Organic Church Ministry Module The Discipleship Place Session 7 Encounter the Power of God Beyond the Group Student Guide www.discipleshipplace.org
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Session 7 Encounter the Power of God Beyond the Group Session Overview Why is being missional so important for our group? What can our group do to stay missionally focused? Learner Objectives At the end of this session, you should: Discover what Scripture communicates about acting on God s mission by living to serve others. Develop a servant s attitude toward the local community. Live out the transforming power of God among neighbors. 3
Biblical Basis for Being Missional Mission = missio Dei (The mission of God in ) Missio Dei: God s redemptive and historical initiative on behalf of His creation Missio = sent in Latin (dismissal, missive, mission) The human organization of the church often supersedes the vision of the Kingdom. The emphasis is always on the, which is the larger vision of God s work. Another way to communicate this is: precedes the church. God does work in and through His Church and that it is central to His mission. (Lausanne Covenant, 1974) John 17:15-18 Mission becomes the organizing principle for the church as a of Christian believers. Every believer should see themselves as being sent, and it becomes central to one s identity as Christian. Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21) Incarnational Ministry Jesus comes into the midst of humanity to make known. The church is called to embody Christ s presence and make known the message of Good News that Jesus is alive. Definition of incarnational ministry: the gospel communicated organically, being lived out and embodied, through the people of God for the world to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. (Philippians 3:10) This expression of church can be described as with/in/of communities. In terms of Real Jesus with (Paul and Silas in Prison, Acts 16:13-15) In terms of Real Access Jesus in In terms of Real Encounter Jesus of 4
Ask the Questions To find out if your group is a with/in/of community, ask the questions, How well do we identify with the local? Are you with/in/of community like Jesus is? Where are you willing to go for the gospel? Missional Tasks of the Outward-Focused Group A missional focused group is consistently wondering how to the surrounding community. The inward concerns are always met through the lens of missional tasks of planting the gospel, being missional first, and entering third spaces as a community anchor. 1. Planting the gospel Inquire about the local. Ask, What is good news for this people? Be attentive to how the message of Jesus fits this context 2. Being first The church cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. The role of the church planter is to be constantly adapting to the context As you enter into a neighborhood or begin looking at your local as a mission field focus on answering the question: What is church for this people group in this local community? When this question is the primary concern, church follows mission. Church in Spaces The purpose of the church is not to gather in or safe spaces, but in social zones (somewhere between home and workplace). Why should the church be in the third space? It is primarily to be where are. It also forces contextualization allowing the message to be communicated and understood in local terms. The function of a church gathering in a space may look much different than a typical Sunday morning church service. The church in a third space wants to integrate its presence with graciousness and attitudes that are respectful of the code (written or unwritten) of the social zone it seeks to inhabit. An example is found in Acts 2, the upper room. 5
Develop a Missional Ethos The church seeks to develop a unifying purpose within those individuals gathered together. One way to define ethos is repeated behaviors by a group. (Hirsch and Ferguson, On the Verge, 2011) Features of a Missional Ethos Both/and mentality. Adaptive and structures. Apprenticeship. Live from the center (see Isaiah 12 and John 4). The Missional Calling As a group, begin asking the question, What is it going to take to and engage this community for Christ? Meet every few weeks with a small group of key leaders (about four) and ask these questions of your church. Mission: finding a mandate by asking, What are we doing? Values: finding by asking, Why are we doing it? Strategy: finding a map by asking, How are we doing it? Measures: finding progress markers by asking, When are we accomplishing it? Vision: finding the mountaintop vista by asking, Where is taking us next? (Hirsch and Ferguson, On the Verge, 2011, p. 171) Session Challenge Gather key friends and leaders together in a session of prayer. Take the five questions for seeking God s vision for your church and community and begin to ask them in the context of prayer and the biblical purpose of the missional church. Seek God s vision for your local context, and commit to seeing God s vision come alive. 6
Reflection Questions 1. The lesson states, Every believer should see themselves as being sent, and it becomes central to one s identity as Christian. How do you plan to foster this culture within your group? 2. What do you think the lesson writer meant by, The human organization of the church often supersedes the vision of the Kingdom? 3. The role of the church planter is to be constantly adapting to the context. How would you describe the community you are trying to reach? How well do you and your group members identify with local community? What steps can you take to be with-in-of the community? 4. The church taking place in a third space. Have you considered where your third space will take place? As you read the chapter, what some of the considerations you will use as you seek out a third space? 5. Who do you see as a potential apprentice? What do you plan to do to engage this person and begin preparing him/her for leadership? 6. Gather key friends and leaders together in a session of prayer. Take the five questions for seeking God s vision for your church and community and begin to ask them in the context of prayer and the biblical purpose of the missional church. Once you have a general understanding of how to answer these questions, report them in the space below and use the answers as a discussion between you and your mentor. Mission: finding a mandate by asking, What are we doing? Values: finding motives by asking, Why are we doing it? Strategy: finding a map by asking, How are we doing it? Measures: finding progress markers by asking, When are we accomplishing it? Vision: finding the mountaintop vista by asking, Where is God taking us next? 7