small group approach

I was recently directed to the Hope Community Church website and found some good info on doing small groups.

They call their program Free Market Small Groups "because the one size fits all approach simply doesn't work for the majority of us."

The free market approach allows you to find a group of people you enjoy and talk about things that hold your interest. In addition, you will not be tied down to a long-term commitment. Our semesters only lasts for about three months, allowing for your changing schedules or changing interests.

They advertise their small group activity several times a year by holding rally weeks

Discover what all the small groups have to offer during Rally Week, a week-long opportunity to learn about and enroll in small groups. Rally Week is held in winter, spring and fall, and gives you the chance to sign up for groups starting soon. Plus, Rally Week itself has nightly themed meetings for families, men, those interested in missions and outreach, women, praise and worship, singles and youth.

summer institute idea

Angela found this gem. It's a summer institute at Solomon's Porch (emergent church in MN). I really like the idea because it's a week devoted to sharing and learning that "is designed around the presenters skills, desires, and interests."

This may be a way we could approach a conference-type learning event for members and local community.

heading everyone in the same direction

My notes from the Planting Seeds conference with Craig Bollinger.

Heading everyone in the same directions requires:
- Unity - alignment
- Focus - branding

What does your church mean to the community?
Mission needs to be clear and posted otherwise you will perish.
Vision is an image in the mind that helps you think about what you want to become.

Alignment:
- purpose of your church – why we exist
- mission – how to carry out the purpose
- values – what is unique to us in carrying out the mission
- focus – where do we channel resources and energy for the greatest impact of our mission
- vision – what is God’s preferred future for your church

Challenges to alignment:
- agree to move forward – allows people to get on or off the bus
- channel financial resources appropriately
- don’t remain a Christian boarding house
- ensure purpose is how you are living life out every day

Process:
Determining purpose – gather people to think about
- why we exist?
- is there something we are doing that we shouldn’t be?
- what 3 ministries do we do the best?
- what 3 ministries do we do the worst?
- what do you believe the community is saying about our church?
- if we were focused on one thing over the next 5 years and be the best, what would it be?
- why do people come to this church?
- are we reaching churched people or unbelievers?
- if we’re not reaching unbelievers, why?
- if there were no obstacles, what would God want our church to be like?

Learn about the community through demographic studies and polls.

Go back to congregation with results – not refined.

What trends do you see?

Get a team commissioned by church to continue process.

Determining values:
- what do you notice first when you come into this place?
- what 3 things make you unique?
- are these unique aspects positive or negative to reaching new people?
- what do you enjoy the most about this church?
- if everything changed, what is the one thing that should not?

Resource:
Good to Great by Jim Collins

Evangelism as a Lifestyle Not an Event

My notes from the Planting Seeds conference with keynote speaker Mike Breen.

There is a common path we follow in every life-skill we develop:
- unconsciously incompetent
- consciously incompetent
- consciously competent
- unconsciously competent
Where do you think Peace is in on this path? We had an interesting conversation with Mike at the end of the conference about this that I'll share in the final post about this conference.

The level of change in this postmodern era is of seismic proportions. The only reason that this change is not catastrophic for us is because we are affluent. We (Christians) are the rescue team. How can we respond to this seismic change?

1. Respond with compassion:
- It would be inappropriate to behave any other way.
- One of the problems people have with Christians is that they don’t see compassion.
- There is nothing wrong with inviting people into the community of believers where they can feel comfortable before they believe.

2. Provide temporary and flexible shelter to support community:
- What’s being shaken are the institutions.
- Buildings (churches) in the earthquake zone are viewed as dangerous.
- You have to make the journey to them, don’t expect them to come to you.
- The world tells us that the normal structures of family and community are dangerous.
- Looking at the artifacts of postmodern culture (Internet & media) we can see that people are desperate to connect; that friendship has replace family as the cornerstone of society.
- Build church around community and friendship.
- Evangelize to Jesus and allow Jesus to change their culture.
- Give people many access points to reach shelter.
- Best way to build community is to have a meal together.
- Build groups/clusters of 20 to 50 – extended family-size group.

3. Listen to their story:
- When people go through a shocking experience they begin to lose their reference points. They feel disoriented. They wonder who they are.
- Identity comes from outside, not inside.
- People need a common story (meta-narrative) to feel like they have an identity.
- GenX loves going to the movies because they are looking for a story.

4. Give them a compass (Jesus):
- We think information is enough, but it’s got to be in relation.
- People are desperate for a sense of orientation
- The way they discover how to use the compass is by imitating the life of the person training them.
- Does anybody want your life? Do they want to imitate you?

5 essential ingredients to postmodern evangelism

More notes from Bobby Brewer @ Planting Seeds conference:

1. Identify emergent evangelists in your church and ask them how to reach the postmodern culture in your area.
2. Go to where the people are. Don’t expect an unchurched person to ever step foot in a traditional church.
3. Train your people in personal evangelism. The discipleship process with a postmodern will take time. You first have to earn the right to be heard. You may only be one link in the chain to helping them find Christ.
4. Communal evangelism. Find a way, like the house church movement, where truth can be processed together in an authentic way.
5. Involve and recruit non-believers into holistic ministries. Don’t be a Christian "club" where others don’t feel welcome or comfortable.

Finally he offered these words for churches where membership is definitely on the decline and change is needed:
- the ethical thing to do is to leave a legacy…be willing to sacrifice and reach out to the next generation
- realize that your church is probably using really dated material aimed at modern culture, not postmodern culture

what you should know about postmodernism

I recently attended a church conference called Planting Seeds at Christ the King in Charlotte, NC. The next few posts will be my reflections from this event. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Bobby Brewer is a pastor who, when he initially encountered post modernism, "thought (it) was absolutely the most ridiculous and ludicrous worldview I had ever encountered." He goes on to say that "I quickly learned that postmodernism is a reaction to the most profound spiritual and philosophical crises of our times."

He and his training were geared for the modern culture and he was frustrated that he could not find pastoral materials geared toward reaching a postmodern culture. So he investigated the culture and wrote a book entitled, Postmodernism: What You Should Know and Do About It.

He identifies 4 main characteristics of the postmodern culture:
R = relativism, there is no absolute truth, it’s all relative (process truth relationally not propositionally)
I = ignorant of Christian beliefs, probably not brought up with any Christian heritage
P = pluralism, anti-exclusivism (there can’t be only one way to God?)
S = skepticism and spiritual curiosity

It's been almost 2 years since I first encountered the subject of postmodernism. The more I learn, the more it seems to describe me. I asked Bobby if a postmodern Christian can ever get beyond all 4 of the characteristics he identified. He said yes, that it is a long discipleship process, but eventually a light will turn on. I think I must have a dimmer switch because although I sense more light now than ever, but it's still awful dark.