WIXLIB

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLSJONI AND FRIENDS 30009 Lady Face Court, Agoura Hills, CA 91301

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLSHow to Use:This script lays out suggested talking points and contentpulled directly from the specific book/resourcehighlighted. Here are a few things to know before youbegin to use these scripts:1. Bold Type is what you say. Italic type aresuggestions and instructions.2. The script is laid out with wide margins for easierreading without too much side to side eye movement.Sentences and paragraphs are broken up by phrasingand suggested pauses. indicates a thought,phrase, or slight pause. indicates you need to clickover to the next slide or animation.3. In the Italics you will find suggestions for customizingthe material with personal stories or examples.4. Please retain the Irresistible Church logo and the Joniand Friends logo on each slide, with the exception ofslides added for your church’s purposes.5. The first few slides will be similar in eachpresentation. If you are doing more than one sessionin a day, we suggest you present these slides in thefirst session and eliminate them in later presentationson the same day. (You could also use them toencourage participation, or “test” the audience andask them to define an Irresistible Church)6. We have added suggested resources for eachpresentation. If you would like to purchase these,please visit joniandfriends.org.pg. 1

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLSBeyond Our Church Walls PresentationOutline:Main objective: To provide biblical and practicalprinciples for bridging the gap between the church andpeople with disabilities through evangelism andoutreach.Suggested supplies: Bible with all passages marked,copy of Beyond Our Church Walls book or PDF foreach participant, Family Ministry Profile (found insupplemental resources), PowerPoint in handout form,pens for each person.Suggested resources to accompany Beyond OurChurch Walls training:Joni: An Unforgettable StoryBeyond Suffering BibleReal Families, Real NeedsAnother Kind of CourageSame Lake, Different Boatpg. 2

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLSSLIDE 1 - The Irresistible Church SeriesUse this slide while peoplearrive. If you want to add musicto this presentation go to Insert,Media, Audio/Audio on my PC.Select the song and a smallmusic icon will appear in thecorner of the slide. Music should automatically beginwhen you start the slide show.SLIDE 2 – Irresistible ChurchWhen you are ready to beginclick to this slide. The musicshould stop so that you canbegin presenting. This is agreat place to share why youare conducting this training.Focus on the heart of the ministry, and what you hopeto accomplish through today’s training!SLIDE 3 – The Great CommissionThis is why we do what we do!You may find it helpful even toframe people with disabilities asan “unreached people group.”Read Matthew 28:19-20. The slide has the versein the English Standard Version. Bridging the gap between the church andpeople with disabilities is crucial to ourobedience of the Great Commission givento us by Jesus.pg. 3

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLS According to the World Heath Organization,there are one billion people affected bydisability in the world. And while our church won’t be able toreach all one billion of them we can makestrides forward in reaching people affectedby disability in our community. Outreach is not a duty, or something thatwe can check off our to-do-list, butsomething that flows out of ourrelationship with Christ.Remember! This outward focus can take place in achurch or any size, with or without a structured disabilityministry. “Disability ministry” is a means to an end: toconnect people with disabilities to the Lord and Savior ofall! So, whether your outreach events will take place in astadium, or in a living room, you can be fully faithful to themission of the church.SLIDE 4 – Beyond Our Church WallsThis is the structure of“Beyond Our ChurchWalls.” Our purpose andposture help us define thepath we take to outreach. We’ll be talking through why we will bereaching beyond our church walls, how wewill speak and act, and what specific stepswe’ll be taking to get this started! The Purpose—This is our “why.” Ourpurpose is bridging the gap betweenpeople with disabilities and Christ throughevangelism.pg. 4

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLS The Posture—This is our “how.” Theposture we must take is an attitude thatwill aid us as we share the love of Christwith individuals affected by disability. The Path—This is our “what.” This is thepath we will take to accomplish ourpurpose of bridging the gap between ourchurch and individuals impacted bydisability in our community.SLIDE 5 – The Purpose: What is the Gospel?Feel free to use your church’slanguage here! If there’s adefinition of the gospel that’spart of your church’s mission orstatement of faith, incorporatethat here.Read Slide Although the means and methods ofcommunicating the gospel differ in contextand time, the message of the gospelremains the same. The gospel is meant for all ages, allcultures, all abilities—it is universal. God reached down to meet our greatestneed—our sin—which separates us fromGod. The gospel is more than avoidingseparation from God due to our sin. Thegreatest gift of salvation is Christ himself. Our purpose is to share the gospel withothers, and to make Christ known to all!pg. 5

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLSSLIDE 6 – The Purpose: Accessible Evangelismis RelationalRead Mark 2:1-12, “Jesus Heals a Paralytic.” Are we willing to cut a hole through theroof to get our friends with disabilities tosee Jesus? There is nothing more important thanknowing Christ. And if the doorway isblocked, we need to make our own way in. Disability ministry will require gettingcreative and taking risks. But the reward ishearing God say, “Well done, good andfaithful servant.” Answering the call of the GreatCommission is why we do what we do.SLIDE 7 – The Purpose: Sharing the Gospel inWord and Deed Sharing the Gospel in word and deed isour highest calling! We are to reflect Christ to the worldbecause pg. 6

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLS Jesus’ mission is our mission. As 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “All of youtogether are Christ’s body, and each of youis a part of it.” Each one of us has a role to play in thework of Christ. One of us may be a foot that carries theGospel to far off places, the other may bethe His words are our words! Luke 14:18-21 records when Jesus stoodup and read Isaiah 61:1-2 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to proclaimgood news to the poor. He has sent me toproclaim liberty to the captives andrecovering of sigh to the blind, to set atliberty those who are oppressed, toproclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” It is our role to be both the hands and feetof Jesus, and proclaimers of his message! And crucially, we need to notice Both are needed!SLIDE 8 – The Posture: Repentance and PrayerTell a story of a family that has experiencedrejection or use the story from p. 5-6pg. 7

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLS Pause for a moment, and think back howhas your attitude toward people withdisabilities changed over time? Was your view influenced by a friend? Afamily member? A workshop? As we allow God to grow us individuallyand as a church, we need to be aware ofwhere we’ve come from. It helps us grow in grace towards thosewho are just beginning to think aboutissues of disability and the church, and incases, it provides us with an opportunityto ask forgiveness where it’s needed. With that in mind, we can also pray thatGod would heal wounds caused by thechurch, and by society as a whole. Just because people are new to our churchdoes not mean they are new to “thechurch.” Many people come to church carryinghurts and baggage from past experiences. Realizing this can help us extend graceand patience to people who may bedefensive or cautious about entering intoour community. Lastly, we can pray that God would useour church to reconcile the church topeople with disabilities and people withdisabilities to the church.pg. 8

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLSSLIDE 9 – Moment of ReflectionUsing this slide as a guide,encourage your audience totake a moment to think throughthe scriptures that have mostimpacted their view of disabilityand the church. You might askthem to read quietly for a minute or two,or break them intopairs or small groups for discussion.In addition, we also encourage allowing time to read the twoverses on the slide: 1 Corinthians 12:12-16, and Luke 14:1224. The gospel is good news for eternity, but it’salso good news for today! What are a few verses that have impactedyour view of disability and suffering? If none come to mind, read 1 Corinthians12:12-16 and Luke 14:12-24.pg. 9

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLSSLIDE 10 – The Posture: Myths about DisabilityEach of the myths on this slideare formatted in a “myth” andthen “answer.” The answerscome directly from scripture. There are several myths about disability. Myth one: disability is the result of specificsin. This myth existed even during Jesus’ time,and persists today, as seen in John 9:2.“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,that he was born blind?” But Jesus answers: “It was not that this mansinned, or his parents, but that the works ofGod might be displayed in him.” Myth two: People with disabilities are “holyinnocents or special angels.” This myth treats people with disabilities asbeing without sin. But the truth is that all people, includingpeople with disabilities, “have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God.” We are all in need of savior! We need to beevangelizing and discipling people withdisabilities. The third myth is that faith is primarily amatter of what you believe on an intellectuallevel. It’s common to talk about “believing inJesus” in terms of what facts we know andcan convey. But the truth is that “the Spirit helps us in ourweakness.pg. 10

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / BEYOND OUR CHURCH WALLS We do not know what we ought to pray for,but the Spirit himself intercedes for usthrough wordless groans.” This is great news for all of us! But this isespecially good news for our friends whocommunicate in ways other than language, orfriends who have an intellectual disability. God can speak directly to our hearts. Ourresponsibility is to allow everyone to hear theGospel in a way that they can understand.SLIDE 11 – The Path: ResearchEvery area is different! Butwhether your church context isurban or rural, there are peoplewith disabilities in yourcommunity. Discover where people with disabilities arein your community! Each of us has our own social circles,spheres of influence, and community. Reach out to those closest to you and startgrowing from there. Ministry is aboutrelationship. Consider teachers, nurses, other medicalprofessionals We can also take steps to make peopleaware of our church by contacting Group homes. Group homes are oftenintegrated into communities! They arenormal looking houses where people withdifferent kinds of disabilities can receiveassistance while living independently.They probably won’t have signs, becausepg. 11