Building Christian Community

Small Group Ministry in Today’s Seventh-Day Adventist

Church

1. Small groups: part of God’s kingdom plan

2. Life-changing small groups: some definitions

3. Small group values: the key to growth

4. Small group meetings and small group life

5. The goal of small groups: holiness and harvest

6. Small group leadership

7. Developing a small group network

8. Maintaining the network

Building Christian Community

SESSION EIGHT MAINTAINING THE SMALL GROUP

NETWORK

It’s One Thing to Start…

It’s another thing to continue

Small Groups Are…

•Living things – how can we keep them growing?

•We can’t!

Jesus also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain–first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

1. Understand the “All-By-Itself” Principle

The “All-By-Itself” Principle

• Growth takes place without apparent cause, it is spontaneous

• There is order and process in this growth• All we can do is prepare the way and

remove the obstacles to growth• Human anxiety does not make it happen!• The life is in the seed. We must learn to

release the natural growth potential• This principle applies also to the growth

of the kingdom in our lives and in the church

2. Focus on Health We are often

so focused on FRUIT that we fail to consider the ROOT that produces the SHOOT…

2. Focus on Health We are often

so focused on FRUIT that we fail to consider the ROOT that produces the SHOOT…

…which produces the FRUIT!

8 Characteristics of Healthy Churches (Schwartz)

• Empowering

• Gift-oriented• Passionate• Functional• Inspiring• Holistic• Need-oriented• Loving

MinistrySpiritualityStructuresWorshipSmall GroupsEvangelismRelationships

Leadership

Excellent criteria for an occasional small group health check too!

It Makes a Difference!

Leadership

Ministry

Spirituality

Structures

Relationships

Small groups

Evangelism

Worship service

50 52 54 58 605640 42 46 4844decliningchurches

growingchurches

+9

+9

+13

+13

+13

+9

+11

+9

Leadership

Ministry

Structures

Small groups

Relationships

Evangelism

Worship service

Growing and declining churches vary significantly in all eight quality areas

Spirituality

3. Multiply Leaders - the Key to Reproducing Groups

• Every person a leader

• Leadership development a priority of Jesus

• Need for training and nurture of leaders

Leaders Leading Leaders

Remember the Jethro leadership principle

Leaders of 10

Supervising pastor

Leaders of 50

Leaders of 100

Leaders of 500

4. Keep it Challenging

Re-define and re-state the vision:• The pastor’s role• The cell supervisors’ role• The cell leaders’ role

5. Keep it Interesting

• Be creative• Provide variety• Have fun on the journey

6. Be Prepared to Take Difficult Decisions

• Confront difficult people

• Close or re-form disfunctional groups

• Learn from mistakes: failure is part of success

But Small Groups Should be More than Just Alive and

Growing… • They should

be on fire – how can we keep them burning...?

…without burning out?

How Can We Keep the Fire Burning?

We can’t! But we mustn’t quench it either!

“Quench not the Spirit.”(KJV) “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”

(NIV) I Thessalonians 5:19

1. Check the Core Values

• Hol

y Sp

irit

• Is Jesus at the centre?

• Is every member in ministry?

• Is every member growing?

• Is this a genuinely loving community? Do actions support words?

• Do we love the lost?

• Do we take accountabilityDo we take accountability seriously?

Small Group

“I Give Up!”

2. Understand the Change Process

3. Watch for Signs of Overload

• • Are relationships

at every level in harmony with Ephesians 4:29-32?

• Are the people who can’t say “no” saying “yes” too often?

• Are leaders receiving adequate support?

4. Keep an Eye on the Family

• Is family/personal/ social life neglected?

• Are children and elderly included in the group network?

5. Give Prayer Priority

Alone

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Philippians 4:6

Together

6. Believe the Promise

““When we have When we have entire, whole-entire, whole-hearted hearted consecration to the consecration to the service of Christ, service of Christ, God will recognise God will recognise the fact by an the fact by an outpouring of His outpouring of His Spirit without Spirit without measure”measure” (Evangelism. page 699).(Evangelism. page 699).