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HealthHealthDetermining Your PurposeDetermining Your Purpose

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

HealthDetermining Your Purpose

Concept of a Healthy Small Group

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”

Acts 5:42 (NIV)

Our Goal: What should we be aiming at as we seek to develop our groups?


The basis of a healthy church should serve as the basis for a healthy small group.

The Great _____________ (Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV))

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations (Evangelism), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Fellowship), and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Discipleship).

The Great _______________ (Matthew 22:37, 39 (NIV))

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Worship)

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Ministry)

Commission

Commandment


Our Purpose: What are the elements of a healthy small group?

Five elements (Acts 2:42-47).

1. Discipleship “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…”

2. Fellowship “They joined in the fellowship…They ate together with glad and sincere hearts…”

3. Worship “Everyone was filled with awe…”

4. Ministry “They gave to anyone as he had a need…”

5. Evangelism “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”


Our purpose is to see these things lived out in the life of our groups.


Our Form: How do these purposes function in a small group?

Balancing the five purposes in your group is the key to group health.

1. Balance keeps groups from becoming specialty groups.

2. Balance makes the small group a functioning community instead of a community function.

3. Balance allows each member to express the passion(s) God has placed on his/her heart.

4. Balance in the group assures that we are developing people who balance the purposes.

5. Balance keeps the group on course towards fulfilling the great Commandment and Great Commission.


6. A balanced group vs. unbalanced

Determining how well you are balancing the purposes starts with the Health Assessment.


Take a moment to determine how balanced your group is. Using the results from the Health Assessment and the Group Health Plan, chart out your group’s health on the pie chart on the first page of the Group Health Plan. Now take a moment to look at what you have written:

Where is your group the strongest?Which purpose is your lowest score?Are you surprised by the results?


Context for Worship

“Therefore brothers I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Romans 12:1 (NIV)

Understanding Worship

At the heart of worship is a surrendering of your heart to God.

Everything you do could be an act of worship.

The expression of worship is more than music; it is anything that brings pleasure to God.


The Basics of Worship in a Small Group

1.Worship in a small group should involve both expression and reflection.

• Expressive ways to worship: Prayer, Music, Thanksgiving, Sharing struggles.

• Reflective ways to worship: Prayer, Communion, Solitude moments, Meditation, Fasting


2. Worship involves surrender, which requires support and disclosure.

• Have each person in your group find a spiritual mentor.

• Have group members share things they want to surrender and help them develop a plan to do so. Then ask them about it on an ongoing basis.


4. Allow for times of sharing and support during trials, temptations, suffering or distance from God.

• Spend time telling God exactly how you feel.• Focus on who God is—His unchanging nature. (Job 10:12, 23:10, 42:2)

• Trust God to keep His promises. (Job 19:25)

• Remember what God has already done for you. (Job 34:14)

5. Teach them how to pray in community.


Using the Group Health Plan, take a moment to think about the things you do to worship God in your group. Is the area of worship a strength or growth area for your group? Using the space provided, what things would you like to implement in your group to make worship a stronger component of your group time?


Context for Fellowship

“You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along

with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.” James 3:18 (Msg)

Understanding Fellowship

1. Fellowship is not just about a meeting it is about living life together.


2. The core of fellowship is understanding the needs people have:

To know and be known

To love and be loved

To serve and be served

To celebrate and be celebrated

To give and be given

To admonish and be admonished


The Basics of Fellowship in a Small Group

Create a SAFE environment for life change to happen.

Seek Authentic Connections (“Perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18 (NIV)).

Accept One Another

Focused Leadership

Encourage Shared Ownership


Using the Group Health Plan, take a moment to think about the things you do to fellowship as a group. Is the area of fellowship a strength or growth area for your group? Using the space provided, what things would you like to implement in your group to make fellowship a stronger component of your group time?


Context for Discipleship

“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”

Galatians 4:19 (NIV)


Understanding Discipleship

1. The goal of discipleship is transformation, not just information.

2. Discipleship involves balancing the five purposes so we take on the character of Jesus.

3. Discipleship is not about running a meeting but developing people.

4. Discipleship is an ongoing process that takes time.


The Basics of Discipleship in a Small Group

1. We need to balance the spiritual needs of the individual with the needs of the group.

2. Individual Growth

• Encourage each member to spend time with God.

• Have every member take the Health Assessment on an annual basis.

• Have each member create a Health Plan on an annual basis.

• Have each member pair up with another same-sex member of the group for accountability.


3. Group Growth

• Have a balanced plan of study i.e. Annually study one book of the Bible, one spiritual growth study, and one life stage study.

• Use the Health Assessment to identify areas of growth.

• Integrate spiritual practices into your time together (solitude exercises, prayer walks, spiritual retreats, on-campus classes/seminars, etc.).


Using the Group Health Plan, take a moment to think about the things you do in discipleship as a group. Is the area of discipleship a strength or growth area for your group? Using the space provided, what things would you like to implement in your group to make discipleship a stronger component of your group time?


Context for Ministry

“God has given gifts to each of you from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that

God’s generosity can flow through you.” 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)


Understanding Ministry

1. Each person in your group who is a follower of Jesus has a God given S.H.A.P.E.

2. Every member of your group is a minister. “Spiritual gifts were given for the common good of the body.” 1 Corinthians 12:7

3. We are to use our gifts and abilities to serve God’s purposes in the world.

4. Ministry is to the people in the church, missions are to people outside the church.


The Basics of Ministry in a Small Group

1.Challenge people in your group to discover and use their God-given S.H.A.P.E. for ministry.

2.Challenge everyone in the group to share ownership of the group.

3.Practical suggestions for making ministry happen in your group.


Using the Group Health Plan, take a moment to think about the things you do in ministry as a group. Is the area of ministry a strength or growth area for your group? Using the space provided, what things would you like to implement in your group to make ministry a stronger component of your group time?


Context for Evangelism

“I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me —

to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.” Acts 20:24 (NCV)


Understanding Evangelism

1. Evangelism is sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who don’t know him.

2. Evangelism involves the privilege of working with God and representing Him to others.

3. Evangelism has eternal significance and is the only purpose you can’t do in heaven.

4. Evangelism is a responsibility that all Christians share.


The Basics of Evangelism in a Small Group

1. Personal Evangelism

• Pray regularly in your group for those who don’t know Jesus.

• Prepare your testimony to share with those who don’t know Jesus.

2. Local P.E.A.C.E.

• Be sensitive to the needs of your neighborhood.

• Map Your Neighborhood.

• Sub-grouping is the key to releasing groups.


3. Global P.E.A.C.E.

• Be willing to go on a short-term mission as a group.

• Participate in the P.E.A.C.E. plan as a group.

Tips for evangelism in your group:

• Cast vision from the first day.

• Watch how you ask—small steps.

• Host a (Matthew Party or Open House) Party on Purpose.

• Keep the open chair visible.

• After releasing a leader, have quarterly (family) reunions.

• Do a study together on sharing your faith.


Using the Group Health Plan, take a moment to think about the things you do in evangelism as a group. Is the area of evangelism a strength or growth area for your group? Using the space provided, what things would you like to implement in your group to make evangelism a stronger component of your group time?


What’s Next?

1. Analyze the strengths in your group

• Remember every group contains people who have strengths in one or more of the five purposes.

• The Health Assessment can help you discover who in your group is strong in what purpose.

Using the baseball diamond on the Group Health Plan, write each group members name under the purpose that came out as their strength from the Health Assessment. This will give you a visual snapshot of the health of your group. Where is your group out of balance? What purposes does your group need to work on?


2. Setting a Plan in Motion

• Healthy groups share ownership and sometimes leadership of the group.

• Having a plan to balance the purposes in your group is essential to moving toward health.

• People are more likely to share from their strengths then take on a prescribed role.

Using the Small Group Health Ideas, choice a crawl, walk or run step for each of the purposes you want to work on. Place this step on the Group Health Plan. Who in your group will help you reach this goal?

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