Winter Conference 2002 Seminar Building a Healthy, Biblical Community “Principles and models to evaluate your group and building a biblical community” Presented by Bumble

This workshop will presence  Biblical principles and models for community  Guidelines to evaluate your group  Roadmap to build community  Forum for practical discussion

From a biblical perspective, we are…  Created for community  Rebelling from community  Restored to community  Recreated in community – Jesus gather a community of disciples committed to Him, to His authority and to each other – His death reconnect the human community back to God  Reconciled into community – Taking people who are alienated from God and each other; building them into a community which deeply cares for each other and allows God to care for them. – This community preserve and spread His Kingdom

What is a healthy, biblical community looks like? Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Dimensions of Community Unity in Christ Self-disclosures/risk/sacrifice Shared-experiences Effort/Commitment/Accountability

Balance of Activities  What do we do to build a healthy community environment? – Adorations (Praise & Prayer) – Community – Teaching – Service (and Mission)

Balance of Priorities  What are our focus while we are doing those ACTS? – Prayerful Dependence – Proper Concepts of Christ – Communicating the Word – Atmosphere of Love – Sense of group Mission – Reaching Relationship

GOD Witness Result of a Healthy Community “And the Lord added to their number…”

Stages of Community Time Building: ACTS + 6 Foundation Priorities Impact Equipping: Add Peer-Care / Min.Team Winning: Add Peer-Share Multiplying

Evaluation (Building)  Upward – How is our prayer in the group? How dependent are we on God in our attitude? How is my prayer life for the group? – How is our worship in the group? What wrong assumptions we had about God? How is the worship in my life? – How is the teaching/studying in the group? How is the quality of my own devotional time? Do I see applications of the word in real life?  Inward – How often do people in the group meet/communicate (outside of church included)? What are those meetings consist of? How much time am I there? – Are people trusting/risking in self-disclosure, discussing spiritual issues and life struggles? Are they into each other lives? How am I modeling that? – Are they committed to each other, forgiving, encouraging one another? What efforts can be seen?

Evaluation (Equipping & Winning)  Forward – Who are the people which is Available, Faithful, Teachable, and Responsive? How do we identify and recruit them for ministry? – How often do we equip people to care for their peers? What are the structures & contents? Are they relevant? Are we following through? – How are the leaders feel at our group? What are we doing to minister to the needs of the leaders? How could/would God use me? – How can I discern God’s direction and communicate it more effectively?  Outward – How often do we pray for the lost? How about me, how is my relationship with the lost? – How often do our group activities were designed to target the lost? How effective were those events? What can I do to improve? – How are the visitors feel at our group? Do they like it? What are we doing to cultivating, planting, and reaping these relationships? – How can we equip the group better to minister to their lost peers more effectively?

Further Resources  Sonlife’s “Foundation to Youth Ministry” training; and “Sonlife Strategy” Seminar ( A follow up to “Strategy” call “Expansion” (1 day) or “Advance I: Vision & Balance” is highly recommended.  “Small Group Leaders' Handbook: The Next Generation”; IVP; $9.00  “How to Lead Small Groups”; Navpress; $9.00  “The Big Book on Small Groups”; Jeffrey Arnold; $12.00  “Serendipity Bible”; $26 or “Interactive Study Bible”; $30 from Serendipity House ( - They also have many other good bible study guide.

The End Questions and Discussion