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Starting Groups that Build
People
The concept of community--living in a healthy relationship with
one another--is a foundational biblical principle. Although we live
in a day that places individual rights and choice above all other
values, the church must maintain the value of community and seek
to provide groups that build people together, not just as individuals.
In Scripture, we find five truths about God's design for people
and community.
God's Design for Community
1. Man was created for community, beginning with Adam
and Eve (Genesis 2:18). God's plan was that people would live and
work together and have an accountable and committed relationship
with Him and with their peers.
2. Man resists community because of sin (Genesis 3:7-10). Man's
sinful, carnal nature resists being in relationships where openness,
accountability, and commitment exist. For example, the tower of
Babel (Genesis 11,12) epitomizes this conflict. Man's attempt
to develop community apart from a relationship with God is impossible.
3. God restored man to community and demonstrated His desire
to restore community when He called Abram (Genesis 12:1-3). God
wants the world to be reconciled to Him through a holy community--the
Church. His plan for building the individual is through the community
of believers (1 Peter 2:9).
4. Man is recreated in community. Jesus chose 12 disciples that
they might "be with Him" (Mark 3:13,14). He knew that spiritual,
emotional, and ministry development takes place in the context
of community--accountable, committed relationship with other believers.
He wanted to develop them to their highest God-given purposes.
Therefore, He took them from their sinful, carnal state and recreated
them in this small group to be men who demonstrated the values,
character, and lifestyle of true believers--in relationship with
Him and each other.
5. Believers are reconciled into community (Acts 2:42-47; Romans
16:3-5). After the Day of Pentecost, the Early Church grew because
it had become a true expression of Christ's nature and character.
Believers, who are His body, were an accurate reflection of Christ's
life in relationship to each other and His mission of reconciliation.
They grew, worshiped, ministered together, and were committed
and accountable to each other. As such they were being and becoming
the Church. The results? The Lord added daily those who were being
saved--reconciling others into the community of believers.
The effectiveness of a church's evangelism is not seen in programs
or ministries but in the character and commitments of its people
as they grow and work together in community as the body of Christ.
What a church lacks in healthy community often is compensated for
through plans and programs that project the image of a healthy community.
Therefore, we must conclude that man was created for community.
God's plan is to take imperfect people and perfect them in an imperfect
group of believers.
Nature and Character of Community
What is the nature and character of this reconciling community
that God uses to restore and recreate man? What kind of a group
truly builds people?
A group that has a core that is committed and united with
Christ and His body. This may be a single individual or
a core group of a few believers committed to Christ and other believers.
Building people involves more than just starting a new Sunday school
class or small group.
Many groups may serve a social, emotional, or humanitarian purpose
but not an eternal purpose. Groups may help people but not be building
them for eternity.
Any attempt to develop community apart from commitment to Christ
and His body will fail. Relationships will be shallow and self-serving,
and results will be minimal and inconsistent. If the foundation
isn't right, the group, at best, becomes a means of rehabilitation
rather than reconciliation.
Leaders become frustrated when they don't see people growing. They
struggle to get commitment and spiritual maturation from those in
the group, but they fail unless the foundation is in a reconciliatory
relationship with Christ and His body.
Just starting groups is not the answer. Leaders must be committed
personally to the person of Christ and His purpose of restoring
and recreating people in the context of a reconciling group of believers.
Groups are God's means to restore and recreate man to His original
purposes for life--reconciling the world to himself and building
people.
A group that builds meaningful relationships. These
are the glue that holds people together through the ups and downs
of life. A group that does not help people develop meaningful relationships
will not significantly build people. Bonding relationships build
people.
Shared experience is one of the best ways to help people bond and
build meaningful relationships. This can be done in the church by
planning and participating in activities as well as going through
difficult and good times together. Bonding helps to build camaraderie.
Many barriers prevent building meaningful relationships--time constraints,
low trust, individuality, and immaturity. People are busy, so leaders
must take advantage of the times when the group is together to build
a sense of teamwork and togetherness. Share life and experiences
together. Provide opportunities for the group to help others in
their times of need and rejoice in times of joy.
Broken relationships and disillusioning experiences lead people
to be distrustful or cautiously trusting in other relationships.
It is difficult to get beyond betrayal and deceit, but a healthy
group will help others get beyond the brokenness of the past by
demonstrating trust, openness, honesty, and integrity among members.
Especially leaders must model trust and deal properly with people
and situations when trust is damaged or destroyed. Trust is foundational
to building meaningful relationships.
Individuality and immaturity also hinder building meaningful relationships.
God calls us out of individuality into community with other believers.
His kingdom values are counter to society's values. Therefore, help
the group understand God's design to build people as individuals
in the context of interdependence with other believers and realize
what it means to live it out practically. Without this, immaturity
will be demonstrated as people fail to grow in their walk with God
or in their commitment to others.
A group that builds in accountability and commitment.
Most people are reticent, if not resistant, to accountability or
commitment, but it should not keep the group from seeking to build
these characteristics into its value structure and expectation.
Start with the assumption that people who get involved desire relationship
with others and want to grow. Initially, establish accountability
and commitment to Christ and each other as foundational. This is
not an imposing or controlling accountability but a mutual accountability
as partners in the spiritual journey.
Tell people precisely what you are asking them to commit to and
give full information. People have reasonable questions about commitment.
If you can't tell them where the group is going, what the benefits
of participating are, how much it costs, you don't have the right
to call them to commitment. Commitment does not come by teaching
or preaching about it but by preparing people to make it.
The We Build People model developed by the Assemblies of God helps
churches and groups answer these questions. The model demonstrates
that God calls all people to four commitments: membership (relationship
with Christ and a local body of believers), maturity (lifelong spiritual
growth and development), ministry (discovering and developing one's
God-given gifts and calling), and mission (to invest oneself in
the global mission of Christ and the local church).
Groups that build people call them to these four commitments and
prepare them to make the commitments.
A group that teaches the Word. A group will not build
people unless they get into and interact with the Word of God. Discussing
popular subjects and opinions alone does not provide the foundation
and principles that will guide and protect one through life. Get
people into the Word and help them discover what God says about
all the issues and concerns. "All Scripture is God-breathed and
is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work" (2 Timothy 3:16,17, NIV).
Jesus warned against building a house without a solid-rock foundation.
God's Word alone is the foundation. People cannot stand the stress
and strain of life without the principles of the Word. They need
to bring their Bibles, open them, and together study what the Word
says and how it applies today. Leaders of healthy groups take time
to study the Word themselves and then guide the groups to discover
the gems of truth and make personal application in their own lives.
A group that takes outreach seriously. Reaching the
lost and reconciling people to God through Christ are the very passion
and purpose of God.
If a group is not intentional about reaching the lost, it degenerates
into a self-serving and self-destroying group.
A group grows closer by reaching out together and seeing others
come to Christ through their witness. The group provides a safe
place for members to learn how to communicate their faith effectively,
using their God-given gifts. The small group is the most effective
place to reach and disciple people into the Kingdom. Research reveals
that 9 out of 10 people who come to Christ in the context of a small
group will go on to be baptized as disciples. This compares to 1
of 5 through personal soul winning and 1 of 10 through mass evangelism
efforts.
A group that develops an environment of love, acceptance,
and forgiveness. This is as important as what a group does.
Leadership models this before group members catch it. People fail,
but an atmosphere of love, acceptance, and forgiveness helps to
reconcile and recreate. Seldom do people grow without healthy influences,
and healthy groups build healthy people.
How healthy is your group?
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Is the leadership core committed to and modeling true Christian
community?
- Are members developing meaningful relationships? Are commitment
and accountability demonstrated among members?
- Is God's Word the primary focus of study and application individually
and collectively?
- Is intentional outreach occurring?
- Does the group's atmosphere radiate with love, acceptance, and
forgiveness?
If so, then you likely have a healthy group and are building healthy
disciples.
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