Ask yourself

• Is there someone to pray for?
• Is there someone needing counsel?
• Is there someone to encourage?
• Is there someone to hold accountable?
• Is there something to celebrate with someone?
• Is there a need to be met?
• Is there a leadership call to make?
• Is there a conflict to be resolved?

From Rick Howerton at Small Group World

1. view themselves as fellow and equal journiers longing to know God really and are committed to building a micro-Christian community together
2. will utilize the spiritual gifts, learned abilities, and resources they have been given on behalf of one another
3. are committed to the weekly small group meeting where we learn from one another, pray for one another, and see God work miracles when “two or three are gathered.” (Matt. 18:20)
4. will hold them accountable to do the spiritual disciplines as they birth spiritual maturity in us
5. purposefully and passionately direct one another to God and His Words found in the Bible when concluding how to deal with a difficult life issue, make a major decision, or determine the rightness or wrongness of a moral dilemma

1. loves the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love’s their neighbor as they love themselves (Mark 12:30 – 31)
2. understands that life is messy and that the leader will leverage the synergy of the group to help carry the load and remind the struggling group member of the hope that is in them in the messy times
3. is espousing and instilling a biblical world-view
4. is available as a sounding board and willing to give wise counsel when requested
5. will make sure that no known financial, emotional, or spiritual need will be glossed over but that the group leader will coalesce the spiritual gifts, abilities, and resources of the group members to meet those needs

From Rick Howerton

1. is their confidant, co-laborer, and friend
2. is available and honored to answer practical questions about small group leadership
3. is praying for them daily and proves so by connecting with the small group leader periodically via phone or face-to-face so they can hear that prayer
4. understands that the small group leaders they are responsible for one another, can learn from one another, and become better by being together, so they welcome them into their home from time to time to discuss group life, encourage one another, and celebrate what God is doing in each of their groups
5. is willing to come to the group meeting and speak into the conversation when the small group leader has been unable to resolve conflict, a doctrinal discussion has become a foolish and divisive debate, when the group is in rebellion and unwilling to consider multiplication, etc…

From Rick Howerton

is not necessarily one which is doing some kind of specific ‘evangelism’ programme (though that is to be recommended). Rather:

1. If its members love and talk positively about the city and neighbourhood.
2. If they speak in language that is not filled with pious tribal or technical terms and phrases, nor disdainful and embattled language.
3. If in their Bible study they apply the gospel to the core concerns and stories of the people of the culture.
4. If they are obviously interested in and engaged with the literature and art and thought of the surrounding culture and can discuss it both appreciatively and yet critically.
5. If they exhibit deep concern for the poor and generosity with their money and purity and respect with regard to opposite sex, and show humility toward people of other races and cultures.
6. If they do not bash other Christians and churches.

Then seekers and non-believing people from the city (a) will be invited and (b) will come and will stay as they explore spiritual issues. If these marks are not there it will only be able to include believers or traditional, ‘Christianized’ people.

That’s from a recent post from Tim Chester. Each of those are qualities I want our Engage Groups to demonstrate. Chester closes with some reflections on those 6 characteristics.

1. How does your community measure up against these criteria?
2. If we find ourselves changing the language we use when unbelievers are present then we should probably change it all the time. Think about how you might talk about evangelism when unbelievers are present.
3. Tim Keller says the members of a missional community ‘love and talk positively about the city and neighbourhood’. List ten things you love about your neighbourhood.

Those are good points to think through and they provide quite a challenge to me as I look to growing more Engage Groups in the future.

Following the Verge Conference Brent Thomas wrote up some ideas for helping to transition a church from a program-driven model to a missional one. This is especially applicable as we start Engage Groups at Grace Bible Church and look to raise up and grow missional communities that happen “during life during the week” instead of “at church on Sunday”.

Go slow. . Any changes must be communicated clearly, demonstrated biblically and made slowly.

Be theological/scriptural. …missional is, above all, a theological movement. It is rooted in the Missio Dei (the “Mission of God”). God the Father sent the Son, the Father and Son Sent the Spirit and just as the Father sent the Son, so Jesus sends His people into the world (Matthew 28:18-20, John 20:21, etc.). Any transition to missional must be rooted in Scripture rather than pragmatics.

Clearly define your terms. Missional communities are small groups but they are not simply small group bible studies. Missional Communities seek to develop transparent relationships of Gospel accountability but they are not simply accountability groups. Missional communities are focused on re-orienting our entire lives around living on mission, but they are not simply outreach groups. If we are not clear in defining missional communities in our churches, tradition will be more than happy to define them for us.

Lead by example. A leader’s most powerful tool in a shift towards missional community is example. Jesus led by serving (Mark 10:45, etc.) and so should His people. … Take people with you. Lead by example.

Don’t neglect community. It’s possible that we can become so focused on mission that we find ourselves neglecting community. … We have been created to exist (and to minister) in relationship. Seek to implement ways of living missionally that are community-centered.

Center each community around a tangible mission with the clear end-goal of making disciples. … each mission must be targeted at making disciples, they must include relationships with non-believers.

Celebrate successes/share stories. It’s important to continually share stories of success. Just as we need to be led by example in community, we need to be encouraged and challenged by those who have had breakthroughs. Continually have church members share their own stories of living on mission (not just the successes but also the failures, this is a hard calling and we need to not only see success but be reminded that we’re not alone in struggle). This will not only provide a picture of what living on mission might look like for some people, it will reinforce the community piece, reminding each one of us that we’re not in this alone.

Focus on Jesus. We must never forget that this is all about Jesus. We are not on mission to get people to join our church but to know Jesus.

From Duane Smets of The Resolved Church in San Diego as posted on the Acts 29 Network Blog

Below are ten common reasons given for what keeps us from mission, coupled with ways we can work to combat their tendencies in us.

1. Too busy
2. No (Christian) community support
3. Uncertainty of one’s own beliefs
   1. Apologetics Level
   2. Gospel Application Level
   3. Discipleship Level
4. Unwillingness to seek the conversion of others
5. Don’t want to waste free time
6. Don’t have anything in common with community
7. Fear of condemnation
8. Fear of corruption
9. Fear of what to say
10. Fear of damaging the relationship

Now that we’ve started an Engage Group at Grace, I want to start posting items that may be of benefit to the group and that can provide encouragement to start additional groups at church. To kick things off, here is a challenge from John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis about why churches need small groups and community

Here are 10 tips for Missional Communities from Austin City Life and Jonathan Dodson

1. KNOW GOD
   • cultivate a steady devotional/prayer life
   • participate in a fight club
   • serve with the strength God supplies
2. KNOW YOUR PEOPLE
   • pastor your city group
   • notice when somebody disappears
3. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
   • know the culture
   • know your neighbors
4. DON’T GO ALONE
   • share leadership, i.e. host, meals, prayer, mission
   • participate in monthly meetings
   • participate in monthly coaching
5. SAY WHO YOU ARE (AND WHO YOU AREN’T) EVERY WEEK
   • Deconstruct small group/biblestudy/social group
   • Reaffirm our Practices (Engage God, Engage Each Other, Engage Ann Arbor)
6. GET OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM
   • on mission
   • in celebration
7. LIVE THE 8 WAYS TO EASILY BE MISSIONAL
   • Out loud, let gospel talk be ordinary talk. Don’t hide your faith. Here’s the link and below are the 8
   • Eat with Non-Christians.
   • Walk, Don’t Drive.
   • Be a Regular.
   • Hobby with Non-Christians.
   • Talk to Your Co-workers.
   • Volunteer with Non-Profits.
   • Participate in City Events.
   • Serve your Neighbors.
8. EAT, LAUGH, PRAY, and  SERVE TOGETHER
   • a healthy group will do all 4
9. TELL YOUR STORIES
   • In the living room
   • On the blog
   • Use twitter/FB to facilitate community(not replace it)
10. COME TO SERVE (NOT JUST GET) ON SUNDAYS

Nate Navarro, Director of Missional Community for Austin City Life, recently blogged about changes to their City Group (missional community) leadership structure. They went from a single leader in each CG being responsible for everything to the following

1. CITY GROUP LEADER – facilitates  a community that is growing in Gospel, Community, and Mission.
2. MISSIONAL LEADER – We serve our neighborhoods together monthly. This leader takes the lead on all the details: the when, where, and how of the monthly service project.
3. PRAYER LEADER – This person records all the prayer requests and sends out a weekly update, reminding the community to pray for one another and the city.
4. HOST LEADER – This leader opens their home/apartment/dorm room to be an inviting place for the community to share meals, discuss life and truth, and to pray for one another and the city.
5. HOSPITALITY LEADER – We eat together. This leader coordinates the meal schedule and the “who is bringing what?”

This is an excellent model and one that is worthy of being copied by every church. Nate lists a few of the benefits

Fewer leaders will become casualties of burnout.

Five leaders gives your group more people, with more buy in, creating a stronger core.

New Christians can begin to serve right away. Last I checked, your theology doesn’t have to be nails to be in charge of the meal schedule. New Christians can become involved in leadership early on, and can grow along the way, instead of standing on the sidelines watching all the tired people lead.

Future City Group leaders emerge as they thrive in their roles leading MISSION and PRAYER, etc……

We avoid the “personality-driven” City Group. Gospel Community is  center and forefront in our groups, rather than the talent, charisma, and drive of a leader.

Nate closes with the following line

More Leaders; Less Work. Share Leadership; Grow in Community. Strengthen Mission; Advance the Gospel.

I couldn’t agree more. It’s encouraging to see churches rethinking leadership as they seek to equip more believers and reach more people with the Gospel.