The basic structure of the Lazarus at the Gate experience is a twelve week small group. The curriculum is based on research conducted by Gary VanderPol, a pastor and ThD candidate studying poverty and Christian missions. Gary and Mako Nagasawa, an InterVarsity Director, led the first Lazarus group with 12 friends in 2006. After discussing budgets, simplicity commitments, and prior experiences of giving, the group collectively gave $40,000 to poverty-focused programs and ministries in Haiti, Thailand, India, Boston, and Bolivia.
Of course, the curriculum can be modified and used in other ways. In fact, we encourage it! For example, one pastor turned it into a sermon series; one church group turned it into their Sunday School material for one semester. We think of the Lazarus at the Gate curriculum as "open source software." Take it for free, contextualize it to your audience, and run with it. But please share with us what you've learned from the experience so we can better coach others who might have similar questions and challenges you have. We'd like to support you and learn from how you use the material with your audience.
