The Vision for Mercy: Mercy Series 3 of 6

By Dr. Steven L. Childers

Introduction

Two thousand years ago God’s kingdom entered our world in a new way through the person and work of Jesus Christ. In Luke 4, Jesus begins his public ministry by giving his inaugural address in a Jewish synagogue in Nazareth. After standing up to speak, Jesus unrolls the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, finds the place we call Isaiah 61, and reads these words:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

Jesus’ audience represents generations of Jewish people longing for God to send his promised anointed one, the Christ, the seed of King David, to restore God’s kingdom to Israel and rule over it forever. Isaiah prophesied that a King was coming who would usher in a new kingdom on earth.

God promised them that the dominion of his coming kingdom would never end. And his anointed King will defeat all of his and their enemies and then cause righteousness, peace, and justice to rule over all the earth forever. When God’s anointed King arrives, he will proclaim this good news to the poor.

Who are the poor? Isaiah describes the poor as captives who will be liberated, blind who will receive sight, and the oppressed who will be liberated. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the lame will walk.

But centuries past for the Jewish people with no anointed Messiah King. Instead, the Jews listening to Jesus in the synagogue that day were suffering under the harsh oppression and injustice of the Roman government. They were wondering if this king and kingdom would ever come.

What happened to them next came as quite a shock. After reading this passage from the scroll of Isaiah, Luke 4 tells us he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus is telling them that he is God’s promised, anointed King they’ve been waiting for and he has come to preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the poor.

To the surprise of many, the essential message Jesus came to preach was not only the good news of forgiveness of sins. It includes forgiveness, but it’s much more. This is the good news that, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God is at work restoring his fallen humanity and creation to its ultimate intended destiny, the kingdom of God on earth.

This is the good news that 2000 years ago God’s kingdom came to earth in a new way through Jesus Christ and by his Spirit. And our God is now reigning over all things through the ascended King Jesus as he advances God’s kingdom on earth today through his Church.

And it’s the good news that God’s kingdom will come in all its fullness when Jesus returns to bring heaven back down to earth, restoring God’s rule over all spheres of human life and creation forever. Everything in our badly broken and corrupt world will be brought back under Christ’s authority as Jesus makes all things new.

Therefore, central to Jesus’ mission and ministry is proclaiming the good news in word and deed to the spiritual and physical poor:

And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal … And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere … Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ (Luke 9:1-2, 6, Luke 10:9)

 Although Jesus did not immediately overthrow the Roman government and establish himself as an earthly king, his focus on caring for the spiritual and physical poor was proof that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah who was bringing God’s kingdom to earth.

So, how is King Jesus continuing his ministry of word and deed today to the spiritual and physical poor? He continues his kingdom mission on earth today as head of his visible body the Church. His Church is the only institution on earth he promises to build and bless. Jesus promises, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18).

Jesus’ church is not just individual believers scattered throughout the world, but also local, visible gatherings of believers who are carrying out ministries of word and deed to the spiritually and physically poor in their communities under the oversight of church leaders. God gives elders to the church for overseeing these ministries of word and prayer and deacons for overseeing the ministries of deed.

But the Church is not only God’s primary instrument of kingdom mercy to the spiritually and physically poor. It’s also the primary sign of God’s kingdom on earth. Just as Old Testament Israel displayed a foretaste of God’s coming kingdom to all the pagan nations by how they cared for the poor, so God means for his Church today to be a “sneak preview” of what the world will look like when Jesus returns and makes his invisible kingdom visible over all things.

Therefore, in the first passage that describes the church in the book of Acts, we read, “There were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:34). This is the same vision God gave to his people Israel in Deuteronomy 15:4, saying, “There shall be no poor among you.” When the people of God care for the poor in their midst, the world catches a glimpse of God’s coming kingdom on earth.

The Scriptures teach that God’s people are to show mercy to everyone who is poor, but especially to the poor within the church. Paul writes, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10). God calls his people to eliminate poverty within the church but to also help alleviate poverty outside the church.

In his church, God creates a new society that is not only his instrument to bring good news to the poor, but also his vision of what all of life will one day look like when Jesus returns to restore the kingdom of God on earth forever.

The Marks of Mercy: Mercy Series 2 of 6

By Dr. Steven L. Childers

When God created the world everything was perfect. Humanity and creation flourished according to God’s original design. But Evil entered the world through a real villain, Satan—who enticed humanity to sin.

Then something horrible happened. God’s paradise on earth was lost. All of humanity and creation came under the just curse of God. Our broken relationship with God resulted in brokenness in all our vital relationships of life, producing poverty, disease, violence and injustice. This is why things are not the way they’re supposed to be.

But the good news is that God, in his mercy, entered our broken world in the person and work of Jesus Christ to redeem and restore fallen humanity and creation.

This good news is that our just God has shown us his mercy in Christ and calls us, as his image bearers, to reflect his mercy in our broken world. Our awareness of God’s astonishing mercy toward us in Jesus Christ is meant to be our driving motivation to be channels of his mercy in the church and the world.

In the Old Testament, there are a cluster of Hebrew words that are often translated as “mercy” depending on their context in the Scriptures. These words refer to God’s enduring love and steadfast loyalty to his people. Probably the chief Hebrew term is hesed (חֶסֶד) referring to God’s covenant “lovingkindness.”

The New Testament echoes these Old Testament concepts and points us to the greatest display of God’s mercy in the person and work of Jesus Christ and the salvation God offers to the world through him. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes mercy as an essential mark of all those who are truly in his kingdom, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matt 5:7)

In the Gospels we see Jesus strongly reprimanding the religious leaders of his day for emphasizing all kinds of religious activities but neglecting mercy. Quoting the prophet Hosea, Jesus tells them, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt 9:13)

In Paul’s writings, he refers to the heirs of salvation in Christ as “vessels of mercy.” (Rom 9:23) He describes his privilege of being in gospel ministry as a display of God’s mercy (2 Cor 4:1). And he refers to mercy as a common blessing of one believer to another (2 Tim 1:16, 18) and often includes the hope of mercy in the opening greetings of his letters (1 Tim 1:2, 2 Tim 1:2).

So, what is a biblical understanding of mercy? Let’s look at four key marks of mercy found in Scripture:

1. Mercy is an attribute of God we are to reflect

First, mercy is an attribute of God he reveals to us in Jesus Christ that we are to reflect. Jesus said, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36). The Apostle Paul calls us to “be imitators of God” (Eph 5:1) and be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29). And just as mercy is not only what God does but who he is, so mercy is not only what we do, but who we are.

2. Mercy is the alleviation of suffering from broken relationships

Second, the essence of mercy is the alleviation of human suffering caused by the Fall of humanity into sin. Because of sin, mankind’s relationship with God was broken, causing all man’s other vital relationships for life and joy to be broken – including our relationships with ourselves, others, and creation.

The Scriptures teach that all the brokenness in the world is merely a symptom of the deeper problem of brokenness in these four relationships that lie at the heart of the human condition. As a result of sin, humanity is under God’s curse and our perfect world is now corrupt and broken, not just spiritually, but also socially, culturally, economically, and politically.

This is why there is so much suffering, poverty, disease, violence, and injustice in the world. And this is why the world is in such desperate need of God’s mercy to help alleviate this suffering and bring restoration of these broken relationships according to God’s design.

Although the focus of biblical mercy should be on helping alleviate human suffering in all mankind’s broken relationships, the Scriptures make clear that there is no act of mercy as great helping restore people’s broken relationship with God through Jesus Christ. No suffering can compare to eternal suffering in hell.

3. Mercy is the integration of word and deed

Therefore, biblical mercy includes the integration of word and deed, helping to meet both the spiritual and physical needs of people. Although we must acknowledge the priority of evangelism as a word-ministry, sometimes people are suffering so much physically they can’t hear your words until they experience your deeds of mercy.

Every person is created by God as a whole being with a soul and a body. In the resurrection of Jesus and the coming final resurrection of all his followers we learn that God restores humanity in both soul and body. Therefore, our ministries of word and deed should be seen as two sides of the same coin that often need to be held in tension in mercy ministry.

4. Mercy is a mark of true spirituality

Finally, the Bible presents the ministry of mercy as a vital mark of true spirituality. In Micah 6:8 the prophet describes the kind of spirituality the Lord requires of his people to please him, saying:

He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

The word translated “kindness” is the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד) that can also be translated as covenant lovingkindness or mercy. Here God commands us not just to show mercy but to love mercy as the Lord loves mercy. This means we are not only to give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, a warm welcome to the stranger, clothes to the naked, and visits to the sick and imprisoned. We are also to love and take great delight in doing these things.

Notice in this verse that true spirituality always manifests itself in two ways: outwardly and inwardly. Outwardly it’s revealed by doing justice and loving mercy. And inwardly it’s revealed by walking humbly with God.

The New Testament also teaches that true spirituality always reveals itself outwardly and inwardly. In James 1:27 we find a very clear description of true spirituality. James calls it “religion that is pure and undefiled before God” when he writes:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: 

to visit orphans and widows in their affliction,

and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Notice again the outward and inward marks of what God considers true spirituality and how the outward acts are again mentioned first. The outward acts are visiting orphans and widows in their distress. And the inward acts are keeping oneself unstained from the world. Like the Prophet Micah before him, the Apostle James presents us with the ministry of mercy as a vital mark of true spirituality.

The Ministry of Mercy: Mercy Series 1 of 6

By Dr. Steven L. Childers

In Luke 10, Jesus responds to an expert in God’s law who was trying to trap him into saying something derogatory about Scripture. The man asks Jesus, “What shall we do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers by asking him a question: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

The man responds, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus replies, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” Jesus responds to the religious leader’s trap by putting him in a trap to show that he and the Jewish leaders are the ones who don’t keep God’s law to love God and their neighbors well.

“Trying to justify himself,” the man attempts to trap Jesus again with another question, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds this time with his famous story of the Good Samaritan:

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passUped by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10:30-37

 Jesus is teaching that someone who truly loves God and others is like this Good Samaritan who is willing to give up his plans and risk his safety to provide costly, personal care to a total stranger of another social class and race. When Jesus tells us to “go and do likewise” he’s calling us to show our love for God and others by how we love those without housing, money, health care, etc.

 We’re facing a serious problem today. Never has there been a time in history when there have been more churches and more professing Christians. And yet despite the remarkable spread of Christianity, spiritual darkness, cultural, and societal decay are reaching unprecedented levels.

Even where the church is growing most rapidly (in Asia, Africa and Latin America) the results are often inch-deep, mile-wide forms of Christianity with little or no true, lasting transformation of individuals, families and cultures. As a result, violence, poverty, disease, and gross injustice are on the rise around the world and in our communities.

Most of Christianity in our day has lost sight of its historic roots by often proclaiming a pragmatic, privatized, prosperity gospel that rarely results in: 1) authentic Christian conversions, 2) holistic discipleship, and 2) societal transformation. As a result, the Church of Jesus Christ is slowly losing its transforming influence on the world at large.

According to Scripture, the only ultimate hope for the world is found in a very foolish-sounding story called the Good News of Jesus Christ. It’s the Good News that 2000 years ago God’s kingdom entered our world in a new way through the person and work of Jesus to restore God’s fallen humanity and creation—as far as the curse is found.

This is the Good News that the Father's creation, ruined by humanity's sin, is now being redeemed by Christ and renewed by His Holy Spirit into the Kingdom of God. This is the Good News that through the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, God has given him authority to form a New Humanity on earth made up of his people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who will repent, believe in, and follow Jesus Christ.

The Bible calls this New Humanity the Church through which the ascended King Jesus continues his ministry of word and deed on the earth today until he returns to make all things new. After Jesus revealed himself as the promised King, he promised, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

The church is the primary means God uses to carry out his purposes on earth today and the only institution on earth Jesus promises to build and bless for the sake of the world. This is why the Apostle Paul’s ministry was not merely to proclaim the gospel in evangelism, strengthen Christians in discipleship, and care for the poor. His ultimate goal was always planting churches that would continue these essential ministries for generations after he was gone. 

Paul writes, “God’s intent is that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm.” (Eph 3:10). This is why church planting is the most effective evangelistic, discipleship, and mercy methodology under heaven.

History has proven that when churches flourish, people and societies flourish. When followers of Jesus gather every week for worship, preaching, prayer, and fellowship, they are renewed as they experience a foretaste of the kingdom to come.

When they leave, they scatter like salt and light into all their individual spheres of public life, where they evangelize the lost, serve the poor, and stand against all forms of injustice, bearing witness to the glory of their future home.

Our special focus in this course is on developing the church’s ministry of mercy to the poor, not only outside the church, but especially inside the church. Paul writes, “As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal 6:10).”

 A strong mercy ministry is necessary in every church no matter what socio-economic group makes up the church or the community. Biblical mercy is much broader than mere physical acts of charity or development for the materially poor. It seeks to alleviate not only suffering from physical brokenness, but all forms of spiritual, mental, emotional, and relational brokenness.

Since the church is the most effective mercy ministry method under heaven, the best thing we can do for the poor is to help establish a healthy, gospel-centered church in their midst to evangelize and disciple them out of poverty. In our next video, we’ll learn some key marks of mercy that can help individuals and churches be more biblical and effective in ministries of mercy.

Leadership in Community (Groups Series 6 of 6)

Introduction

The health and effectiveness of a primary care group, like the health and effectiveness of a church, usually stands or falls with the quality of its leaders.

            Group leaders are normally the most significant point of contact for the spiritual nurture and shepherding care of church members. Under the oversight of pastors and elders, a group leader’s primary responsibility is to pray for group members and help oversee their spiritual growth.

            Therefore, churches need an effective group leadership development and oversight plan that includes clearly defined group leadership: 1) qualifications, 2) structure, and 3) training.

Group Leadership Qualifications

The qualities of a group leader should be the same as those for church leaders listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

            This is especially important because churches often see being a successful group leader as an essential qualification for being a pastor, teacher, elder, or deacon.

            When the Apostle Paul describes the qualifications of an overseer, the first quality he lists is to be “above reproach” (1 Tim 3:2). So the first and foremost qualification of a group leader should be proven personal character and godliness. Other qualifications often include:

• Member: a church member in good standing who has taken church membership vows

• Theology: in general agreement with the church’s doctrinal beliefs, including a commitment not to speak or teach against church doctrines

• Ministry: a person with proven ministry experience whose ministry gifts and skills are confirmed by others

• Philosophy: in general agreement with the church’s ministry philosophy, including a commitment to help start new groups

• Training: willing to receive and successfully complete group leadership training

• Accountability: willing to meet regularly with church leaders and other group leaders for ongoing training, oversight and accountability

Group Leadership Structure

Church leaders need to design and develop a plan and structure for raising up new group leaders for the church.

            This structure should be seen as an intentional pathway that can lead someone through a progressive process from being a group member to being a group apprentice, to being a group leader, to being a group mentor, to being a group overseer. Although most people will not become group mentors or overseers, it's still helpful to have this process in place for those whom God has called and gifted to be in these roles.

Group Member

One of the most effective ways to develop a group leader is for the leader first to be a faithful, responsible member of a healthy group under the care of an effective group leader.

            As a group member, the emerging leader needs to experience firsthand what it’s like to serve and be served by other group members, as well as receive spiritual nurture and shepherding from a group leader worthy of imitation.

Group Apprentice

The next step in developing a group leader is for the faithful group member to become an apprentice under the oversight of an experienced group leader.

            The apprentice shares group leader responsibilities, including leading group times of teaching, praying, and sharing. The apprentice may also be responsible for planning the venue and food for the group meetings, sometimes delegating these tasks to other group members called group hosts.

Group Leader

The next step in developing a group leader is for the proven apprentice to become a group leader under the oversight of an experienced group mentor.

            It’s usually best for a group leader to serve a group for a limited time. The initial commitment of a new leader is often for at least one or two seasons (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) and usually for no more than one year.

            Beyond this, the group leader’s future role can be determined by the group leader in consultation with their mentor and other leaders.

Group Mentor

Those who are effective and faithful group leaders may be called to become mentors of other group leaders, under the oversight of an experienced group overseer.

            It’s usually best for group mentors to oversee no more than three group leaders. In smaller churches the role of group mentors is sometimes carried out by the pastor and elders.

Group Overseer

In larger churches, pastors and elders often assume the role of group overseer by

overseeing group mentors, who in turn oversee group leaders.

Group Leadership Training

This group leadership structure is designed to provide not just a pathway for raising up group leaders but also for the mentoring, training, and supervision leaders need to be effective in their spiritual nurture and shepherding of group members.

            The key to effective group leader training, at all levels, is not primarily the curriculum but the supportive relationships established with these leaders.

            The goal of the leadership structure is to help facilitate intentional, meaningful relationships where true discipleship and mentoring takes place in the lives of group leaders.

            Christ-like leadership also inverts the normal authoritative leadership structure in the world by seeking to serve rather than be served.

            So it’s helpful to see three primary levels of servant leadership training based on intentional relationships between group leaders in ministry.

Level One: Leaders Serve Apprentices

The first level of group leadership training involves group leaders serving group apprentices by providing them spiritual nurture, shepherding, and accountability.

            The group leader serves all group members by helping provide them spiritual nurture and shepherding. But the group leader has a special focus on overseeing and serving the group apprentice as a future group leader.

            This involves much more than helping the apprentice develop the necessary skills to oversee and lead group meetings. It also involves intentional discipleship. Apprentices should participate with their leader in helping care for and serve other members in need.

Level Two: Mentors Serve Leaders

The second level of group leadership training involves group mentors serving group leaders by providing them spiritual nurture, shepherding, and accountability.

            One of the biggest mistakes churches make in developing healthy groups is the failure to develop and oversee supportive relationships for group leaders. As the church’s frontline primary caregivers, group leaders need to receive primary care themselves or the entire group care structure can break down.

            So group mentors serve group leaders by more than just helping them develop skills for leading effective group meetings. They also pray for and with them, and regularly help them to grow spiritually.

            One of the most helpful ways mentors support group leaders is by periodically joining them at meetings with other group leaders and mentors for times of mutual encouragement, support, and training.

            These meetings serve as the group leaders' care groups, and are usually led by group mentors. Similar to the care group meeting agenda, these meetings can include times for praise, prayer, learning, and sharing.

            During these meetings, group leaders receive encouragement and learn from not only group mentors but also from other group leaders as they share experiences and insights.

            Although this periodic meeting of group leaders and mentors is critically important, caution must be exercised not to schedule too many meetings or group leaders and mentors will burn out.

Level Three: Overseers Serve Mentors

The third level of group leadership training involves group overseers serving group mentors by providing them spiritual nurture, shepherding, and accountability.

            In smaller churches, where the role of group mentors is sometimes carried out by a pastor and elders, there is often no need for this next level of group leadership oversight and training.

            But in larger churches, pastors and elders often assume this role by overseeing and caring for the church’s group mentors.

            The intentional, personal discipleship relationship between overseers and mentors is similar to the relationship between mentors and leaders, and between leaders and apprentices.

            And one of the most significant ways overseers serve mentors and leaders is by planning and leading the periodic meetings of group leaders and mentors referred to previously.

Conclusion

The health and well-being of a local neighborhood or community is directly linked to the health and effectiveness of the local church body there.

            Likewise, the health and effectiveness of a church body is directly linked to the health and effectiveness of the small groups that make up that church body.

            And the health and effectiveness of church groups usually depends on the quality of their leaders.

Commitments in Community (Groups Series 5 of 6)

Introduction

So far we’ve established a case for why church members should be regularly involved in private gatherings in smaller groups.

            In this article, we’ll explore three kinds of commitments church group members make to develop healthy groups.

I. Group Attendance

The first commitment involves answering four basic questions regarding the nature of the group that will be in attendance: Who, How, When, and Where?

Who will be attending?

The first question is “Who will be attending the group?”

            Some groups choose to organize around a certain type of people such as male/female, older/younger, married/single, couples with/without children, a geographical location, etc.

            The type of group depends on the unique needs of the church and the direction of the church leaders.

How many will be attending?

The next question is “How many will be attending the group?”

            Generally, the ideal is less than twelve people. A healthy small group size is between eight to twelve people. A little larger or smaller can work as well. But when groups have regular attendance of more than sixteen people, group intimacy is compromised. This can also be a signal that it’s time to start a new group.

            Sometimes, even in groups of twelve, it’s helpful to organize sharing and prayer in two or three smaller groups so more people can participate, especially those who are timid.

When will we be attending?

The next question is, “When will group members be attending?”

            Again, this depends on the unique needs of the church and direction of the church leaders. But healthy groups normally need to meet at least two times a month, and more if possible. It seems that the early church gatherings were at least weekly.

            It can also be helpful for groups to decide the number of meetings they expect group members to attend. Healthy group members often make a commitment to meet at least two or more times a month for a minimum of 3-6 months. It’s usually best not to make a commitment for more than 1 year.

            This doesn’t mean that groups should stop meeting together after they complete their group commitments. Instead, they should see their present commitment as ending with the option of making a new one for another time period.

            This approach helps a group keep their commitment level high and allows group members to “drop with dignity” by finishing their group commitment before moving to another group.

Where will we be attending?

We come now to the question, “Where will we be attending?” This answer also depends on the unique context, needs, and leaders of the groups. In some cultural contexts it’s difficult and awkward to meet in members’ private homes. In other contexts it’s very natural and comfortable to do so. Creativity and perseverance is often needed to determine the best venue for group meetings.

II. Group Agenda

The second commitment involves answering the question, “What will we do when we meet together as a group?”

            Since small groups are a subset of the larger church community, they should reflect the same five elements of a healthy church: Worship and Prayer, Learning and Discipleship, Fellowship and Shepherding, Evangelism and Mission, Mercy and Justice.

            It’s not realistic to emphasize all five of these elements in all group meetings. But over time, healthy groups will emphasize all of them. So a good way to help determine a healthy group agenda is for leaders to periodically review these essential elements found in Acts 2:

1. Worship and Prayer

“They were praising God” (47) and “devoted to the prayers” (43) Group meetings should include time for worshiping God through praise and prayer.

         Group members should be sharing their needs and receiving prayer from others. Prayers should also be offered for the advancement of God’s mission through the church.

         Sometimes it’s effective for several people to pray. Other times, it’s best for only one or two. It may also be helpful to pray in smaller groups.

2. Learning and Discipleship

“They were devoted to the apostles’ teaching” (42) Group meetings should also include time for the study and application of God’s word.

            In the Great Commission, Jesus commands us to make disciples by teaching people how to obey his commandments (Matt 28:18-20). Small groups provide an excellent place for learning how to apply God’s word to all of life.

            Healthy groups often encourage members to listen carefully to the preaching of God’s word in public worship and come to the group meeting ready to share their personal insights and applications with others.

            Also, some groups will take the Sunday sermon message deeper by doing more in-depth bible study and application of the topic. Other groups will study through a book of the bible or use a resource approved by the church leaders.

3. Fellowship and Shepherding

“And … they were breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (46) Group meetings should periodically include time for members to share their lives with each other during meals.

            Regularly sharing meals in their homes seems to be a normal practice in the early church. There are few activities as effective as eating together to help develop relationships.

4. Evangelism and Mission

“The Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (47) “After fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:3). Group meetings should also be outreach-oriented, focusing on helping group members grow in their commitment to evangelism and missions.

            This includes encouraging members to pray for the lost and consider inviting their lost friends and family to attend public worship and/or their group. Healthy groups also pray regularly for both their church’s wider ministry and for world missions.

5. Mercy and Justice

“They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (45). Group meetings should include times to help group members know the needs of the poor in their community, both within and outside of the church, and how they can pray for them, give to them and serve them.

III. Group Agreement

The third and final commitment involves answering the question, “What is our group agreement?” The group agreement is a practical way group members solidify their commitment to the five essential elements of a healthy group described above.

            Every group has expectations of its members and leaders. The problem is that these expectations are often not shared which can result in misunderstanding and conflict.

            Some groups find it helpful to share these commitments with each other in writing by having a formal list. Others find it more helpful to share these commitments informally. Here are examples of things that could be included in a group agreement, sometimes called a group covenant.

Group Agreements

• Attendance: To give priority to the group meetings

• Participation: To share a responsibility in the group

• Prayer: To pray for one another and church ministries

• Availability: To be available to serve one another in need

• Confidentiality: To keep anything that is said confidential

• Accountability: To give permission to hold each other accountable

• Evangelism: To reach out to bring others to the church and group

• Mercy/Justice: To pray for and serve the poor with others in the group

• Assessment: To give honest, constructive feedback to help the group improve

• Multiplication: To be willing to consider starting and reproducing new groups

Group Meeting Structure

So, how long should a group meeting be? And how should we use the limited time we have together as a group?

         There is no right or wrong way to structure a group meeting. Issues like time and structure depend on the unique needs of the group.

         But a general example can be helpful. A healthy 90-minute group meeting might be structured like this:

• Welcome and Worship (15-20)

• Bible Study (20-25)

• Fellowship and Sharing (20-25)

• Prayer for members and outreach (20-25)

            Real life group meetings are rarely this structured. Instead, healthy groups will sometimes spend entire meetings focusing on only one or two of these elements. But over time, healthy groups will emphasize all of them.

Health in Community (Groups Series 4 of 6)

Introduction

Just as the health of a human body is determined by the health of its cells, so the health of a church body is determined by the health of its groups.

            This is why the focus of church group leaders shouldn’t be on the numerical growth of their group, but on its health. When leaders focus on developing a healthy group, the result is normally a growing group. This is because, like in all of God’s creation, health normally brings growth.

            So, what does a healthy group look like?

            Healthy groups are marked by several elements we find in the book of Acts which describe the first-century gathering of Christians. These elements include:

• Worship: They were praising God (2:47)

• Learning: They were devoted to the Apostles’ teaching (2:42)

• Fellowship: They were devoted to the fellowship (2:42)

• Prayer:  They were devoted to the prayers (2:42)

• Evangelism: Those who were being saved were added (2:47)

• Mercy: They distributed proceeds to any who had need (2:45)

• Missions: They laid their hands on them and sent them off (13:3)

            Of course, all of these elements were not present with equal emphasis at every gathering of these first century Christians. But it’s clear that, over time, these gatherings consistently included every element.

Healthy Care Groups

The most essential small group in a church is called a care group. Care groups are sometimes called primary care groups because they provide the primary spiritual health care for group members.

            Later we’ll examine a different kind of group, called a task group, which is more narrowly focused on the task of only one or two of these elements, such as learning, prayer or evangelism.

            However, care groups strive to provide a more balanced emphasis on all the elements necessary for developing healthy members including worship, prayer, learning, fellowship, evangelism, mercy, and missions.

            Again this doesn’t mean that care groups emphasize all these elements equally. Some healthy care groups may emphasize certain elements over others. But they always strive to include all the elements necessary for developing spiritually mature group members.

Unhealthy Care Groups

There’s a big difference between a care group’s healthy emphasis on certain elements and a care group’s unhealthy imbalance resulting in the neglect of elements needed for the spiritual growth of group members.

            There are two common mistakes care groups make that result in unhealthy groups and members: 1) neglecting outreach and 2) neglecting nurture.

            Outreach has an outward focus and normally include evangelism, mercy, and missions. Nurture has a more inward focus and includes worship, learning, fellowship, and prayer.

Neglecting Outreach Elements

A common mistake care groups make is to focus on nurture to the neglect of outreach.

            These groups meet together regularly for times of prayer, Bible study, and mutual support and care. But they have little or no focus on reaching their lost neighbors, serving the poor in their community, and supporting the cause of world missions.

            They may learn a lot about the Bible, but they often fail to apply that knowledge to their lives in a way that makes a difference in any lives but their own.

            Their inordinate inward focus places them at high risk of becoming spiritually stagnant.

Neglecting Nurture Elements

Another common mistake care groups make is to focus on outreach to the neglect of nurture.

            These groups are devoted to recruiting, equipping, and mobilizing their members to do all kinds of ministries both inside and outside the church body. Their primary focus is on reaching the lost, caring for the poor in their community, and advancing the cause of world missions.

            But they have little or no emphasis on nourishing and caring for their group members so they will mature in Christ. This inordinate focus places them at risk of spiritual burnout.

Task Groups

Unlike primary care groups, task groups intentionally focus on only one or two elements.

            Examples include groups dedicated entirely to prayer or in-depth study of the bible and theology or addiction recovery or evangelism or homeless ministry or missions.

            The value of these groups is seen when a member of a primary care group needs or wants a greater focus on one or two elements when the primary care group is unable to do so. Examples include a group member who wants a greater focus on prayer, evangelism, ministry to the poor, or world missions.

            These task groups can be healthy and helpful as long as they don’t become substitutes for primary care groups. To help avoid this danger, ministry task group leaders should encourage all their members to also be in a primary care group.

Conclusion

A healthy group is marked by all the biblical elements of both nurture and outreach including worship, prayer, learning, fellowship, evangelism, mercy, and missions.

            There may be a healthy emphasis on either nurture or outreach elements but not an unhealthy imbalance that results in the neglect of any element.

            In contrast, unhealthy groups focus on nurture elements to the neglect of outreach elements, or focus on outreach elements to the neglect of nurture.

            The end goal of care groups and task groups is to work together in harmony to help every member grow to deeper levels of maturity in Christ.