Fruitful Congregation Journey: Growing as Disciples of Christ

Transcription

1 Fruitful Congregation Journey: Growing as Disciples of Christ This six-session, self-led study is designed to be done in a small group setting. Each session will require about an hour s time. The group can add a meal and/or worship with each session if it wishes. Each participant should be handed a copy of the six lessons in this study at the first session. They should bring it to each session along with a Bible. They are also encouraged to keep a journal recording key ideas from each session, as well as the next-step commitments that they make. Although this study will require a person to serve as a facilitator, the facilitator will not need to do any preparation prior to the session. They simply will guide the group through the session outline. This responsibility can be passed around from person to person. At the end of each session is a measurement that a church can use to gauge its overall level of discipleship. Churches that are intentionally striving to make disciples are encouraged to use these measurements on a quarterly basis in order to monitor and improve their church s overall progress. INTRODUCTION Everyone who claims Jesus as Lord is called not only to make disciples for the transformation of the world, but to be a disciple too. What exactly does this mean? This six-session study will help participants explore what a disciple is and will challenge them to grow closer to Christ by growing as His disciples. SESSION ONE: JESUS IS LORD! Take turns introducing yourselves to the others in your group. Share your name and your first memory of church. 1

2 Light a candle to symbolize the presence of Christ in your midst, and open with this prayer or Why are we here? The purpose of this six-session study is to do the following: Explore what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, Specifically look at the five membership vows that United Methodists joining the church make, And consider ways to grow in each of these areas. The outcome will be that each of you will strive to grow in love of Christ by growing through the five membership vows. Please note that you do not need to be a member of a United Methodist church, or any church, in order to do this study. Recite together the following: As a group, we covenant to explore what it means to be a disciple and to grow in love with Christ our Lord. Who is Jesus? Read together Matthew 16:13-20 and then discuss the following questions: Who do you say that Jesus is? How does this impact your life? How does this set you apart from persons who might respond differently? The earliest Christians shared the common belief that Jesus is Lord. What does this statement mean to you? What word might be more appropriate than lord today? Is Jesus lord of your life? If so, how? If not, pray that God might help you fall in love with Jesus more and more each day. What is a disciple of Jesus Christ? Spend a few moments in your group discussing these questions How would you define a disciple? What scriptures come to mind? The United Methodist Church s mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. What does it mean to make a disciple? Are there any stories that illustrate this? What specifically has helped you become a disciple? Write down the responses on paper. Your next step Consider responses from the above question. Pick one or two items that you will intentionally practice this week. Have each person share what they are planning to do. Write it down. Pick a partner and pray for each other that you will follow through on your next steps. 2

3 Church measurement: Commitments to Christ Record the number of persons who joined your church by Profession of Faith this quarter: SESSION TWO: OUR PRAYERS Take turns introducing yourselves to the others in your group. Share your name and how prayer was (or wasn t) a part of your childhood experience. Light a candle to symbolize the presence of Christ in your midst, and open with this prayer or Recite this covenant together: As a group, we covenant to explore what it means to be a disciple and to grow in love with Christ our Lord. One way is through our prayers. Our homework Have each person share how they did at completing their next step from the prior session. Did you complete your task? If so, what helped you? If not, what might help you this week? What did you experience from doing this? What would you do differently? Is this something that you will continue to do? Why or why not? Five membership vows When a person becomes a member of a United Methodist Church, they publicly vow to uphold the church with their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness. Even if you haven t joined the church, these are practical expressions of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Growing in each of these five areas will help us grow in our love for Jesus Christ. Today we re going to explore the first vow prayer. What is prayer? Read together Matthew 6:5-13 and then discuss the following questions: What does this passage say about what prayer is? What prayer is not? How might the Lord s prayer serve as a model prayer for you each day? Upholding the church in prayer One of the first accounts of the church, in Acts 2:42-47, specifically mentions that the early Christians devoted themselves to prayer, as well as other things. As a result, it says that everyone was filled with awe and that many wonders and miraculous signs were done. 3

4 How is prayer impacting your church? How might your church more intentionally practice prayer? Have you experienced a sense of awe through your prayers? Have you seen any miracles that resulted at least in part from your prayers? What contributed to your prayers effectiveness? Read 1 Thessalonians 5: What do you think the writer, Paul, meant by verse 17? What would it look like if you were to pray without ceasing? Your next step As a group, brainstorm the various ways that you could incorporate the practice of prayer even more into your personal life. And your church s life. Write down your answers. Pick one or two of these ideas and commit to practicing it (or them) each day. Pick a partner and pray for each other that you will follow through on your next steps. Church measurement: Prayers and Spiritual Formation Record the percentage of members who are presently involved in an on-going spiritual formation group (e.g. Sunday school class, Bible study, small group) this quarter: SESSION THREE: OUR PRESENCE Share with your group a specific worship service or experience that you remember. It can be a humorous or serious memory. If someone attending is new to the group, make sure to introduce yourselves. Light a candle to symbolize the presence of Christ in your midst, and open with this prayer or Recite this covenant together: As a group, we covenant to explore what it means to be a disciple and to grow in love with Christ our Lord. We do this through our prayers, as well as our presence in this group, our church, and before God through our worship. Our homework Have each person share how they did at completing their next step from the prior session. Did you complete your task? If so, what helped you? If not, what might help you this week? What did you experience from doing this? What would you do differently? Is this something that you will continue to do? Why or why not? What does presence mean? 4

5 The second vow a United Methodist makes when they join the church is to uphold the church through their presence. What do you think is meant by the word presence? Read Matthew 22:37-40 and then discuss the following questions: What do you think this passage says about our presence with God? With others? Is it possible to love without being present? Why or why not? Upholding the church with your presence How did Christians in the early church, described in Acts 2:42-47, uphold their fellowship through their presence? Is it possible to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and not be a part of a fellowship, or a church? What would lost? How are you doing at being present with God and your church? How might you improve? Read the story about Jesus friends, Mary and Martha, in Luke 10: Which of the women were present? Why? How is busyness different than being present? Our churches require both our being and our acting. How do we maintain a healthy balance? How is our church doing at encouraging us to keep these balanced? What might it do to help? Write down your answers to these last two bullets. Your next step Which of ideas written down will you pursue? What specific next step will you take in response to this lesson in order to grow in your presence with God and your church? Pick a partner and pray for each other that you will follow through on your next steps. Church measurement: Presence in Worship Record the percentage of members who are worshiping at least twice a month this quarter: SESSION FOUR: OUR GIFTS Share with the group the best present you ve ever received (besides the gift of God s presence through Christ and the Holy Spirit) or the craziest or most memorable. Light a candle to symbolize the presence of Christ in your midst, and open with this prayer or Recite this covenant together: 5

6 As a group, we covenant to explore what it means to be a disciple and to grow in love with Christ our Lord. We do this through our prayers and our presence, as well as our gifts. Our homework Have each person share how they did at completing their next step from the prior session. Did you complete your task? If so, what helped you? If not, what might help you this week? What did you experience from doing this? What would you do differently? Is this something that you will continue to do? Why or why not? What does gifts mean? The third of the five vows that United Methodist Church members make when they join the church is to uphold it by their gifts. What do you think is meant by the word gifts. What scriptures do you think of that deal with gifts? One understanding of gifts is material wealth. Read Mark 10:17-31 and then discuss the following questions: How do you know when your money and possessions have control over you? Describe a specific time when you had an opportunity to give financially to God to the point it hurt? What happened? A second understanding of gifts is talents. Read Matthew 25: What does Jesus seem to be saying about gifts in this parable? How does this relate to being His disciple? Another understanding of gifts is described in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. What does Paul seem to be saying about gifts in this passage? How do you use your spiritual gifts at home? Work (or school)? At church? Growing in your giving Thinking of gifts in these three ways--as well as others, such as time, talents, and treasures--discuss the following questions: Which of definition is the easiest to live out? The hardest? Why? Do you tithe? If not, do you give a percentage of your income away? How do other disciples and your church help you to grow in this area? What more could they do? Record your answers to this question. Your next step Which of ideas written down will you pursue? What specific next step will you take in response to this lesson in order to grow in your giving to God and your church? Pick a partner and pray for each other that you will follow through on your next steps. Church measurement: Gifts and Tithes Record the percentage of members who are giving a percentage of their income this quarter: 6

7 SESSION FIVE: OUR SERVICE Share with the group a specific time when you served someone or you were served by someone. Light a candle to symbolize the presence of Christ in your midst, and open with this prayer or Recite this covenant together: As a group, we covenant to explore what it means to be a disciple and to grow in love with Christ our Lord. We do this through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, as well as our service. Our homework Have each person share how they did at completing their next step from the prior session. Did you complete your task? If so, what helped you? If not, what might help you this week? What did you experience from doing this? What would you do differently? Is this something that you will continue to do? Why or why not? What does service mean? The fourth of the five vows that United Methodist Church members make when they join the church is to uphold it by their service. What do you think is meant by the word service. What scriptures do you think of that deal with serving others? Read Matthew 25:31-46 and then discuss the following questions: What does Jesus seem to be saying about our responsibility for serving others? How does our giving relate to our serving? See Acts 2:45. What are examples of this in your church? Growing in service Describe a specific time when your church impacted the life of persons outside its walls through service? What brought this about? Is your church serving those outside its walls to the point that if it didn t exist, the community would notice? Who are the least of these in your community? As group brainstorm twenty ways that you might show Christ s love to these people. Remember in brainstorming there is not wrong or dumb or crazy idea. Write down your answers. How might you grow in this area? Your next step Which of ideas written down will you pursue? What specific next step will you take in response to this lesson in order to grow in your service to the least of these? 7

8 Pick a partner and pray for each other that you will follow through on your next steps. Note: If the group wishes to take communion (or have an agape love feast) at the close of the next session and/or if it wishes to incorporate some singing, it will need to make the necessary preparations. Church measurement: Service, Involvement in Ministry Record the percentage of members engaged in a ministry serving persons outside the church at least once a month this quarter: SESSION SIX: OUR WITNESS Share with the group a specific time when you were impacted by someone sharing God s Good News. Light a candle to symbolize the presence of Christ in your midst, and open with this prayer or Recite this covenant together: As a group, we covenant to explore what it means to be a disciple and to grow in love with Christ our Lord. We do this through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, as well as our witness. Our homework Have each person share how they did at completing their next step from the prior session. Did you complete your task? If so, what helped you? If not, what might help you this week? What did you experience from doing this? What would you do differently? Is this something that you will continue to do? Why or why not? What does witness mean? The final vow that United Methodist Church members make when they join the church is to uphold it by their witness. What do you think is meant by the word witness. What scriptures do you think of that deal with witnessing to others? In 2009, this final vow was added to the other four. Why do you suppose it was added? Read Acts 1:8 and then discuss the following questions: Why do you suppose that Jesus specifically lists the four geographic areas? How are each distinctively different ministry areas? Why do you suppose Jesus final words both in Matthew 28:18-20 and in Acts 1:8 were of our need to be witnesses? 8

9 Growing in your witness What are various ways that you can be a witness of Jesus Christ? Write your ideas down. How have you been a witness in the past year? Past month? Past week? If you rarely have been a witness of Jesus, what do you think is the underlying reason? How does your church empower you and expect you to be a witness? How could it help more? Write down your ideas. Your next steps Which of ideas written down will you pursue? What specific next step will you take in response to this lesson in order to grow in your service to the least of these? Now consider all five vows. Which of them do you plan on growing in the next twelve months? What specific steps will you set in order to move forward? Discuss within your group how you collectively might help hold each other accountable to these goals. Make a covenant with one another to follow through on whatever you decide. Closing Each of you write down on two pieces of paper the commitment you have made. Sign your name and date them. Gather at your church s altar (or your worship center) and take turns sharing with the group your commitment and place one copy at the altar. Place the other copy in your Bible and keep it as a reminder of your commitment. As each person reads their commitment, have the others in the group lay their hands on them and pray this prayer (or one of your choosing): Dear Lord, we pray for (person s name), that you will help them grow as your disciple through this commitment which they have just make. Give them strength to pursue this goal so that they might grow in their witness to you and your love. Have your pastor serve your group communion (or have an agape love feast) at the altar. You may want to sing songs of praise to God during this time. Have one person take all the pieces of paper on the altar and give them to your church s prayer team (if you have one) so that its members can pray for each of you and your commitments. Also have this person give each person in your group a list of each name and the commitment that they have made so that the group can pray for each other. Church measurement: Witness, Invitations to Unchurched Record the percentage of members who have invited an unchurched person to a discipling group and/or worship service in the past quarter: 9

10 APPENDIX: CHURCH DISCIPLEMAKING MEASUREMENTS GUIDE A. Church measurement: Commitments to Christ Record the number of persons who joined your church by Profession of Faith this quarter: B. Church measurement: Prayers and Spiritual Formation Record the percentage of members who are presently involved in an on-going spiritual formation group (e.g. Sunday school class, Bible study, small group) this quarter: C. Church measurement: Presence in Worship Record the percentage of members who are worshiping at least twice a month this quarter: D. Church measurement: Gifts and Tithes Record the percentage of members who are giving a percentage of their income this quarter: E. Church measurement: Service, Involvement in Ministry Record the percentage of members engaged in a ministry serving persons outside the church at least once a month this quarter: F. Church measurement: Witness, Invitations to Unchurched Record the percentage of members who have invited an unchurched person to a discipling group and/or worship service in the past quarter: Measurement Matrix Use the grid below to record your church s quarterly progress in the above areas. Year: Measurement Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Yearly Ave. A. Professions of Faith: B. Spiritual Formation: C. Worship Average: D. Gifts & Tithes: E. Service & Ministry: F. Witness to Others: 10

11 11