What is a personal appointment? How do you set up a personal appointment with a student?
You might meet a lot of students in the course of a week. You’ll meet them around school, at sporting events, meetings, at a school play, or at outreaches. In many cases, you want to get to know them a little better and see if they want to be connected to Cru. How do you do that? How do you continue to build meaningful relationships with students when God is calling you to go deeper with them? You do that with a personal appointment!
Before we jump into the nuts and bolts, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Be yourself.
- Be an adult.
- Pray.
- Set up the appointment!
What is a Personal Appointment?
A personal appointment is simply getting together with a student or a group of students to get to know them better, help them get connected with Cru, or take steps in their relationship with God. You want to plan to meet them in a public setting, close to the school, like a fast food restaurant, a coffee shop, or a comfortable outdoor spot.
Ministry is all about relationships.
How Do You Set up the Appointment?
Here are a few prompts to help you. If you see them in person, you can say something like the following:
“Hey ______, I’m ______ with Cru. We met the other night at the meeting.” (Pause to establish that they know who you are) “I was wondering if you’d like to get together after school on Tuesday. I’d like to tell you more about Cru and ways that you can get involved. I’ll even buy you a coffee! How does Starbucks sound?”
If you feel like a text is more appropriate to set up the appointment, you can send something like this:
“Hey ______, this is _______, we met at the meeting last night. I would love to talk to you more about Cru. Do you want to grab a coffee after school? How about tomorrow? It’s my treat!”
Pre-Appointment Checklist
Once you set up the appointment, the following short checklist will help you prepare for the appointment:
Send a reminder text the night before the appointment.
You always want to text them to confirm the appointment time and the location.
Suggest they bring a friend or friends along with them.
Students generally feel more comfortable in group settings. You could even ask your current student leaders to join you. This will make the appointment feel more natural, especially when you meet in a familiar place.
Build into the relationship.
Ministry is all about relationships. Use the appointment, and even the communications that set up the appointment, to build bridges and strengthen the relationship.
Pray for God’s help.
Ask Him to use the appointment to deepen the relationship. Ask Him for wisdom to answer any questions the students might have. Pray that He would work in the lives of students as they become more a part of the movement at the school.
Involve the Parents/Guardians
One last thing to keep in mind before the appointment is to make sure the students have your contact information. It’s a good idea for them to pass it on to their parents or legal guardians. They might want to get in touch with you before you meet with their child. Keeping parents in the loop builds trust with them and the student.
You’re going to do a great job! Click on the article “How to Have a Personal Appointment” to learn more about what to do during the appointment.
