Discussing Small Group Ministry Expansion

These are my notes from a meeting this evening at our church, discussing ways to expand our small group ministries.

Historically, we have had multiple movements in our church to support and emphasize small groups
– care rings small groups
– covenant groups
– journey groups
– discipleship groups
– men’s discipleship groups

Many of these groups have needed more administrative support than the church staff could support
– now we don’t have any directors of small group ministries
– we are going down from 4 to 3 ordained pastors
– so these small group ministries need to be simpler, not as administratively intense

So before imposing staff thinking on the congregation, we decided we should have some conversations with congregation members, especially those who have been small group leaders in the past

Questions to answer at our tables:

1. Reflecting on your entire experience with small group ministry at FPCE, remember when you were the most engaged, involved, and motivated. Who was involved? What part did you play?

2. What aspect(s) of small group ministry contributed most to your spiritual growth and health? What have been the most important components of small groups for you?

3. What are you three greatest hopes for small group ministry at FPCE?

Responses from different table groups on these questions:

– Journey, Renewal, Covenant, prayer, long term, Bible studies, Bible/Brunch/Bridge, accountability, new member, tables for 8, others…

– Bible study
— Biblical basis

– accountability is very important

– regular, frequent meetings important

– prayer together

– intergenerational / multigenerational / cross-generational

– fellowship time

– worship experience

– variety in groups: could be service

– how do you recruit leaders?

– keep it simple, low administration

– widen participation by making it easy

– groups for couples

– having a visible place and way to connect in the church

– have different kinds of groups: covenant groups that are more serious and long term

– layers of involvement: need to be starting new groups all the time (how deep the group goes)

– late night groups, esp for college / younger people

– using Wednesday night time for small group

– room for fun and fellowship, eating together, bonding by breaking bread

– gathering in homes can make it more comfortable for people

– making resources easy for the leaders

– its got to be fun

– wisdom sharing

– like to see everyone in a small group
– broad participation

– whole healing

– leadership question: how do you develop and keep leaders?
— leader support group
— leadership support: leaders need some kind of support

– create excitement about our faith

– not intimidating

– consistency

– opportunities to stretch beyond your comfort zone

– prayer support, learning to pray for others and be prayed for

– covenant part is critical: being faithful to attend, confidentiality, etc which are part of the covenant

– centered on study / common purpose

– strong leadership development

– most important: growing in our relationship with God and with each other

– sustainability

– unity of the Holy Spirit
— spiritual relationships which continue to grow

– shared leadership for the groups

Common themes:
– addressing leadership issues
– accountability and covenants: needs to be a commitment
– growing in relationships and in spiritual development
– prayer focus: having deep enough relationships that you’ll be willing to ask for prayer / share you live
– simplicity
– organization: how we’ve organized in the past, how we might organize now

One big issue: we are seeing the same people involved in our small groups
– we’ve been very lax with recruitment, for journey groups we haven’t recruited for 2 years (in some cases that is because leaders were asked to do something that is fairly complex, and they are intimidated by it)

common with 80% of the people say: we base our study on the sermon of the week
– so someone (could be the preaching pastor) writes the small group curriculum for the week, with essential questions focused on the passage

MY THOUGHT: WHY COULDN’T WE EXTEND DISCUSSIONS LIKE THIS INTO AN ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITY, LIKE A NING OR A FACEBOOK PAGE? OF COURSE THE FACE-TO-FACE CONNECTIONS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT
– I THINK WE ARE CHANGED OVER TIME BY REPEATED CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHERS WE’RE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH

Now thoughts from John Gruel on discussions and a model which staff have been discussing:

You need to have opportunities for people who do not “know the Bible” to engage

Components (common elements)
1- check in (relationship)
2- study (some intentional reason to get together)
3- prayer
4- mission (a component that directs you out beyond yourself)

make it accessible so people can chime in on the level where they are / want to participate

I NEED TO TALK TO MATEEN ABOUT SETTING UP A LEARNING COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT HIS CLASS, TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Give us all more opportunities to think more deeply about themes
– this model is Biblical
– the better we do staying Biblical in our small groups, the better we do overall
– if it is a Bible study, you may be more likely to read the verses rather than reading an entire book chapter!

leadership elements: can focus on group dynamics
– encouraging people who are reluctant to participate
– dealing with people to attempt to dominate the discussion

Consistently good questions are really important

Life Church requires everyone who joins the church to join a small group

MAYBE I NEED TO OFFER ASSISTANCE TO HELP OUR PASTORS BECOME BLOGGERS? THEY COULD SHARE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR MESSAGES, GET IN TOUCH WITH CHURCH MEMBERS AND OTHERS IN DIALOG ABOUT THESE SORTS OF ISSUES… OUR CHURCH WEBSITE HAS BLOGS AND SUPPORTS BLOGGING, BUT I THINK SELF-CONTAINED BLOGS LIKE THAT WHICH ARE PART OF A CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ARE LESS EFFECTIVE / VALUABLE THAN “STANDALONE” BLOGS. NOT ONLY CAN THEIR LIFE (LIFE OF THE BLOG) CONTINUE EVEN WHEN THE PASTOR MOVES ON TO ANOTHER CALL, BUT THEY ALSO CAN BE “OUT” IN THE WIDER BLOGOSPHERE.

Most churches make copies of the questions available (in hard copy form)
– form a lunch group after church, provide those opportunities

Interesting: there was a proposal to change our church’s name to “Summit Church” but the Session voted that down
– I DID NOT KNOW THAT VOTE HAD TAKEN PLACE!

BASICALLY I THINK WHAT JOHN IS PROPOSING HERE IS TO PROVIDE A STANDARD CURRICULUM FOR GROUPS
– THIS IS INTERESTING: WE WERE ASKED TO COME TO THIS MEETING AND BRING OUR IDEAS ON SMALL GROUPS, BUT AFTER SOME INITIAL DISCUSSIONS WE WERE/ARE BASICALLY BEING TOLD WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THIS MAKES THE INVITATION TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AND SHARE OUR IDEAS SEEM RATHER SUPERFICIAL, MEANINGLESS, AND LIKE WINDOW-DRESSING: SOMETHING DONE TO CREATE A PERCEPTION OF PARTICIPATION AND INPUT, BUT IN REALITY JUST PRESENT SOMETHING WHICH HAS BEEN DECIDED ALREADY / PRE-DETERMINED. I DON’T PERSONALLY LIKE THIS APPROACH. 🙁

Proposal is to have covenanting periods: fall, spring, and summer

I THINK WE SHOULD EMBRACE DIVERSITY IN OUR SMALL GROUPS. IT’S A NICE IDEA TO PROVIDE A STANDARDIZED CURRICULUM MODEL FOR GROUPS TO USE AND ADOPT, BUT I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD ENVISION THAT AN IDEAL CHURCH HAS EVERY SMALL GROUP FOLLOWING THE SAME CURRICULUM. THIS IS A COMMON FALLACY THAT WE SEE WITH STANDARDIZED EDUCATIONAL MODELS. I SAY, GIVE PEOPLE THIS OPTION FOR THEIR CURRICULUM AND FORMAT, AND PROVIDE THIS AS A SUPPORTED MODEL. DO NOT, HOWEVER, EXPECT OR TRY AND PROMOTE STANDARDIZATION FOR ALL GROUPS TO THIS SAME MODEL.

John does not like closed groups.

Responsibilities of small group leaders:
– coordinator
– contact person
– convener
– providing dynamics to the group
– making sure questions are available
– listening to the sermon and reading the text
– not responsible for in-depth study, having to know all the answers, etc.

Groups like this could have synergy via a social networking site pretty easily

training would be offered at least twice per year

question of recruiting leaders is very important

Give the gift of a goat

Ever since I saw the water buffalo movie, it helped bring alive the power of tangible giving to third world countries. Our family has been supporting children through World Vision for years but it really isn’t something we consider. Yes we get cards from our sponsor children but it’s still distant.

Goat Gift

The water buffalo movie started me thinking differently. This year, our family decided to give each other this kind of gift. I gave a goat and after watching The Story of Stuff, it makes sense. I showed my own kids the story of stuff movie and while consumerism and materialism will always be a struggle for those of us with means, it does open up conversations, thoughts and spiritual questions that can produce change.

How Rich are you?

Our church is looking at Overload. Last Sunday our Pastor spoke on Financial Overload. Here’s a segment from the video we viewed.

Go ahead and plug your annual income into this website. You are rich.

As someone who claims to be evolving into a global citizen, I am compelled to rethink my attitude toward my wealth and how I use my resources. The following verse comes to mind:

“…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48

The Pursuit of Holiness

It’s been a while since I blogged here so I figured it’s about time.

God has been dealing with me lately about my responsibility as a believer. To that end, I starting reading The Pursuit of Holiness, a book I read years ago. The book helps us see clearly just what we should rely on God to do-and what we should accept responsibility for ourselves. The best analogy in the book is that of a farmer. Certainly there are many things the farmer must rely on in order to prosper but although ultimately it is God that provides the conditions for growth, the farmer must do his part.

Another great lesson in the book is what our attitude towards sin should be. Too often the phrase “victory over sin” is used and we tend to think of it as a personal victory. Sin needs to be viewed firstly from God’s perspective. He hates it. It is first against God that we sin. David, after committing adultery said,

“Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” Psalm 51:4

Understanding what sin is and how God sees it is critical for us in our pursuit of holiness.

I saw the movie The Pursuit of Happyness last month. It’s a great story about perseverance and hope. The author in Pursuit of Holiness says, God is much more interested in our holiness than our happiness. He has not called us to be happy but holy. That doesn’t mean we can’t be happy but it can’t be our ultimate goal. That line of thinking is very contradictory to the world we live. Most people when asked what they want out of life will respond, “I just want to be happy”. I want to be happy too but am learning it shouldn’t be my main pursuit.

Podcast5: Reflections on our 40 Day Evening Technology Use Fast and Digital Discipline

In this podcast, Shelly and Wesley Fryer share the genesis, goals, and results of our 40 day evening technology use fast that we completed together in the closing weeks of 2006. This was a very positive experience which drew us closer together as a couple and a family, and made us more aware of our abiding need to have digital discipline as we intentionally decide how to spend our time in the evenings together.

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40 days of evening technology fasting

My wife, Shelly, and I have started a 40 day fast in conjunction with a pilot project our church is doing. From November 15 through December 24, 2006, we are intentionally engaging together in a program of prayers, action, and fasting. The guidelines from the church on this include:

  1. For 40 days, pray daily, accomplish an action to glorify God (pick up trash, help someone… something big or small), and fast (give something up for God of worldly worth)
  2. Record for no more than two minutes a day (less is ok) and include your prayer and an up-to-date status on your actions and fasting.
  3. For video purposes, talk to the camera like you would talk to God. If you feel uncomfortable with the camera, you can put the lens cap on and just use the audio.
  4. Pray for an action during the day to glorify God and/or reflect on your actions of the day before (be specific in the action)
  5. Pray about your fast and how God can help you.
  6. Pray for something specific in your life that you have been struggling with or need help with. Ask for God’s guidance and wisdom.
  7. Be as animated as you want to be… you can walk around, scream, yell, hug the camera, etc.
  8. Before you start recording, write on a piece of paper or white board the day number and date. e.g. Day 1, Wednesday November 14th.

I don’t think we’ve been too animated yet and we haven’t hugged the camera, but we are three days into the “fast” and already this is proving to be a very good activity for us as a couple. I’m debating whether or not to post our short video clips online to YouTube or just turn them all in to the church and see what the editor comes up with when he pieces all these together. I think there are about 5 other couples or individuals doing this “fast.” Our church youth leadership team is in charge of putting this together, I think for Lent next year as they discuss fasting and focus.

I have had friends who have fasted for short periods of time (generally fasting by not eating during the day) and have found it to be very worthwhile in terms of helping them focus and renew their commitment to something. For me personally, I knew that what I needed to give up in my fast was computer use during the evenings. I love to read, write, podcast, etc., but technology use in the evening has also become an obstacle to other things that I need and want to do– spending time in conversation with my wife after the kids are in bed, reading books, just being quiet and still and enjoying a cup of hot tea.

Another thing that is immediately apparent is that this fast is going (and has already) gotten Shelly and I praying together regularly each evening. We’ve been married for 11 years and have known that we need to pray together regularly– we do at meals, but the efforts we’ve made in the past to pray together at night have not been sustained. Generally I go to bed later, we are both quite tired at the end of the day… the reasons go on and on. It is wonderful to be connecting with each other in the evenings now and being more in touch with what is going on in each other’s lives to a much greater degree.

Shelly commented last night that time like this together each evening is what she thinks she wanted more than anything in the first year when we were married. Perhaps this is what every bride wants. It really is great. I realized last night that part of what this is teaching me (and we’re just 3 days into the fast) is to be happy with doing less. Simplifying life means REMOVING things so that the things which are “left” are important and worthy of valuation. I think this is true for material objects as well as activities. So, even though I have a ton of podcasts to publish from the recent conference I attended, and lots of blog entries I want to write… I am having to do more prioritization and just be content not “doing” so much.

Another big benefit is that I am getting and will be getting a lot more sleep. Interestingly I have noticed the last two nights already that I am remembering more dreams– I don’t know if this is a function of sleeping deeper or what. I rarely ever remember dreaming at night– so it will be interesting to see how this (or if this) continues.

The fact that we have a wood-burning fireplace here in our Oklahoma house makes evening time even better. I LOVE making and enjoying wood fires, I’m not comparing or trying to say that my old stuff is better than you new “ SmartlyHeated” homes or anything like that.  Now that it is cold at night, the combination of a wood fire, a hot cup of tea and my wife to converse with is a great combination. I am very glad we are participating in this “fasting” for 40 days project, and look forward to learning and growing even more as the project continues. 🙂

Simple but Powerful

I’m always amazed when someone takes a simple idea and makes it into something powerful. The one red paperclip story hit home for me since the final trade occurred a couple of hours from my home.

As Christians we are equipped with a book that contains simple, but powerful ideas. I’m continually challenged but things I heard, read, see and do that on the surface seems simple and often rarely something I haven’t heard hundreds of times.

This video is a classic example. A man decided to offer free hugs in order to appease the sadness and hurt he observes in the world. At first, the site of a long haired young man holding a sign that says, “FREE HUGS”, would seem a bit odd, maybe weird and possibly scary. But as you watch the video, you’ll see that it moves to something powerful. Can you picture Jesus doing this?

PS. Couldn’t get WP to embed the video even after turning off visual editor. Any thoughts?

Not sure Dean– I got the embedded video to work but I put it in using Safari on a Mac. Not sure why it was not working before….

Zero sum time and priorities

Chris Craft asks some very important questions about time spent blogging and in the virtual world, and the critical need our families, friends, and even casual acquaintances have for us in the face-to-face (F2F) world. He writes, in the context of time spent blogging:

But at what expense? Whose daughter wants mommy to trade the computer monitor for a picnic? Whose spouse is wondering what time her husband will stop coding and come to bed? I hope not mine.

So this topic of relationships has been circling in my cerebrum for some time now. Simultaneously I have chosen to undertake the daunting task of creating learning communities in my own classroom. I toyed with a number of ways to do so with a dozen or so open source software programs all supposedly interested in helping me create community. I will spare you the exhaustive list because the software itself is irrelevant; it is the underlying principle up for discussion.

The bottom line to this is simply that my own thoughts on relationship are centered on a need for face-to-face connectedness. I am not saying that there is no place for online community, rather that there needs to be time and attention given to intentional relationship building in a live environment in person.

I do not have the answer to this, but this is certainly an issue with which I contend and need to contend with more. I know at times my wife does resent my time on the computer. Late evenings (which tonight is an example) are the prime time when I generally blog– and the exclusive time when I blog here about my personal journey of faith. (I’m called to fulltime ministry like all other believers– but blogging about my walk is not something I think my employer would metaphorically “smile on” since it is not directly job-related!)

Time is zero sum, and it can be argued that it is one of our most precious resources. How are we spending our time? Are we blogging our lives away? If we are, is this time will spent? (I suspect it can be.) But are our families bearing a tangible penalty for our prolific writing and virtual work? On the basis of sheer prolific posts alone, I know Miguel deals with this question too when it comes to blogging.

I think the issue is one of balance and “digital discipline,” a term I hope to flesh out in an actual book sometime in the not-too-distant future. I have even gone so far (several years ago now) to reserve a domain name… but for now that remains a lower priority. Balance. Perspective. Time invested in the lives of those I love, and those I care for most deeply. These are critical questions with very tangible consequences. I guess I should ask my family to chime in on this one– they’re the ones whose opinion matters the most in this regard!

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