Focus Group Preparation

1 Pray.  The most important thing you can do in preparation for a Focus Group is to pray – pray that God would bring non-Christians and that God would use this time to move them closer to Jesus Christ.  Pray that it would result in an open door of conversation for the gospel.  And pray that your heart would grow in faith and in love for those who don’t know Christ by faith.

2 Create a list of those you’d like to invite.  Don’t try to guess who will come and who won’t.  If God puts them on your heart, then invite them.  There are usually surprises.   Invite only non-Christians – they are the ones whose opinions we want to hear.  If you are sure that more than 5 non-Christians will attend, you may want to invite a Christian friend who is interested in leading a Focus Group, so that they can learn by watching.

3 Prepare the invitation carefully.  Look over the sample invitation The Philip Center has supplied and make all the necessary changes: date, time, details.  Print more invitations than you think you will need.  We suggest that you print them on colored paper, 8 ½ x 11.

4 Begin to invite people, but no earlier than two weeks in advance.  The best window of invitation is about 12 to 5 days in advance of the Focus Group.  As you invite people you may want to say something like this: “I don’t know what your comfort level is with talking about religion and spirituality, but we’d love to have you come to this event we’re hosting.”

5 Plan to serve simple food that you enjoy and you think your guests will enjoy.  Make it simple to serve and eat that night so that complicated food issues don’t distract you and your guests.  An exception to this is the possibility of creating a special food night that complements the Focus Group.  This can be done successfully, but should be discussed thoroughly before making a decision.

6 We will meet with you to discuss other questions and details before the event, such as:

Who will be leading the discussion?

What happens if only one person comes?

What do I do after the Focus Group to follow up those who attended?

7 Continue to trust God.  There is spiritual battle involved in outreach.  As we engage in discussion with non-Christians, we often feel fearful, doubtful and confused about what we are doing.  But God so often uses these Focus Groups to prompt more interaction about significant issues.  Pray through those times of hesitation as you prepare for your Focus Group and trust God that He can use you as an ambassador of Christ.  The success of the event does not depend on your own strength, but on God’s power.  And the success of the event can’t be measured in the number of attendees, but rather in our faith, as we trust God for whatever happens.