small groups module 4 new york conference vital congregations incubator

Small GroupsModule 4

New York Conference Vital Congregations Incubator

November 18-19, 2011

Goals for This ModuleBy the end of this module, participants will be able to:1. Identify needed knowledge and skills

for nurturing Christian faith and discipleship

2. Describe various audiences for small groups

3. Assess current small groups and classes offered in your congregation

4. Analyze gaps and set priorities for new small groups and classes

Lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10).

Loving

Formation Questions

1. Since we last met, how have you experienced the presence of God?

2. With whom have you met in your congregation to work on goals?

3. What are you learning about being a spiritual leader?

Homework Review1. Tell about the responses you

received to sharing success stories from chapter 4 of Unbinding the Gospel.

2. Which exercise did you use with leaders? (Paying the Rent, Ministry in Focus, or Faith Sharing in Three Chapters) How did it go? What did you learn about evangelism in your congregation?

Learning

Small Groups & the Church

Fundamentally the church exists in order to further the kingdom, or reign, of God.

Toward an Adult Church:A Vision of Faith FormationJane E. Regan

Small groups provide a setting for exploring God’s self-revelation and what our response could be for our context.

Safiyah Fosua & Carol Krau

The soul and the body make a [person]; the spirit and discipline make a Christian.

Causes of the Inefficacy of ChristianitySermon 122, 1789John Wesley

Entry Points for Small Groups

Belonging

Believing

Behaving

Faith Formation

Cultivating identity Discovering purpose Making meaning Mature faith Extending God’s kingdom Connecting the church’s inner

life and outer work Sanctification

Faith Formation

Cultivating identity Discovering purpose Making meaning Mature faith Extending God’s kingdom Connecting the church’s inner

life and outer work Sanctification

Small Group Exercise

• What do (group) need to know?

• What do (group) need to be able to do?

• What do (group) need to experience?

Audiences for Small Groups

Cautious Curious Committed Professing Inviting

Cautious

Faith / religion may be largely unimportant, even unknown

They may be cautious because of unfamiliarity

They may show some interest, but carefully

They may have a history of pain or distrust

Curious

Have sufficient interest to merit investigation

Be willing to engage some personal experience or experiment, perhaps through a secondary entry point

Have a friend who invites them and attends with them

Committed (to something)

Be interested enough for regular attendance in some aspect of the congregation’s life

Be committed to the pastor, to the youth group, to a small group

Not be committed to Christian discipleship

Note: These adults may have “joined the church.”

Professing

Identify Jesus as Savior, Redeemer, and/or Lord

Take initiative for learning about the Bible, Christian spiritual practices, and other aspects of the Christian faith

Look for opportunities to serve in the church and community

Inviting

Living a life of active discipleship Serving as a mentor and role

model with others to help them develop as Christians

Moving toward a life that reflects the mind and heart of Christ

Faith Formation “Flow”

Encounter Explore

Embody

Embrace

Leading

Putting It All Together

Intentional plan Explicit expectations Focused on the church’s mission Developed in context Rooted in our Wesleyan heritage Aligned for impact

Putting It All Together

Intentional plan Explicit expectations Focused on the church’s mission Developed in context Rooted in our Wesleyan heritage Aligned for impact

Nurturing Adult Faith and Discipleship Grid A Planning and Assessment Tool

CAUTIOUS CURIOUS COMMITTED PROFESSING INVITING

BIBLICAL LITERACY

PROFICIENCY IN USING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

REGULAR PARTICIPATION IN

SERVICE & OUTREACH

ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION

GROWING CONFIDENCE IN TALKING ABOUT

ONE’S EXPERIENCE OF GOD

LEADING LIVES OF HOSPITALITY AND

GENEROSITY

Blakemore UMC, Adults

CAUTIOUS CURIOUS COMMITTED PROFESSING INVITING

BIBLICAL LITERACY

Retreat: Getting to Know My Bible

Bible from Scratch, OT

Bible from Scratch, NT

Sunday school classes

Disciple 1, 2, 3, & 4

Lectionary Discussion Group

Jesus and the Gospels

Communities of Practice?

PROFICIENCY IN USING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

Retreat: Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition

Retreat: Walking with God

Three Simple Rules

Opening Ourselves to Grace

Companions in Christ

Covenant Discipleship Groups

Communities of Practice?

REGULAR PARTICIPATION IN

SERVICE & OUTREACH

Blakemore Housing Trust

United Methodist Men

ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION

Living the Questions

Covenant Discipleship Groups

Communities of Practice?

GROWING CONFIDENCE IN TALKING ABOUT

ONE’S EXPERIENCE OF GOD

Story-telling (Wednesday)

Witness?

UM HERITAGE

Orientation to Blakemore (2 hr. intro offered 4X a year)

Seminar: Methodism 101

Being Methodist in the Bible Belt

By Water & the Spirit

This Holy Mystery

CHURCH YEAR

Pancake Breakfast (Shrove Tuesday)

Easter Egg Hunt

Advent workshop Twelfth Night Jazz Mass (Mardi

Gras)

Advent studies Lenten studies

Writing Advent or Lenten devotionals

Blakemore UMC, Children

CAUTIOUS CURIOUS COMMITTED PROFESSING INVITING

BIBLICAL LITERACY

Sunday school VBS Retreat: Getting to

Know My Bible

Retreat: Getting to Know My Bible

PROFICIENCY IN USING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

Way of the Child Sprouts?

REGULAR PARTICIPATION IN

SERVICE & OUTREACH

Sprouts?

ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION

Sprouts?

GROWING CONFIDENCE IN TALKING ABOUT

ONE’S EXPERIENCE OF GOD

UM HERITAGE

Worship readiness (sacraments)

John Wesley

CHURCH YEAR

Pancake Breakfast (Shrove Tuesday)

Easter Egg Hunt

Advent workshop Twelfth Night Jazz Mass (Mardi

Gras) Ash Wednesday

Journey to Jerusalem (Wednesday)

On the Way to Bethlehem (Wednesday)

Individual Reflection

Reflect on your own congregation, using the grid. Add categories based on your own assessment of what is needed in your context for people to grow in faith and live as disciples. You might want to begin with one age group, assigning current classes, small groups, retreats, etc. to various sections of the grid.

Homework1. Continue working on your grid with one

or two leaders from the congregation. Be prepared to share it at our next meeting.

2. Discuss with one or two leaders in the congregation what kind of leaders are needed for the small groups you are considering. Consider how you will equip those leaders.

3. Develop a strategy for encouraging participation in small groups. Be prepared to share it at our next meeting.

EvaluationWhat went well?

What did you learn?

What would you revise to make the module more effective for use in your congregation?

What else do you need to plan well for small groups?

Closing prayerInvite participants to close the

meeting with the following sentence prayers:

Today, I thank God for…Today, I ask God for…

(As with Mutual Invitation, participants may pass if they do not wish to pray aloud.)