Building Christian

Community
Small Group Ministry
in Todays
Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Building Christian
Community
SESSION FIVE
THE GOAL OF SMALL GROUPS:
HOLINESS AND HARVEST
The Challenge of the New
Millennium
Growing Christians
Making Christians
Disciples Making
Disciples
Go, then to all peoples
everywhere and make them my
disciplesand I will be with you.
Matthew 28:19,20
Whats A Disciple?
A Disciple is...
An apprentice
An apprentice-
maker
The Two Disciplines of
Discipleship
1. EDIFICATION 2. EVANGELISM
Growing in holiness Growing in numbers
1. Edification:
Spiritual
Body-Building
Edification
(Oikodomeo)
= building up/
strengthening
The church is the
body of Christ. Eph 1:23
Let all things be
done for building
up the church.
I Cor 14:27
A. Building Community
He gave gifts
to prepare Gods
people for works
of service, so
that the body of
Christ may be
built up
(Eph 4:8,12)

B. Building Believers
Therefore
encourage one
another and
build each
other up
(I Thess 5:11)


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


People Grow Faster
in Small Groups
I believe that people grow
at least eight times faster
when theyre in a small
group and attending
weekly worship celebration
on (Sabbath) than if they
just attended the service
itself. Dale Galloway
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
God Uses People
to Build Up
Other People
God has so
ordained things
that we grow in
the Spirit only
through the frail
instrumentality
of one another.
Alan Jones
Mentoring
building
friendships that
point to God
one person
coming alongside
another person

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
Two Alternatives...
a) Mature believer
meets with new
believer for one-
way mentoring

b) Two mature
believers meet
for mutual
mentoring



How Does it
Work?
we agree on plan
meet regularly
we reflect on what
God is doing in our
lives
we pray for each
other
Mentors Offer:
encouragement
prayer support
challenge
all that a real
friend can be
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

2. Evangelism: Growing in
numbers
1. Reaching the
unchurched
majority
2. Post-modern
thinking
3. Bridging cultural
differences
The challenge of
evangelism in
western society
Engel: the Process of
Spiritual Decision-Making
-8 No 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
How Far From the Cross?
(Engels Scale)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Where are the unchurched?
Now Then
The Friendship
Evangelism Process
Stage 1:
Friendship
Stage 2:
Christian Friendship
Stage 3:
Adventist Friendship
Combines personal, group and
public evangelistic witness
The Power of
Friendship
in 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

Introducing Friends to
Your Small Group
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
Why Small Groups Work
Well in Evangelism
Small Groups:
encourage teamwork


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



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



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


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

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
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.
OHP 9.2

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

..GROWS



THE PROCESS
AGAIN

Cell
Leader

Cell Leader

...MULTIPLIES

Process of Multiplication
Cell Leader
Cell Leader
Apprentice
Leader
A Small Group Prayer...
Lord, lead us to those people, or lead
those people to us, whom You want
to include in this group.