BUILDING A GROUP WITH REACH AS A FOCUS….. or ENGAGING THE LOST IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WITH THE GOSPEL

A BELIEVER’S JOURNEY FROM SELF TO OTHERS Personal improvement Lifestyle impact Relational Impact Missional impact

STORYPersonal Improvement Lifestyle Impacted Relationships Impacted Mission Minded Lived Experience Better selfFriendshipsContrast community Organic mission FocusMeChurchWeNeighbourhood Connection to Church Tenuous Involvement AssimilatedBeing equippedCreative and Innovating CostEasy in/ Easy out Attending meetings AccountableRadical sacrifice GoalConnectionClosing the back door Establishing a way of mission Engaging neighbourhood DiscipleshipEvent centredCourse drivenIntentional focus on the how Producer not consumer EvangelismInvite to church events Group meetingsRelationshipsIn the neighbourhood Common form of group Short termOngoingInvolved in grp endeavours Organic groups in many forms

CONTRAST COMMUNITY Like their neighbours food, clothes, language, work life, recreational activities: reassuringly similar to people of the neighbourhood Unlike their neighbours Integrity: scrupulously honest, transparent and fair; generous; living below potential lifestyle; hospitable, sympathetic, forgiving, reconciling, chaste/faithful, able to handle adversity Engaged with others non-superficial relationships with non-churched while at the same time identifying as a believers

“The quality, distinctiveness and beauty of our communal life must be a major part of our witness and mission to the world. Jesus stated that the quality and visibility of Christians’ love for each other will show the world that the Father sent him (John 17). Part of being this kind of counterculture involves loving the City – its culture and people. A missional church enjoys, cares for and prays for its City. If we spend our time bashing and criticising other kinds of churches, (or groups or cultures), we simply play into the common claim that Christians are intolerant.”

MICHAEL GREEN: Evangelism in the Early Church “Early Christianity’s explosive growth was in reality accomplished by means of informal missionaries. That is, Christian laypeople – not trained preachers and evangelists – carried on the mission of the church not through formal preaching but informal conversation – in homes and wine shops, on walks and around market stalls … they did it naturally, enthusiastically” ORGANIC MISSION

PRODUCER NOT CONSUMER: BEING A BLESSING “God is by nature a sending God, a missionary God. The Father sends the Son; the Son sends the Spirit and his disciples into the world. Therefore the whole church is on mission.: every Christian is on mission. God never calls you in to bless you without also sending you out to be a blessing (Gen 12:1-3). So a Christian is not a spiritual consumer, coming in to get his or her emotional needs met and then going home ….

A missional church (life group) is one that trains and encourages its people to be in mission as individuals and as a body. The church must not only be attractional: it must also equip and send its people into the world to minister”

TIM KELLER “What makes a small group ‘missional’? A ‘missional’ small group is not necessarily one which is doing some kind of specific ‘evangelism’ program (though that is to be recommended). Rather…. MISSIONAL COMMUNITY

its members love and talk positively about the city/neighborhood 1

they speak in language that is not filled with pious tribal or technical terms and phrases, nor mocking and embattled language 2 Gentle humour and honest realism Honesty about leaders’ and church’s weaknesses and mistakes Notes of undiminished hope and joy Truly humble, bold, gospel – changed hearts

in their Bible study they apply the gospel to the core concerns and stories of the people of the culture 3

they are obviously interested in and engaged with the literature and art and thought of the surrounding culture and can discuss it both appreciatively and yet critically 4

they do not bash other Christians and churches 5

they exhibit deep concern for the poor and generosity with their money and purity and respect with regard to opposite sex, and show humility toward people of other races and cultures 6

then seekers and non-believing people from the city a will be invited and b will come and will stay as they explore spiritual issues.

If these marks are not there it will only be able to include believers or traditional, “Christianized” people.”