If you want your group to be outward looking, the list is a powerful tool.
In CMA's Life Transformation Groups, each person makes a list of three to four people who are not followers of Jesus that they commit to pray for daily.
In T4T, each person is encouraged to make a list of all the not-yet-believers that they know, and divide them into groups of five. Each week, they pick a group and having prayed for them, try to tell their story to each person.
Do you have a list of people you know who are either not-yet-believers or who are not walking closely with the Lord?
It's easier to think through the people you know by looking at your circles of influence:
- The people closest to you: your family and closest friends. They don't have to live near you, but maybe you are in email contact with them. This week I offered to pray for a niece who isn't a believer and prayed for her via a facebook message.
- People from work: who do you know from work who is not following the Lord? The company president? The person who cleans the building? Your colleagues?
- Social acquaintances–people whose names you know and who know your name. Parents of those on your kid's basketball team? People in your neighborhood?
- Casual contacts, people you recognize but don't know their names. Your mailman, the girl behind the counter of the coffee shop where you get your morning caffeine fix.
Practical application: Have the people in your group spend 15 minutes creating a list of all the people they know who are not following Jesus. Suggest they commit to praying for them and if possible, telling them their story.