FriendSpeak Online Training Seminar Handout

Welcome

Welcome to FriendSpeak! You are starting on a wonderful adventure of friendship and faith that will almost certainly stretch your understanding of God’s love and the power of his Word. We are so pleased that you have answered God’s call for more harvest workers, and we are fully committed to providing you with the skills and training you need to be successful.

This FriendSpeak Training Guide is yours to use throughout the training seminar and then take home with you for continued reference. During the seminar, we encourage you to write down your ideas and to take careful notes. The FriendSpeak materials reflect over twenty-five years of experience by thousands of workers, so you can be confident of the best training possible.

Thank you again for participating in this work! May God use you, transform you, and help you walk in the steps of Jesus as we plant seeds of faith together in the hearts of our international friends and neighbors.

Sharing His love,
Ben Woodward
Director, FriendSpeak

Part One: FriendSpeak Origin & Philosophy

The Challenge
What do our international friends and neighbors want from FriendSpeak? What is their motivation to participate?
What do we want from FriendSpeak? What is our motivation to be involved?
How can both groups be satisfied? This is the challenge!

The FriendSpeak Advantage
_____________ and ________________ --giving others what they want, as well as what they need.
Biblical Basis ___________________________.

The Workbooks
We have English conversations based on texts of Scripture in the belief that it will produce faith in the heart of an unbeliever.
Luke – its purpose:
Acts – its purpose:
John – its purpose:
Good News – its purpose:
In the Beginning – its purpose:

Philosophy & Core Principles
The FriendSpeak philosophy is not simply a new way of ___________ evangelism; it is a new way of _____________________ about what we are doing (and what God is doing) when we sit down with another person to share our faith.
Philosophy:
1.
2.
3.
How does this philosophy help you, as the Worker?
Less ____________ to produce results yourself!
Less pressure to know all the ________________to all the questions.
People discover Jesus through God’s _____________ itself!
Core Principles:
Since the Word is the Teacher, what are the most important principles for us to focus on as the Workers?
1. Agreement –
2. Retention –
3. Focus –
4. Simplicity –
5. Relationship –
Part Two: The Strategy
Preparing For Your Reading Sessions
1. Pray -
2. Prepare -
3. Reflect -
4. Define -
Three Steps to Defining Words:
1.
2.
3.
On Your Own
As ambassadors of Jesus it is very important that we know Him deeply. Before you dive into Luke with your new international friend, please read through this special Gospel from the following perspectives and make notes of ideas and impressions you gather as you read.

1. As an unbeliever who has never heard of Jesus…
2. As a first century Jewish disciple, watching and learning from the Master
3. As a twenty-first century disciple, preparing to share the story of Jesus…

Planting Seeds
Seed Thoughts

In our approach to the study of Luke, we have selected passages from each chapter which would have an appropriate message for the unbeliever. The selected passages are not necessarily the “most important” parts of the chapters nor are they always the most appropriate ones for a particular person. They have been proven to have a significant impact in the lives of many people; however, so we feel comfortable recommending them to you.

We try to have just one idea in mind for each lesson. For people who are unfamiliar with the Bible, too many things to think about at one time can be fatal. The significant points for these passages were chosen because they were step stones to a faith in Jesus as God’s son. The primary goal for the study of Luke is for the Reader to come to believe in Jesus; the Reader and the Worker will need to continue reading (probably in Acts) to come to a clear understanding of how one is born into Christ and lives as a Christian.

This approach does not lead to “instant conversion,” but we are convinced that people who find Christ in the pages of Luke and in the life of their conversation partner will make a careful decision about their own relationship to God. If the soil is good, the Father will give the increase.

Understanding Seed Thoughts
1. The Seed Thoughts are a _______________, _____________________ in each
lesson that we want to ____________________ in the hearts of our readers.
1. What is the Seed Thought for Lesson Two in the Luke workbook?
2. Why is this Seed Thought important for the process of coming to faith?
3. What is the importance of the first Seed Thought in Lesson One?
On Your Own
Write the seed thoughts in your workbook at the bottom of each lesson.
Remember to keep this Training Guide available for referencing the Seed Thoughts in your additional FriendSpeak workbooks.
The Reading Session – Techniques
Video: Now let’s take a look at how an actual reading session might go. We’ll start with the very beginning of a reading session.
Notes:

The FriendSpeak Reading Session
Your conversation session should be ______________.
We suggest doing no more than _______ workbook lesson per session.
Allow about 5-10 minutes of time at the beginning and end of your reading session for ________________.
Why is the beginning of each Reading Session so important?
Reading Techniques / Beginning Reading
Before you can have a conversation about a story, you must make sure your Reader understands all the words that compose the story.
First, read the text out loud, and then have them read __________ you.
Or, have them read the text _______ you.
Go over any difficult ____________ and define the terms.
Start your conversation with the following question, “So, tell me what this story is about…what happens in this story?”
You want your Readers to be able to tell you what happened in their own words, not simply just re-read the text!
In FriendSpeak, learning will increase dramatically as the Reader both _________ the Word, ___________ the Word and, through your questions, ____________ his thoughts about the Word.

Asking Questions
After reading the text together, you want to help your Reader understand it and begin a conversation. But how do you begin these conversations?
You facilitate meaningful conversations with your Reader by asking questions.
Principle One -- ___________________________________________________
Do not begin the discussion with a question that can be answered with a “yes” or “no”. Use a challenging question that must require some thought. Let’s use the first lesson as an example. (Luke 1:1 - 4)
“__________________________________________________________?”
Make sure you wait an appropriate amount of time for an answer before providing helpful hints.
Principle Two -- ____________________________________________________
Formulate a challenging open-ended first question and then use the answer to spontaneously form another follow-up question. In this way, you will go from question to answer to question and begin to really understand what the Reader believes the text says. Let’s use the question from Lesson 1 as an example.
Q—How was Luke communicating with Theophilus?
A—Luke was writing a letter.
Q—What kind of letter was Luke writing?
A—Luke was writing a letter to his friend.
Q—Why do you think he was writing to his friend?
A—Because he wanted to tell him about important things he had studied.
Q—What kind of things do you write about in letters to friends or family?
Principle Three -- __________________________________________________
Fortunately, there are only three basic types of questions to remember. They are:
1. The _____________ question - the information question. “What do you think Luke means when he says…?”
2. The _____________question - the evaluation and explanation question.
3. The _____________question - supplements the first two types. This type of question can be used to further probe a Reader’s reasoning and understanding of a subject.
More Questions
A second group of questions you may choose to use are those which entail English, Text, and Application.
_______________ questions are used to define words and explain meanings.
_______________ questions seek to help ups know how well the Reader understands the actual text he has read.
_______________ questions seek to help the Reader connect with the story and its characters by placing themselves in similar situations.

How do you respond to answers?
Never, never be ________________, no matter what the response. Instead, offer ________________.
Non-Confrontational Approach
Correcting Wrong Conclusions - If you think your reader does not understand the text.
“Joseph and Mary had been married for a long time before Jesus was born.”
________________________________-- If it appears your reader is drawing a wrong conclusion, repeat what you think he said and ask if that is what was meant. Many times we misunderstand what a person is really saying. Repeating your understanding of their conclusion and asking will clear up any misunderstandings.
________________________________-- Do not tell them they are wrong. Rather, ask them a question that reveals the truth. To do this you must have studied the text carefully. You must know the text well enough to detect a weakness in the position being advocated. Then ask an open-ended question. This question should point the Reader specifically back to the text. For example, the Worker should ask:
“How does that idea (conclusion) fit in with this sentence?”
If still wrong --summarize the Reader’s understanding. Do not argue. Do not tell the Reader what the Scripture means. He/she must come to that understanding independently. You may state your understanding as your own understanding.
Non-confrontational
The FriendSpeak method is a non-confrontational method of sharing our faith and bringing non-believers into personal contact with God’s powerful Word. We want to be clear, however, about what this means.
1. It means that we do not correct every single grammatical or ____________error.
2. It means that we do not have to ____________ in order to continue.
3. It does ______ mean that we are uncommitted or too shy to ask for a decision if we think our Reader is ready. Although our initial approach is neutral, we aren’t.
4. It means we seek to understand them first, not to _____________________ first.
5. It means we use the ____________________ from Lesson 1 to continue.
6. It means we wait until our Reader asks us what we think.
Confronting Difficult Situations
1. Your Reader does not want to use the workbook. Instead, they want to read out of the newspaper or a magazine to improve their English. What do you do?
2. Your Reader has exceptional English skills. What do you do?
3. Your Reader is shy and a bit anxious about these one-on-one reading sessions. They want to bring a friend or their spouse and read together. What do you do?

Remaining Non-Confrontational
Do not ____________.
Know when the time is right to ___________ with your Reader.
Know when the time is right to _______ for a decision.

Summary - Things to Remember
Prayer
The Lord is with you and the Spirit will help you speak. Spend time in prayer so that you may be open to His help. Pray for your reader by name.
Preparation
Study your lessons before you go to your reading session. Read the complete story from the Bible, create your questions to promote discussion and conversation, and develop your style. Have a plan for each reading session before you start, but be flexible.
Remember!
They probably do not know anything about the _________.
They are bound by their _____ and ________, just as you are by yours!
They may not know that a personal _____________ with God is possible.
You must be patient, slow, and not _____________ too much too soon.
Their first language is not English. This means they do not fully _____________ everything that you say the way you intend.
Be ___________ in your Reader.
If you talk more than they do, you are talking too much.
Be an attentive listener (try not to think about what you are going to say next.)
Keep things partner to partner, not teacher to student.
Remember your __________ for being a part of FriendSpeak!
Pray that you will grow to love and like your Reader.
Remember that you may be the first believer this person has ever met!
Part Three: Relationships
A friendly relationship with your reader will always be more productive than a student vs. teacher relationship.
Inside the FriendSpeak Reading Session
Don’t be afraid to ___________ quickly. The sooner you do, the sooner you reader will too.
Visuals such as ______________, ______________, and ______________ are helpful.
Take the time to be a ________________ first.
Outside the FriendSpeak Reading Session
What you do ______________ the Reading Session will magnify what
takes place during your sessions.
What are some ways you can be a friend to your Reader?
Building a Bridge
What is our long-term goal for each of our readers?
_______________ to church events and member attended ______________ are great ways to build this bridge!

Part Four: Conclusion
The FriendSpeak Community
The FriendSpeak Community is an interactive and collaborative network of individuals, churches, and ministry organizations that participate in FriendSpeak.
By staying informed with the latest news and working together with other FriendSpeak ministries, you will be even better prepared to reach out effectively to the non-English speaking people in your community.