Beginning an Adoption: The Checklist

Please Note: The optimal steps below are offered as a guide, but may not match your church's structure or way of decision-making. There are several ways to implement an adoption within a church. It is our hope that you will be able to adapt the suggested steps to fit your situation. What are the important parts, not from our standpoint but from God’s standpoint in His purpose in adoption? If that is understood, believers are more likely to take it seriously and stay with it because it is a commitment first to God, secondly it is growth for us so we can understand His way’s in how to really help people and then third, for the person or people being adopted.

It is mostly important that the focus be in God, Jesus, Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. God being the Father, Jesus obviously His only begotten Son and the head of Christ, who is the groom and the bride, which is the body of Christ. Finally and importantly it is all the work of the Holy Spirit through each of us to bring us to where God wants us. It is equally as much for those being adopted as it is for us, to draw us closer to Him and His ways of how to really help people on a long term basis, which is done by the body of Christ working together as one body to accomplish His will globally so we all can enjoy some sense of sanity and peace on earth. Adoption is as good for us as those being adopted, because we are seeking His will for them. It is good for us because we are blessed for reaching out in love and unity in the body. It is also good for the local church as it gets people that may not ordinarily be involved, involved in His ways and the work of the church, which will bring forth good fruit and His blessing, not just for the people involved but the whole congregation.

1. Initiating the Process

Pray with others about adopting unreached people.
Always pray that His will be done in your lives through each.
Pray seeking His wisdom and understanding and His purpose to be accomplished in your life and those you adopt.
Be open! Be willing to be led by His Spirit and know that it will be confirmed, because the Spirit of God cannot deny Himself. We all need to be led by His Spirit to be sons of God.
Don’t focus on your current resources, focus in faith on His will. Don’t be focused on what you see or feel by your senses in your current resources, but be swayed by what Scripture tells us in His provision to do His will. Often times we give or do not give or get involved or not because we do not feel we can do anything. That is a lie from the enemy. Scripture tells us that we are to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony. Adoption brings the body together for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven through each person, because we all learn how to speak a better testimony in love and unity. The we can’t’s turn into “we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us.” Christ being both Jesus as we are led by Him and the body from each of us as we are exhorted by each other to go into our Holy Calling and purpose, which will give us life and life more abundantly.
Stay the course! We are to endure till the end. It is why we need to know that God is leading us each step of the way so we will endure till the end. Doubt creates division and separation from Him and His purpose. Doubt comes in because we sometimes do not move forward in His will by faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing from Him as we are led by Him. Our faith is built up as we seek Him, hear from Him and are committed to walking together in His will.
Decide who among you is to serve as a leader. Seek God for the leader and come to agreement.
Let ODB know that you are moving forward so we can pray for you, seek His will for you and work with you and let us know who has been appointed for you group. We are willing to work with you to accomplish His will.
Fill out the ODB chapter application. From there we will create a working agreement that will state what you can count on from us and we can count on from you. We want you to be successful and will do everything we can to help you.
Become familiar with what ODB can do for you as a group and the resources available to you to help you to succeed. Ask questions if it is not clear. Once again, we will work with whoever your local leader is.
From the working agreement, request an "adoption, prayer packet". These are downloadable tools and resources that will help you as a leader and each that are with you. Become a prayer partner with ODB. In doing so others will be praying for you and you will pray for others. You will find the power of prayer in agreement in walking together with others.
Once your leader is familiar with everything, work with and educate your missions committee so you can work together. You may want to have a presentation for your Sunday School class or for the congregation in general about what is happening and to recruit more people to become involved. The goal in all of this is not just to adopt but for each member of the body to grow in His ways as you are led by His Spirit. From the working agreement you can share the vision with everyone and it will bless all that become involved.
Develop goals from the working agreement with ODB and create a timeline for each step.

2. Engaging the General Leadership

Present to the missions committee and/or the pastor and elders/leaders the desired concept and process to adopt a people. Present the working agreement, tools, resources and information, which will help you present the vision.
Get missions committee approval to adopt a people. The work of ODB is to support the work of the body and to edify each in the body and not work against the body or the local church. It is important for you to receive everyone’s blessings in His work. If it is not clear to leadership in your church, for whatever reason, we are willing to work with you and them.
Select an Adoption Advocate who has passion and vision for unreached peoples and adoption, and some connection to church leadership.
Educate the pastor and elders/leaders by hosting or promoting in your area, the in-depth downloadable slide presentation, (power point presentation, documentation, literature and working agreement).

3. Establishing the Adoption Team and Process

Select and recruit an adoption leadership team (committee).
Begin regular prayer and planning meetings of the adoption team (committee).
Pursue an overall vision and guidance as necessary.
If your church is part of a denomination or works with a specific mission agency, contact them for help to select a people and suggestions with the adoption process.
Write a mission statement for the adoption project (a crucial exercise).

4. Preliminary Research

Develop a survey to find out congregation's views on unreached peoples.
Review the variables in selecting a people from the information provided from GMI.
Discuss and establish the criteria and process for people selection.
Explore existing research on prospective adoptive people.
Look at the GMI website. It may contain enough information, but you may need more.
Have the Adoption Team meet to hear reports on preliminary studies.
Have the Adoption Team pray continuously over prospective peoples.

5. Integrating the Adoption Strategy into the Philosophy of the Church.

Prepare a plan for the congregation's involvement as a whole with the adoption.
Enlist the pastor's help in presenting the vision of unreached peoples and adoption to the congregation.
Educate the congregation on unreached peoples and the Great Commission mandate.
Show the ODB power point presentation to the congregation on unreached people vision.
Offer the presentation and information to other groups in the church and ask them to review the ODB web site for more information.
Create and compile profiles and other materials of your candidate peoples for presentation to the congregation-- use the information from your preliminary research.
Present the people group adoption plan and a short list of prospective peoples to the congregation during your missions conference.
Announce adoption activities at worship services and give regular updates to the congregation as allowed by leadership for accountability and prayer support.
Invite the congregation to pray over the list of prospective peoples for one month for guidance in making a choice.

6. Final Decision

If appropriate, plan a pre-search trip(s) to the potential peoples, in coordination with a knowledgeable agency and or missions contact already in the field.
Present a list of ministry needs of the peoples under consideration to the congregation.
Make people profiles available to the congregation from the GMI web pages.
Collect and organize the congregation's thoughts, ideas, and insights.
Have the adoption committee pray over the responses to reach a consensus on a people.
Have the adoption committee prepare and distribute material, including determining factors, to the congregation on the people recommended for adoption.
Submit the recommendation to the pastor and church leaders.
Have the church, pastor and leaders pray over the recommended people.
Have the church leadership approve the people and present to the congregation.
Have the congregation and governing bodies approve the people selection.
Conduct an adoption commitment ceremony. See Sample Certificate of Adoption.

We are responsible…..

When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, We want our hand always to be there. For that we are responsible.

We are responsible both to God and each other.

"Together we can make a change, we can make a difference!"

"God gave us His Son, Spirit, Love, Direction, Purpose, Gifts, and free will. He gave us all the basic tools to either care for Him and others or care just for ourselves.

It is a choice either way, to either learn to work together to solve problems, but at the end, when it is all said and done, our true hearts will be exposed. We are given two things to do, love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.

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