Beginning the Adoption

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.

1. Initiating the Process

• Pray with others about adopting unreached people.
• Identify an advocate/champion for the adoption process - contact US Center for World Mission (USCWM) Adopt-a-People Campaign for their advocate<> kit.
• Contact Christian Information<> Network (CIN) for guidelines on how to pray over people selection. Request an "adoption packet".
• Educate the Missions Committee - consider offering the Perspectives<> Course or a Vision<> for the Nations Sunday school class(Contact: USCWM).
• Gather resources to get help on how to adopt a people-contact: Adoption<> Counselors.
• Develop goals with a timeline for each step.

• Present to the missions committee and/or the pastor and elders/leaders the desired concept and process to adopt a people. Tools listed above may help present the vision. Adoption<> Videos also may be motivational.
• Get missions committee approval to adopt a people.
• 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 Perspectives<> Course or the Vision<> for the Nations Sunday school course.

• 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. See Adoption<> Counselors.
• 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).

• Develop a survey to find out congregation's views on unreached peoples.
• Review the variables in Selecting<> a People.
• Discuss and establish the criteria and process for people selection.
• Explore existing research on prospective adoptive people. See Conducting<> Research: Menu.
• Look at the AD2000/Joshua<> Project 2000 Unreached Peoples Information.
• Have the Adoption Team meet to hear reports on preliminary studies.
• Have the Adoption Team pray continuously over prospective peoples.

• 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 videos to the congregation on unreached people vision. See Video/Film<> Information.
• Offer the Perspectives<> Course or Vision<> for the Nations Sunday School Class. Contact USCWM.
• 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.
• Invite the congregation to pray over the list of prospective peoples for one month for guidance in making a choice.

• If appropriate, plan a pre-search trip(s) to the potential peoples, in coordination with a knowledgeable agency.
• Present a list of ministry needs of the peoples under consideration to the congregation.
• Make people profiles available to the congregation.
• 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.

ADOPTION REGISTRATION, using the People Commitment Registration Form (Located at the Joshua Project II website.)
Please register your adoption using the<> People Commitment Registration Form (Located at the Joshua Project II website.) so that we can keep track of which peoples have not yet been adopted. We will also use your information to help link churches who have adopted the same people, or others involved within the group. Be assured that the information you share with us will not be used for solicitation of funds or sold to any fundraising organization.

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