The Role of CommUNITY

Why does it matter whether people gather in community and join God on His mission? The current goal of the mission of God (after the fall and before Jesus comes back) is to redeem a lost world. All throughout scripture, community is an integral component of accomplishing God’s mission. God works through people to redeem His world. Why does it matter that we work on this mission of God together? Because there is power in “together”.

Community coincides with the beginning of time and is rooted in the Trinity. Genesis 1:26 reads, “Let us make mankind in our image”. We see at the start of community the Trinity is intimately involved. So much so that in Genesis 2:18 which is set in the most perfect environment known to mankind, the Garden of Eden, we are told that “alone” is not good. Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12 gives us the importance of not being alone; “Two are better than one” and “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Jesus’ entire journey was through community. He modeled community by starting community with twelve disciples who would carry out His mission. Jesus showed a reproducible and strategic model for the mission to continue. The early church in Acts took seriously “community” set before them to see God’s mission of the Great Commission and Great Commandment fulfilled. Chapter two of the Book of Acts shows us what community looked like and what it did. It fellowshipped, it discipled, it served, it evangelized, and it worshipped. As a result, the mission spread. At their best, churches and communities of people are a reflection of these original communities. When these purposes are fulfilled in balance or harmony, they fulfill the mission of God. Acts 2 is within months of Christ’s giving the Great Commission and that mission is being fulfilled through community. The Lord added to their number daily, because they obeyed Christ in community.

How did God add to their number daily? In Acts 5:42 we see the delivery systems for fulfilling mission—“Temple Courts” and “house to house”. “Temple Courts” are the equivalent of our modern weekend services. “House to House” is our small groups – communities of Christ-centered people. Fifty-eight times in the Word we see “one another”. Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. There is an assumption of close relationships for these communities, not just a casual crowd of people but implied intimacy. The metaphors of taking community deeper are seen throughout the NT as language of “family” is always used over a less intimate view of “teacher/student”.

Do you remember the story of the paralytic in Luke 5? Four men broke through the roof of a synagogue to lower their friend to Jesus. Sometimes it takes something that radical to do God’s mission and lead someone to Jesus! Notice what the Bible says in Romans chapter 12, “Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other and each of us needs all the others.”

How can your community help you see God’s mission fulfilled? Here are just a few ways:

Your community helps you care about people who don’t know Jesus
Your community helps you believe God can reach the impossible person
Your community helps you make a plan for God’s mission to happen
Your community helps you overcome difficulties that try to stop God’s mission
Your community helps you have courage try something different to accomplish mission
Your community helps you work together to get the God’s mission done
Your community helps you to be willing to pay the cost to do God’s mission

If you are not in relational community of believers, a CommUNITY Group, you’ll miss God’s design for his mission to be fulfilled. This is the message Christ gave to us. This is the message you need to share with those in your ministry and circle of influence.

BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN OTHERS

Everyone is a “10” somewhere. Everyone is good at something and can benefit the whole group when they use their gifts. I tell my leaders all the time, “You are successful not if you do all the work. You are successful if you bring out the best in others.” A good leader is a facilitator who understands that everyone has a part to play and no part is too small.

One of the great blessings of utilizing the gifts of all the members is that they feel like they have something to contribute and that they belong. The more the ministry is shared the better off everyone is. In almost every case of groups disbanding in my experience, I have found a leader who was doing everything and not sharing the ministry. The most effective groups form core teams.

Your role as group leader is not to lead the entire group of eight or ten or twelve. Your role is primarily to shepherd and disciple (develop) two or three people in your inner circle – and then to share ownership and leadership with them. “

My group has come alive since praying in and incorporating a core team approach. But don’t settle with simply forming a core team and utilizing the gifts of the team. Everyone who gathers with the group has something to share. Obviously people are at all different levels of discovering and using their gifts. As a leader I focus on how I can bring out the best in others. The main question I ask myself after the group has met is this: Did everyone participate and did people walk away edified or built up?

Both of these are extremely important factors in being a healthy small group. Unfortunately, I see a lot of group leaders leading alone. It's so good to see a group that's getting this right and seeing the blessings and benefits!

If you ARE sharing leadership and ownership, what blessings have you seen?

If you are NOT sharing leadership and ownership, what are your biggest obstacles?

Some're Here

What is your community group doing this summer? Did you know that summer can actually be the BEST time for community groups? It’s a great time to get outside together, serve together, do more socially together, play together, learn some new things together. What’s the key word here? That’s right … together! Here are some ideas:

• Pull out your calendars now to plan when you will and won't meet over the summer.
• Make a commitment to one another to be there whenever possible.
• Go on trips together: camping, vacation, etc.
• Lighten up the Bible study for the summer and do some devotional stuff together.
• Do more Bible do's rather than Bible studies.
• Meet on the deck, back porch, or at a park.
• Study the one another passages from the New Testament over the summer, and do each of them in a creative way. (A group I led did this one year. We rotated homes and whoever hosted planned the "one another" study and application. One week we served one another by washing each others' cars. Another week we encouraged one another by doing a fun affirmation exercise. Another week we spoke one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs by having a creative worship time at a park. Every week we offered hospitality to one another without grumbling!
• Serve together. There are lots of great serving projects you can do, especially outside, over the summer. Need ideas? Check out the Service Projects on the CommUNITY Group link.
  
• Have fun together!
• Invite some friends who are not in a small group (or in a church) to join you!
• Go fishing together (or biking, hiking, swimming, rock climbing skydiving, etc.)
• Add your ideas! Respond to this post or send them to Susan at sodell@eumchurch.org and I'll share them!