STOP GOING STARTBEING CHURCH. MC Leadership Handbook. missional communities TO CHURCH. THe. Following Jesus. Together.

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1 STOP GOING TO CHURCH. STARTBEING THe CHURCH. missional communities Following Jesus. Together. MC Leadership Handbook

2 Thanks for joining the journey of being a part of a Missional Community! We re so excited about what we believe God wants to do in you as a group of people who have committed to follow Jesus together and to live on mission. This process of sharing life at this level and listening for God s leading will not always be easy, but it will be worth it. The information provided here will by no means be exhausting but can serve as an important foundation for group life and leadership. We want you to have the freedom to follow God where He s leading you and your group but also want to ensure we intentionally keep the things that are important in focus at all times. God bless you as you embark on this journey as His Church. Exciting days are ahead! The Staff at Anchor Point Contact Info: Ryan Underwood- Pastor of Missional Communities ryan@anchorpointchurch.org (218)

3 I. GROUP IDENTITY: OUR DNA HOW DO WE LIVE THIS OUT? So what does it even mean to be missional? Missional is somewhat of a buzz word in church circles these days, and it can easily create some confusion if we re not careful to define it. This section is meant to point you towards the characteristics, or more literally, the DNA that we are asking the members of our communities to embody as disciples of Christ. BEFORE The only way a group can effectively embody these missional values is if the individual members are willing to do so on a personal level first. We encourage you to regularly teach and model these practices within your MC. Consistently check-in and encourage people as they seek to live these out in their daily lives. Our groups will become a reflection of who we are as individuals - in other words, if we re not willing to live missionally as individuals, we can t expect that just getting together in a missional group will yield anything different. This isn t a collection of things to add to your to-do list, but rather rhythms of life that we can incorporate into things we are already doing. Many of these practices will seem countercultural and are only possible for us if we are willing to reprioritize and make sacrifices in the way we live. For this reason, we ve chosen the acrostic REBEL to help you remember these habits, because the embodiment of these values means a rejection of a me-centered faith and a stand against the celebration of consumerism. RHYTHMS OF A REBEL MISSIONAL WAYS OF LIVING The Gospel shapes how we live as followers of Jesus. As simple as it is, it is also profoundly impactful and far-reaching, affecting every part of our lives. A deep understanding of the Gospel and its significance should drive each and every part of how we live. God both demonstrated and commanded that REST & we regularly rest. We define rest as intentional time set aside to enjoy His creation. Out of this RECREATE: rest, we can then participate in the re-creation of things that restore beauty and wholeness. Have a regular rhythm of sabbath rest. c b FF EAT: EAT: BLESS: REST & RECREATE: ENGAGE: LISTEN: ENGAGE: We all practice the rhythm of eating. (Over 20 times each week!) Our goal is to use this regular part of our life and culture as an intentional way to build relationships with those outside of the church. Share a meal with an unbeliever every week. The Gospel has enriched our lives in deep and meaningful ways. A natural response to this is to become people who regularly bless others using our words, gifts and actions. Be a blessing to three people each week. Discipleship is about learning with the head, the heart and the hands. This can only happen when we intentionally open our lives to others and use the normal stuff of life to create learning environments as a disciple and a discipler. Be an apprentice. Have an apprentice. LISTEN: We seek to regularly hear God s voice and direction by listening backward (what He has already said in Scripture) as well as listening forward (what He reveals to us in prayer). We listen and we respond, joining in where we see Him at work. Listen for God to speak and join Him in His work.

4 `II. GROUP LIFE DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS FOR MC s Our desire is to give ample room for freedom in terms of what your missional community does for meetings, how you organize, etc. The following are four foundational concepts that we ask every group to implement so as to stay true to the core desires we have for what our groups look like. 1. TEAM-BASED LEADERSHIP: We believe that God has perfectly gifted us as His body to do the work He has for us - but this can only happen we allow for all parts to function as they were intended. We desire that our groups be led by teams who understand their personal calling and giftings so as to lead from their strengths. (Ephesians 4) APOSTLE TEACHER PASTOR PROPHET EVANGELIST 2. BALANCED MINISTRY: Each Missional Community should seek to balance their group life around three areas of focus: See Chapter 7 of Building a Discipling Culture. IN Learn more and take a free gifts assessment at See also Chapter 10 of Building a Discipling Culture. UP OUT UP: The UP dynamic of group life centers around upward attention on God. The group sets time aside to praise God for who He is and celebrate the things He has done. The group actively seeks to listen for the voice and leading of the Spirit: backwards through the examination and discussion of Scripture and forwards through time spent together in prayer. The group together hears and responds to God s leading in their lives. IN: The IN dynamic of group life centers around relationships within the community. The group cultivates time to build relationship with one another and people feel as though they are part of a family. Group members spend time together, sharing in life. When needs arise, individuals can expect to find support and resources from within the group. Deep relationships are developed, and people feel both invited and challenged in their journey of following Jesus. OUT: The OUT dynamic of group life centers around the mission of God: Christ s call for all believers to go and make disciples. Group members recognize that their life IS their mission - and they intentionally engage those outside of God s Kingdom in relationships. Together as a group, the MC creates opportunities to welcome new people who are moving forward in their faith journeys. The group regularly seeks out ways to demonstrate the love and power of God s Kingdom to those outside of the Church.

5 3. APPRENTICESHIP & MULTIPLICATION Central to our DNA as a community should be the desire to multiply ministry. This can only happen when we regularly and intentionally develop new leaders. MC s start right away with the intention to multiply new groups from within. Leaders should always be looking for who it is that God might be raising up to begin a new group or to take on responsibility so that others are freed to be sent out. This doesn t mean that we always intend to split groups. We want the groups to be free to remain together for long periods of time if they desire to do so. But we do not want our groups to ever stop growing, so there should be a constant need for those who are willing to step out and begin new a work. Every leader should have an apprentice. If you are in a leadership role within the group, you should be asking yourself who it is that you can raise up and bring along in the growth process in your area of ministry. 4- YOU DO, I WATCH 1- I DO, YOU WATCH 3- YOU DO, I HELP 2- I DO, YOU HELP See Chapter 9 of Building a Discipling Culture. 4. HEAD, HEART & HANDS DISCIPLESHIP Often in the Church, we ve been guilty of equating discipleship with the ability to learn and retain information. In reality, it s only when that truth reaches into our hearts and is demonstrated in the way that we live that true growth happens. We want our MC s to cultivate discipleship environments that allow for truth to be learned, believed and lived out. HIGH INVITATION LOW CHALLENGE CONSUMER COZY CULTURE BORING APATHETIC CULTURE DISCIPLING EMPOWERED CULTURE LOW INVITATION STRESSFUL DISCOURAGED CULTURE HIGH CHALLENGE See Chapters 2 and 3 of Building a Discipling Culture. Jesus created a learning environment for his disciples that included both invitation and challenge. This is to say that he offered a high level of relationship - inviting them into a deeper sharing of His life. But He also provided a high level of challenge - pushing back against the things He saw in their lives that would hinder them from engaging in the mission He had for them. As He taught, apprenticed and immersed them over the three years they spent together, we see the undeniable growth that resulted in their lives.

6 III. GROUP HEALTH TOOLS TO KEEP YOU ON MISSION Keeping your group moving in the right direction is a team-effort. Taking time regularly to evaluate how things are going and asking big-picture questions is imperative if you want to keep your group moving in the desired direction. We encourage you as a leadership team to use the following evaluation questions and schedule a time once per quarter to dialogue and address this as your sole agenda item. Additional tools and resources and available at on the MC Resources page. MC EVALUATION QUESTIONS: AREA #1 - TEAM-BASED LEADERSHIP - Which of the five-fold gifts are currently present in our team? - Which ones are most represented? - Which ones are we missing? - Is there someone in the group that could help fill these gaps? - Who is in our group that could begin to take on more responsibility? AREA #2 - BALANCED MINISTRY - How balanced do we feel that our MC is in IN-OUT-UP? - When did we last utilize the balanced ministry assessment tool? (This should be done as a leadership team every six months - and is available on the website) AREA #3 - APPRENTICESHIP & MULTIPLICATION - Who are our current apprentices? If you don t have one, who are you planning to invite into that role going forward? - Where are they in the leadership square currently? - Where/How do we see our group continuing to grow? - What are our current barriers to growth? How can we address them? - Who among our group might God be calling to birth a new MC? - What are the next things we can do as a team to step towards multiplying ministry? AREA #4 - HEAD, HEART & HANDS DISCIPLESHIP - How inviting is our MC as a group? - How challenging is our MC as a group? - How are doing at helping people learn truth? (HEAD) - How are we doing at helping people experience truth? (HEART) - How are doing at helping people apply truth? (HANDS) RHYTHMS OF A REBEL These should be discussed as a group and answered by each individual - they won t break into your group until you allow them into your own lives... - How is my personal/family rhythm of rest & recreation? - How many meals am I using to connect with unbelievers? - Who were the last people I made an effort to be a blessing to? - To whom have I opened up my life? Who is my current mentor? - What was the last thing I heard God say to me? Have I acted on it? - What can we celebrate? What can we improve? (for each area below) - UP: our upward focus on God through worship, prayer & listening - IN: our internal focus on relationships together - OUT: our outward focus on those God has called us to reach