open FORUM core team training

Core Team members are those who:

1. Pray daily for the Open Forum and all the guests.
2. Invite and bring at least one non-Christian friend.
3. Engage in long-term follow-up with their guest.

1. The goal is to create a safe place to have a healthy discussion! We are settling for limited objectives! We desire to continue the conversation.
2. Please do not give an answer or state your opinion. Rather, identify with the question and the questioner or nod quietly. Even if you give an amazing answer with a good tone, the questioner won’t likely be as affirmed as if you sincerely identified with the question. This will be difficult, but you can do it!
3. Heads up: I will not directly answer every question. Even if I took 30 minutes and totally ruined the conversation with my amazing and eloquent speech, I couldn't answer their question completely. We will likely get more than one topic; I will likely only address one, which means some questions will remain unanswered—leaving guests wanting more conversation. 
4. It's been said that a sign of a good Open Forum discussion is that the Christians didn't enjoy it. This is because sometimes we're oddly surprised when an unbeliever expresses his/her view, and it's different than our own. The goal in culture (particularly online) is to shut people down, but we want them to win! When someone says something you don't agree with, you'll likely get a knot in your stomach. Great Core Team members prepare in advance for the knot!
5. What is an Open Table? A small Open Forum around a table, over a meal.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 3

11:30 AM - location TBD

WEEKDAY LUNCH OPEN TABLE

THURSDAY OCTOBER 10

11:30 AM - location TBD

WEEKEND DINNER OPEN TABLE

THURSDAY OCTOBER 17

11:30 AM - location TBD

1. Identify and list your network of seeking friends and invite only those who don’t seem to have a personal relationship with Christ. The Open Forum is not for believers.
2. Invite those who are responsive to you, or would be open to cultivating a relationship based on common ground (areas of shared interest, background, experience, ability, or life situations that serve as the basis for developing relationships).
3. Invite those you don’t think will come, as well as those you think will come.
4. Be transparent: describe the Open Forum as a discussion that will examine God and life issues.
5. Invite people with whom you have regular contact (take them to a sporting event, have them over for dinner, attend a concert, etc.).
6. Be sensitive to the people God may bring across your path (acquaintances, new friends, etc.).
7. Be personal: “I thought you might enjoy this discussion. Would you like to come with me?”

Something like this is very rare because Christians tend to preach more than they listen. Your friends may be legitimately skeptical when you tell them this is a discussion, not a lecture, and not a debate. They may ask:

1. Who leads it? The discussion moderator is someone who has studied in this area and who enjoys leading these groups.
2. Is this sponsored by a church? No. It is not the goal of the group to get people to join any particular church. There are many different beliefs represented in these groups.
3. What is the real purpose of these discussions? The perfect Open Forum is one where everyone is trying to extend their knowledge instead of trying to prove that they are right. We want to help people think through their beliefs. As various viewpoints are presented, biblical Christianity’s perspective will also be discussed.
4. Do I have to talk? I don’t know if I can verbalize my beliefs. No. If you come and listen - great! There may be someone else at the discussion who will have similar beliefs. So come and relax! And if you want to throw in your viewpoints, great!
5. Is someone going to try to convert me? No one can force anyone to believe anything they don’t want to. Part of the moderator’s job is to make sure no one forces their viewpoint on anyone.
6. Is this a religious discussion? Not exclusively, although there will undoubtedly be religious issues discussed. No one religious perspective will be represented exclusively. It is just a group of people trying to think more clearly about their beliefs in a discussion format.
7. What if I’m an atheist (agnostic/Muslim/Satanist, etc.)? Cool. It will help to produce a dynamic discussion if the atheistic position is represented.
8. Is this just a setup so you can corner me with your Christian position? No, there is no hidden agenda. Our real goal is to have a stimulating discussion on belief systems. Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. In a lot of ways, it is also true that the unexamined faith is not worth believing. The Christian perspective will be presented as an alternative for discussion, along with the other viewpoints represented. Of course, I’d like to see you believe what I believe. But our real intent is to evaluate all of our belief systems in light of biblical Christianity. This is not a setup just for Christianity; other viewpoints will be discussed.