Discover Life at Calvary: Embrace Life, Live Life, Give Life

Transcription

1 Discover Life at Calvary: Embrace Life, Live Life, Give Life

2 Table of Contents I.MINISTRY PURPOSE... 3 II.MINISTRY PROCESS... 3 III.SALVATION/REDEDICATION...3 A.CHURCH SERVICES & MEETINGS... 3 IV.NEW LIFE MINISTRY TRAINING...3 A.RESOURCES/MATERIALS... 3 B.SCHEDULE... 3 V.BAPTISM...4 A.PREPARATION... 4 B.BAPTISM EVENT SETUP... 4 C.FOLLOW-UP... 4 VI.TOOLS... 4 A.NEW LIFE DATABASE... 4 Last Updated: 3/16/2014 Page 2

3 I. Ministry Purpose The New Life Ministry (NLM) was designed to usher new believers into the process of discipleship in Christ. It was put in place to aid men and women, who have recently made a decision to follow Christ and those desiring to re-dedicate their lives to Christ, in learning how to begin this new relationship. The goals of the ministry are to lay the foundation for discipleship, answer any questions a new believer has about their new relationship with Christ, educate them about the importance of baptism, and to lead them in the process of baptism. This ministry also lays the foundation for entrance into the Covenant Life Ministry (a prerequisite for church membership) and serving on a ministry team. II. Ministry Process Figure 1 illustrates the basic New Life Ministry process. Once a man or woman makes a decision to follow Christ or re-dedicate their lives to Christ, they are given an information card to complete with their personal info. Their personal information is then entered into the New Life Ministry Database for follow-up. A follow-up or phone call is then provided to notify them of the New Life Training videos and the date, time, and location of the next New Life Training Review Class. The follow-up /phone call is also an opportunity to answer any questions the new believer may have and pray with them concerning any prayer requests they may have. The NL training videos are available online for viewing. The NL Training Booklet for new believers is also online for review and download. When the new believer has completed all the training lessons and agreed to move forward with baptism, their baptism can be scheduled through the church Administrator. After the new believer has been baptized, they should be encouraged to sign up for the next Covenant Life class in order to become a member of the church and begin serving in a ministry area. Figure 1 New Life Ministry Process Map Last Updated: 3/16/2014 Page 3

4 III. Salvation/Rededication A. Church Services & Meetings During church services and meetings, a representative from the New Life Ministry should be present and ready to approach the Alter during the Alter Call. When the Pastor (or Speaker) asks if anyone would like to give their lives to Christ for the first time or re-dedicate their lives to Christ, a representative from the New Life (NL) team should be available to stand with those who answer the call. Once the Pastor/Speaker has completed the Alter Call, the NL team member should walk those newly saved individuals over to a quiet area (e.g. the Chapel) and provide them with a New Life Package. Once the package has been distributed, the team member should: Ask the new convert to complete the information card, Explain the information in the package, Pray with the new convert, and Explain to the new convert that someone will follow-up with them by or by phone to discuss New Life training. If a NL team member is not available to attend the service/meeting, the NLM coordinator(s) should notify the Pastor or another member of the Leadership team to ensure someone is available to assist with the Alter Call. IV. New Life Ministry Training A. Resources/Materials The New Life Training Student Booklet is an appendix (Appendix A) to this manual and is located on the CRC Peninsula website. The New Life Training Instructor Booklet is also an appendix (Appendix B) to this manual. Contact the NL Ministry Coordinator or Church Administrator for the location of all ministry materials. B. Schedule All training lessons are available online for viewing. Lessons 1 3 are foundation lessons that will help the new convert understand salvation, forgiveness, and baptism. These first three lessons are provided to Last Updated: 3/16/2014 Page 4

5 ensure the new convert fully understands the decision they made to follow Christ. Lessons 4 & 5 are meant to walk the new convert through how to study the Bible and how to develop a prayer life. Lessons 6 &7 will help the new convert better understand the role of the Holy Spirit and how to share their faith with others (evangelism). By the end of this session, the new believer should have been notified about baptism and scheduled for an upcoming baptism event. The Challenges provided with each lesson should be completed by the new convert and discussed together during the final review session. The challenges will not be graded; however, the teacher should go over each challenge question to ensure the new convert has a proper understanding of each lesson s message. V. Baptism A. Preparation The church Administrator should be notified at the end of each NL Training class of those individuals desiring to be baptized during the next baptism event. B. Baptism Event Setup Individuals being baptized should arrive at church at least minutes before service begins for instruction. The Minister facilitating baptism will meet with those individuals to discuss baptism and ensure they are aware of the decision they are making. Individuals participating in baptism should bring: Clothes to be baptized in (for women ensure top is not seethrough), A change of clothing, Flip flops or other water shoes, Hair cover (if desired), and A camera / video camera for recording (if desired). Contact the church Administrator for the location of towels and to ensure the Baptism Pool will be ready for the event. Last Updated: 3/16/2014 Page 5

6 C. Follow-up Contact the new believer after baptism to congratulate them and present them with a baptism certificate. VI. Tools A. New Life Database Contact the NL Ministry Coordinator for the location of the NL Database. Instructions for the use of the database are located within it. Reports are generated periodically from the database and information about the status of the ministry is provided to the Pastor upon request. Last Updated: 3/16/2014 Page 6