Building Christian Community Small Group Ministry in Today’s Seventh-Day Adventist Church

1. Small groups: part of God’s plan 2. Life-changing small groups: some definitions 3. Small group values: the key to growth 4. Small group meetings and small group life 5. The goal of small groups: holiness and harvest 6. Small group leadership 7. Developing a small groups network 8. Maintaining the network

Building Christian Community SESSION SEVEN: DEVELOPING A SMALL GROUPS NETWORK

Getting Started…?

Need for Strategy!

Getting Started…? 2. Pray, and follow as God leads 1. Study and understand small group ministry

Getting Started Share the vision with others Focus on values and objectives, not just groups 4. Designate small group co-ordinator

Getting Started Identify leadership teams, each consisting of: Leader Apprentice leader Host or hostess and begin training. But remember…

Getting Started... Grow...…don’t GO...into small groups. START SMALL

6. Form a Prototype Group Getting Started Co-ordinator/ trainer Group leaders Apprentices

Getting Started. to train to bond to develop a reproducible model to provide an authentic small group experience. to practice the real thing! Jesus in the centre The purpose of the prototype:

Other church members 7. Build core groups by adding 3-4 members Getting Started... Leadership team Core Group

8. Build complete groups by adding 5-6 non-members Getting Started... Core Group Complete Small Group Non-members

Introducing Non-S.D.A. Friends to Your 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 contactsTake 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

Getting Started 9. Make sure one or two people don’t wear ALL the hats!

Getting Started 9a. Identify abilities and gifts in the group, and delegate responsibilities Put the right hats on the right heads

JESUS IN CENTRE Getting Started Task Sub- Group Support Sub-Group Study Sub- Group Leadership sub-group Basic Small Group 10. Keep the small group at the level of a basic Christian community, organizing sub- groups as necessary

Getting Started Keep the vision clear by reading, prayer, observation evaluation, and training for group members 12. Plan ahead: have a strategy for growth

Getting Started Remember the Jethro leadership principle Leaders of 10 Supervising pastor Leaders of 50 Leaders of 100 Leaders of 500

140 MPH 140 MPH A plane WILL fly! A plane MUST fly! A plane WILL fly! A plane MUST fly! A plane builds up groundspeed A plane builds up groundspeed A plane builds up air speed. A plane builds up air speed. Have Patience…

Future Challenge for Small Groups... “ “The great outpouring of the Spirit of God, which lightens the whole earth with His glory, will not come until we have an enlightened people who know by experience what it means to be labourers together with God…but this will not be while the largest portion of the church are not labourers together with God.” Evangelism 699 “ “The great outpouring of the Spirit of God, which lightens the whole earth with His glory, will not come until we have an enlightened people who know by experience what it means to be labourers together with God…but this will not be while the largest portion of the church are not labourers together with God.” Evangelism 699

Building Christian Community Small Group Ministry in Today’s Seventh-Day Adventist Church

OHP Be convinced of Small Groups yourself & convince your leaders Plan your teaching & introduce that teaching to your church Prototype Cells 1st Wave Cells & Train new Cell Leaders 2nd & 3rd Wave Adjustment of old programme - Transition complete Six year transition outline Strategy for Change

The Pastor’s Changing Role Traditional Responsibilities Year 180% Year 260% Year 340% Year 420% Year 5? Small Group Responsibilities Year 120% Year 240% Year 360% Year 480% Year 5?

The Original Cell Model KOREA

The “Touch” Model Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, U.S.A., Russia, many other nations

The Groups of Twelve (Turbo) Model Bogota,Columbia

How It Works LEADER OF TWELVE Each of the twelve develops up to three Cell Groups. The goal is to find twelve leaders who will launch Cells.

The G12 Structure Cell leader’s main task is to develop more leaders

The Story First 7 years, Castellanos worked with Cho’s system of Cells. Grew to 3,000 people… , with “Groups of Twelve” Strategy, grew to 10,460 Cell Groups

The Objective To evangelize all of Colombia and see a Cell Church planted in every town in the nation.

How Membership Has Grown Started “Groups of Twelve” Strategy 3000 members

How Cells Have Multiplied! ,456 Cells as of January, 1997!

Growth Principles of G12 (Turbo) Model Everyone is a potential group leader Everyone is ministered to then ministers Everyone can disciple 12 others A believer can only be part of your 12 when they open a cell Everyone should win souls and develop leaders Homogeneous cells grow more rapidly