06 MISSIONAL Missional Small Groups Strategic Evangelism Attractive Quality Large Group God-Directed Vision for the Campus & Fellowship Growth Worship & Concerted Prayer toward the Vision Leadership Development & Training toward the Vision 6.01
MISSIONAL Scott Bockstruck This article explores Jesus call to missional thinking and vision and the values, qualities and components of missional small groups. When we think of small groups, we often think of a tight knit community that studies scripture together, prays together, and cares for one another s needs. However, healthy small groups should be missional. A missional small group seeks to transform the community around them by advancing the kingdom of God. We see this exemplified in the Gospels, particularly in Luke 9 10, where we gain a glimpse into Jesus idea of a missional small group. When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 9:1-2 Jesus sends the twelve disciples out into their broken world with spiritual authority to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and to demonstrate that the kingdom of God is near. It is important to note that Jesus has already, in essence, formed a small group of followers that are living together in community with one another. From this place of relationship with one another and with himself, he sends them out on a mission to bring the kingdom of God wherever they go. They are to serve others by bringing healing, freedom, reconciliation, justice, and all the other good things of God s kingdom wherever they go. In verses 3-6 of Luke 9, we see that they are called to depend on God for their basic needs, and to live among those they are going to serve. The apostles eventually return and report to Jesus what they had done. At this time, Jesus takes them with him to withdraw together, most likely for the purpose of resting and debriefing what has happened (which is consistent with what happens in Luke 10.) However, because of the success of their ministry, they are interrupted by even more crowds seeking Jesus, and Jesus instructs the disciples to serve the crowds yet again. We see that while Jesus cares about the imminent needs of his small group of disciples, he takes advantage of the opportunity to both care for the crowds and teach the disciples about his compassion and abundance. Thus we can say that Jesus prioritizes the mission of serving others who don t know him over serving the members of the small group. Further, both groups are transformed in the process; serving others IS serving the members of the small group. As Jesus said, My food is to do the will of the Father who sent me (John 4:34). 6.02
Finally, in Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 disciples with the same mission, and when they return we get a bit more of a glimpse into their debrief with Jesus. In verses 17-24 of Luke 10, Jesus: interprets their experiences, exhorts them to keep their focus on God, demonstrates this by praying and worshiping God, encourages them and celebrates joyfully with them. Our world, or more specifically, our college campuses, are still in desperate need of the kingdom of God. Thus missional small groups are still necessary to advance the kingdom of God in a relevant way. In the same way that people were sick and dying in Jesus time, people on our campuses are in need of purpose, hope, life, love, forgiveness and all the other good things of the kingdom of God. And they are especially in need of people who will show them that the kingdom of God is as real and as near as it was in Jesus time. But effectiveness in communicating the gospel is often hindered when small groups focus primarily on its Christian members and reach out to those who don t know Christ only some of the time. Missional small group values shift our focus to not only maintain but also expand the kingdom of God. A healthy missional small group should incorporate the following values at its core: 1. Incarnational Ministry. The more time spent in the context of ministry, the more one is able to learn about its characteristics and unique needs. A healthy missional small group lives with those it seeks to serve, making itself available to regular and unplanned opportunities to love ( see Luke 9:4 ). 2. Serving Outwardly First. It s a common temptation to develop inwardly-focused small groups, placing more value on serving ourselves than serving others. But a healthy missional small group prioritizes serving those who don t know Christ before serving its Christian members (Luke 9:10-11). 3. Caring for missional small group members along the way. The outward efforts of a missional small group are a great context for discipleship. As the missional small group members go out, it s necessary for the leader to call them back in to report their experience, to worship God for the successes, and to pray for continued guidance. The leader plays an important role during these times to use the teachable moments for clarification and interpretation, as well as encourage the members along the way (Luke 10:17). 4. Dependence on God. Jesus prayed for the disciples before sending them out, calling on God that his power and authority would be with them. As a missional small group goes out to serve, it is imperative to pray for guidance and an awareness of where God is moving. Prayer reminds us that it is God who moves in the hearts of people, and that in God our hope and vision are renewed. Prayer is also a missional small group s spiritual warfare against opposition. It might be overwhelming to think about developing missional small groups on your campus, while also applying other ministry values. The good news 6.03
is that a healthy missional small group can incorporate many of the values that we desire to uphold. When Jesus instructed his disciples to go out and preach the kingdom of God (Luke 9:2), he hoped that the fullness of the kingdom would be proclaimed. A successful missional small group embodies InterVarsity s values for social justice, ethnic reconciliation, and evangelism. While you could be a missional small group without crossing social barriers, Jesus called his disciples to go to all people (including untouchable lepers and people of all nations). A faithful missional small group should seek to cross these barriers as well, thus living out our hope for reconciliation and justice. You could also be a missional small group without proclaiming the gospel. It is easy to build trust with others through loving acts of service without ever taking the risk of calling people to faith. However, Jesus called his disciples to preach the good news in addition to the physical healings they provided. A faithful missional small group should seek to find opportunities to verbally contextualize the gospel. Exactly how you structure a small group can vary widely, but all missional small groups should include: Internal components: scripture study, corporate prayer both for one another and for people outside of the group External components: casual relationship building, planned community events, service For example, a dorm-based missional small group could choose to study scripture and pray every other week, while spending time with the larger dorm community on the off-weeks. A non-dorm based missional small group could meet weekly for scripture, prayer, and planning for monthly community events with the expectation that the members invest in another community on campus, like a club. Here are some more specific examples and ideas for what a missional small group could look like: Dorm-based missional small group Movie discussions: Invite dorm to watch Crash and host a movie discussion on how race affects our lives Kindness evangelism: Spend the evening cleaning rooms and hall bathrooms with the hope of verbally expressing God s love for his people Coordinating with the RA to host all the Christian-based holiday parties Spend the entire fall term serving the whole dorm, forming a small group of students interested in continuing to serve and learning about God Offer regular tutoring or paper proofreading during midterms and finals Start a GIG on your dorm floor 6.04
As a small group, go on an urban project Regularly pray for a city in the US or a country elsewhere (and possibly do a project there) Non-dorm based missional small group Sponsor public prayer vigils Food/Clothing drives Plan regular homeless outreaches and invite others to come with your missional small group. Open-air theatre on justice issues Proxe stations Acting on AIDS campaign (e.g., petition writing) Each missional small group member attends an ethnic-specific club and invites new friends to a Race Matters meeting Join the local LGBTA in advocating for victims of hate crimes Send small group members out in pairs to go prayer walking and offer to pray for people they meet on the way Have members take a conversation partner and then throw a dinner for all the conversation partners 6.05
STAGES OF FOR MISSIONAL Javier Tarango Small group stages for missional small groups organized around a topic or cause can be different from those of small groups organized by dorm or class. Here are some notes on the developmental stages of missional small groups, describing the entry point for the stage (time of year or other benchmark event), the characteristics of the group, and the best roles for the leader ways for the leader to help the group navigate the stage. Stage: Cohesion Entry Point: Beginning of academic year/new Student Outreach. Group Characteristics: Large initial meetings; introduction to InterVarsity/ small group ministry/inductive Bible study; group members lack of familiarity with inductive method; irregular small group attendance. Leader s Role: Lead inductive Bible study well; meet students and faculty members intentionally, getting to know them and their maturity, perceptions and interest; identify and develop relationships with gatherers; recruit for Fall Conference. Stage: Community Entry Point: Fall Conference. Group Characteristics: Small group attendance stabilizes; students and faculty are more familiar with inductive method, asking better questions; organized small group social activities; members initiate gathering outside of small group with little or no direction from leaders; development of communities of vulnerability (small group and/or accountability group). Leader s Role: Continue to lead bible study well; focusing on developing good measurable applications; demonstrate vulnerability within small group; facilitate development of accountability groups; initiate social gatherings. Stage: Mission investigation Entry Point: Healthy community established with structures to nourish relationships and discipleship. Group Characteristics: Feedback from Bible study applications takes place within the small group and/or accountability groups; outward energy developing; students more familiar with and more comfortable with their campus; student and faculty leaders within small group have become evident; gifts of particular members becoming evident to group. 6.06
Leader s Role: Intentionally following up with applications from Bible study; encourage the investigation of possible mission fields; interact with members outside of the small group to identify possible natural mission fields; hold group accountable; help decide on a group mission field. Stage: mission oriented community Entry Point: Mission field selected. Group Characteristics: Applications and feedback continue to be central to Bible study; community strategy developed for engaging mission field; sharing, support, and prayer regarding mission field becomes a regular small group ritual. Leader s Role: Live out the mission field in front of members and other students and faculty; think through Bible passage interpretations and applications with the paradigm of mission; continue to interpret both setback and progress in light of mission field; ensure that community aspect of the small group does not suffer (i.e., accountability groups, social activities, academics). Stage: Recohesion/Recommunity Entry Point: New members joining small group as a result of the mission. Group Characteristics: Hospitable community; new members incorporated into the community. Leader s Role: Intentional about knowing new members; encouraging old members to incorporate new members into existing structures of support; if new members are new Christians, intentionally looking out for their discipleship. 6.07