HOW TO ORGANIZE A PERSONAL WORK PROGRAM—By J. D. Thomas
HOW TO ORGANIZE A PERSONAL WORK PROGRAM---By J. D. Thomas HOW TO ORGANIZE A PERSONAL WORK PROGRAM
J. D. Thomas
What we hope to present here is a basic system that can be used anywhere. Actually we are going to show you how we do it here, and you can decide what features will fit your local situation. The first need is a leader or “spark plug" for the program, who has untold initiative, who can plan and organize, who can rise above discouragements, and who appreciates the value of a soul. Preferably, he should be the preacher or an elder, but can be anyone, provided he can win their support. Next you need a committee—who appreciate soul winning, know the congregation, know how to deal with people, and are willing to work hard at this. The size of the committee should not be less than three nor more than fifteen, but consecration counts more than the number.
ONE
Find out first who will work in the program and make calls. For this we use a “church worker” card —No. 1—that every member is asked to fill out. There is a place for him to check showing that he will work.
TWO
Next you need a basic information or “case history” card—No. 2—on every person, man, woman and child, under the influence of the congregation. This should include members and non-members, anyone that you might be reasonably considered to have some respon-sibility for. These cards make up your master-file, of permanent information, and are constantly worked with.
THREE
They should be properly “flagged,” with little metal flags of various colors—No. 3—which make it easy to work with certain groups, such as baptism prospects just before a revival meeting.
FOUR and FIVE
Every card should be gone through and the spiritual needs of the person discussed at regular intervals by the committee—Nos. 4 and 5.
SIX
For assigning calls, use a call card—No. 6. Complete information should be given to the one making the call, so that he may know the special reason for the call, and be able to do it intelligently.
SEVEN
Before mailing out to the one to make the call, the card is listed on the call register—No. 7, which is simply a list of all cards sent out, and has a place for them to be checked back in. As long as there is a vacant space in column four, you know that the call has not been made. When the card is returned, it will be filled out on the back side, showing a report of the visit and what the reaction was. The card is checked back in on the call register, and the pertinent information is recorded on the prospect’s permanent information card.
EIGHT and NINE
Here is how a card actually looks in use—No. 8. It is a real card from our files with the information fictitious on the top of the front side—No. 9. The back side is real—says, “Do not go to church anywhere. She seems to have a lot of faith in her church of Christ neighbors. Mother and grandmother are members of church of Christ. She does not know why she is a Baptist.”
TEN
No. 10—Here is how the master file of information cards look, with their flags.
Blue—call has been re-quested; Red—Baptism prospects;
Green—Names obtained from census here on the hill (some are good prospects) ;
Black—Needs encouragement;
Pink— Needs to place membership;
Brown—New in the congregation;
Yellow—Our information is incomplete.
ELEVEN
Next we want to show the forms we use in making a census or survey—No. 11. Normally we discard names of people who are not interested in our plea, and concentrate our efforts on those who are interested. There are questions on this card that ask if they are acquainted with the New Testament church; if they are interested in New Testament teachings; or if they have any relatives who are members of the New Testament church.
TWELVE
We take a local map—No. 12—and divide it into equal divisions of about the right size for a project for one person.
THIRTEEN
We make an area card—No. 13—for the survey-maker’s use that definitely defines the area he is to work in. He is responsible for an adequate survey of that territory. All cards are carefully analyzed for any new prospects.
What we have discussed so far is simply the me-chanics, but they are important in soul winning, just as they are 'in any other form of salesmanship! To have an organized system means that your work is not hit or miss. It means that you do not leave any stones unturned. It means that you can find out who your good prospects are and concentrate on them without wasting a lot of time on others. It means that you will have a lot of people making calls and doing personal work who would otherwise never get around to it, although they would always be planning to get started some day.
Our system is not perfect. No doubt you could figure out a better one for your community. But any good system, worked at, will save souls, that otherwise could not be reached. The souls saved might even be our own, because we worked in the harvest fields rather than just “planned to”! A Training class is needed to discuss the system and all phases of the actual interview with those who are going to participate. We conduct such a class here. Brother Gatewood’s and Brother Hailey’s books are excellent works to be studied in such classes. I happen to be teaching a college class in this subject, and through it hope to inspire and train hundreds of young people through the years in systematic personal work and teach them how to organize a program, so that they may go out and get a program going in whatever community they live in. Your program will not work well unless you can enlist the aid of your preacher and have personal work preached from the pulpit. People are slow to take on to something that is new and that requires work. They have to be inspired and be taught. It is a constant process, but if you will keep at it you can finally get them aroused and active. A systematic program is a lot of trouble and a lot of work, but it pays well, both in souls saved and in personal satisfaction gained.
Copies of these forms shown here can be had at our booth in the exhibit building at 1660 Campus courts, and included there is a list of “Key Scriptures” which show how to mark your Bible to Key passages on points that you will most frequently meet in talking the Bible to people.