What are some keys for success?
Desire to reach others for Christ
This ministry takes time and faithfulness to be effective, so having
the desire to be used by God to reach others is an important factor. Only
those who love their neighbors will consistently have the motivation to
succeed. When with non-believing friends, be open and honest about your
relationship with Christ and the fact that several friends from your church,
Xenos Christian Fellowship, developed this play group because you enjoy
meeting new friends.
The Invitation
Pray for and respond to opportunities to invite people to your playgroup.
An ESSENTIAL component of inviting folks to join will be openness
and candor about your affiliation to your church. If your group was started
by women in your church or bible study, be clear about that up front in
the invitation itself. You can communicate that the playgroup isn't a
Bible study. Its a great time to have some fun, allowing your children
to learn how to play with others while parents can enjoy time with other
adults. Without mentioning our connection to our church, we are misrepresenting
ourselves and God. We WANT our friends to experience God's love
in our playgroup, and know the source of it as well.
Are you in a playgroup that was started by others, perhaps not directly
affiliated with a church at all? If you have a heart for seeing those
families experience the love of God, push yourself to be open about your
own relationship with God as early as possible in your friendships. As
God leads, seek opportunities to invite others the playgroup as a means
of building into new and existing friendships. Be sure to find creative
ways to bring friends from your own church into contact with your playgroup,
and be certain to pray with other Christian women about your desire to
see your friends know God personally.
 Teamwork
This is critical for support in prayer and for letting non-Christians
see the love of the body of Christ at work. The joy and love in the lives
of Christian women has drawn other women to Christ. Successful play groups
work closely with their home group/cell group in pursuing ministry goals.
Prayer
Without prayer nothing substantial will be accomplished. We must be alert
to the spiritual battle and actively engaged in spiritual warfare. Specific
and consistent prayer for each woman and her family is vital to seeing
them come to know Christ.
Building relationships
This ministry is primarily based on friendship. We know it takes time
and effort to build and maintain relationships. There must be a genuine
desire to befriend and love others. Pray about this area…God can
grow your heart to new levels of commitment to others.
Humility
Be willing to learn from others and find common ground. Be genuine, open,
and honest with the women about who you are, including your Christian
convictions, early in your relationships. Being up front about your relationship
with Jesus early and often will give the non-Christian more opportunity
to understand the source for your love for others.
Planning
People appreciate organization. Play group schedules can help. For example
they can list the activities for the next two months along with a phone
list that includes all the names of play group members and their families
and the birthdays of their children. Think ahead about what the needs
of each of the women are and how Christ can meet those needs.
Consistency
It is important to initiate with the women between play group meetings.
Regular contact helps to deepen and strengthen a friendship. This is important
because it demonstrates the love of God to someone who does not yet know
Christ. Additionally, there are not necessarily many opportunities for
long conversations during a play group gathering, while gettting together
outside play group is much more conducive to developing relationships!
1 Adult Evangelism Today
2 Too Busy to Share God's Love?
3 What Is a Playgroup?
4 Who Is It For?
5 Activities and Opportunities
6 Recent Results
7 Keys for Success
8 Leadership
9 Worker Meetings
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