The Participant Guide is a workbook to facilitate the layperson’s experience as the church studies Get Their Name. It includes group and individual activities, and personal devotional material. Church leaders and members should all read the original Get Their Name book during the month of this church-wide experience. Learn to share your faith without anxiety! Bob Farr is director of congregational excellence in the Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church. Frequent speaker and seminar leader, he is also the author of Get Their Name and Renovate or Die: 10 Ways to Focus Your Church on Mission, both co-authored with Kay Kotan, published by Abingdon Press. Kay Kotan is a credentialed coach, church consultant, speaker and author. She serves as the Director of the Center for Equipping Vital Congregations for the Susquehanna Conference of The United Methodist Church. Get Their Name Participant Workbook Grow Your Church by Building New Relationships By BOB FARR, KAY KOTAN Abingdon Press Copyright © 2016 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-5018-2545-3 Contents Introduction, Week One: Do You Know Your Own Story?, Week Two: The Person behind the Need, Week Three: Being an Everyday Christian, Week Four: Are You Prepared?, CHAPTER 1 Week One 1 DO YOU KNOW YOUR OWN STORY? OPENING PRAYER Loving Father, we come to you today with open hearts and open minds. We ask that our time together be filled with the Holy Spirit and guided by you in our learning today. We are your clay; mold us into being your disciples to reach new people so that they may know and serve you. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen. INTRODUCTIONS • Your name? • Why did you choose to join the group? • What do you hope to take away from this study? SCRIPTURE Come close and listen, all you who honor God; I will tell you what God has done for me: My mouth cried out to him with praise on my tongue. — Psalm 66:16-17 VIDEO PRESENTATION Notes: Group Discussion Questions 1. What is your first impression about the video? What intrigues you? Challenges you? 2. What is your faith story? Would you share it with the group? If you don't have one, how will you begin to develop yours? Where will you begin to practice sharing it in safe places? 3. How is your church doing at reaching new people on a regular basis? 4. How are you personally doing at engaging people in new relationships outside the church? What is working well? What are your challenges? Share a story about a new relationship. 5. Review the steps for relational evangelism listed below. Where are you doing well in the process? Where are you stuck? What might help you move to the next step? KEY TAKEAWAY _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ HOMEWORK Get names and start conversations with three new people this week. If you aren't comfortable with three, try two. In the upcoming week, answer the questions for personal reflection you see below. Next week, we will talk about our experiences with this homework. CLOSING PRAYER Father God, thank you for the presence of your Holy Spirit this evening as we begin to think about learning to articulate our faith stories. As we leave this place, Lord, help us to see you in our everyday lives. Help us to recognize your hand at work as we go about our days. And then, dear Lord, gives us the strength and courage to begin to start conversations with people who don't know you, so that we might be able to eventually share our faith story. In your Son's name we pray. Amen. QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION 1. Where am I most comfortable building new relationships and having the opportunity to share my story? Do I need to create new places? If so, where? When will I go? 2. What are obstacles that keep me from building new relationships, if any? How might I overcome them? Why is it important to overcome them? 3. What difference would it make in my life if I began to build relationships with new people and share my story? What difference might it make in the world? Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!" — John 4:13-15 CHAPTER 2 Week Two THE PERSON BEHIND THE NEED OPENING PRAYER Oh, merciful and loving God, we seek you in our lives and our group today. As we work through our questions, urge us, encourage us, stretch us, and challenge us in seeing the unchurched in a new light. Help us to see all people as your people. Help us to take the step beyond serving to actually "being" with all your people. In Jesus's name we pray. Am