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Building Christian Community

This session focuses on the goal of small groups in Seventh-Day Adventist churches, emphasizing holiness and outreach. Learn about discipleship, mentoring, and evangelism to build a strong Christian community. Discover the power of friendship evangelism and practical strategies for growing your small group ministry. Explore how small groups can effectively reach the unchurched and bridge cultural differences, all while fostering a sense of community and spiritual growth among believers.

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Building Christian Community

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  1. Building Christian Community Small Group Ministry in Today’s Seventh-Day Adventist Church

  2. Building Christian Community SESSION FIVE THE GOAL OF SMALL GROUPS: HOLINESS AND HARVEST

  3. The Challenge of the New Millennium Growing Christians Making Christians

  4. Disciples Making Disciples “Go, then to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples…and I will be with you.”Matthew 28:19,20

  5. A Disciple is... An apprentice An apprentice-maker What’s A Disciple?

  6. 1. EDIFICATION 2. EVANGELISM The Two Disciplines of Discipleship Growing in holiness Growing in numbers

  7. 1. Edification: Spiritual Body-Building Edification (Oikodomeo) = building up/ strengthening “Let all things be done for building up the church.” I Cor 14:27 • “The churchis the body of Christ.” Eph 1:23

  8. “He gave gifts… to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…” (Eph 4:8,12) A. Building Community

  9. “Therefore encourage one another and build eachother up…” (I Thess 5:11) B. Building Believers

  10. Through personal spiritual disciplines Through ministry of spiritual gifts Through accountable relationships Through mentoring Believers Grow:

  11. “I believe that people grow at least eight times faster when they’re in a small group and attending weekly worship celebration on (Sabbath) than if they just attended the service itself.”Dale Galloway People Grow Faster in Small Groups

  12. Through All to All Christ ministers to His body through body members. He ministers TO ME through other body members, and He ministers THROUGH ME to other body members

  13. “God has so ordained things that we grow in the Spirit only through the frail instrumentality of one another.” Alan Jones God Uses People to Build Up Other People

  14. building friendships that point to God one person “coming alongside” another person Mentoring

  15. A Friend to Keep Us On Course “Sin always tends to make us blind to our own faults. ..We need a friend to stop us from deceiving ourselves that what we are doing is not so bad after all. We need a friend to help us overcome our low self-image, inflated self-importance, selfishness, pride, our deceitful nature, our dangerous fantasies, and so much else.”James Houston

  16. a) Mature believer meets with new believer for one-way mentoring b) Two mature believers meet for mutual mentoring Two Alternatives...

  17. we agree on plan meet regularly we reflect on what God is doing in our lives we pray for each other How Does it Work?

  18. encouragement prayer support challenge all that a real friend can be Mentors Offer:

  19. 2. Evangelism:The Growth Potential of Small Groups ...Just Suppose: • Small church of 50 members involved in small groups • Groups grow by 20% per year (e.g. group of 10 grows to 12) • Total in groups after 4 years = 100 • Total in groups after 10 years = 310 • Total in groups after 15 years = 770 • Total in groups after 20 years = 2,358

  20. 2. Evangelism: Growing in numbers • Reaching the unchurched majority • Post-modern thinking • Bridging cultural differences The challenge of evangelism in western society

  21. -8No awareness of God -7 Awareness of God -6 Some knowledge -5 Understand basics -4 Grasp implications -3 Positive attitude -2 Intention to act -1 Decision to act +1 New Creature Engel: the Process of Spiritual Decision-Making

  22. How Far From the Cross?(Engel’s Scale) Where are the unchurched? Now Then 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

  23. Stage 1: Friendship Stage 2: Christian Friendship Stage 3: Adventist Friendship The Friendship Evangelism Process Combines personal, group and public evangelistic witness

  24. The Power of Friendshipin the Church Friends in 1st Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9+ Active Members 0 0 0 1 2 2 8 13 12 12 Dropouts 8 13 14 8 4 2 1 0 0 0

  25. pray that God will guide you to the other Christians or non-Christians He wants in the group take other group members to Bible study contacts offer something of shared interest, e.g. parenting, stress introduce friends socially to group members, e.g. anniversary, concert, birth-day, barbecue, etc. use a course to introduce Christian beliefs like “Alpha” just invite them to the group Introducing Friends to Your Small Group

  26. Small Groups: encourage teamwork Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  27. Small Groups: encourage teamwork offer a bridge for shy people Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  28. Small Groups: encourage teamwork offer a bridge for shy people personal and informal Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  29. Small Groups: encourage teamwork offer a bridge for shy people personal and informal maximum participation Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  30. SmallGroups: encourage teamwork offer a bridge for shy people personal and informal maximum participation flexible Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  31. Small Groups: encourage teamwork offer a bridge for shy people personal and informal maximum participation flexible low cost, minimum organization A B C Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  32. Small Groups: encourage teamwork offer a bridge for shy people personal and informal maximum participation flexible minimum organisation localized evangelism Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  33. Small Groups: encourage teamwork offer a bridge for shy people personal and informal maximum participation flexible minimum organisation localized evangelism natural and spontaneous witness Why Small Groups Work Well in Evangelism

  34. Four Essentials in Small Group Witness 1.Opportunity for questions to be asked in a “safe” and non-threatening environment 2. Transparent honesty 3. Authentic relationships 4. Relevance

  35. The Equipping Track Each new convert is placed on an equipping track that seeks to mature that person and equip them for ministry in one year.

  36. OHP 9.2 The Equipping Track . 4. Disciple-Making 3. Gifts for Ministry 1. Membership 2. Spiritual Disciplines

  37. …..GROWS Cell Leader Cell Leader THE PROCESS ...MULTIPLIES AGAIN Process of Multiplication Cell Leader Cell Leader Apprentice Leader

  38. A Small Group Prayer... “Lord, lead us to those people, or lead those people to us, whom You want to include in this group.”

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