LearnCareGo is more than 8 jobs and a way to get missions going at your church. It is help and networking for you. It includes resources for each job, promotional materials and logos. LearnCareGo is also building a network of missions-minded people helping missions-minded people. You get all this for free!

We want you to be successful with LearnCareGo. Please let us know how we can help.

MATERIALS

Start with the LearnCareGo brochure. You can download the brochure for free and print as many brochures as you want. You can also download a text version of the how-to instructions and job descriptions from this web site.

COMMISSIONING: BLESSING FROM THE LEADERSHIP

Make sure that you go through whatever steps your church requires to introduce a new program. Set realistic expectations. You may not fill all the jobs right away, but if you could fill a few of the jobs, you could get a good start. Tell your church leadership how long you plan to spearhead the LearnCareGo Task Force. Tell them what you expect to happen when you are no longer leading the group. Will you find a replacement?

GETTING YOUR FEET WET

Fill some jobs with the committed people you have and begin to work. Every church has at least a couple of people who are gung ho about missions. They are looking for a way to get involved with global evangelism.

RECRUITING

• One-on-one meetings are a great way to introduce missions minded people to the LearnCareGo concept.
• You can also invite people to take a job by having a special missions gathering. Have people over for a meal to discuss and learn about missions. In the meeting, introduce them to LearnCareGo.
• Another great recruiting method is to host an adult missions class. (See Adult Training resources.) You can share the LearnCareGo concept and let them consider where they fit in while they are attending the class.

Once you have developed a workable program with the people you have, begin to recruit to fill the other job positions. Experience tells us that you will have to 'sell' Learn and Care a lot harder than Go. These are very important aspects of an effective missions program.

You should outline expectations for those you recruit to be part of the work. For example, you might ask them to commit at least 1 hour a week, and ask that they would commit to the job for at least one year. You might also ask them to nominate a person to fill their role. In addition, you might require that they keep a folder that explains what they have done and what they have learned for anyone who would take over their task when they are done.

If recruiting goes well, then you may have several people for each job. Help these volunteers work together to fulfill their goals.

MEET AND WORK

How often you meet together will depend on the culture at your church, the value that your volunteers get from the meetings, and whether your meetings are effective. You may find that it is more effective to meet with a different task force group (short-term training, awareness, etc.) every 20 minutes. They appreciate the efficiency. Ask simple questions, like “What have you done? What are your goals? What are you going to do to get there?”

At the same time, group meetings can give people a sense of camaraderie. People will enjoy hearing about how others are doing their LearnCareGo jobs.

Of course, the goal of LearnCareGo is not to form another group that meets together. The goal of LearnCareGo is to get work done. You will be amazed by how well the LearnCareGo volunteers are able to develop their little part of a complete missions program.

RESOURCES AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Show people that www.LearnCareGo.org has the resources that they need to be effective. Here you will find ideas for every job on the structural chart. You can also submit ideas that will help other churches.

Take your group to conferences, and they will learn how to do their jobs better.

Accomplishments should be celebrated and workers should be appreciated. Members of the Go group should be informed of the accomplishments of the Care and Learn Groups and vice versa.

STAY ON TRACK AND BE PATIENT

LearnCareGo is designed to be a task force that gives people jobs and gets work done. If it is necessary to make committee-type policy decisions, it may be best to establish another group (a missions committee) that can meet these needs. Policy making decisions may exhaust volunteers who really just wanted a LearnCareGo job. Be aware of these issues and be ready to find solutions if they come up.

If you are the Leader of the LearnCareGo task force, you will be pulled to fill empty positions to take over struggling groups. Resist! It is likely that more will be accomplished if you focus on recruiting and encouraging people who work on the different projects, rather than taking on projects yourself. Your focus on leadership will give LearnCareGo volunteers the sense that they are part of a program that will last.