church Minister of Music or assigned person ______________________________

Pastor introduces and turns service over to the Visiting Coordinator ______________________________

The Coordinator:

1. Briefly explains the purpose of the Lay Renewal Weekend and the Church Renewal Journey.2. Recognizes and thanks all of the church members involved in preparing the church for the

Renewal Weekend. 3. Briefly introduces the Visiting Team by having them stand as a group.4. Calls on a visiting Team Member to speak for the team and thank the church for their hospitality and

meals.5. Calls on a visiting Team Member for a six- to eight-minute testimony6. Special music or solo is provided by the visiting team Music Leader.7. The Coordinator calls on another visiting Team Member for a six- to eight-minute testimony. 8. The Coordinator extends an invitation and calls for the Pastor to receive any who respond. (The invitation

hymn is led by the visiting Music Leader.)

The Pastor now has charge of service and closes as he desires.

The church bulletin can list the order of the Sunday worship service and insert “Service by Visiting Renewal Team” at the point where the pastor turns service over to the Coordinator.

The church’s Minister of Music can decide to have the Music Leader on the visiting team handle all of the Sunday worship music if they desire. The Coordinator should be told of any changes from the above schedule.

This schedule can be repeated in churches with multiple Sunday morning worship services.


Exhibit 15Sample Outline of Pastor’s Evaluation Letter to Team Members

1. Thank them for faithfulness and contribution.

2. Discuss your assessment and a summary of the Sunday night Commitment and Evaluation Service. Be positive, but also realistic. Give God the praise.

3. Discuss visible results surfacing during the Weekend. Especially address the following:

a. Sunday night Commitment and Evaluation Service

b. Professions of faith

c. Rededications

d. Commitments

4. Evaluate the invisible results you expect to see as the church continues on the Renewal Journey.


Note Page


Exhibit 16Pastor’s Evaluation of the Lay Renewal Weekend

1. Pastor’s Name _________________________________________ Church Phone ___________________________

Name of Church __________________________________________________________________________________

Church Address ___________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/ZIP ____________________________________________________________________________________

Coordinator: _____________________________________________________________________________________

2. How would you describe the effects of the weekend on those who participated? __________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How do you evaluate the content of the team members?__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Check positive contribution(s) the Lay Renewal Weekend made to your congregation.

❏ Better attendance ❏ Call to redemptive ministry heard by many

❏ Deeper spirit of love ❏ Awareness of spiritual gifts

❏ Easier to witness ❏ Other _________________

5. What changes, if any, would you suggest in your Lay Renewal Weekend?

❏ More Materials ❏ Fewer Materials ❏ Special Training for Pastor

❏ More Team Members ❏ Special Training for Laity ❏ More Participation

❏ Visits by the Coordinator ❏ Other _________________

6. What impact has the weekend had on the church youth group (for youth and involved adults)?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________


7. Your personal evaluation and/or recommendations: _________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Who do you recognize in your church as potential Renewal Weekend Team Members or Coordinators? Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/ZIP _____________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/ZIP _____________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/ZIP _____________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/ZIP _____________________________________________________________________________________

E-mail ____________________________________________________________________________________________



Chapter 6General Chairperson’s Responsibilities

The General Chairperson (GC) has the overall responsibility to prepare the church for the Renewal Weekend. This position is usually selected by the pastor and works closely with the church staff. The person or couple who fills this role should have the spiritual gift of administration and should have a significant amount of time to devote to Renewal.


Exhibit 17Checklist for General Chairperson (GC)

____ Work with the pastor in selecting leadership for each of the six Preparation Groups. These leaders in turn should recruit a person or subgroup for each of their assigned tasks.

____ Request a printout of the current membership/prospect list for the church. A copy of this should be given to the GC, the Housing person, and the Coffee Hostess person.

____ For large churches, it is helpful to have the current membership and prospect list sent to the Coffee Attendance person as an electronic document. If this is not feasible, the Coffee Attendance person should receive a paper copy like the one requested for the GC.

____ Work with pastor regarding plans for a prayer emphasis. ____ Work with the pastor in determining the date and arrangements for the initial training meeting. Decide

whether or not to have a Four-Hour Leadership Prayer Retreat (Exhibit 4) in conjunction with the training. Contact the Visiting Coordinator to schedule the training.

____ Make copies of the Preparation Group handouts. These are available from the Visiting Coordinator’s Resource CD. Distribute these to the Preparation Groups prior to the training.

____ Encourage all church staff and Preparation Group volunteers to attend the Preparation Group Training, which should take place 8-10 weeks prior to the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW).

____ Work with staff members to determine unique needs for different groups in the church (such as the deaf,

internationals, etc.).

____ Determine if outside help is needed for the nursery/preschoolers (through age 5) during the Weekend.

____ Determine if the church or the visiting Children’s Coordinator is to provide leadership for the children (grades 1 to 6) during the Weekend.

____ Determine if the usual children’s Sunday School teachers or the visiting Children’s Coordinator will handle

Sunday School. ____ Contact the Youth Coordinator and discuss the needs for the youth. ____ Keep the Planning Calendar and coordinate Preparation Group activities accordingly (Exhibit 18). ____ Letter number 1 sent from the pastor (can be in a church publication, Exhibit 11—week 6 prior to LRW). ____ Church Membership grouped for Coffees—week 5 prior to LRW. ____ Publicity posters/announcements read—week 4 prior to LRW. ____ Letter number 2 sent from pastor (Exhibit 12). Should be mailed by the Correspondence person or

subgroup and can include the Acts in Prayer booklet—week 4 prior to LRW.

____ Ask the Minister of Music (Worship Leader) to complete the Renewal Church Music Questionnaire (Exhibit 21) and return it to the Visiting Music Coordinator—week 4 prior to LRW.


____ 24-Hour Prayer Vigil sign up begins—week 3 prior to LRW. ____ Coffee Hosts List completed—week 3 prior to LRW.

____ Youth Outings finalized (location, transportation, food)—week 3 prior to LRW. ____ Weekly Church Newsletters contain publicity, needs, and finally a schedule—weeks 4, 3, 2, 1 prior to LRW. ____ Letter number 3 sent from the General Chairperson with a prayer reminder and schedule of events

(Exhibit 19)—week 2 prior to LRW. ____ Housing group asks hosts to write a note of welcome to their guests—week 2 prior to LRW. ____ Letter of welcome to the Visiting Team Members sent from the pastor, including directions to church and a

schedule of the Weekend (Exhibit 10)—week 2 prior to LRW. (Your coordinator may suggest doing this as Visiting Team Member replies are received.)

____ Testimonies planned for worship services: ____ Week 3 (suggestion: Preparation Group Chairperson) ____ Week 2 (suggestion: another Preparation Group Chairperson or a group member) ____ Week 1 (suggestion: an outside Renewal Team Member) ____ 24-Hour Prayer Vigil sign up complete. Have copies of the One Hour Alone With God Prayer Guide (Exhibit

34) printed and ready for Prayer Vigil time—week 1 prior to LRW. ____ Work with each group chairperson as needs for each group arise. ____ Hold regular group meetings, for planning and prayer. A joint meeting of all Preparation Group

Chairpersons should be scheduled two weeks before the Lay Renewal Weekend to go over any last minute details.

____ Meet with appropriate staff members to delete the regularly-scheduled meetings and duties from the

calendar. ____ A choir is not required for the Weekend sessions. Request that the Visiting Coordinator complete the Lay

Renewal Sunday Worship Agenda Form. Give copies to the pastor, minister of music, pianist, and other staff members involved in Sunday worship.

____ Determine if a pianist or musician is coming with the team. ____ Sunday School leadership for adults and youth need to be advised of Renewal Weekend Sunday School

plans. Determine if the usual adult Sunday School teachers should prepare to teach the lesson on Lay Renewal Sunday morning.

____ Consult with the Sunday School director about the method to be used on Sunday morning to collect

offering envelopes and to count attendance. Encourage the church to omit the usual record-keeping chores.

____ Determine if there will be a Children’s Church service and who will handle it. ____ Determine how the congregation can quickly find each small group’s location for Friday and Saturday.

The Facilities person should post a number on the room door indicating each small group’s location.


____ Publish a floor plan with a list of small group locations; include the location of youth and children’s groups

(suggested for large churches).

____ Plan which room will be used for the team meetings and advise the Welcome Group. They will place Team Member refreshments, instruction sheets/books, name tags, and housing assignments on a table outside the room for distribution as the team arrives on Friday.

____ Work with the Weekend Coordinator and the Housing Chairperson on Friday evening to make necessary

changes in the housing arrangements.

____ Advise the Coordinator of the plan for matching hosts and guests, so that he can tell the team during the Friday afternoon team meeting. (Note: One idea that works well is to have team members and their hosts sit together at the Friday evening meal. Assigned seats can be designated by placards and/or names written on helium balloons that are attached to chairs.)

____ Arrange for someone to open the building on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the team’s scheduled

meetings. ____ Stay in touch on a weekly basis with the Visiting Coordinator. ____ Plan format for the Evaluation Service, working with the pastor and the Spiritual Growth Chairperson

(Exhibit 22). Make enough copies of the Lay Renewal Commitment and Evaluation Form (Exhibit 23) for the congregation.

____ Lead the Sunday evening Evaluation Service. Allow someone from the Spiritual Growth Group to speak

about the small group studies that will begin after the LRW. Instruct the congregation to fill in evaluation commitment forms. Take them up during the service.

____ Meet with the Visiting Coordinator, the Pastor, and the “What’s Next?” Subgroup to evaluate the weekend and determine the next step. This should take place two weeks after the LRW.

____ Depend entirely on God’s Holy Spirit to work through you to accomplish your heavy task. Pray for His

leadership.


Exhibit 18 Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) Planning Calendar

Week 18-16 ♦ Consultant presents Church Renewal Journey Overview to church.

Week 16-14 ♦ Church decides to initiate the Church Renewal Journey by scheduling a LRW ♦ State office assigns Church Coordinator.♦ Pastor selects local church General Chairperson (GC).

Week 14-12 ♦ Pastor and General Chairperson select Preparation Group Chairpersons.♦ Preparation Group Chairpersons enlist church members to serve on their group.♦ Pastor initiates a churchwide prayer emphasis in preparation for renewal.

Week 10-8 ♦ Coordinator trains Preparation Groups (the organizational meeting or four-hour retreat).

♦ Prayer Group orders Acts in Prayer booklet for each church family.♦ Pastor writes “Welcome” letter for visiting Team Members and gives it to the Correspondence

Chairperson.♦ Coordinator contacts potential visiting Team Members and sends the positive responses to the

GC, the Housing Chairperson, and the Correspondence Chairperson.

Week 7-6 ♦ Communication Group begins sending pastor’s “Welcome” e-mail or letter to visiting Team Members as they agree to participate. Letter should include directions to the church and information about housing (if available).

♦ Pastor’s first letter to the congregation is either mailed or placed in a church publication.

Week 5 ♦ Coffee Group divides church membership into groups for Saturday Coffees.

Week 4 ♦ Publicity Group plans for LRW promotion or skits in Sunday School and Worship Services and begins advertising in church publications.

♦ Publicity Group begins plans for LRW Poster contest among youth and/or children.♦ Communication Group mails out Pastor’s second letter to the congregation, including the

Acts of Prayer booklet.♦ Worship Leader sends Renewal Church Music Questionnaire to Weekend Coordinator.

Week 3 ♦ Prayer Group begins sign up for 24-Hour Prayer Vigil.

♦ Coffee Group completes enlisting homes to host Saturday morning Coffees.♦ Communication Group completes enlisting church members to house visiting team.♦♦ Pastor or General Chairperson enlists testimonies for the remaining Sundays (the Visiting

Coordinator may be able to suggest team members who are willing to come).

Week 2 ♦ Communication Group mails letter from General Chairperson to congregation including prayer reminder cards from the Prayer Group and a weekend schedule.

♦ Communication Group mails welcome letter to team members with a map and a schedule of LRW.

Week 1 ♦ Preparation Group members give testimonies (optional). ♦ Home Prayer Meetings led by members of Prayer Group (optional). ♦ 24-Hour Prayer Vigil begins on Thursday at 5 p.m. ♦ Visiting Team Members arrive Friday for 5 p.m. Team Meeting.


Exhibit 19Sample Letter from the General Chairperson (GC)

(To be sent from the GC by the Correspondence Subgroup two weeks prior to the Lay Renewal Weekend. A Table Top Prayer Reminder (Exhibit 35) and a schedule of events (Exhibit 2) can be included.)

(Date)

Dear Church Family,

By now you have heard much about the upcoming Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) at (name of church) on (date of weekend). We recognize that many of you still have questions about what to expect. The weekend aims to help us discover who we are in Christ and how we are connected to each other as members of God’s church. Through the LRW you will have the opportunity to get to know church members who may be in another pew or another service. It is a time for sharing where we are in our spiritual journey as well as sharing our needs and hopes.

Prayer is the key to renewal. We hope that your enclosed prayer tent card serves as a daily reminder for you to pray. Our prayer emphasis continues on Thursday, (date), as we begin a 24-hour Prayer Vigil to prepare our hearts for renewal. The weekend’s activities begin at (time) on Friday with a meal together (see enclosed schedule). (Give details about any food that the members should bring. Also give details about the meals and meetings on Saturday). On Sunday morning our guests will share their testimonies. (Make a comment about preschool and children’s Sunday School teachers working their usual schedule, if appropriate.) You will not want to miss the Sunday evening service as our church family shares what God has been doing in our midst. Here are some details of the weekend for the different age groups: (give details as appropriate)

We don’t want you to miss a blessing at (church name). Laypeople are coming at their own expense to lead us. Church volunteers have literally spent hundreds of hours in preparation for this time. Families have offered their homes to house visiting team members, and other families have agreed to host Coffee socials. To all of these we say a huge “Thank you.” To you, we say, “Come.” Come and be blessed.

Sincerely,

(Name(s) LRW General Chairperson(s))

Enclosures: Table Top Prayer Reminder LRW Schedule of Events


Exhibit 20Flowchart for Information on Visiting Team Members

When a Visiting Team member agrees to participate, the Visiting Coordinator e-mails Team Member contact information to the General Chairperson (GC) and the Housing and

Correspondence group chairpersons.

Housing Group makes housing assignments as needed.

Housing asks hosts to send a welcome note, e-mail, or phone call to Visiting Team members who will stay in their homes.

Housing sends housing assignments to GC and Correspondence Group.

Correspondence Group receives information from Coordinator and Housing and updates Visiting Team list.

Correspondence updates Visiting Team list with the date information is sent and copies GC, Welcome Group, and Housing Group.

Welcome Group sets up Visiting Team meeting room including Visiting Team name tags. Welcome Group may also provide light refreshments.

Correspondence sends Pastor’s Welcome Letter or e-mail to Visiting Team members including:• Thank you for coming (pastor’s letter),• Arrival instructions (Friday Team Meeting time, Team Meeting location),• Map or directions to church,• Church contact information (address, e-mail address, phone number,

Web site address),• Housing information, if needed, and• Request for confirmation of receipt of the Welcome Letter from the church.

VISITING TEAM MEMBERS

STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 6

STEP 7

STEP 8


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Exhibit 21Renewal Church Music Questionnaire

(The General Chairperson should make sure that the church’s Worship Leader completes this form and it is returned to the Visiting Coordinator by four weeks prior to the LRW.)

Name and address of church: __________________________________________________________________

Date and type of Renewal Weekend: ____________________________________________________________

Worship Leader’s name: __________________________________ Work phone: ________________________

Cell phone: ___________________ E-Mail address: _____________________________________________

1. If you have one Sunday Morning Worship, what is the Worship style and time?

❏ Traditional

❏ Contemporary

❏ Blended

2. If you have more than one Sunday Morning Worship, what are the start times and worship styles?

1st Style of worship

2nd Style of worship

3rd Style of worship

3. Name of hymnal used in worship. ____________________________________________________________

4. Instruments regularly used:

❏ Piano - ❏ Spinet ❏ Console ❏ Grand

❏ Organ - Name of organ _______________________

❏ Pipe ❏ Electronic

❏ Keyboard - Name of keyboard __________________

5. Order of service for Sunday Morning Service. (Choose one.)

❏ Church musicians/Pastor will handle “front-end” of the service through offertory and then turn over to Lay Renewal Coordinator?

❏ Renewal Team will have entire Sunday Morning Service after Pastor greets church members? ❏ Will discuss with Coordinator later.


6. The Visiting Team will usually supply the pianist for the General Sessions on Friday and Saturday Nights. However, will the church pianist be available if needed? ❏ Yes ❏ No

Pianist Name: _____________________________________________________

Phone: __________________ E-mail: __________________________________

7. Where will the General Sessions take place?

❏ Sanctuary ❏ Fellowship Hall ❏ Family Life Center ❏ Other

8. Visiting Team Meeting Room will need a piano in the room, if possible. Piano? ❏ Yes ❏ No

Size of the room?

How many chairs will the room handle in a circle?

9. Who will be the audio technician for each of the General Sessions?

Friday Evening ________________________________________

Saturday Morning _____________________________________

Saturday Afternoon ____________________________________

Saturday Evening ______________________________________

Sunday Morning _______________________________________

10. Microphones:

❏ Pulpit ❏ Corded hand-held ❏ Cordless hand-held ❏ Lapel

11. Tape player/mixer? ❏ Yes ❏ No

12. PowerPoint equipment available? ❏ Yes ❏ No

If yes, is it regularly used in worship services? ❏ Yes ❏ No


Exhibit 22Sunday Night Commitment and Evaluation Service

This service is generally the highlight of the Lay Renewal Weekend. The team members have returned to their home churches, so this is when the local members share their experiences and evaluate what has happened. Since all regularly scheduled Sunday evening meetings are cancelled, this service could start an hour earlier than the usual Sunday night worship service. Don’t set a time limit for this service. It will run from two and one half to four hours, depending on the size of the crowd. Allow God time to do what He wants to do. Some who did not attend the Weekend may still experience renewal by hearing the Body share. If parents of small children are present, encourage them to feel free to leave as needed. Do not have a choir. The pastor will not preach a sermon. An offering could be omitted unless a love offering is needed for the weekend’s nursery caregivers. Special music should be planned only if it contributes to the focus of the evening. A suggested format is as follows: 1) Sing two or three choruses in praise to God. 2) Introduce the evening. The General Chairperson should share what the Weekend has meant to him/her

personally. He should then explain that this is a time for individuals to share what the Weekend has meant to them. The General Chairperson should model a good testimony by being personal, vulnerable, and brief. He should sit near the front while others freely come to share.

3) All ages should be invited to share spontaneously as they feel led. A microphone(s) with a stand should

be set up in the front of the room. Ask people to come to the microphone if they wish to speak. A portable microphone can be passed to those who have difficulty walking, but keep encouraging everyone to come forward so that they may be more easily seen and heard. Require anyone who wants to speak to use a microphone. (If anyone is allowed to speak without using a microphone, it will be much harder to get others to continuing using it. When people cannot hear what is being said, they will lose interest quickly.) The General Chairperson should be the one who continually encourages the use of the microphone.

Don’t worry about a few minutes of silence during the evening; these are times the Lord uses to speak. However, you could ask the chairpersons of each Preparation Group to watch for a time of silence and be ready to give their testimony. As individuals express prayer requests or needs, the General Chairperson should be ready to ask someone to lift that need in prayer.

4) About an hour into the service, the General Chairperson should pause with the testimonies and introduce the

chairperson of the Spiritual Growth Group. This leader should explain that the testimony part of the evening will resume in a few minutes. He should then briefly explain about the purpose of the Commitment and Evaluation Forms (Exhibit 23) and ask the Spiritual Growth Group to hand out the forms.

Each adult, youth, and child present should be given an Evaluation Form to fill out. The testimonies should be paused during this time. Arrange for someone to play soft background hymns while the forms are being completed and then collected. The forms should not be taken home.


The Spiritual Growth Group Chairperson could also take a few minutes at this time to give his testimony or evaluation of the weekend. He can explain about any small groups that are planned to start after the Renewal Weekend. He could introduce the titles of the study groups and who will be facilitating them. He should briefly explain his own vision of what he believes God wants to accomplish through the “Awakened Body” and how they plan to continue the Renewal Journey.

5) Do not stop the service after taking up the evaluation forms. Invite others who have not shared yet to come.

You may wish to sing another chorus of praise before beginning again. Encourage the youth, children, senior adults, and church staff to participate.

6) After a couple of hours, the General Chairperson should tell the congregation that the remaining part of the service will be very informal and it is perfectly okay for them to leave if necessary. They may want to go and get their young children from the nursery and bring them into the service for the closing.

7) The General Chairperson should decide when the service should conclude. A good time to begin to close is when the same people start to come back for second testimonies. Ask that they allow anyone who has not spoken yet to have the first opportunity. Some who are usually quiet will wait until the last minute before they have enough courage to speak up. These members’ comments are important, because they are rarely heard. If the service is closed too early, these comments will be missed.

8) Closing the Service. Ask the pastor to close the service. Ask him to close with his comments about the

weekend and his vision for the church. This is not a time for a sermon, but a time for the church to hear his heart and passion. Let the Holy Spirit lead. Be sensitive to the Spirit as to whether or not an invitation should be given. There may be many people who are ready to be fully-committed following the evening of sharing. You may want to circle the sanctuary for the pastor’s closing prayer.

9) Sometimes this service is closed by placing a couple of chairs at the front of the sanctuary and asking the

pastor and his wife to be seated while the rest of those remaining circle around them, lay hands on them, and say sentence prayers for them as a closing.


Exhibit 23Lay Renewal Commitment and Evaluation Form

(The General Chairperson should make copies of this form for each adult, youth, and older child attending the Sunday night Commitment and Evaluation Service. Please forward a copy of this form to the Weekend Coordinator from any church member interested in being a Team Member to another church.)

Name: _______________________________________________ Today’s Date: ________________Address: ___________________________________________________________________________City, State, ZIP: _____________________________________________________________________Telephone (Home): ___________________________ (Cell): ________________________________E-mail Address: _____________________________________________________________________Church: ______________________________________ Pastor: ______________________________Your Birthday: ____/____/____ Spouse’s Name: _________________________________________

Personal Commitments and Rededications as a result of this weekend.____ I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and His gift of eternal life.____ I request baptism and church membership.____ I present my life to Jesus Christ in total surrender to His Lordship.____ I desire to develop a personal quiet time with the Lord each day.____ I want to learn to share my faith in Jesus.____ I want to rededicate my life to Him and want to make the following personal commitment:

________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Use back of this form if more space is needed)

Continuing Commitments I want to embark on the Renewal journey in the following ways:

____ I want to be part of a small group that meets for study, prayer support, and ministering to each other.

____ I am interested in facilitating or leading a small group.____ I am willing to open my home for small group meetings. ____ I prefer to be in a group that meets at the church on Sunday or Wednesday.

Personal Comments and Evaluations of the Weekend (Please use back of this form if needed) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Future PlansDo you think our church should continue to the next step of the Church Renewal Journey and schedule a Lay Ministry Weekend which deals with the equipping phase of the Journey? _____________________________

Would you like to serve on one of the Preparation Groups for the Lay Ministry Weekend? _______________

Which group or area would you like to serve with? _________________________________________________________

____ I would be interest in participating as an Observing Team Member on a Renewal Weekend at another church.

Please tear off the section of this form below this line so you will have the info to register as a team member online.

To Register: Go to www.churchrenewal.net/teamregistration and fill out the online form.Registering as a team member does not obligate you to anything, but allows our coordinators to know those who would like to be invited. We understand that you may be invited several times before you find a weekend where you can participate. New Observing Team Members will be put with an experienced team member on their first Weekend for “on the job training.” If you have questions, you can contact us at [email protected] and request a new Team Member manual.


Note Page


Chapter 7Spiritual Growth Group Responsibilities

The Spiritual Growth Group is charged with four primary responsibilities which guide and influence the renewal process in the church. Depending on the size of the congregation, the chairperson of the Spiritual Growth Group must recruit an individual or a subgroup of people to accomplish each of these responsibilities. These four subgroups are:

♦♦ The Daily Devotions Person or Subgroup encourages church members to begin daily devotions in preparation for the renewal weekend.

♦♦ The Literature Table Person or Subgroup sets up a book table with Bible study resources during the Lay Renewal Weekend. They work closely with the Daily Devotions Subgroup.

♦♦ The Small Group Studies Person or Subgroup lines up Bible studies and leaders for the small groups that begin after the Renewal Weekend.

♦♦ The What’s Next? Subgroup should consist of people who are visionaries. This is the group that helps guide the church to consider how best to continue on the Church Renewal Journey. Folks who were a part of investigating whether or not to have a Lay Renewal Weekend should be included here. The pastor and other staff members should be members of this subgroup. The pastor may chair this subgroup. This subgroup also compiles a list of those who wish to become LRW Team Members and sends it to the Visiting Coordinator.

For the ease of discussion, the persons fulfilling each of these responsibilities will hereafter be referred to as a “subgroup” even though an individual may be carrying out the duty. In the case of the “What’s Next?” responsibility, more than one person is needed.

The chairperson of the Spiritual Growth Group is accountable for accomplishing all the tasks assigned to the Spiritual Growth Group. He/she should meet with the four subgroups on a regular basis and report their progress or concerns to the General Chairperson. The Spiritual Growth Group should consider the MAPCHURCH tool (www.mapchurch.com, see Exhibit 30) and along with the pastor determine if this is a process that the church should undertake.


Daily Devotions Subgroup Responsibilities

During the preparation period, the Daily Devotions Subgroup will challenge the church members to develop a personal devotional life of prayer and Bible study “quiet time.” This challenge may include teaching, testimonies, encouragement, and example.

The group could arrange to have members of the congregation share their personal devotional experiences with the congregation. This could be done as a testimony to the entire church during one of the Sunday services, or as part of a Wednesday night prayer service. Testimonies also could be featured in a Sunday School department or class.

This group might choose to provide other good devotional guides. Many appropriate books could be highlighted in the church newsletter or introduced in a Sunday School department or class. Work with the Literature Subgroup on the best way to use them to encourage spiritual growth.

There are also many daily devotionals that can be e-mailed to each church member from popular ministries such as Rick Warren’s. Many of Rick’s devotionals deal with finding and using your spiritual gifts. ([email protected])

Daily devotions can be a powerful tool to soften the hearts of church members so they may be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to do during and after the Renewal Weekend.


Exhibit 24Daily Devotions Subgroup Checklist

____ Stay in touch with the Spiritual Growth Chairperson regarding any plans and concerns of this subgroup.

____ Encourage the development of a personal devotional life among the church members. ____ Work with the pastor and the Season of Prayer Subgroup to plan, schedule, and promote a prayer seminar,

if desired.

____ Encourage membership to attend the Prayer Seminar.

____ Assist the Prayer Group in appropriate follow-up to prayer seminar or other emphasis. ____ Work with the General Chairperson, the pastor, the Prayer Group, and the Correspondence Group to

schedule, promote, and distribute the Acts in Prayer booklet to the membership. This booklet provides an excellent means for encouraging a personal devotional life. (The booklets may be purchased from North Carolina Baptist Men by calling 1 800 395-5102, ext. 5599.)

____ Determine if the Acts in Prayer booklet is to be taught in Sunday School. If it is, this subgroup could be involved in the teaching.

____ Encourage a daily devotional time. Highlight devotional books from the church library or other sources in the newsletter or in Sunday School.

____ Work with Literature Subgroup to plan a book table for the Weekend. ____ Arrange for personal testimonies about people’s devotional times in services or Sunday School.


Literature Table Subgroup Responsibilities

Making books available to growing people is a significant ministry. The book table should be set up in a conspicuous place for several Sundays before and after the Lay Renewal Weekend. Samples of books may be ordered through your local LifeWay Christian Resources, or through the national LifeWay Customer Service Catalog Store at 1 800 233-1123, or online at www.lifeway.com. LifeWay says the best way to handle the book table is to order only a few samples of the books you want to display. Place order forms on your book table with the books and their prices listed. Encourage people to sign and pay for the books they desire. You can order the books using your church LifeWay account, keeping your receipt to return any of the samples you do not sell. If you have a church library, you may want to check and see if any extra books not sold could be added to your church library and make it known to church members that they are available to check out. One copy of the On Mission magazine is provided free for each of the Preparation Group Chairpersons and the General Chairperson. This helps to stimulate interest in missions and ministry. These can be ordered from the North American Mission Board at 800-634-2462, ext. 6481. The Literature Subgroup need not miss any of the sessions of the Lay Renewal Weekend in order to staff the book table. Books can be priced with stick-on labels or other means. Provide a pad of paper or order forms for the people to write down the book they wish to purchase, and a place to leave checks or payment for the books. If additional copies of one title are needed, these may be secured from the supplier.

Exhibit 25Literature Table Subgroup Checklist


____ Order desired books. Check with pastor, staff, and Associational Director of Missions for titles of recently released books.

____ Supervise the book table. ____ a. Set up a book table several weeks before and after the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). ____ b. Price books in an obvious way. ____ c. Plan a procedure where books are left on the honor system to allow Literature Group members

to attend all the sessions of the LRW.

____ Consider the possibility of having a permanent book table. ____ Work with the Daily Devotions Subgroup to utilize the books to encourage the membership to develop a

personal devotion time. ____ Place unsold books in the church library after the weekend, or return them for credit. ____ Send payment for all books sold to book supplier. ____ Distribute the complimentary copies of On Mission magazine to the Preparation Group Chairpersons.


Exhibit 26Literature Table

Suggested books for Literature Group Table and possible Small Group Studies after the Weekend

Book Title Author Number of SessionsAbide in Christ Andrew Murray & Bo Stevens 6 WeeksThe Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren 6 WeeksLasting Legacy: Making a Difference Serendipity House 13 WeeksFive Keys to Effective Spiritual Growth Ralph Neighbour, Jr. 5 WeeksExperiencing God’s Presence Warren and Ruth Myers 13 WeeksWhat’s so Amazing About Grace Phillip Yancy 14 WeeksThe Call to Follow Christ Claude King 7 WeeksFellowship with Believers Mel Blackaby & Bo Stevens 6 WeeksThe Christian Journey Don Taft 7 Weeks “The Lay Ministry Weekend”

Marriage Group StudyLaugh Your Way to a Better Marriage Mark Gungor 12 Weeks

Men’s GroupsMen Leading the Charge Steve Farrar 8 WeeksThe Man God Uses Henry and Tom Blackaby 7 WeeksMen of the Bible Spangler & Wolgemuth 1 Year Devotional

Women’s GroupsDiscerning the Voice of God Priscilla Shirer 6 WeeksWomen of the Bible Sangler & Syswerda 1 Year DevotionalLoved by God Liz Curtis Higgs 7 WeeksEsther, It’s Tough Being a Woman Beth Moore 9 WeeksIntimacy with God Tara Furman 7 Weeks

Visit www.churchrenewal.net for updated resource lists.


Small Group Studies Subgroup An important task of the Spiritual Growth Group is to make preparations for the renewal journey to continue through the formation of small groups. Plan the follow-up in advance and begin the small group meetings immediately following the Weekend.

A Commitment and Evaluation form should be designed by this group which will aid in determining the preferences of the congregation in being a part of a small group. A sample form is provided (Exhibit 23).

Decide with the youth leadership if the youth will have separate small groups or if they will be integrated into groups with adult members. Usually, the youth members need a time to share the specific problems and solutions they are facing with their peers. An adult leader, a couple, or a spiritually mature young person may be selected to convene a youth group.

The Small Group Studies Subgroup should work with the pastor in making plans for training in small group concepts. A good resource is Bill Bangham’s Journey into Small Groups. One part of the Commitment and Evaluation form gives an opportunity for church members to indicate a willingness to participate as a Lay Renewal team member. The Spiritual Growth group should take responsibility for compiling a list of names and addresses that the pastor sends to the Visiting Coordinator. Prospective team members should be supportive of their own church and leadership. It would be helpful to indicate approximate ages of those listed.

How to Form Small Groups and Keep them Going This part of the manual is an aid to churches desiring the formation of small groups for prayer, study and sharing. Although written primarily for churches that schedule Lay Renewal or Lay Ministry Weekends, the principles can be used anytime for group formation. These ideas and concepts come primarily from the experiences of many churches “on the Renewal Journey” and from many books on small groups. Because the small group part of the Renewal Journey is so vital to the fostering of quickened spiritual journeys, a church member should be trained and commissioned to work as a church liaison with small groups. Reading books and participating in small groups are excellent ways to train such a person. This person should be trained at church expense. If you do not have such a person, ask God to assist you in calling one out for this ministry.

Enlisting Small Group Members and Forming Groups

Curiosity and interest of church members is stimulated by testimonies about experiences in small groups and by special events that create a desire for “more” of Him. At the close of events such as Lay Renewal or Lay Ministry Weekends (or other such events), participants may be given an option to commit to a small group. This opportunity should be held open for at least three weeks after the event. Commitment opportunities should be offered churchwide in as many services as possible. The church newsletter should contain the name and address of someone who can answer questions about the small group commitment.

Once people have made commitments, there are many ways to form groups. Small groups have been formed geographically, around facilitators or leaders, by age groups, by interest areas, and spontaneously. Some churches even form them on paper and call them together as a group for their first meeting. For the purposes of this part of the Journey, it is best to form them as naturally and spontaneously as possible. Of course, large churches or churches with memberships living over a large area may need to use geographic considerations while providing some choice. The method described in this chapter is designed to allow people to go into groups freely with instructions to avoid grouping with close friends to the exclusion of others. It is best to have a mixture of adult ages (and it is even possible to include older youth with adults) in a group. Sharing, prayer, and fellowship will take care of the differences as the Holy Spirit does His work in the members.


Groups should be no larger than 10 members and no smaller than six. Group formation should begin within two to three weeks after the commitment is made. This does not permit much time for planning; therefore, preparation should be done before and immediately after the event.

Orientation of Facilitators (Temporary Leaders) for Group Formation Select two people for each anticipated small group from the list of people who have committed to be a part. Train them to function as facilitators for the first meeting or two. The word “leader” is not used simply because so many people in the past have misunderstood their roles to the detriment of the group. Explain that the Facilitator Training will take place just prior to the first meeting of the groups on group formation night. Husband and wife teams make good facilitators for adults. However, anyone who will commit and is able can do this job. A suggested agenda for the facilitators’ orientation session is included in this chapter. A facilitator checklist of duties is also included (Exhibit 27). To avoid problems and misunderstandings, emphasize the temporary nature of the facilitator’s role. A facilitator functions in this role for only one or two meetings. From then on, the group decides who does what. Facilitators remain as group members of the group they convene. Their services are necessary for a good beginning. During orientation, stress these items:

♦♦ Begin each group session with prayer. ♦♦ At the first meeting, have copies of study books and blank sheets for names, addresses, phone numbers,

and e-mail addresses. Also, provide a schedule of church activities for the next two weeks (for the purpose of planning a meeting date and time). A copy of the group roll should be given to the church small group leader or liaison person for the church.

♦♦ Have someone call each member prior to the first few meetings to remind them of the time and date as well as group assignments.

♦♦ Get the group to draw up and agree upon a group contract by the end of the third meeting.♦♦ Discuss the importance of starting and ending on time. ♦♦ Anyone who wishes to change groups after the first or second meeting should contact the church liaison

person.♦♦ Someone selected by the group should take responsibility for regular group meetings. This should be a

permanent role for the life of the group.

Tips and Suggested Agenda for Small Group Formation Meeting Announcements, phone calls, and church news articles should notify all those interested about the opportunity to join a small group. If the pastor is acquainted with small groups, a sermon on the small, house groups in Acts may help. The first meeting will probably attract the most attendees. Subsequent meetings to pick up stragglers may have only enough for one additional group. Although there may be one or more group formation meetings, the schedule can be the same for all of them. The best time and place for the formation meetings depends on the schedules of those who attend. Some different approaches for this organizational meeting are to use a retreat, a day at the church, or a two-hour session on Sunday afternoon. Each person going into a group should do so as a learner. The motivation for a small group experience should be for personal spiritual growth, not to teach others. Here are some additional thoughts to keep in mind:

♦♦ Each person should expect God to move and work in the lives of members and in response to their prayers. Be ready to share what He does in your life.

♦♦ Emphasize that each person is a vital part of the group. Every individual must have a serious attitude about attending or the entire group will suffer.


♦♦ Groups must deal firmly with the problem of meetings extending beyond the agreed upon time limits. When the agreed upon time is up, have an understanding that the meeting is over and it is OK to leave.

♦♦ Refreshments should be incidental rather than featured. Begin with simple refreshments (if you have them at all) and use paper plates and cups.

♦♦ Each person must be responsible to contribute to the group while not dominating it. Talkative people will need to suppress the desire to talk while quiet people will need to make an extra effort to be more talkative. As the group matures, this will work itself out.

♦♦ If several of the group members have young children, the group may want to consider the idea of getting a joint babysitter. Sometimes one household will host the children and the babysitter while another household hosts the adults. This can be rotated among the group members. Or, the meetings may be scheduled at a time when child care is available at the church.

Orientation Session for Facilitators (30 to 60 minutes)

1. Pray and ask those present to share their expectations of the group journey.

2. Discuss responsibilities and duties for Group Formation Night. ♦♦ They should arrive early and set up their assigned rooms. Chairs should be in a circle and the room

temperature should be comfortable. Have books and roll sheets in place. ♦♦ Discuss the facilitator checklist (Exhibit 27) and answer questions.♦♦ Explain that they are being trained as a group to give them the experience of group dynamics.♦♦ Discuss the study books to be used and how to distribute them. ♦♦ Explain what to do if too few or too many come to their room to form a group.♦♦ Explain what they should do with the copy of the roll sheet.♦♦ Begin and end in prayer.

3. Discuss the importance of a good start and ask them to begin praying for God’s guidance.


Suggested Agenda Group Formation Night (Day) Time Elapsed in Minutes/Item

0-10 Singing, prayer, and Scripture 10-20 Allow spontaneous testimonies on the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) and what has happened since. 20-25 Explanation of the process you will use for group formation, the role of facilitators, the role of the

individual group contact person, the church resources contact person, and the person who assures that the group meets regularly.

25-40 Teach on “belonging to a small group.” As part of this, discuss the following.

♦♦ Group commitments♦♦ Meeting duration♦♦ Discipline problems you may encounter during meetings and some suggested remedies♦♦ Be expectant; go into groups to receive, not to teach others or to change groups♦♦ If problems arise, contact church resource leader♦♦ Groups should have a minimum of six and a maximum of 10 members

40-45 Questions and answers 45-90 Facilitators go to rooms and groups form around them. Groups form and have their first meeting.

Groups which have less than six members should combine with others. 90-95 Facilitators turn in the group roll sheet, giving the time and place of the next meeting, the name of the

group contact person, and the name of the person who assures that the group meets regularly.

Contact the Church Renewal Journey Consultant

The week following the Lay Renewal Weekend, the pastor should contact the Church Renewal Consultant and request a meeting with the “What’s Next?” Subgroup. This meeting should ideally take place within three to six weeks following the LRW. The consultant will help them handle problems, anticipate needs, and prepare for future events and procedures. The pastor should prepare a written evaluation of the LRW and send it to the state scheduling office and consultant.

Set the Date for the Lay Ministry Weekend

The Lay Ministry Weekend should be scheduled six to 12 months following the Lay Renewal Weekend. The pastor should complete and send a Renewal Weekend Application Form to the scheduling office when the church has decided on a date (see Exhibit 8, or go to www.churchrenewal.net).

Begin Structuring for Ministry Expansion

The second event and subsequent activities on the Journey will focus on the theme “all Christians are called, gifted, and sent as ministers and witnesses.” Begin to search the church body for someone God is calling out as a Renewal Ministries Director to help the existing staff. This person should understand and practice the concept that ministry is for all believers in everyday life, not just in church activities. When God leads you to this person, provide equipping and commissioning support as well as accountability.


Exhibit 27Facilitator Checklist for Group Formation Night

____ Begin praying for the formation of the groups before the meeting day.

____ Before the meeting, the facilitator should study the small group resource you plan to use. ____ Set up the room with chairs in a circle, adequate materials available, etc.

____ Participate in the Facilitator Training (this may be held just prior to the first small group meeting or some other time).

____ Meet with the church resource person 15 minutes before the group formation meeting. Get materials (small group resource, group roll sheets) and a final check on expected attendance.

____ After the resource person asks you to go to your room and the members follow, check to see if the group is

too large or too small and take appropriate action. ____ Begin in prayer. ____ Get acquainted. ____ Assign someone to complete the roll with phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and addresses. Give a copy to

the church resource leader when this is completed. ____ Explain the small group resource; suggested rotation of leadership; options for times and places for group

meetings; group assignments for prayer, sharing, and study; and etc. ____ Decide on meeting time, place, and frequency. ____ Assign responsibilities for next group meeting (including someone to call everyone to remind them). ____ Ask the group to select someone to be responsible for the group having regular meetings. ____ Ask each person to share briefly what they would like to see happen as a result of the group journey.

____ Close with a prayer of commitment.


Exhibit 28Small Group Studies Subgroup Checklist


____ Make preparations for the formation of small groups which will meet after the Weekend. ____ Work with the pastor and other staff in planning and promoting small groups. ____ Prior to the weekend, order adequate numbers of the selected books for the small groups. ____ Speak to the congregation during the Evaluation Service encouraging each person to be a part of a small

group. See the “How to Form Small Groups” section of this chapter for information about forming small groups.

____ Have each adult, youth, and older child present complete a Lay Renewal Commitment and Evaluation form (Exhibit 23) at the Weekend’s Sunday evening service. Take up the forms before members leave.

____ Use the Commitment and Evaluation forms to select facilitators. ____ Plan to inform those who commit to a small group about the next step. ____ Plan a method of signing up people during Sunday School and worship for the two weeks after the

Weekend. ____ Provide small group opportunities for the youth members. ____ Assist in training leadership for the small groups. ____ Work with the pastor in planning an initial group organization and training meeting.

(Ideally, this will be within two weeks after the Weekend.) ____ Plan with the pastor for training facilitators and for the group organization meeting. ____ Meet with representatives of the small groups periodically. ____ Plan for the small groups to be restructured after 12 or 13 meetings. ____ Plan with the pastor for reporting services. Contact participants in the small groups and ask them to give

testimonies of the ways their lives have been affected by the group. ____ Be ready for the congregation to sign up for a new group at the end of the initial 13-week small group

sessions. ____ Provide additional training, if needed.


“What’s Next?” Subgroup Responsibilities

All of the other Preparation Groups will end their responsibilities when the Lay Renewal Weekend is over, but the Spiritual Growth Group continues and assists the church in planning for the next step in the Journey. The “What’s Next?” Subgroup should check with the pastor and church calendar and schedule a possible date for the Lay Ministry Weekend. Although the church needs to vote on continuing the Journey, having a possible date already set will greatly help in keeping the Journey alive.

The “What’s Next?” Subgroup also follows up with church members who are interested in becoming visiting team members at another church.


Exhibit 29“What’s Next?” Subgroup Checklist


____ Work with the pastor in setting a date for the next step of the Renewal Journey. Usually the next step is the Lay Ministry Weekend, however, there are other options available (see the Overview in Chapter 1). The scheduling for this date should take place as soon as possible. The actual date should be 6 to 12 months from the Lay Renewal Weekend. The “What’s Next?” Subgroup should check with the pastor and have a possible date in mind to suggest to the church at the end of the Sunday Night Evaluation Service.

____ Contact the Visiting Coordinator within two weeks after the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) and let him know of the church’s plans.

____ An application for the next Renewal Weekend can be filled out online under the heading “Weekend Application” at www.churchrenewal.net.

____ Using the Commitment and Evaluation forms, compile a list of church members who would like to serve on a lay renewal team. Review this list with the pastor for his input.

♦♦ Include approximate ages of adults.♦♦ Give ages of students who could serve as Youth Team volunteers.♦♦ Give complete addresses and phone numbers.

____ Send this list to the Weekend Coordinator.

Explore a Churchwide Evangelism Strategy

One way to encourage your church to be even more evangelistic is to commit to be involved in God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) the national evangelism strategy from the North American Mission Board. The initiative is supported by your state Baptist convention. To learn more about how to plug into GPS, visit www.namb.net and click on the GPS logo.


Exhibit 30Information on MAPCHURCH

(The “What’s Next?” Subgroup can use this great tool to determine their church’s spiritual needs.)

What is MAPCHURCH?

MAPCHURCH is a FREE resource provided by the North American Mission Board in partnership with the International Mission Board. However, it is available for all churches to use if they find it helpful. (www.mapchurch.com)

MAPCHURCH measures the perceptions that your church members have about their church. Please understand that although perceptions are reality to those who hold them, they may not be actual reality. MAPCHURCH features a 126-question survey to which selected members will respond. The selection of participants is the responsibility of the church’s designated MAPCHURCH Administrator. After tabulating the responses of your church members who were randomly selected to participate, MAPCHURCH will generate reports giving your church’s leadership a snapshot of what your church perceives about itself in the areas of discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, prayer, worship, stewardship, theology, lay mobilization, and missions. Responses to each question will also be correlated with the four authenticity measurements of knowing, obeying, connecting, and leading. Your church’s survey Administrator may download electronic reports from MAPCHURCH in PDF file format containing complete summaries based on each authenticity factor and category. These reports include graphs and PowerPoint slides that will make it easy for the Administrator and church leaders to communicate the results to their church family. In addition, churches will also receive reports containing detailed (but aggregate) information about how your survey participants responded to every question, topic, and category. Please note that MAPCHURCH will keep all individual survey responses strictly confidential. Only the church’s Administrator will know the identities of the members who participated in the surveys. Passwords will be confidential, so that participants will not see each other’s survey responses. MAPCHURCH and its owners will not disclose any individual identities. MAPCHURCH will never provide the names of participants or produce reports attributable to individual identities. All results will be rolled into aggregate summaries, with no possibility of discerning a specific individual’s answers to the survey questions. Finally, you will receive reports containing recommendations and important resources that have been selected to assist with the particular needs of your church. These suggested resources may include informational Web sites, books, training programs, seminars and conferences, contact information for consultants with expertise in your area of need, and coaching available from people in your local association or state convention. Should you need further assistance you may contact the Center for Missional Research at NAMB, www.MissionalResearch.info, or call 1 888 730-5226, toll-free.


Chapter 8Prayer Group Responsibilities

The over-arching priority of the Prayer Group is to saturate the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) in prayer. Unless the entire effort is submerged in prayer, the results will be shallow and temporary. Members of the Prayer group should be committed prayer warriors who realize that God is the only source of spiritual renewal. They should be people who can lead others by example to spend time with the Father and to seek a fresh breath of His Spirit in their lives and in the life of the church.

The Prayer Group is charged with four primary responsibilities which guide and influence the renewal process in the church. Depending on the size of the congregation, the chairperson of the Prayer Group must recruit an individual or a subgroup of people to accomplish each of these responsibilities. These four subgroups are:

♦♦ The Season of Prayer Person or Subgroup chairperson considers having a Prayer Seminar (four to eight weeks prior to the LRW) and/or a Special Season of Prayer during a Wednesday night service prior to the Renewal Weekend.

♦♦ The 24-Hour Prayer Vigil Person or Subgroup chairperson is responsible for lining up the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil that begins the day before the Weekend.

♦♦ The Tabletop Prayer Reminder Person or Subgroup chairperson creates and distributes a prayer reminder.

♦♦ The Acts in Prayer Booklet Person or Subgroup chairperson orders and distributes the Acts in Prayer booklet or an appropriate prayer study for each church family. They also assist in the plans for teaching the booklet or study.

For the ease of discussion, the persons fulfilling each of these responsibilities will hereafter be referred to as a “subgroup” even though an individual may be carrying out the duty.

The chairperson of the Prayer Group is accountable for accomplishing all the tasks assigned to the Prayer Group. He/she should meet with the four subgroups on a regular basis and report their progress or concerns to the General Chairperson.


Season of Prayer Subgroup Responsibilities

The Season of Prayer Subgroup should work with the pastor to determine if plans could include a prayer seminar. Churches that have initiated the renewal journey with a strong emphasis on the prayer life of the church testify that “renewal” truly begins at that point. In addition to the formal prayer seminar, prayer groups may be formed to pray for renewal in the church. These can be implemented through existing ministries of the church, such as the Sunday School, Baptist Men, Baptist Women, etc. Informal prayer meetings may be scheduled in homes prior to the Weekend. Groups could gather immediately following the Sunday evening worship time to pray for renewal. The Prayer Group chairperson could attend a deacon’s meeting and ask them to commit to pray for each church family by name. If the church does not already have a Deacon Family Ministry, divide the church membership, giving a number of families to each deacon. They should pray that God will renew spiritually each person on their list as they pray daily for them. In a similar way, the church staff could commit to pray daily for a number of deacons and their families. Develop a prayer list with needs and burdens of the church family. Special emphasis should be placed on those who are not saved and the backslidden. This may be done through the Sunday School by using a prayer request form. A master list could be printed and made available for people who are committed to intercessory prayer. This list could be mailed to the visiting team to allow them to pray for these burdens. Team Members will be responding to the Visiting Coordinator’s invitation to be a part of the Weekend. As their responses are received, their names could be given to individuals who will agree to daily pray for them prior to the Weekend.

The church may want to take a Wednesday Night Prayer Service several weeks prior to the Lay Renewal Weekend and plan it as a special Season of Prayer for the Lay Renewal Weekend. The pastor or a prayer leader from outside the church, or “prayer warrior” church member could lead the church in this special time of prayer. The Prayer Leader could use the Prayer Prompts for Prayer Groups booklet by Dr. Chris Schofield, which provides 15 Biblical Prayer Patterns for pastors and prayer leaders. The chairperson for each of the Preparation Groups could be used to assist in the Season of Prayer.

Here is one method for the Season of Prayer time, although others can be used:1. Pray for those known to be sick or in bad health.2. Count off into small groups of four or five people per group, including children and youth if

desired.3. The Prayer Leader should call out prayer concerns. These should include:

♦♦ the pastor, church staff, and deacons;♦♦ the children, the youth, and parents;♦♦ leaders in missions and Sunday School organizations;♦♦ the Preparation Group Chairpersons and the General Chairperson; and♦♦ the Lay Renewal Weekend.

4. Invite one person in each group to pray aloud for their group. A person from each group would be praying aloud all at the same time in this method.

5. The focus of the evening should be what the church would like for the Holy Spirit to do during the Renewal Weekend.

6. Everyone present can be asked to form a circle around the sanctuary for a closing prayer by the pastor.


Exhibit 31Season of Prayer Subgroup Checklist

____ Work with the pastor, the Spiritual Growth Group, and the General Chairperson to determine if a prayer seminar will be planned for renewal preparation.

____ Plan and encourage special prayer groups to pray for renewal in the church. ___ Sunday School classes

___ Men’s prayer group ___ Women’s prayer group ___ Youth prayer group ___ Home prayer meetings ___ Small groups forming after worship times ___ Deacons praying for a number of church members and the unsaved ___ Staff members praying for specific deacons and families ___ Individual members praying for a designated team member

____ Work with the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil Subgroup to develop a prayer list with the needs and burdens of the church family. Print it for distribution to willing intercessors and team members.

____ Share the prayer list with the other Preparation Groups.

____ Establish or encourage the use of the Prayer Room. Have a sign up for a six month commitment. If your church does not have a Prayer Room, this group could designate a room in the church as a Prayer Room, either for the duration of this effort or permanently.


Exhibit 32Prayer Commitment FormExhibit 3224-Hour Prayer Vigil Sign-up Sheet

Write your name in the space for the one-hour prayer time that you (and your spouse, if possible) will be at the church, praying at the altar or Prayer Room. A One Hour Alone With God Prayer Guide will be provided at the church prayer location.

TIME DAY CHOICE TIME DAY CHOICE

3 p.m.-4 p.m. THURSDAY 3 a.m.-4 a.m. FRIDAY








11 p.m.-12 a.m. THURSDAY 11 a.m.-12 p.m. FRIDAY

12 a.m.-1 a.m. FRIDAY 12 p.m.-1 p.m. FRIDAY



Name: ________________________________________________ E-mail address: ________________________________________

Home phone: ___________________________________________ Date: _______________________________________________


24-Hour Prayer Vigil Subgroup Responsibilities

One of the most critical responsibilities of the Prayer Group is to plan the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil to be offered at the church. This prayer chain would begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday and continue until 3 p.m. on Friday of the Weekend. The Prayer Group will publicize the prayer chain, encourage the membership to be involved, and provide a method for participants to commit to the vigil (Exhibit 32). The Prayer group will select a place in the church, possibly at the altar, for the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil and publicize its location. The sanctuary or room may be set up with soft lighting and soft instrumental music and have tables with Bibles, copies of the prayer list, copies of One Hour Alone With God (Exhibit 34), other helpful prayer materials, and a clock. Post instructions to enter in silence to avoid disturbing other intercessors. Provide a surplus of space and materials in case people come without having signed up. Leave a notice that intercessors may remain in the prayer room longer than the hour which they planned. Many churches have found it wise to plan a method of keeping the chain of prayer going after it begins. Outside the place of prayer, display the list of people who have signed up to pray, with their designated times and telephone numbers. Arrange for a telephone to be available. Before going in to pray, each intercessor would call to remind the person who follows the next hour. This is especially helpful for those who will be coming to the church in the middle of the night.

Several methods have been used to secure a good number of intercessors for the vigil. Small churches have displayed a poster with a circle divided into 24 “slices” and the membership is encouraged to sign their names in one of the hour slots. Larger churches have designated Sunday School classes or departments to take specific periods. Two or more people should be praying during each hour. Couples are encouraged to come together. If the person who is scheduled does not come or is late, encourage others to remain until another intercessor arrives. Men should be scheduled for the nighttime hours, with women and young people praying during the daytime or early evening hours. Encourage senior citizens and others who cannot come to the church to commit to pray at home for the renewal of the church, but this should not eliminate anyone from coming to the church.


Exhibit 3324-Hour Prayer Vigil Subgroup Checklist

____ Work with the Season of Prayer Subgroup to develop a prayer list with the needs and burdens of the church

family. Print it for use in the prayer vigil.

____ Make preparations for the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil to be at the church the day preceding the Weekend. ___Publicize the event and encourage participation. ___Plan a method for participants to sign up (Exhibit 32). ___Secure needed printed materials (prayer list and Bibles). ___Plan the location for the vigil and notify the participants. ___Post signs (see 24-Hour Prayer Vigil Subgroup Responsibilities for possible signs needed). ___Provide telephone and list of those to call, along with instructions.


Exhibit 34One Hour Alone With God Prayer Guide

How does God speak to us? Spend the next hour reading slowly through this prayer meditation for renewal. Before you start, ask God to speak to you during this next hour. This is a great time for couples or families to share in prayer.

If we are to have renewal, it must begin with me! I must be willing to lay my life, talents, time, money, and all that I am on God’s altar. Renewal comes from God alone. It comes to His people through soul searching, confession of sins, and emptying of self. Then they are ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Am I willing to be filled with the Spirit? Do I have enough faith to let God do with me as He wills? Confess all known sin to the Lord. Read Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:8-9; and Psalm 51:1-6. Three kinds of sin must be confessed:

1. Private–against God alone–must be confessed to God alone.

2. Personal–sins against others–there can be no peace until this sin is confessed to God.

3. Public–sins against the Body of Christ–all gossip, tale bearing, wrong attitudes, whisperings “You know what?” and–sins against society–lack of involvement, wrong attitudes, “I was thirsty and you …”

If these are not confessed, we cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. There must be cleansing then filling; power then witnessing; self-preparation then others. Make room for God’s best. Ask God. In a quiet time alone with God, take time to examine your own heart. Turn the pages slowly; consider each question. Let God grade you; lay bare every sin and ask God’s forgiveness. Remember, “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Am I really concerned about renewal? Am I willing to pay the price? Am I willing to do anything God wants me to? Is renewal first in my plans? Am I sinning by not praying? “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).

Have I neglected the Word of God?


Have I forgiven everyone? Is all resentment out of my heart? Am I willing to ask forgiveness from anyone I have wronged in any way? Am I impatient? Am I irritable? Do I get offended easily? Do my “hurt feelings” keep me from serving God? Do I get angry? Do I bear grudges? Do I blow up? Do I swell up with resentment? Do I have ill will toward anyone? Am I willing to ask God right now to help me put it out of my heart? Read Matthew 6:12-15; 18:21-35; Luke 6:27-37. Have I been dishonest with God or with my church? Have I broken any promise or pledge made to God? Have I kept my prayer promise made in an emergency now that the crisis is over? Am I dishonest with others? Do I try to leave a wrong impression if I can? Do I covet what others have? Am I too concerned about things? Have I sought physical blessings more than spiritual blessings? Have I paid all my debt to others? Do I have anything in my possession which does not rightly belong to me? Do I have any habits which I should forsake? Have I realized my total dependence on God for deliverance? Is there jealousy in my heart? Do I have sinful pride in my heart?


Have I wronged anyone and failed to make restitution? Did I pray for those involved? Is my mind honest and clean in the sight of God? Am I faithful to my wedding vows both in thoughts and deeds? Read Matthew 5:28. Am I willing and ready to forgive any wrong against me or my family? Do I have a secret sin which I excuse but should forsake? Have I been worried about things over which I have no control? Do I fret or complain about the leaders in the church? Does my pastor know that he can count on me? Am I a minister of reconciliation and an ambassador for Christ in the marketplace and in the community where I live, work, and play? Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-20. Am I guilty of the sin of unbelief? Am I salt and light in my world? Read Matthew 5:13-16. Do I really believe in the power of God to cleanse any sin … to change my life … to take care of any situation … to guide me in my decisions? Remember now the marvelous grace of God. God has promised to forgive every confessed sin. Read Isaiah 1:18, 44:21-22; Hebrews 8:12, 10:17; 1 John 1:7,9 God loves you, do not despair! Pray for yourself, for cleansing, for strength, and for courage to forsake sin. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Trust God, fear not! Surrender your self-will, ambition, desires, plans, hopes, time, and talent. You are giving yourself to One who loves you, knows you–your past and your future–all about you. God’s way is best for you! Pray for your church, your pastor, for other leaders, and for weak Christians. Pray for unity and love in the church. Examine yourself to make sure you are a help and not a problem in the church. Worship God! Suggested Bible readings: Psalm 95:6; John 4:24; Revelation 14:7; Isaiah 6:1-8 Praise the Lord! Thank God for the blessings you have received. Read Psalms 9:11; 67:3; Hebrews 13:15. Four-fold reason for praise: 1 Peter 2:9


Thank God for your cleansing, for God’s forgiveness, for the Holy Spirit, for victory, and for renewal! Thank Him for the opportunity He is going to give you to witness before this renewal weekend is over! Expect great things from God! Do not be afraid to go where God leads or to give your testimony. God bless you! How has God impressed you through this meditation? The Scriptures used in this meditation help us give honor and glory to Christ, and help us know we can trust Him to lead us. I pray for a great Holy Spirit Lay Renewal! May our Lord bless and cleanse us.


Note Page


Tabletop Prayer Reminder Subgroup Responsibilities

The Tabletop Subgroup should design a tabletop prayer reminder card to be given to each church family (Exhibit 36). These may include some of the practical needs for the Weekend as well as encouragement for daily prayer for renewal. The cards may be distributed through the Sunday School, be made available in the entry of the worship center, or mailed to each home.

Exhibit 35Tabletop Prayer Reminder Subgroup Checklist

____ Design a Prayer Reminder Card to be given to each church family (Exhibit 36).

____Copy, promote, and distribute the Prayer Reminder Cards.

____Prayer Reminder Cards can be placed on refrigerator doors.

____Encourage youth to assist or have a Prayer Reminder Card design contest.


Exhibit 36Tabletop Prayer Reminder Card Sample

Be open to God, be open to others.

❏ Testimonies

❏ Music

❏ Sharing

❏ Fellowship

Separate activities for adults and youth Nursery and children’s activities all week

Pray every day for what the Holy Spirit might do

during our Lay Renewal Weekend.

Lay Renewal Weekend1. Your prayers, attendance, and support2. Food: Two churchwide meals, Friday and

Saturday evenings3. Homes: for visiting team members

(call church)4. Homes: for Coffees on Saturday morning5. Inactive church families 6. Families who have visited our church and can

be a part of this weekend.7. Your presence in the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil at

the church, Thursday prior to the Weekend


Exhibit 36Tabletop Prayer Reminder Card (Continued)

Sample Prayer Card Reminder Content

1. Pray that your schedule will allow you and your family to participate in the Lay Renewal Weekend.2. Pray that God will open your heart to receive a special blessing.3. Pray for a spirit of honesty and humility before God as He shows you any area of sin or apathy.4. Pray for a renewed joy in your salvation and relationship with Christ.5. Pray for the Lay Renewal Team Members coming to minister to us (for wisdom, protection, health).6. Pray for any unsaved people who will attend, that they will be saved.7. Pray that our church will fall more in love with Jesus and be willing to serve wherever God wants us

to serve.8. Pray that whatever you learn during the Lay Renewal Weekend will continue to strengthen you in the

days ahead.


Acts in Prayer Booklet Subgroup Responsibilities Included in the preparation materials given to the church by the Coordinator, is a booklet entitled Acts in Prayer. This book can be ordered and given to every church family. This distribution may be handled in several ways. The Prayer group should work with the pastor and the Spiritual Growth Group to decide how this distribution can be most effective. Acts in Prayer could be included with the pastor’s second letter to the congregation. If the church has a Deacon Family Ministry, another option would be to have the deacons personally deliver a copy along with an invitation to be a part of the Weekend. A third option is to have the Attendance Group deliver them with an invitation to the Weekend.

An excellent use of the booklet Acts in Prayer is to teach it in both adult and youth Sunday School classes two weeks prior to the Weekend. One teacher in each department could teach one-half of the book each of two Sundays. Following the teaching, the departments can break into small groups for prayer. Another option is to get the Spiritual Growth Group involved in teaching the booklet through the Sunday School. Some pastors have elected to teach the booklet during several Wednesday evening prayer services prior to the Weekend. Following each teaching session, those in attendance could form small groups to pray for renewal.

Exhibit 37Acts in Prayer Booklet Subgroup Checklist

____ Make sure that sufficient copies of Acts in Prayer have been ordered (one per family) in a timely basis. Order from LifeWay Christian Resources or North Carolina Baptist Men (www.lifeway.com, or NCBM 1 800 395-5102, ext. 5599).

____ Work with the pastor, the Spiritual Growth Group, and the Attendance Group in deciding how the Acts in Prayer booklet will be distributed. Some possible options are:

♦♦ Include in pastor’s letter to members,♦♦ Deacons deliver personally,♦♦ Attendance Group deliver personally,♦♦ Teach in Sunday School, using a departmental teacher,♦♦ Teach in Sunday School, using Spiritual Growth Group as teachers, or♦♦ Pastor teach on several Wednesday evenings.


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Chapter 9Communication Group Responsibilities

The Communication Group is charged with four primary responsibilities which guide and influence the renewal process in the church. Depending on the size of the congregation, the chairperson of the Communication Group must recruit an individual or a subgroup of people to accomplish each of these responsibilities. These four subgroups are:

♦♦ The Correspondence Person or Subgroup chairperson sends out an invitational letter to the team, and informational letters to the church body.

♦♦ The Housing Person or Subgroup chairperson recruits church members to host visiting team members in their homes.

♦♦ The Welcome Person or Subgroup chairperson creates a welcome table, name tags, and sometimes a goody bag for visiting team members. He also provides name tags for church members.

♦♦ The Facilities Person or Subgroup chairperson sets up rooms for breakout meetings and works with the video and sound systems for the Renewal Weekend.


The chairperson of the Communication Group is accountable for accomplishing all the tasks assigned to the group. He/she should meet with the four subgroups on a regular basis and report their progress or concerns to the General Chairperson.

Correspondence Subgroup Responsibilities

The Visiting Coordinator will invite Visiting Team Members to the Weekend and will send the positive replies to the General Chairperson (GC) and the Housing and Correspondence Subgroup chairpersons (Exhibit 20). The Visiting Team will be made up of adult couples, single adults, and youth. As the replies are received, the Correspondence Subgroup should set up a system to communicate the names of those who are coming for the Weekend to the GC and subgroups. The Correspondence Subgroup should review the Planning Calendar (Exhibit 18) to be sure that mailings to the congregation are sent at the right time. The pastor will write two letters encouraging the church family to be a part of the Weekend. The first letter is sent six weeks prior to the Weekend, or instead it may be included in a church publication (Exhibit 11). The second pastor’s letter should be mailed four weeks prior to the Weekend


and may include the Acts in Prayer booklet (Exhibit 12). The Correspondence Subgroup should consult the pastor and the Acts in Prayer Subgroup concerning this. The General Chairperson’s letter to the congregation, including a schedule and Prayer Reminder Card, should be sent two weeks prior to the Weekend (Exhibits 19, 2, and 36). Certain materials will be needed for each church member and team member who participates in the Weekend. A supply of schedules will be needed for both groups, and extras should be available throughout the Weekend. The Visiting Coordinator will advise the Correspondence Subgroup which team instruction pieces will be needed. These should be ready for the Welcome Subgroup to include in the team member’s welcome packets.

In large churches, a floor plan of the church should be included in the team member’s welcome packets. Sometimes the location of small groups is included on this piece and it is provided for all the participants as well as team members. Check with the General Chairperson about the need for this item. Different groups will be designing sheets that will be used to accomplish their respective responsibilities. They may ask the Correspondence group to help duplicate enough for the Weekend. These may include:

♦♦ Commitment and Evaluation Forms (“What’s Next?” Subgroup)♦♦ Prayer list of requests/needs, a prayer reminder card (Prayer Group)♦♦ List of host homes and team members assigned (Housing Subgroup)♦♦ List of Coffee Hosts and addresses (Coffee Hostess Subgroup)

Two weeks before the Weekend, if the Pastor’s Welcome Letter has not been sent yet, send an e-mail or mailing to the team members who have agreed to participate. This should include a letter from the pastor thanking them for accepting, a map giving directions to the church, and a schedule for the Weekend, including the time and place for the Friday team meeting. After the Weekend, a final letter or e-mail should be sent to the team from the pastor, thanking them for their contributions and reporting specific results. This letter or e-mail rejoices in the things which the Lord has done and gives Him the praise and glory (Exhibit 15). Church secretaries are included in the Correspondence group for obvious reasons. They are familiar with the materials available and with the equipment needed. However, most church secretaries already have more than they can do. Other skilled typists should be secured for this group, with the secretary serving as a resource person only.


Exhibit 38Correspondence Subgroup Checklist

____ Ideally, one administrative assistant will be designated to help answer questions for the LRW team. Check with the General Chairperson to find out who this person is.

____ Talk with this church staff person to see if bulk mailing should be used for any of the mailings. If there are more than 200 pieces of identical mail (except for the address) going out, this can save a considerable amount of money. However, the church staff may have to assist with any bulk mailings because the post office procedures are exacting.

____ Follow the Planning Calendar to send out mailings to team members and the church family (Exhibit 18).

____ Send letter number 1 from the pastor to the church membership (this may be put in a church publication instead, Exhibit 11—week 6 prior to the Weekend.

____ Send letter number 2 from the pastor to the church membership (Exhibit 12). The pastor may choose to include the Acts in Prayer booklet in this mailing—week 4 prior to the Weekend.

____ Send letter number 3 from the General Chairperson to the church membership. Include a schedule of the Weekend (Exhibits 2 and 19)—week 2 prior to the Weekend.

____ Send a Pastor’s Welcome Letter to Visiting Team Members, along with a map and a schedule (Exhibits 2 and 10)—as team members agree to participate or week 2 prior to the Weekend.

____ Print materials as requested by the Visiting Coordinator.♦♦ Team Member instructions♦♦ Activity sheets requested by the Coordinator

____ Print materials for general use in the Weekend.♦♦ Floor plan of the church if needed♦♦ Schedule of the Weekend (Exhibit 2)♦♦ Song sheets

____ Print materials as requested by other groups:♦♦ Commitment and Evaluation Form (Spiritual Growth Group)♦♦ One Hour Alone With God Prayer Guide (Prayer Group, Exhibit 34)♦♦ Prayer list of requests/needs (Prayer Group)♦♦ Table Top Prayer Reminder Card (Prayer Group)♦♦ List of housing assignments (Welcome and Transportation subgroups)♦♦ List of Coffees Hosts with addresses (Welcome and Transportation subgroups)♦♦ Special publicity pieces (General Chairperson)♦♦ Check with the General Chairperson to verify the need for each item, the date needed, and the

number needed.

____ Send a letter from the pastor to the Team Members sharing his thanks and reporting results (Exhibit 15) one week after the Weekend.


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Housing Subgroup Responsibilities

The Housing Subgroup must be flexible. Last-minute changes are quite common. Frequently, some team members find they are unable to attend. Often the Visiting Coordinator will secure others to take their places. As people agree to open their homes and team members are assigned, advise the hosts that changes could occur. This will reduce disappointment when changes are necessary. The Visiting Coordinator will invite potential team members, and forward to the Housing Subgroup information about the team members who agree to attend. All team members are encouraged to stay in church members’ homes. However, some may decide to stay in their own homes. This will be indicated in the information from the Visiting Coordinator. The team member will indicate the number of people in their family who will be attending, and if their children will be with them (include the age and sex of each child). Youth team members often accompany their parents. Because Lay Renewal is a ministry to the whole family, many families serve on teams together. Youth team members (ages 13 and up) should be placed in homes where other young people live.

Housing assignments should be made as soon as team members confirm their intent to attend the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). If possible, the host families should write their respective guests prior to the Weekend, welcoming them to their home. This welcome note should include their phone number which team members can leave with their own families in case of an emergency. The Housing Subgroup should secure a few “back-up homes” to be available in case of an emergency prevents a host from having a guest. Team members will not expect to be entertained by their hosts although fellowship and sharing are a primary objective. The host family will provide a simple breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If a team member does not have a car, the host may be asked to provide transportation especially if team members come by plane or ride with another team member. Youth team members do not always have transportation. Sometimes team members need a place to rest on Saturday afternoon during the break; host homes may want to offer a space if this is convenient. Often lasting friendships have blossomed from the brief weekend encounter of host and guest. The team members will arrive at the church in the late afternoon on Friday of the LRW. They will accompany their hosts to their home following the service on Friday night. If a host is unable to attend the Friday night activities, arrangements should be made for someone else to escort the guest to the home.

The Housing Group may devise a list of church members which they believe could be encouraged by having a team member stay in their homes. These could be telephoned before the more active members are called. When many homes are needed, the group may decide to use a bulletin insert to ask for members to volunteer their homes. This insert could have options to check showing whether a host prefers a couple, a single adult male or female, or male or female teenagers. If such an insert is planned, check with the Coffee Hostess Subgroup to see if they would like to provide a space for Coffee volunteers. The Housing Group should plan a method for pairing hosts and team members on Friday evening with the least amount of confusion. If hosts write a welcome note to team members in advance they can arrange a place to meet on Friday evening during the sessions. However, this will not solve the problem of matching everyone.


Several suggestions are made as to how this matching procedure may be accomplished; the Housing Group may decide to employ one or several of these ideas. 1. Print copies of the list of hosts and their guest and include a copy in each welcome packet for the team

members. Even if such a list is not given to each team member, be sure that a copy of the housing assignments is given to the General Chairperson.

2. The Welcome Group will have a name tag ready for each team member which will be included in the

Welcome Packet. The appropriate host name could be written on the back of the name tags. (These are plastic pin-on tags with a card inserted.)

3. For large churches where large teams are necessary, this suggestion has worked very well. Assign each host

home a number, advising them of the number. Write the number on the appropriate team members welcome packet. Or, write the number on the back of the name tag. Post corresponding numbers in sequence at the back of the worship center or in a hallway. At the close of Friday evening service, both team members and hosts are instructed to go and stand under their assigned number.

4. Assign the hosts and their guests to the same table for the Friday evening dinner. This can be done by designating certain tables (such as those at the front of the room) for hosts and their guests. Placards at each place setting can indicate the name of the person who is to sit there. Another possibility is to write the name of the host family and the visiting family on helium balloons, and attach these to the appropriate chairs.

Whatever method the Housing Group decides to use, they should advise the General Chairperson who will then inform the Visiting Coordinator. The General Chairperson or the Coordinator should instruct the team members on Friday afternoon and make a proper announcement at the close of the Friday evening session. The Coordinator will advise the General Chairperson of any changes in the team as soon as possible. Someone in the Housing Group should stay in contact with the General Chairperson or Coordinator during the Friday dinner and small group sessions in the event any last-minute changes in housing arrangements are needed.


Exhibit 39Housing Subgroup Checklist

____ Try to place team members in homes of the less-active church members before calling more active members. ____ Secure homes for team members as notices are received from the Visiting Coordinator. Take note of who

does/does not need housing, the age and sex of those coming, and any special needs.

____ Try to assign youth team members to homes where young people about the same age live. ____ Secure a few extra homes to be on standby in case of an illness or other emergency in a host home. ____ Determine if an insert in the Sunday bulletin would be helpful in securing necessary homes. (Check with

the Coffee Subgroup to see if they would like to be included in the insert.)

____ Advise hosts:♦♦ To write a short note of welcome to their guest(s), advising them of their phone number.♦♦ If they will need to provide any transportation for the guests.♦♦ That they may need to provide a place for the guests to rest on Saturday afternoon if possible.♦♦ If team members plan to bring children.♦♦ To plan to provide two breakfasts (only).♦♦ That changes sometimes occur at the last minute.

____ Plan the method(s) which will be used to match hosts and guests on Friday evening. Some of the options are:

♦♦ List of hosts/guests included in welcome packet.♦♦ Host’s name on the back of the team member’s name tag.♦♦ Assignment number noted on welcome packet or on the back of their name tag. Identify it as a

housing number so it will not be confused with the team member’s small group numbers.♦♦ Assign hosts and their guests to eat at the same table on Friday night. Places can be identified by

placards or by helium balloons marked with the family names and tied to the appropriate chairs.♦♦ At the conclusion of Friday’s session, ask for team members who have not met their host to stand and

give their names. The host family then stands. ♦♦ Post housing assignment numbers in sequence in an appropriate place in the church for matching.

____ Advise the General Chairperson of the plan chosen so the team can be notified.

____ Stay in contact with the General Chairperson or the Coordinator on Friday evening in order to make any necessary last-minute changes.


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Welcome Subgroup Responsibilities

As the name implies, this group will be greeting everyone who participates in the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW)–the team members and the membership. This group has responsibility for helping blend the team and church members into a friendly, relaxed fellowship for the LRW.

This group is responsible for preparing a welcome packet for the visiting team members. The packet should contain:

♦♦ A name tag. It is recommended that a plastic, pin-on type with a card inserted be furnished. Team member’s names should be printed large enough to read at about six feet away.

♦♦ Team members’ instructions. The Visiting Coordinator will advise the church which pieces of literature need to be printed.

♦♦ Housing assignments. Consult the Housing Subgroup to determine their plans for advising the team members of the host homes where they are assigned.

♦♦ In large churches, a floor plan of the church would be very helpful. In some cases, this might be planned to show small group locations.

♦♦ In addition, small gifts such as a pad of paper, a pen, some candy, etc. are sometimes included in the packets.

The welcome packets should be available between 4:30 and 6 p.m. outside the team meeting room. Since many team members drive great distances, a cup of coffee or other beverage might be welcomed. A member of the group should be present at the welcome table to assist team members as they arrive.

There should be signs at the building entrances to indicate where the team meeting room is located. Such a sign, or signs, should be posted at the most-used entrances to the church. One of the most important tasks of the Welcome Group is to staff a greeting table for the local membership as they arrive for the Friday night session and again on Saturday night. Each person will need a name tag as they enter. On Friday night, this should be done as they enter for the fellowship dinner. Another table of welcome should be planned outside the meeting room to give a name tag to anyone who did not attend the dinner. New name tags may be given on Saturday evening as the members arrive for that evening session. In addition, extra name tags should be available in the team meeting room on Friday evening so they can be taken to Coffees. The stick-on tags work well for these times.

In a large church, the name tags can be numbered and used to automatically form the small groups for adults for Friday and Saturday nights. The system works very well if everyone who staffs the welcome tables clearly understands the procedure to be used.


Exhibit 40Welcome Subgroup Checklist

____ Prepare welcome packets for the visiting team members. Include:♦♦ Housing assignments♦♦ Floor plan of church (optional, but helpful in a large church)♦♦ Name tags (pin-on type), a different color tag than for church members♦♦ Materials requested by the Visiting Coordinator♦♦ A list of the breakout rooms (optional)♦♦ Any “goodies” that the church may choose to provide (optional)

____ Buy sufficient supplies of both stick-on and plastic pin-on type of name tags. Visiting Team members should have a different color tag than church members. Check with the Housing Subgroup to see if they want to put any host information on the name tags. Determine if the name tags should be pre-numbered to help with forming small groups.

____ Make signs to advise the arriving team members where they will go for the team meeting.

____ Prepare a welcome table outside the team meeting room with welcome packets for distribution to team members as they arrive on Friday.

____ Provide a cooler with drinks and simple snacks in the team room for visiting team members as they arrive on Friday.

____ Provide welcome tables for church members at the fellowship dinner(s) and at the entry to the Worship

Center. Provide materials to make name tags.

____ Encourage all church members to wear name tags during the complete weekend. Name tags could be required as tickets for meals during the weekend to help encourage their use. A table could be set up and manned by a couple of youth or children at the entrance to the food line with extra name tags.


Facilities Subgroup Responsibilities

The Facilities Subgroup is to set up and prepare rooms for the weekend. They also arrange for someone to operate the sound system during the sessions of the Lay Renewal Weekend. The subgroup may want to divide into two parts: 1) sound/lighting, and 2) room set-up. The usual sound/lighting volunteers are typically overworked, and may be reluctant to take on the physical room set-up in addition to the sound/lighting/projection needs.

Exhibit 41 Facilities Subgroup Checklist

Team Meeting Room ____ Have ready for the 5 p.m. Friday Team Meeting:

♦♦ Large meeting room with enough chairs for the entire Visiting Team, the pastor, and the General Chairperson

♦♦ Room or place for setting snacks, soft drinks, and coffee (refreshments and coffee provided by the Welcome Subgroup)

____ Provide rooms for separate Men’s and Women’s meetings after lunch on Saturday with sound systems and audio support, if needed (Suggestion: sanctuary for ladies and fellowship hall for men).

____ Provide signs to help visitors find small group meeting rooms. In large churches, consider staffing volunteers at strategic locations to help. Volunteers should be easily identified in some way (such as matching shirts).

Sanctuary____ Sound Technician with microphones

♦♦ Pulpit♦♦ Cordless (if available)♦♦ Lavaliere for speaker (if required)♦♦ Cassette and CD Player

____ Lighting Technician♦♦ Projection Technician (if available)♦♦ Video Projector and Screen ♦♦ Power strip and extension cords

Adult Small Group Meeting Rooms____ Set up small group meeting rooms with 12 chairs arranged in circle (no tables needed). ____ Paper and sharpened pencils will be needed in each room for Saturday evening (enough for each person

to have a pencil and piece of paper). ____ Place numbers at doors of small group meeting rooms. ____ Separate adult small groups from youth and children as much as possible.____ Have adult chairs in rooms where adults will meet in small groups.

Youth Meeting Room____ Large open space with chairs on the perimeter____ Fulfill other needs as requested by Visiting Youth Coordinator

Children’s Meeting Room____ Large, open space with chairs on the perimeter and table space for crafts and snacks____ VHS/DVD player with TV or video projector with projection screen may be helpful____ Power strips and extension cords as requested by Visiting Children’s Coordinator


Note Page


Chapter 10Coffee Group Responsibilities

The Coffee Group is charged with three primary responsibilities which guide and influence the renewal process in the church. Depending on the size of the congregation, the chairperson of the Coffee Group must recruit an individual or a subgroup of people to accomplish each of these responsibilities. These three subgroups are:

♦♦ The Attendance Person or Subgroup assigns all church members to a Saturday morning Coffee and encourages them to attend the entire weekend.

♦♦ The Coffee Hostess Person or Subgroup recruits church members to host a Coffee meeting on Saturday.

♦♦ The Coffee Transportation Person or Subgroup recruits church members to drive visiting team members to the Coffees.


The chairperson of the Coffee Group is accountable for accomplishing all the tasks assigned to the group. He/she should meet with the three subgroups on a regular basis and report their progress or concerns to the General Chairperson.

Attendance Subgroup Responsibilities

The task of the Attendance Subgroup is to obtain maximum participation from everyone during the entire 42 hours of the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) experience. This group will be involved in encouraging every member of the church and every person on the current list of prospects to participate. Essentially, every member should be contacted a number of times through the following means:

♦♦ Two letters from the pastor to the membership. ♦♦ A letter from the General Chairperson to the membership which includes a schedule of the LRW.♦♦ Publicity in the weekly church mail-outs. ♦♦ A personal invitation from a Coffee Hostess. ♦♦ A personal invitation with delivery of the Acts in Prayer booklet. ♦♦ Senior Adults may agree to call everyone in the church and invite the members to participate. Talk with

the chairman of the Seniors Subgroup about this possibility.


There is no substitute for a person-to-person invitation. Personal contacts should be a high priority for the Attendance Group. The church membership should be divided into groups to form the guest lists for the Saturday morning Coffees.

One of the really fun activities of the Lay Renewal Weekend is the Saturday Morning Coffees. The Attendance Subgroup has the responsibility of dividing any adults that are a part of the church fellowship into groups for the Saturday Morning Coffees.

This grouping of the church membership should be done about five weeks prior to the Weekend. The General Chairperson should request a listing of all resident members/visitors for the subgroup’s use. Talk to the pastor, other staff members, and the General Chairperson to obtain their ideas as to the most effective and logical way to group the membership. The purpose of this grouping is to provide each Coffee Host/Hostess with 30 to 40 people to invite. Both active and inactive church members should be included in the Coffee Groupings.

If your church is using the Deacon Family Ministry Plan, where each deacon is assigned a certain numbers of families, this method of grouping families may also work for the Coffee Groups.

The ideal number for a Coffee Group is eight to10 people. A rule of thumb: if 30 people are invited to a Coffee, usually eight to 10 will actually attend. So, divide the adult members by 30 to determine how many Coffee Group locations your church should have.

The Coffee Hostess Subgroup may also have input into the number of Coffees needed, as they will be recruiting the Coffee Hostesses. They will be trying to get new and/or inactive church members to be among those having Saturday Coffees in their homes, so a balance of active and inactive members is needed in each group. Once the number of Coffees is decided, the Attendance Subgroup should make sure that a balanced number of active members are assigned to each Coffee. This can be done by assigning active members to the Coffees first then the less active on down to the inactive. Every resident adult church member should be assigned to a Coffee. Married couples should be assigned to the same Coffee.

In compiling the Coffee guest lists, consider the geographic locations of the membership as well as the ratio of active members to inactive members. This helps assure that each host/hostess will have some people in attendance.

A Coffee might be located in an area or region where a number of church members live. Parents will bring their youth and children to the church at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning and then proceed to their assigned Coffee. It is best if this doesn’t require a lot of travel time, which can particularly be a problem for larger or more spread-out congregations (Exhibit 43).

The Coffee Host/Hostess should be given a list with those assigned to their Coffee. This list should include the assigned member’s name, mailing address, home phone, and e-mail address. This info will be used by the Coffee Hostess in making contact and sending invitation notices or making phone contacts to those assigned to their Coffee. It is best if the hostess talks with each guest family personally (or by phone) as opposed to leaving messages or inviting by e-mail.

A list of all Coffee Host/Hostesses and the members assigned to their Coffees should also be posted in a highly visible place, perhaps near the fellowship hall where the meals will be served. An announcement concerning this list should be made on Friday night at the Lay Renewal, so any member can check and reaffirm which is their Coffee. If Coffee Hostesses need to cancel their Coffee at the last minute, they must contact each person who was invited to their Coffee and let them know the new Coffee location. They must also put a map on their front door, showing the directions to the new Coffee location.


Exhibit 42Attendance Subgroup Checklist

____ Consult with the pastor and others to determine the most effective way to group the membership and

visitors for the Coffees. (See Exhibit 43 for one idea.) ____ Divide the church membership into groups to form the guest lists for the Coffees.

♦♦ Consider the geographic locations in assigning groups.♦♦ Balance the ratio of active members and inactive members in each group.♦♦ Establish several Coffees at the church in order to allow those involved in last minute details at the

church to participate (such as Chairpersons, Food, and Welcome). Reserve some space in these groups for last minute additions.

♦♦ Use existing groupings of the membership where feasible, such as the Deacon Family Ministry.

____ Give the compiled Coffee Group lists to the Coffee Hostess Subgroup so that Hosts/Hostesses may be recruited.

____ Print generic postcards for the Coffee hosts to mail out to their guests (Exhibit 44). Make it clear that they need to fill in the information (group number, address of the Coffee, etc.) and mail these by two weeks prior to the Weekend.

____ One week prior to the Weekend, contact all Coffee hosts and find out how many guests are planning to come. This accomplishes two things: 1) it makes sure that the hosts are personally contacting their guests, and 2) if there are groups which are grossly unbalanced in attendance, it allows time to make some adjustments in the groups.

____ Post an alphabetical list of church members and the Coffee where they are assigned in a very visible place in or near the fellowship hall, and have someone announce the location of this list during the Friday night meal.


Exhibit 43A Method of Dividing Membership into Coffees

(This is especially for large or geographically diverse churches. It is helpful if the person in charge of dividing the membership has good computer skills and is detail oriented.)

1. Ask the General Chairperson (GC) to request on your behalf a listing of all resident adult members and visitors. In order to shorten the list, ask that the head of household be the only person listed for each family. Ideally, the list should be sent to you electronically in the form of an Excel chart, and should be in 9-digit ZIP code order. First and last names should be in separate columns so that they can be sorted.

2. Add columns on the chart to show whether or not a family is active (this could be designated by an asterisk), the Coffee number, and the Coffee Host.

3. Determine the number of Coffees that will be needed, using the guidelines in the Attendance Subgroup Responsibilities and knowledge about the receptivity of your congregation.

4. Determine if there are any language groups which are to be a part of the Weekend, such as a language congregation or a deaf congregation. If there are, request a list of these households from the GC (in addition to the list in number 1).

5. Pre-assign any language group(s) to a Coffee(s), being sure to also pre-assign one or more interpreters with their permission. Use a sufficient number of Coffees so that the language group will make up about half of the guests at a particular location and the remaining half will be filled in by other church members. This is a great time to begin to break down language barriers between congregations!

6. Consult with the GC to determine who will need to attend a Coffee at the church because of last-minute responsibilities (such as those with food responsibilities). Pre-assign these folks.

7. Reserve some space in the Coffees hosted at the church for last minute additions.

8. Talk with the Coffee Subgroup about finding as many Coffee Hosts as possible within five miles of the church. If people offer to be either a Coffee Host or a host home for a visiting team member, use those closest to the church as Coffee Hosts. This will help avoid the problem of guests having to drive long distances to bring their children to the church and then go back a long distance to a Coffee. Several Coffees should be hosted at the church.

9. With the names remaining (after pre-assignments), mark those households which are considered active. The goal is to balance the number of active households in each Coffee, so that someone is likely to attend each Coffee. Excel allows you to sort in up to three stages. Sort first by zip code order and then by the active column. This should bring the active families to the top of each zip code.

10. Divide the number of active households by the number of Coffees to get the number of active households which should be assigned to each Coffee. Create the required number of groups with the required number of spaces on the Excel chart, and copy/paste the active folks into the groups, trying to keep ZIP codes or geographic areas together. Remember to fill in some active folks into the language group(s) also.

11. Complete the groups by copying/pasting the remaining folks. Fill in group numbers and host names on each line (get host names from the Coffee Hostess Subgroup). Make adjustments as needed. Save and print the file. Make a copy for the Coffee Hostess Subgroup.


12. Use “Save as” to create a copy of the file. Sort by the last name and then by the first name to get the list in alphabetical order. This is the list that should be posted on Friday evening in the Fellowship Hall for anyone who doesn’t know where their Coffee is located. Post a separate list that cross-references the group number and host name with the host’s address.


Exhibit 44Sample Postcard to Invite Guests

(The Attendance Subgroup should prepare generic postcards similar to this for the Coffee Hosts. In turn, the hosts will complete the information needed and mail them by two weeks prior to the Weekend. Copy the information below onto light colored cardstock [a color that will allow printed postal stamps to be visible] and cut them apart.)

Dear (name),

You are invited to come to our home for a Coffee social on Saturday, (give date) from 10–11:30 a.m. as part of the Lay Renewal Weekend. This will be a fun time to get to know each other better in a small group setting. Our contact information is:

Preschoolers, children, and youth will have special activities planned for them at the church beginning at 9:30. If you are bringing a preschooler (birth–kindergarten) to the church, please pre-register by calling (give name and phone number) before (give date). Adults will join children and youth for lunch at the church beginning at noon, followed by separate men’s and ladies’ sessions. All ages will be finished for the afternoon at 2:00.

Please call me before (give date of 1 Week prior to Weekend) to let me know if you are coming and for directions. Hope to see you on the (give date)!

Sincerely,

Dear (name),

You are invited to come to our home for a Coffee social on Saturday, (give date) from 10–11:30 a.m. as part of the Lay Renewal Weekend. This will be a fun time to get to know each other better in a small group setting. Our contact information is:

Preschoolers, children, and youth will have special activities planned for them at the church beginning at 9:30. If you are bringing a preschooler (birth–kindergarten) to the church, please pre-register by calling (give name and phone number) before (give date). Adults will join children and youth for lunch at the church beginning at noon, followed by separate men’s and ladies’ sessions. All ages will be finished for the afternoon at 2:00.

Please call me before (give date of 1 Week prior to Weekend) to let me know if you are coming and for directions. Hope to see you on the (give date)!

Sincerely,


Coffee Hostess Subgroup Responsibilities The Coffee Hostess Group is responsible for organizing informal Coffee sharing groups in the homes of church members. The sharing groups are led by the team members. Whenever possible, the Coffees are co-hosted by the couple having the Coffee in their home and another couple. The other couple could be selected from those members who might not otherwise attend.

The Attendance Group will divide the church membership into groups of 30 to 40 people about five weeks prior to the Weekend. The Attendance Group will give the Coffee Hostess Group the guest lists as soon as they are compiled. Couples are then contacted to host and co-host each Coffee. One host/hostess will provide their home as a meeting place, while the other will assist in the preparation, invitations, and the actual hosting of the Coffee. Encourage hosts to keep the atmosphere informal, with light refreshments, paper cups, etc. The refreshments should be served as the guests arrive to allow the greatest amount of time for sharing. It would be best if the hostess could arrange the room so that everyone is in a circle. Advise the hosts of the schedule, usually from 10 a.m. until about 11:30–11:45 a.m. depending on how close the Coffee is to the church. The co-hosts need to have a copy of the guests that they are to invite. Make sure they know they are responsible for personally inviting these members and prospects. Personal invitations to the Coffees may be by telephone or by written invitation or both. Do not rely on e-mail to invite someone. Assure guests who need a ride to the Coffee that arrangements will be made if their need is known. Another attendee could be asked to help provide transportation. The Coffee Hosts should also be encouraged to invite their own friends and neighbors. As the guests are invited, they should make it clear that both men and women should come. If those invited have children or teenagers, they should be told about activities available for them during the Weekend. The Coffee Hostess Subgroup should make a list of all hosts/co-hosts as soon as they have been secured. This list should be ready two weeks prior to the Weekend. One copy needs to be mailed to the Coordinator and a copy given to the Publicity Group so the Coffees can be publicized as an important part of the Weekend. If this group has difficulty obtaining hosts/co-hosts, they may consider an insert in the Sunday bulletin asking for volunteers. Check with the Housing Group to see if they also need homes and let one bulletin insert serve both purposes. Sometimes a hostess will become discouraged when she receives a lot of negative replies. Encourage her to have the Coffee anyway. Some of the best Coffee sharing groups have been very small ones.


Exhibit 45Coffee Hostess Subgroup Checklist

____ Obtain the Coffee Grouping lists, which are to be compiled by the Attendance Group. ____ Contact couples from each list to secure co-hosts for each Coffee. ____ Advise the hosts of the schedule, usually 10 a.m. until about 11:30 a.m. ____ Advise hosts of their responsibilities and that the visiting team member will facilitate the meeting time at

the Coffee.

____ Coffee Hosts should complete and mail out pre-printed postcards to every guest by no later than two weeks prior to the Weekend. The postcards should be available from the Attendance Subgroup.

____ Provide Coffee Hosts with a “cheat sheet” of information that will help them answer common questions that might come up during the phone calls to their guests. Keep the information simple.

____ Coffee Hosts should personally invite every person on their prepared guest list by talking with them on the

telephone or in person. This needs to be completed by one week prior to the Weekend. Notify them that someone from the Attendance Subgroup will be calling them a week before the Weekend to find out how many folks are coming to their Coffee.

____ Work with the Transportation Group to make sure someone is at the church at 9:30 a.m. Saturday to

transport a visiting team member to each Coffee. ____ Ask hosts to plan for an informal gathering with disposable plates and cups and light refreshments or just

beverages. Arrange the room so that chairs form a circle. ____ Serve guests as soon as they arrive so that more time will be allowed for sharing. ____ Invite other friends and neighbors. Both men and women should be encouraged to come. ____ Make a list of the hosts/co-hosts with the proper address; give it to the General Chairperson so that the

Coffees may be publicized. ____ Determine if you need an insert in the Sunday bulletin asking for volunteers. If this is needed, check with

the Housing Group for their input. ____ Encourage hostesses to plan to have a Coffee even if they have a poor response from the invitations. Some

of the best Coffees are the smaller groups.

____ Coffee Hosts should understand that if an emergency requires them to cancel their Coffee at the last minute, they will need to re-call everyone on their guest list and inform them of the substitute location. They will also need to put a note on their front door, with a map and phone number of the new location.


Coffee Transportation Subgroup Responsibilities

The Coffee Hostess Subgroup will recruit church members to host Coffees in their homes. The Attendance Subgroup will divide the adult church roster into groups, and each of these groups will be assigned to a particular home for the Saturday Morning Coffee. One or more of the visiting team members will also be assigned to each Coffee.

The Coffee Transportation Subgroup recruits church members to be at the church at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning in order to transport Visiting Team members to their Coffee. Many times the visiting team member will drive their own vehicle and follow their Coffee Transportation Person to their assigned Coffee, but some may need a ride. The Coffee Hostess’ spouse or someone familiar with the home location could be the person recruited for this responsibility.

The visiting team members will have a Team Meeting Saturday morning, usually from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. By the time the team meeting is dismissed, each team member should have been assigned to a particular Coffee home. The volunteer drivers should be ready to leave the church at 9:30 a.m. to take the Visiting Team members to their assigned Coffee home.

One of the best and easiest methods for getting the Visiting Team members and their assigned driver together is to give each of the Coffee homes a number. This number should be displayed on the windshield of the car going to that Coffee home (Exhibit 47). When the visiting team members are dismissed from the Team Meeting, they can simply go to the parking lot and locate the car with their Coffee number displayed on the car windshield, and follow or ride with that person to their assigned Coffee. In large churches, it is helpful to have the cars lined up in numerical order beginning at a designated pick-up area.

If a church member does not know the locations or how to find the Coffee home they are assigned to, they may also want to be at the church at 9:30 a.m. and follow the Coffee Transportation Person to their Coffee. Church members with youth and children will be bringing them to the church at 9:30 a.m. and could easily follow someone from there to their assigned Coffee. However, they must be at the church and ready to leave by 9:30 a.m.

The Coffees will end about 11:30 a.m. and church members and Visiting Team members will return to the church for lunch which is usually scheduled for noon. Remember, the visiting team members may need directions or a ride back to the church after the Coffee.


Exhibit 46Coffee Transportation Subgroup Checklist

____ Plan for drivers to transport team members from the church to a Coffee on Saturday morning.

____ Recruit a Transportation Person for each home Coffee.

____ Have Transportation Person at church on Saturday morning by 9:30 a.m.

____ Transportation Person should know directions to their assigned Coffee.

____ Make signs with Coffee Number to put on windshield of each Transportation Person’s car.

____ In large churches, ask the cars to line up at a designated spot in numerical order.

____ Remind the Transportation Person that the Visiting Team member may need a ride back to the church.

____ The spouse of Coffee Hostess could be the Transportation Person for that Coffee.

____ Transportation Person may also transport other church members who meet at church at 9:30 a.m.

____ Couples can serve as Transportation Persons and ride together to Coffees.

____ Transportation People should bring their youth and children to church at 9:30 a.m.


Exhibit 47Sample of Directions to Coffee

COFFEE # 1John & Sally Doe’s Home

123 Somewhere Rd

My Home City, GA 12345

(999) 123-4567

Take I-77 exIT 36. Turn rIghT onTo Chapel road, Turn rIghT onTo Brawley road,

Turn lefT onTo paTh,Turn rIghT onTo Somewhere road,

Coffee IS aT The fIrST houSe on The lefT.


Note Page


Chapter 11Publicity Group Responsibilities

The Publicity Group is charged with five primary responsibilities which guide and influence the renewal process in the church. Depending on the size of the congregation, the chairperson of the Publicity Group must recruit an individual or a subgroup of people to accomplish each of these responsibilities. These five subgroups are:

♦♦ The Seniors Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among seniors of the church.

♦♦ The Adults Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among adults of the church.

♦♦ The Youth Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among the youth of the church and acts as a liaison with the Visiting Team Youth Coordinator.

♦♦♦♦ The Children Person or Subgroup promotes the Renewal Weekend among the children and acts as a

liaison with the Visiting Team Children’s Coordinator.

♦♦ The Nursery Person or Subgroup recruits outside workers for the preschoolers.

For the ease of discussion, the person(s) fulfilling each of these responsibilities will hereafter be referred to as a “subgroup” even though an individual may be carrying out the duty.

The chairperson of the Publicity Group is accountable for accomplishing all the tasks assigned to the Group. He/she should meet with the five subgroups on a regular basis and report their progress or concerns to the General Chairperson.

Publicity Group Responsibilities

The Publicity Group provides the maximum amount of exposure for this “different” weekend experience. The goal is to encourage the entire church family (adults, youth, and children) to participate all weekend. Other groups will be involved in personally inviting each member of the church family, while the Publicity Group keeps the upcoming Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) constantly before the church body through various means. The Seniors, Youth, Children’s, and Nursery subgroups will particularly focus on those age groups to encourage their participation. The Adults Subgroup will focus on the church as a whole.

Seniors Subgroup Responsibilities

The Seniors Subgroup will particularly focus on encouraging seniors to be involved in all aspects of the LRW. One way of getting seniors involved is by getting senior volunteers to call every senior adult in the church. A “cheat sheet” can be given to the callers so that they can answer basic questions about the Weekend. As a part of the contact, the caller can help match up transportation needs and those who can help provide for them. Calling may also help identify prayer needs among the seniors.


Seniors may decide to help make prayer reminders and hand them out to all the adults in the church. As with all the Publicity Groups, the Seniors Subgroup should be creative in advertising to this vital group. (See Exhibits 48 and 49 for additional ideas.)

Exhibit 48Seniors Subgroup Checklist

____ Contact the senior members of the church by phone call or a letter, and make sure they know that the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) is for them.

____ Plan several Cottage Prayer Meetings in the homes of senior church members during the preparation time for the LRW, and make the seniors aware of what the LRW is about. These “in home” Cottage Prayer Meetings should be led by senior prayer warriors if possible following this schedule; 1/3 of the meeting for devotions, 1/3 of the meeting for prayer, and 1/3 of the meeting deciding the best ways to get all senior church members to attend the LRW.

____ Have a senior make announcements in the senior’s Sunday School class about the LRW.

____ Encourage the seniors to participate in the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil. If they are not able to come to the church, they can sign up for a specific hour of prayer at their home.

____ The seniors may want to have their own Senior Prayer Vigil, and have as many seniors signed up for as many one-hour time slots as possible to pray through the One Hour Alone with God Prayer Guide (Exhibit 34).

____ Give the seniors copies of the One Hour Alone with God Prayer Guide.

____ Work with the Transportation Group to see if transportation for seniors could be lined up for Friday night and Saturday night of the LRW. Find out how many seniors would attend if transportation was available. Some seniors may be able to provide transportation for others; this could be learned during the phone calls to each senior.

____ During the Saturday night Family Prayer time, have several seniors lined up to make sure that all seniors who do not have family members attending that night are invited to join in a senior’s Family Prayer Group.

____ Encourage Seniors to house a visiting team member during the LRW.

____ Encourage several senior church members to host a Saturday Morning Coffee and invite other seniors from the neighborhood to attend that Coffee. Help with transportation when needed.

____ Have several senior members of the church give a testimony during the Sunday Morning Worship Service about their daily devotions or about their personal ministry.

____ Encourage senior church members to serve on other Preparation Groups for the LRW.


Exhibit 49Suggestions for the Seniors Subgroup

Pray individually and corporately. When the job is overwhelming and too big for you, pray and ask friends to join you.

Commit your position to the Lord, next come your spouse and family. Do not be afraid to admit the position is a challenge. When God calls you, He does not ask if you have time, talent, or expect you to be perfect. He just asks you to follow Him.

Plan. Keep a scratch pad beside your chair and your nightstand. You will be surprised how ideas will come and how God will supply you with everything you need.

Motivate people. The best way to involve people is to ask them to participate in planning and serving. The first time you ask for volunteers, the response may be small; however, it will grow.

Stay Focused. The devil does not want Christians to worship the Lord and he does not want anyone to be happy serving the Lord. In addition, the devil is rejoicing when Christians do not get along with other church members.

Seniors have so much spiritual talent and resources for reaching inwardly and outwardly. Below are a few suggestions for getting people involved.

Have all plans completed and begin two or three months prior to Lay Renewal to target the senior roll of the church and all prospects. Begin the first Sunday in Sunday School stating to the seniors that the church has voted to have a Lay Renewal and that seniors have an opportunity to make this event go over the top. Seniors know the church, know the people, and most remember the Sundays that people were walking the aisle to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. In addition, most seniors remember how important it is to visit people and invite them to church, but most importantly to invite them to know the Savior.

Potential Areas of Service for Seniors:

Have prayer meetings in their home or if not convenient at home, meet at the church.

Form a telephone committee–secure a copy of the church roll of all seniors–make sure all members are called.

In addition to members, ask for a copy of the visitors list for the past year and contact all of them.

If you are fortunate to have enough seniors on the telephone committee, they may want to contact the entire church membership.

Homebound persons may not be able to attend the Lay Renewal Weekend, but they can make personal contact with the other members. They can make phone calls, address cards, and pray for the meetings.

Here are several service ideas in connection with the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil:♦♦ Host a prayer luncheon the day that the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil begins (if budget allows).♦♦ Host the prayer vigil during daylight hours (sit in the vestibule and oversee sign-in sheets, as well as hand

out suggestions for prayer time).♦♦ Participate in prayer at the Prayer Vigil.♦♦ Offer to babysit for a single mom so that she may participate in the vigil.♦♦ Offer to make desserts for one or more of the Weekend’s meals.


Some seniors come to worship that may not come to Sunday School. If your Pastor stands in the Vestibule and shakes hands with the members after the service, he may allow one or two seniors to stand with him and invite those that are not in Sunday School. In order to “catch” everyone, be sure to post seniors at the other doors as well. However, obtain permission from your pastor before doing this.

Fellowship is an important part of any church family. Be sure to include it. You may want to have more than one type of fellowship to enable the physically handicapped to participate. This will be a wonderful opportunity to get to know your fellow Christian brothers and sisters.

If you have ladies who enjoy doing crafts, maybe they would have an idea for a craft that would help to keep Lay Renewal in front of your people as a reminder of the blessing that will be theirs for participating. Some ideas are bookmarks, prayer rocks, and cards.


Adults Subgroup Responsibilities

While the other subgroups that are a part of the Publicity Group focus on particular ages, the Adults Subgroup focuses on advertising for the church as a whole. The advertising campaign should include both visual and audio schemes. Use the normal church mailings and bulletins to announce the Weekend. Inform the church body of the schedule. The subgroup should plan exciting, creative ways to highlight this special Weekend. Some helps can be found in Exhibits 51-54. Posters, banners, signs, etc. should be placed prominently around the church. The youth and children may be encouraged to help make these items as a contest (see Exhibit 57 for some poster ideas). Spot announcements should be arranged for several Sundays prior to the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) in the Sunday School departments and in the worship services. Plan a theme; dress up like a well-known personality; prepare a funny skit, monologue, or dialogue; or anything which will get people’s attention and help them realize the LRW is going to be something! Publicity outside the church may also be planned. Place an announcement in an area newspaper, ask local merchants to display an advertisement piece, or have the LRW announced over local Christian radio stations. The most often-asked question prior to the LRW will be, “What is a Lay Renewal Weekend?” Try to convey the idea that laypeople, just like your church members, will be coming to share their own spiritual journeys with the church. It will not be a weekend of preaching or study, but a time of relaxation through which God will speak. Stress that the Weekend will be enjoyable and spiritually rewarding. Have visiting laypeople give their testimonies in a worship service prior to the LRW. Through these testimonies the church members will know what to expect during the LRW. They will see how the Lord will work to deepen many Christian’s commitment. The Visiting Coordinator can help arrange for LRW testimonies from outside of the church. The last Sunday prior to the LRW, it would be good for one of the persons in the Preparation Groups to give a testimony. This could be very meaningful as his/her expectations for Church Renewal are shared honestly.


Exhibit 50Adults Subgroup Checklist

____ Encourage the entire church family (adults, senior adults, youth, and children) to participate in the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW).

____ Work with the other groups to design or distribute materials which publicize the LRW.

♦♦ Prayer Group’s tabletop Prayer Reminder Cards (Exhibit 36)♦♦ Attendance Group’s publicity piece

____ Plan an advertising campaign which will be exciting and motivating. The chairperson should work closely with the church staff liaison in order to meet publication deadlines.

♦♦ Church Bulletins (see Exhibit 52 for clip art)♦♦ Church Newsletters♦♦ Posters, Banners, Signs (see Exhibit 53 and Exhibit 57 for samples)♦♦ Creative verbal announcements in Sunday School and worship services♦♦ Use drama in worship services (see Exhibit 51 for an example)

____ Try to convey to the membership that the Weekend will be both enjoyable and spiritually rewarding. ____ Feature testimonies in the worship services:

♦♦ Visiting laypeople♦♦ A person involved in one of the Preparation Groups

It may be helpful to preview testimonies before they are given to the church in order to be assured of their length and effectiveness.

____ Have someone take photographs of the LRW for use in advertising future Weekends!


Exhibit 51: Sample Drama Sketch

Gomer stumbles into worship center appearing to be confused or perhaps lost. Gomer is carrying large bucket with large letters on side: CHICKEN FEED.

Gomer: Shazaam! Where am I? This is the fanciest place I’ve ever seen. Have I died and gone to heaven?

Bobby: (coming up to greet Gomer): Gomer! Don’t you know this is the House of the Lord? We’re here to worship.

Gomer: I had a hard time finding you. I’m so sorry I’m late Bobby!

Bobby: That’s okay, but what are you doing with that bucket that says “chicken feed”?

Gomer: My hens haven’t been producing so well lately, and I heard there was a Lay Renewal goin’ on around here.

Bobby: What?

Gomer: That’s right. If there’s anybody that needs a lay renewal it’s my chickens. And look at that balcony up there. Golly, you sure could fit a lot of chickens up there.

Bobby: Gomer, Lay Renewal doesn’t have anything to do with chickens.

Gomer: It doesn’t?

Bobby: No, it’s a weekend in (name month) when our entire church will gather together for spiritual growth and renewal.

Gomer: I’m so embarrassed. I think I’m goin’ to leave right now.

Bobby: No, you just stay right here and think about what you’d like to do to help make our Lay Renewal a success.

Gomer: Shazaam! Grandma told me when I was a thinking just put a bucket on my head and think and think and think. (puts bucket over head)

Bobby: (continues to tell others about volunteers, house guests, transportation, etc).

Bobby: Gomer, Gomer!!!!

Gomer: (takes bucket off head and says) Sure enough, Bobby, I think and think and think under there. I remember now–When I was little, we had lay renewal at Mt. Pilot. Shazaam, people were saved, rededicated their lives, gave their testimonies about their salvation. While I was under there, I just thought this is just the very thing we’ve needed and especially me. Life is too busy, ain’t it Bobby. We need each other’s prayers, and I’m going to pray, pray, pray, starting right now. Praying for our church, Sunday School, staff, teachers, the unsaved. Then I’m going to read my Bible and study God’s Word to prepare my heart for such a time as this. God bless each and everyone. Open your heart, take time to listen. You don’t have to put your head in a bucket, but get alone with God to search out your weakness. Remember only the one in your seat can do something about it.


Bobby: I couldn’t have said it better myself, Gomer (both walk off together. Gomer pretends microphone is off and tells Bobby):

Gomer: Shazaam! Why didn’t you tell me this was (insert name of church)? (Gomer starts to sing verse of “Revive Us Again”) Hallelujah, Thine the Glory. Hallelujah amen. Hallelujah Thine the Glory. Revive us again.


Exhibit 52CRJ Logo Clip Art


Exhibit 53Samples of Advertising

“But what’s a Lay Renewal Weekend?”


Don’t forget to

SWING ON IN

for

LAY RENEWAL WEEKEND

Date, Year


Exhibit 54Sample Bulletin Board


Youth Subgroup Responsibilities

The Youth Subgroup is comprised of adults and youth that will be involved in the preparation and promotion phase of the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). Adults usually are free to attend the adults’ sessions during the weekend. The Visiting Coordinator will recommend an experienced Visiting Youth Coordinator who will lead the activities for the youth all weekend, with the help of a group of Youth Team members. The Youth Subgroup’s responsibilities include encouraging the young people of the church to participate in the Weekend. They should stress that they will be led by other young people, who are facing similar problems in their lives. For some of the young people, this will be the first time they meet peers who are fully committed to Jesus. Encourage some of the youth group to request a team member to stay in their home.

The youth will attend the general sessions with the adults and children, but they will be dismissed for a youth-led assembly and youth-led small groups on both Friday and Saturday evenings. On Saturday morning they will gather for a time of recreation and small groups followed by a cookout. The Visiting Youth Coordinator and his team also will lead during the Sunday School hour. The church adult leadership who work with youth should not plan to stay with the youth during the LRW unless requested. If the local church leadership is hesitant to follow this recommendation, a short visit with the visiting Youth Coordinator will usually alleviate all fears.

It is recommended that the Saturday morning outing, recreation time, and lunch be held at a location away from the church. Sometimes a church member with a home site will invite the youth. Public parks can be used if not too crowded. Consider a place that will allow some outside activities. Arrange to take some sports equipment along. Small groups may be held outside as well. Check with the church staff to see if signed permission slips will be required for this outing.

It is the responsibility of the Youth Subgroup to select the location and to secure all food and drinks for this outing. Plan something simple to prepare. Some suggestions are:

♦♦ Ask the youth to bring a lunch;♦♦ Provide outdoor grills for cooking; or♦♦ Plan to eat at a nearby pizza restaurant, fast food outlet, or other local facility.

Whatever the plan, consider the weather and have an alternate plan in case of bad weather.

It may be necessary for one or two adults to accompany the youth on the Saturday morning outing in order to drive a church vehicle, etc. Be sure that the drivers have cell phones and exchange phone numbers before they leave the church. They may find it best to remain with the youth during this time. If so, they could help prepare for the lunch. However, they should not be a part of a sharing group.

The youth should also be encouraged to be a part of the preparation for the LRW. Youth can be asked to make posters and signs, perhaps with a “Best Poster Contest” (see Exhibit 57 for poster ideas). Youth can help with the visitation campaign. They should participate in the Prayer Groups, perhaps forming one just for the youth. They can be a part of the 24-Hour Prayer Vigil and be involved in the Spiritual Growth Group, Communication Group, and Food Group in addition to this subgroup. Challenge them to outdo the adults in signing up for Preparation Groups. The Youth Subgroup members should contact the other Preparation Groups chairpersons and remind them to invite youth to help in their work.

The Youth Subgroup should check on the school activity calendars which affect the youth in the church. Often an important football game, a band contest, or other scheduled events are overlooked when placing a LRW on the church calendar. If there are serious conflicts, discuss these with the pastor or General Chairperson to see if alternative plans should be made. Sometimes planning an after-game fellowship is all that is necessary to keep the youth involved in the LRW.


Exhibit 55Youth Subgroup Checklist

____ Complete the Local Church Youth Questionnaire (Exhibit 56) and return it to the Visiting Coordinator.

____ Invite the Visiting Youth Coordinator to physically meet with the Youth Subgroup and the youth of the church prior to the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). This will help foster communication, understanding about the facilities, etc., and will encourage the youth to attend the Weekend.

____ If a Christian school is associated with the church, ask the principal to avoid scheduling any conflicting events for the LRW. Ask that he/she spread this word to the other teachers/administrators at the school.

____ Encourage the youth of the church to participate in the Lay Renewal Weekend.♦♦ Stress that leadership for the weekend will be by visiting youth and a Youth Coordinator.♦♦ Announce the separate activities planned for the youth on Saturday.♦♦ Place posters aimed at the youth activities in their Sunday School department.

____ Involve the youth in Preparation Groups for the LRW. Contact other Preparation Group chairpersons to get

the youth involved. ____ Plan and prepare for the Saturday morning youth outing.

♦♦ Get signed permission slips in accordance with church policy.♦♦ Select locations for the youth outing and small groups—10 to 11:30 a.m.♦♦ Select location for the recreation and picnic/cookout—noon to 2 p.m.♦♦ Both locations may be the same place.♦♦ Arrange for some outside activities (football, softball, other sports equipment).♦♦ Secure all food and drinks for this group or make arrangements at a local restaurant.♦♦ Plan for transportation to and from site. Be sure that drivers exchange cell numbers in case someone

gets lost or their van breaks down.

____ Check with the Food Group to let them know the plans for Saturday’s lunch for the youth. ____ Enlist some youth to help make LRW posters. ____ Ask the Adults Subgroup to use some of the youth in their publicity sketches, etc. ____ If a visitation campaign is planned, encourage youth to help. ____ Check regarding youth participation on other key committees and groups.

____ Provide key information about the youth group size, make-up, special problems or challenges, etc. to the visiting Youth Coordinator.


Exhibit 56Local Church Youth Questionnaire

Church Youth Questionnaire Church Name:

Local Youth Preparation Subgroup should complete this form and mail to the Visiting Coordinator.

1. The average number of youth in each age group on Sunday morning? _________ 6th grade _________ 9th grade _________12th grade _________ 7th grade _________ 10th grade _________ 8th grade _________ 11th grade

Estimate of a total number of youth that may attend the Renewal Weekend _________ Note: (If 6th grade is not included with youth, leave blank.)

2. Describe the spiritual maturity level of the youth and the Bible/discipleship training they have had. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What program format are the youth used to? Should we continue this or would a new pattern/approach be acceptable

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Check the equipment available at your church or associational office. ❏ Tape recorder ❏TV/VCR equipment ❏ Slide Projector ❏ DVD ❏ Screen ❏ Chalkboard/Whiteboard ❏ PowerPoint (computer, etc.)

5. What are the lunch plans for youth and team members? _____________________________________________

6. Are there plans for a youth outing or will the youth stay at the church? If an outing is planned, what will we do? How will the youth be transported? What other information will the leaders need to know (assuming the leaders know nothing about the area)?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Is there indoor or outdoor play space on or near the church property? If so, where? _______________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What type of recreational play equipment is available (kickballs, soccer balls, jump ropes, basketballs and basketball goals)? ______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

9. What activities do the youth enjoy doing? __________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Does your church minister to youth with special needs (abused youth, youth who are physically or emotionally handicapped, or youth with discipline problems)? ❏ Yes ❏ No If yes, please give info on back of this sheet.

11. Please use back side of this sheet to also list any info you think would be helpful to the Visiting Youth Coordinator. Include name and phone of church’s chairperson of the Youth Subgroup:

Name _________________________ Phone _________________ E-mail_________________________________


Note Page


Children’s Subgroup Responsibilities

The Children’s Subgroup will be responsible for helping plan and implement children’s activities for the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW) in conjunction with a Visiting Children’s Coordinator and team. The LRW should be exciting for the participant’s children. If the children are happy and satisfied, the parents will be encouraged to attend all the sessions. The Visiting Coordinator will enlist a Visiting Children’s Coordinator to lead children in grades 1-6. The Children’s Subgroup should ask for the name, address, and phone number of the Children’s Coordinator and establish contact as soon as possible. It is possible that a Children’s Coordinator will not be assigned to work with the team. In this case, the Visiting Coordinator will assist the Children’s Subgroup to prepare for the arranged activities for the children.

The Children’s Subgroup will need to decide where the children will meet for the LRW. If possible, this location should be away from the adults and youth small groups so that noise is not a hindrance. The room(s) should be stocked with usual children’s materials such as crayons, pencils, paper, scissors, and glue. Check with the Visiting Children’s Coordinator to see if additional supplies are needed. Plans for the children’s lunchtime on Saturday need to be made and communicated to parents. Sometimes the children bring a lunch, and other times they eat with their parents following the Coffees. Sometimes the Food Group plans a special menu for them, having a table set with children’s fare: chips, sandwiches, juice, and cookies or cupcakes. Since Saturday’s sessions are so long, it is good to have the children join the adults for the lunchtime, allowing the children’s workers to have a break, too. A decision should be made in advance of the LRW about the children’s division Sunday School time. The size of the church is a factor in this decision. Sometimes the Visiting Children’s Coordinator will be able to handle the Sunday School time as well as the Friday and Saturday sessions. In other situations, the regular teachers and workers will be responsible for the Sunday School hour. If the church has a Children’s Church, a decision will need to be made as to whether to use the regular workers, use the visiting team workers, or cancel Children’s Church for this Sunday. The regular workers should be advised of the plans and what will be expected of them at least one month before the LRW. One very important consideration needs to be understood between the Visiting Children’s Coordinator and the church’s Children Subgroup and Nursery Subgroup. The visiting Children’s Coordinator and team will plan activities, crafts, and Bible studies for children with skills and abilities of at least first graders. (If the sixth graders are put with the youth because other church programs are structured that way, sometime churches will put their K5 to fifth graders in the children’s group). However, under no exception should children below the K5 level be placed in the children’s group. The lesson plans, crafts, and Bible studies planned by the Visiting Children’s Team cannot be done by children younger than K5. Placing nursery-age children in the children’s group is unfair to the other children and especially the visiting Children’s Coordinator and team. This notice has been added to this manual because of the frustration reported by Children’s Coordinators who have had this happen to them at the last minute on Renewal Weekends. This causes them to have to abandon their prepared lessons and crafts and spend all their time helping nursery-age children who are not able to do the crafts and Bible studies. Parents should be told and the reasons explained before the Weekend so they will understand why this cannot be done. It is the responsibility of the chairpersons of the Children’s Subgroup and the Nursery Subgroup to see that this does not happen.


Exhibit 57Children’s Subgroup Checklist

____ Complete the Children’s Questionnaire (Exhibit 59) and send it to the Visiting Coordinator and the Visiting Children’s Coordinator.

____ Contact the Visiting Children’s Coordinator and discuss the plans for the children.♦♦ Who will be responsible for the children’s Sunday School?♦♦ Who will be responsible for Children’s Church or children’s time during the worship service?

____ Where will the children eat lunch on Saturday? (Check with the Food Group for time and place.) ____ Which rooms will children have for their activities? ____ Can children’s activities be separate from adult and youth small groups? ____ Provide children with refreshments for a break. ____ Provide children’s workers with break area and refreshments. ____ Have craft supplies ready as requested by Visiting Children’s Coordinator. ____ Prepare an estimate of the number of children expected by school grade for the Visiting Children’s

Coordinator. ____ Explain to parents that children K5 and below must be placed in the nursery. There are no exceptions to

this rule. ____ Organize children for Lay Renewal Promotion Poster Contest.


Exhibit 58Suggested Promotion Poster Contest for Children

Pastor or General Chairperson could recognize first, second, and third place winners with ribbons or certificates. Divisions can be set by ages or grades, such as grades 1-3 and grades 4-6 for the contest.


Exhibit 59Local Church Children’s Questionnaire

Local Church Children’s Questionnaire Church Name:_____________________

1. The average number of children in each age group on Sunday morning. Note: (If sixth grade is included with youth group, leave blank.)

_________ 1st grade _________ 4th grade

_________ 2nd grade _________ 5th grade

_________ 3rd grade _________ 6th grade

2. What type of activities do the children in these various age groups enjoy doing during the Sunday School hour ❏ drama ❏ Bible games ❏ Bible drills ❏ music ❏ pencil games ❏ other ___________________________

3. Check the audio-visual equipment available at your church or associational office. ❏ Tape recorder ❏ TV/VCR equipment ❏ DVD ❏ Slide Projector ❏ Screen

4. Will the children be meeting in their regular meeting rooms? ❏ Yes ❏ No Are the following available in the rooms where the children will be meeting? ❏ Piano ❏ Keyboard ❏ Other musical instrument ❏ Chalkboard/Whiteboard

5. Check the type of lunch planned for the children and the Visiting Children’s Team. ❏ Sack lunch ❏ Picnic ❏ Lunch with the adults at the church ❏ Other __________________

6. Is there indoor or outdoor play space on or near the church property? If so, where? _______________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What type of recreational play equipment is available (kickballs, soccer balls, jump ropes, basketballs and basketball goals)?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Does your church minister to children with special needs (abused children, children who are physically or emotionally handicapped, or children with discipline problems)? ❏ Yes ❏ No If yes, please give any helpful information. _________________________________________________________

9. Will the Visiting Children’s Team be responsible for the Sunday School hour for grades one through six? ❏ Yes ❏ No

Please make any other comments you feel would be helpful to the visiting children’s team.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________ ________________ ________________________________ (Local Church Children’s Coordinator) (Phone number) (E-mail address)

____________________________________ ________________ ________________________________(Emergency contact during Renewal Weekend) (Phone number) (Cell phone number)

____________________________________ ________________ ________________________________(Church name) (Church phone) (Church e-mail address)


Nursery Subgroup Responsibilities

The Nursery Subgroup finds workers and makes plans for the preschoolers who will come to the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). They should consult the schedule (Exhibit 2) to determine the time the nursery should open for each session. It is difficult to get an accurate head count of the number of preschoolers who plan to participate in the LRW. It may be helpful to station volunteers on the preschool hallway on Sunday morning in order to ask parents as they bring their children to Sunday School. Also, check with the Housing Subgroup to learn of any visiting team members who may be bringing preschoolers and would need the nursery.

Work with the staff person who is in charge of the nursery to formulate plans. Workers may need to be trained by the church staff in security measures, etc. Advise the parents of nursery-age children of the child-care plans. Usually this advice can be included in the letter to the congregation from the General Chairperson which includes the schedule. A note about nursery hours and needed instructions might be included at the bottom of the schedule for the Weekend.

Persons teaching in the nursery should be told that the sessions may be longer than usual. The parents of small children should also be alerted, so that adequate supplies are brought for infants. Friday night’s session should be finished around 9:30 p.m.; Saturday’s women’s and men’s meetings should be finished at 2 p.m.; Saturday night’s session often lasts until 9:45 or 10 p.m.; Sunday morning’s service could last a half hour longer than usual; and the Sunday night Evaluation Service is often a long service.

The Nursery Subgroup should definitely try to find workers from a source other than from among those who would participate in the Weekend. They may find that a neighboring church would be willing to trade some volunteer workers. They may have an event on their calendar for which they will need nursery helpers and would be willing to help during the LRW in return for help for their church later. Another source of help could be a local Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM) group. They could be paid workers or they may agree to serve in return for a love offering toward their own summer mission project.

Decide if the parents will keep the children with them during the fellowship meal(s). Make a decision about the lunchtime for these children on Saturday. Will they bring a lunch with them? Will they eat with their parents? Might the workers need a lunch break themselves? Should the Food Group prepare a table of food which appeals to the small ones? These decisions need to be shared with the parents. Sometimes the parents are asked to bring a picnic lunch for their little ones. This gives preschoolers something to look forward to and keeps them from being upset at eating lunch with their parents and then being placed back into child care. If the preschoolers eat with their parents, ask the General Chairperson if these families can be in the front of the serving line along with their workers.

Parents should be told that nursery-age children include those from infants to K5. Under no circumstances should preschoolers be allowed to move up to the children’s classes because those activities are planned with the older children in mind. However, if films are planned for the school-age children, some may appeal to the 4 and 5 year olds as well. Plans could be made to include the older nursery children during that specific time. The Nursery Subgroup can work with the Children’s Subgroup to determine the time and place for the film and advise the nursery workers accordingly. Activities should be planned which would provide a learning and fun situation for the older nursery-age children. This weekend should be more than a baby-sitting session for them. Even if volunteer workers are used, the Nursery Subgroup could plan a curriculum to be followed, and have the necessary materials available. The children will be much happier when something has been planned for them, and this will encourage their parents to attend the entire weekend.


Exhibit 60Nursery Subgroup Checklist

____ Plan to provide a nursery for young children (below first grade) for each of the sessions of the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW).

____ Get an estimate of the number of children of each age who are expected to attend the LRW. This may be best done by stationing volunteers on the preschool hallways on Sunday mornings and asking parents as they bring their children to Sunday School. Also, check with the Housing Subgroup to learn of any preschoolers who may be coming with team members.

____ Determine the hours the nursery will be open. ____ Publicize the schedule and any necessary instructions for parents. ____ Will the children eat with their parents during the fellowship meals? Check with the General Chairperson to

see if these families can go through the feeding line first. ____ Should infants and toddlers be fed before arrival? ____ Secure outside help for the nursery.

♦♦ Volunteers from another church?♦♦ Baptist Campus Ministry students?♦♦ Paid workers who would not want to attend the LRW?

____ Advise workers of the possibility of longer hours.

____ Ask the church staff to assist in training workers in security issues, materials, and facilities information, etc. if needed.

____ Ask parents about their children’s food and other allergies and make workers aware of these situations. ____ Decide about the Saturday lunchtime for the nursery-age children.

♦♦ Will the children need to bring a lunch? If so, the Nursery Subgroup may want to provide extra lunches for any children who forget to bring one.

♦♦ Consider an outdoor picnic as a possibility for Saturday lunch.♦♦ Will children be released to eat with their parents?♦♦ Will a special menu be provided during the churchwide luncheon?♦♦ Advise parents of the plans.

____ Plan for specific learning and fun-filled activities for the older nursery-age children.

♦♦ Provide a planned curriculum or list of activities.♦♦ Provide necessary materials, pictures, records, etc.♦♦ Will they watch a children’s film planned for the school-age children?


Chapter 12Food Group Responsibilities

The Food Subgroup is charged with two primary responsibilities which guide and influence the renewal process in the church. The chairperson of the Food Group must recruit a subgroup of people to accomplish each of these responsibilities. The two subgroups are:

♦♦ The Meal Preparation Subgroup prepares meals during the Renewal Weekend.

♦♦ The Fellowship Hall Subgroup cleans up after meals.

The chairperson of the Food Group is accountable for accomplishing all the tasks assigned to the group. He/she should meet with the two subgroups on a regular basis and report their progress or concerns to the General Chairperson. The Food group will have the responsibility of coordinating meals provided by the church. Team members’ meals are provided either in the homes, at the church, or otherwise for all the meals while they are there (six in all). The entire church membership is usually included in two or more meals. All church families inviting team members into their homes are responsible for meals not provided by the church. This is usually only two breakfast meals.

All meals should be planned so that the Meal Preparation Team can be finished and out of the kitchen in time to attend the General Sessions of the Renewal Weekend.

Meal Preparation Subgroup Responsibilities

Meals provided by the church include Fellowship Dinners Friday night and Saturday night, and lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday Fellowship Dinner This dinner should be planned for the entire church family and for the team. Having a dinner usually ensures the Friday session will be well attended. The Meal Preparation Subgroup may want to plan a theme for the Friday and Saturday evening meals to gain attention and appeal to more people. These ideas should be shared with the Publicity Group. The most common and most preferred approach is the covered dish dinner where different members bring different dishes. One advantage of using this method on Friday night is that it helps the Meal Preparation Subgroup get an idea of how many people to expect at the remaining meals. This can be very helpful if food for the other meals is being purchased.


If this strategy is planned, advise the membership through the church mailings and bulletins how much or what they should bring. Be clear in giving instructions. For example, state one meat or casserole, one vegetable or salad, and one dessert. The church would provide the drinks or have someone bring tea. Remind them to bring extra for the visiting team. Don’t let bringing food hinder someone from attending the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). You may want to suggest that people can pick up food from a grocery’s deli or a fast food restaurant if they need to come directly from work. Some larger churches have decided to cater the fellowship meal(s) and charge the local members for their meals. Another approach, which works well in shortening the serving time, is to plan a set menu and advise the congregation what to bring. If each serving table had fried chicken, green bean casserole, potato salad, and banana pudding (for example) the time-consuming decisions would be eliminated. The Meal Preparation Subgroup should make arrangements to have sufficient serving lines to accommodate the crowd as quickly as possible. They should work together with the Fellowship Hall Subgroup to arrange for an efficient method of cleanup. People could be encouraged to bring throwaway dishes or to put leftover in their cars after the meal. The Food Group should manage the dinner so a minimum of cleanup in needed. A nearby church which has had a Lay Renewal Weekend would likely enjoy doing the cleanup as a service. All adults should attend the small group sessions. Saturday Noon Luncheon The Meal Preparation Subgroup has several options in planning for the lunchtime on Saturday. This can be a meal at the church or at another location following the Coffees. It is for all adults and children. (The youth will have a planned outing.) Or, there can be separate luncheons planned for the men, the women, and the children. One of the spiritual highpoints of the LRW is the meetings for the women and men which follow the luncheon. The Meal Preparation Subgroup should arrange luncheon plans that will best encourage participation by the church family. Sometimes the Food Group elects to go all out with these luncheons with a theme, advertising, decorations, and a special menu. Sometimes that luncheon is held at a public place. For instance, the men’s luncheon might be at a cafeteria that has a private dining room where the sharing meeting that follows can be undisturbed. The women might have a special salad luncheon or something similar at the church.

Other times, the Food Group decides that a low key approach is better, with all the adults simply gathering at the church following the Coffees. Each family could be instructed to bring a salad or a few sandwiches and the church could provide the drinks and a dessert. Another plan would be to provide the materials to make sandwiches on several tables, and everyone could build their own sandwich. Whether the choice is made to plan big or small, the Meal Preparation Subgroup should not involve a lot of people in preparations on Saturday morning which would cause them to miss the Coffees or the meetings which follow the luncheons. Both the Children’s Subgroup and the Nursery Subgroup will be checking with the Meal Preparation Subgroup about the Saturday lunchtime. If plans can be made to allow the children to have lunch with their parents on Saturday, the workers in these groups can enjoy a well-deserved break. A special serving table (for children only) could be set up with food that appeals to the younger set. Children could bring their own lunch in a bag, and eat with their parents. Plans should be publicized so parents can plan ahead.


Saturday Night Dinner Plans could be similar to the Friday night Fellowship Dinner. Some churches provide one meal and have the members bring a covered dish meal for the other evening. Still others have a meal provided for the team members only on Saturday evening: with the local church members coming later for dessert and coffee, or coming only for the evening session. Variety is good.

Sunday Lunch Provide a light lunch for the team members immediately following the morning worship hour. This could simply be prepared sandwiches or something else easy to fix. Again, it is stressed that the Meal Preparation Subgroup should be involved in the Sunday School and Worship Service and not worry about physical food. Sometimes a Food Group decides to plan another churchwide meal for Sunday. Or, they may wish to provide for the team members and all the Preparation Groups, or the team members and the host families. Again these are options that may be elected. Team members should be told in the team meeting the plan for this meal so that they can either invite or not invite the host families to join them as appropriate. The Meal Preparation Subgroup should participate in each session of the LRW. They should plan with this priority in mind. They should have informal meals by using paper plates, plastic cups, napkins, and throw-away utensils. They should plan the menus, arrange serving areas, and give instructions to the church family based on their previous experience at the church.


Exhibit 61Meal Preparation Subgroup Checklist

____ Plan so all members of the Food Group can participate in each session of the Lay Renewal Weekend. ____ Coordinate plans for four meals during the Weekend for the team members and/or church family.

Consider the various options about who should come to each meal: Friday Night ♦ Team members ♦ Church family Saturday Noon ♦ All adults and children ♦ Women’s and Men’s luncheons separate ♦ Children bring a lunch Saturday Night ♦ Team members ♦ Church family ♦ Church family comes for dessert Sunday Noon ♦ Team members ♦ Church family ♦ Preparation Groups and families ♦ Host families ____ Plan a theme for Friday night to promote attendance.

____ Decide the format for each meal. ♦ ♦ Covered dish meal ♦♦Advise membership how much and what to bring♦ ♦ Catered meal ♦ Planned menu ____ Secure paper plates, cups, napkins, throw-away eating utensils, etc. in sufficient quantities.

____ Plan sufficient serving lines to accommodate the crowd quickly.

____ Plan sufficient clean-up areas.

____ Secure outside help for the kitchen.

____ Plan for the drinks for each meal.

____ Secure tables from Sunday School departments or borrow as needed from another church.

____ Give the Publicity Group information about each meal, needs, times, etc.

____ Work with the Children’s Subgroup and the Nursery Subgroup to decide how to handle lunchtime for the youngsters on Saturday.

____ Check with the Attendance Group for the number of people expected at the meals.

____ Some kind of “reservation” list may be needed so that plans may be made.


Fellowship Hall Subgroup Responsibilities

The Fellowship Hall Subgroup has one major responsibility; it is of great importance. They are to do whatever is necessary to keep the Meal Preparation Subgroup from being stuck in the kitchen during the General Sessions and small group times of the weekend.

This may require a few or a lot of volunteers on this group, depending on the number of people that are being fed. Some areas of service for this group would be setting up the tables for the meals, serving items such as ice tea or soft drinks, cleaning up quickly after the meal, and handling anything that will help the Meal Preparation Subgroup complete their task and be able to attend the sessions.

This is a great place to use a lot of youth provided there is good adult supervision. This might also be a good place to involve a senior’s Sunday School class. Mixing students with seniors could develop some great friendships. Each youth could be paired up with a senior who would provide adult supervision. A WMU or Baptist Men’s group could take the responsibilities of the Fellowship Hall Subgroup. This should be a fun group, who picks and prods and cheers (and assists) the Meal Preparation Subgroup after the meal, to get them in the Sanctuary on time. In fact, each person on the Meal Preparation Subgroup could have a Fellowship Hall Subgroup member assigned to them to be responsible for getting them into the Sanctuary.

This will require some advanced planning and teamwork to make things happen quickly. Specific assigned duties should be given to each member of this subgroup.

Exhibit 62Fellowship Hall Subgroup Checklist

____ Have a plan for disposing of paper plates and trash quickly.

____ Have a place for emptying ice and leftover soft drinks or coffee.

____ Plan for trash pickup or someone to haul trash if necessary.

____ Check with Meal Preparation Subgroup ahead of time for things that will need to be done.

____ Have someone remain in the fellowship hall area to assure that all Meal Preparation people are finished and heading to the Sanctuary in time for General Sessions.

____ Make sure that all members of the Meal Preparation Subgroup are in the sanctuary for recognition by Visiting Team and Coordinator at each of the General Sessions.


Note Page


AppendixFrequently Asked Questions—

The Church Renewal Journey (CRJ)

Q. What is the Church Renewal Journey?A. CRJ is a churchwide process of awakening God’s church, and equipping and disciplining its members. It also

involves sending them out with the joy of serving in the unique way God has called and gifted them, where they receive the joy and God receives the glory.

Q. What does the Journey Consist of?A. There are five major steps in the Journey, consisting of lay-led weekend events:

The Lay Renewal Weekend is the awakening step of the Journey and is an opportunity to re-awaken the church to its purpose and passion. It takes believers, wherever they are in their spiritual journey, and refreshes them with a godly perspective of their role in service to others. This is an inward journey that renews and restores the love of Christ to those who have drifted away from their commitment. This weekend also brings the church body together as a family.

“Therefore repent and turn back, that … seasons of refreshing may come from … the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

The Lay Ministry Weekend serves as the equipping step by sharing how God designs each believer for ministry. Using the acrostic, SHAPE, this weekend teaches about Spiritual gifts, what God is saying to our Heart, and how our Abilities, Personality and Experiences have uniquely prepared us for specific ministries. It is here that many laypeople understand for the first time that they are called to ministry as much as their pastor. This weekend prepares Christians for the outward journey.

“Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God … so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

The Marketplace Evangelism Weekend is the commissioning step of the Journey and is an application of the awakening and equipping steps. Church members are encouraged to prayerwalk their everyday environment, whether that is a marketplace, a school, or a neighborhood. They ask how God wants to use them outside the church walls. Those who commit to God’s calling are commissioned by their church and return to where God has placed them. However, now they go as missionaries to witness and minister with their unique giftedness.

“Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).


The Prayer Weekend is a time for the church to dedicate themselves to concerted individual and group prayer. Participants focus on kingdom priorities; through prayer they seek personal holiness and guidance for carrying out the Great Commission. God responds by unleashing His church to be on mission with Him in their world. The church as a whole, and its individual members, is empowered to follow God’s leading.

“He was praying in a certain place … one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’” (Luke 11:1).

The Acts 1:8 Weekend is typically the fifth step of the Church Renewal Journey. It also can be used as the first step or to launch the church into a new and exciting journey. This sending weekend encourages church members to be witnesses in their Jerusalem (involving local or associational ministries), their Judea (involving state or state convention ministries), their Samaria (involving national or North American Mission Board ministries), and to the Ends of the Earth (involving international or International Mission Board ministries). Churches are encouraged to register as an Acts 1:8 Church through the North American Mission Board, and adopt and work towards its eight suggested goals.

“But you will receive power … and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).

Other Renewal Weekends are available for churches desiring to continue the Journey. The church decides after each weekend if they want to continue the Journey and the weekends are usually scheduled six to 12 months apart. The church does not commit to the whole Journey at once, but registers for each step as they decide to do it.

Q. How does a church begin the Church Renewal Journey?A. The pastor or church member contacts their state convention. They will have a Church Renewal Journey

Consultant call and explain the process. They will set up a meeting for an overview of the Journey with the pastor and/or with the church. The pastor or church member can fill out an online form at www.churchrenewal.net and request an Overview by clicking on the “Overview Application” button or register under the heading “Weekend Application” for a Renewal Weekend. A copy of the forms is also in this manual (see Exhibits 7 and 8).

Q. What is the cost for the consultant meeting and Overview presentation? A. There is no cost, obligation, or commitment for the Overview presentation. This is a Ministry of Love and all

Renewal Consultants travel at their own expense. The purpose of the consultant meeting is to allow the church to see an Overview of the Journey without any commitment. If they are interested in knowing more after this meeting, the consultant will explain the next step.

Q. Who and how many outside people are involved in the Journey? A. A Visiting Coordinator is assigned to the church and he will bring a Visiting Team from other churches.

The Visiting Team will consist of a Music Leader, Children’s Coordinator, Youth Coordinator, and varying numbers of other adults depending on the size of the church. A church with a Sunday School attendance of 80 adults would normally have about 15 Visiting Team members. (Many team members are married couples, so the church would only need about seven homes to house a team of 15).

Q. How does the church prepare for the Journey?A. The pastor appoints a General Chairperson who helps the pastor choose a chairperson for six major

Preparation Groups. Eight to 10 weeks prior to the date of the Weekend, the Visiting Coordinator meets with the Preparation Groups and those they have recruited and trains each group in their responsibilities.

Q. What if we are a small church, do we still need all the Preparation Groups? A. Small churches can combine several groups if needed, and large churches can expand the groups to include

more people.


Q. How much time is needed for the church to prepare for the Weekend?A. It takes three to six months to properly prepare the church for the Weekend. The preparation time is very

important.

Q. What is the cost if the church decides to continue with the Journey?A. The Coordinator and complete Visiting Team come at their own expense. The biggest cost to the church is

for the meals. Many churches have a catered churchwide Friday evening meal and have a donation box to help cover the cost. Saturday lunch can be a simple sandwich meal, again with a donation box. Many times the Saturday evening meal is a covered dish. There is a Sunday lunch for the Visiting Team and host families. Postage for letters to the Visiting Team and the congregation is the only other expense.

Q. Does a church have to commit to the complete Journey?A. If a church wants to begin the Journey it only plans for the first weekend. After the first weekend, they decide

if they want to continue to the next weekend. (The Renewal Consultant will assist the church again if they desire to prepare for the next weekend. Nearly all the churches continue the Journey.)

Q. How many weekends are there in the Journey?A. The Renewal Consultant will plan to assist the church through the first five weekends. After that the church

should be able to continue the Journey themselves. However, a new consultant can be assigned to the church if they desire help with any additional weekends.

Q. How much time is usually needed between the first and second weekends?A. Most churches will schedule the second weekend within six to 12 months. A weekend in the fall can be

followed by the next weekend in the spring, or on the same date on the following year. The church sets this schedule if they decide to continue.

Q. How can you learn more about the Journey?1. Go to www.churchrenewal.net and click under the heading “Overview Application.” Register online to

have a Renewal Consultant contact your church and schedule a Church Renewal Journey Overview. There is no cost or obligation for the Overview which takes 45 minutes.

2. Contact your state convention office or the North American Mission Board, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022-4176, Phone: 1 888 634-2462 ext. 6481

3. E-mail [email protected]

The Church Renewal JourneyNorth American Mission Board, 4200 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30022-4176

1 888 634-2462 ext. 6481 www.churchrenewal.net, [email protected]


GLOSSARY

Acts1:8 Sending Weekend: This Weekend is typically the fifth step of the Church Renewal Journey. It also can be used as the first step or to launch the church into a new and exciting journey. This sending weekend encourages church members to be witnesses in their Jerusalem (involving local or associational ministries), their Judea (involving state or state convention ministries), their Samaria (involving national or North American Mission Board ministries), and to the Ends of the Earth (involving international or International Mission Board ministries).

Acts in Prayer: This is a prayer study booklet. A copy of the prayer guide is suggested to be given to each church family to help them prepare through prayer for the Lay Renewal Weekend (LRW). Acts in Prayer is available from LifeWay Christian Resources and often can be purchased in lots of 50 at a reduced cost from your state convention.

Children’s Coordinator: A person designated by the Visiting Coordinator to supervise the activities of children during the LRW. This person may bring other team members to assist them depending on the number of children. This coordinator will be responsible for teaching and for the craft activities for the first through sixth grade children. Church Renewal Journey: A Church discipleship process consisting of two or more Renewal Weekends led by a Visiting Coordinator and team.

Consultant: A trained renewal staff person who talks with local churches interested in the Renewal Journey, serves as an advisor throughout the Church Renewal Journey and serves as resource person for Renewal Workshops, Seminars, Retreats, etc. Some states will have the Visiting Coordinator also serve as the Consultant.

Coordinator or Visiting Coordinator: A person, normally selected by the scheduling office, recommended to the church, and then invited by the pastor to coordinate the entire Lay Renewal Weekend.

General Chairperson: A local church member selected by the pastor who works directly with the pastor and the Visiting Coordinator in preparing for the Lay Renewal Weekend.

Group Chairperson: A person selected by the pastor and the General Chairperson to direct the work of one of the six Preparation Groups that plan, promote, and present the Lay Renewal Weekend.

Ice Breaker: This is a fun question that is used to begin a discussion in a small group meeting. It allows participants to “open up” and get to know each other.

The Journey: The term Journey is used as a one-word phrase to describe the entire process of the five weekends of the Church Renewal Journey.

Lay Ministry Equipping Weekend: The “second weekend” or “equipping phase” of the Church Renewal Journey. This weekend teaches that all church members are called and gifted for service. It helps each person discover their unique SHAPE for ministry. This weekend usually follows the Lay Renewal Weekend by six to 12 months.

Lay Renewal: A term used to designate a lay-led process of awakening a church to a renewed understanding of who we are as Christians and whose we are as God’s children–and the difference that should make in our lives as individuals and as a church body.

Lay Renewal Awakening Weekend (LRW): A Friday through Sunday experience in which a group of laypeople, visit a local church to share their faith in large and small groups.


Marketplace Evangelism Commissioning Weekend: This Weekend is the commissioning step of the Journey and is an application of the awakening and equipping steps. Church members are encouraged to prayerwalk their everyday environment, whether that is a marketplace, a school, or a neighborhood. They ask how God wants to use them outside the church walls.

Prayer Empowering Weekend: This Weekend is a time for the church to dedicate themselves to concerted individual and group prayer. Participants focus on kingdom priorities; through prayer they seek personal holiness and guidance for carrying out the Great Commission.

Relational: To be immediately present and involved with others in their struggles and victories at a deeper level than “church socials.”

Renewal: “Renewal” has to do with individual and corporate acceptance of the New Testament idea that each Christian has been called and gifted for ministry. It seeks to discover, implement, and encourage the one who is seeking to take Christ and His call seriously. Sharing Groups: These are groups which meet to study, share, and pray about their trials and triumphs in the Christian life. They may be referred to as “Journey Groups,” “Discipleship Groups,” or “Small Groups.”

Team Member: An adult or youth who comes on a designated weekend to share their faith through helping facilitate discussions and giving brief testimonies. They come at the invitation of the Visiting Coordinator.

Youth Coordinator: A person invited by the Visiting Coordinator to supervise the activities of the local church youth during a Lay Renewal Weekend. The Youth Coordinator may bring several assistants depending on the number of youth expected to attend the Lay Renewal Weekend. Youth Team Member: A young person who has been invited by the Visiting Coordinator to serve as a Visiting Team member during the Lay Renewal Weekend. They may be a son or daughter or grandchild of an invited Adult Team member. They may work with the Youth Coordinator as an assistant.

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0906021 September 2009

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