The Big Red Tractor
We showed this video last weekend as we’ve been talking about mission and missional living. Definitely a great analogy. Maybe the church is more simple than what we’ve made it.
God Cares About The Process
This weekend we have EMG InHouse. InHouse is a weekend that we set aside each year as a youth and young adult ministry to worship, learn and grow together. Quite simply, it is a strategic weekend that focuses on discipleship and serving!
I wrote a little note to our team this morning. This is what it said:
I have a goal to get through the Bible a couple times this year. The last couple days I have been trying my best to get through the book of Numbers. Notice I said “get through”. If we were honest, I think we’ve all struggled at one point in our lives to read the book of Numbers, yet as I was reading it was like God stopped me in my tracts.
I was reading very distracted. My mind was in other places but I was reading about God using Moses and Aaron to organize the people of Israel and as I was reading it smacked me across the head!
The reality… GOD CARES ABOUT THE PROCESS!
I mean he devoted an entire book to the numbering and organizing of people. The fact is that God cares about people so much and we as leaders need to be organized in the process of where God is taking us!
I love that! It excites me that we have an opportunity to lead and encourage students from across our city in their faith.
I feel like this weekend at InHouse is going to be like the book of Numbers. We have the leaders in place but I feel that this weekend a Holy Organization (you can call me weird… it’s ok) is going to take place. I believe that lives are going to align together so that we can walk in faith together.
I also believe that our groups are going to be strengthened. You see our Life Groups are the process and the organizational tool to see us move forward as a community!
Imagine each Life Group moving forward in all that God has called them to be! Imagine a group of people SERVING their community so hard that the world was changed around them!
Imagine!
Small Group Community: Does it work?
It’s a question many are asking. “Do small groups really work? Are small groups worth it in church life? Is it a biblical model? Is it what the church should look like?”
I’ve been in a number of small groups in the past and it seems that the effectiveness of a small group comes down to one common denominator… LEADERSHIP. There is no doubt that leaders are the driving force behind small group community.
Most of us have probably had both positive and negative experiences if we’ve been around the small group block. There’s nothing worse than an “awkward, dead, the people are weird, I’m afraid to smile, can I go home now?” kind of small group. I do believe there are some very simple things that leaders can do to make small group gatherings fun, full of life and Kingdom building.
Atmosphere
Atmosphere is important! By no means should your small group time look like a mega-church, but leaders need to create an atmosphere that is full of life and excitement. If the leaders are bored and complacent then group members will no doubt follow. In most cases, people are in small groups because they want to be in community and most times people are looking for someone to follow.
A major objective of your small group is making people feel comfortable. Create an atmosphere that doesn’t allow for people to feel awkward or out of place. Be specific in who you ask questions towards and if you feel that somebody is not as confident then don’t put them on the spot or make them read an entire chapter in Leviticus! If you make people feel comfortable they are guaranteed to return.
If you are leading a group in your home, make sure that the atmosphere is convenient for a group meeting. Limit distractions and provide refreshments that will make group members feel as though they were in their own living room connecting with you.
The Open Chair Rule
It is vitally important that leaders create a culture in their group that welcomes new people. To often groups become so tight together that they neglect new people entering community. Create an open chair rule where group members understand their responsibility to embrace visitors.
“Our group is getting to big!” No it’s not! If there are to many people involved then new leaders need to raise up and groups need to multiply.
“Our group is age, gender or special interest specific.” It’s great that people connect around interests, but we do need to understand that the one common interest among us that actually matters is Jesus Christ. In the end its people that matter to God! We must do whatever it takes to welcome people into our groups. I don’t want to stand before Jesus and regret not letting people into Christian community because they looked different or had different interests.
Bible Study vs. Community
I love studying the bible. To me there is nothing better then being enriched by the Word of God and being challenged to live different. The challenge is balancing applicable study and great community in your group. If all you are doing is studying and there is no strength in relationships and care for each other then the objective of the group is off track.
There must be a balance of biblical study and focus on community within small groups. The challenge should not be applying one or the other, but rather incorporating both to see the group move forward. We need the Word of God to lead and direct our lives, yet we also need to put our bibles down and live out in our groups what God has instructed. The best small groups will incorporate both.
24/7
When small groups are done properly you begin to see that it is more than just a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly meeting. When small groups are done properly people are cared for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It goes from gathering together to doing life together.
There are two major things that small group leaders should provide that takes small groups beyond a gathering.
Mentorship and Accountability
Small group leaders should mentor and keep group members accountable. This should include one-on-one partnership. Group members need to feel like they have a covering under their leader. Small groups are not just events where the leader teaches and then everyone goes home. Small group leaders should cultivate a culture of mentorship that goes with connecting on an on going basis. The group should not stop when everyone heads home, but rather be a network of people that are growing together.
Care
Small groups should also provide care for everyone involved. I love hearing stories of when small group members have gone through a difficult situation and other group members and leaders have been there to help. This is true community and this is what God desires.
In church life, small group networks can help in keeping the overall body unified and aware of what is going on in church life. They provide care, prayer support and connection with each other.
Acts 2:43-47 (The Message)
“Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.”
I believe that we can live like this. That people would see true community, mentorship, accountability, care in small group community and they would love what they saw! At the very core it will be quality leadership that will advance the Kingdom through small group community. I hope that we can engage in this type of community to see people reached and set free.
