Building Christian Community

Small Group Ministry in Today’s Seventh-Day Adventist

Church

Building Christian Community

SESSION TWO LIFE-CHANGING SMALL GROUPS:

SOME DEFINITIONS

Small Groups: Designed to Develop Kingdom

Community• Building

relationships between believers

• Building relationships with those outside the family circle

OHP 1.1OHP 1.1

Building a church without walls

In the Minds of Many People…In the Minds of Many People…

...the building is the “church”...the building is the “church”

The Truth Is...The Truth Is...

…the people are the church!…the people are the church!

The Effective Cell or Small Group Is…

(1)…holistic It’s a small number of people (3-12)

who meet together for Bible study to:

• grow in their relationship with God• grow in their relationship with each

other• reach out to share what they have

with others

Spiritual Spiritual WarfareWarfareSpiritual Spiritual WarfareWarfare

ServiceServiceServiceService

EdificationEdificationEdificationEdification

DiscipleshipDiscipleshipDiscipleshipDiscipleshipBible StudyBible StudyBible StudyBible Study

FellowshipFellowshipFellowshipFellowship

EvangelismEvangelismEvangelismEvangelism

WorshipWorshipWorshipWorship

Christ’s Holistic Community

A Small Group Mission

Statement“To connect people relationally

in groups for the purpose of growing in Christ-likeness, loving one another, and contributing to the work of the church, in order to glorify God and make disciples of all nations.”

The Effective Small Group

is…

(2)...the Basic Building Block of the Church

…the small group is to the church

What the Cell is to the Body...

The Effective Small Group is...

(3) …interactive• Not the same as

preaching• Not the same as

teaching• Everyone learns

from everyone else

JESUS IN

CENTRE

The Effective Small Group is...

(4)… a basic Christian community

Task Sub-Group

Support Sub-Group

Study Sub-Group

Leadership sub-group

Holistic Small Group

CommunityCommunityWing Wing (small)(small)CommunityCommunityWing Wing (small)(small)

Corporate Corporate

Wing Wing (large)

(large)

Corporate Corporate

Wing Wing (large)

(large)

A Small Group Church is Like a Two-Winged

Bird

Corporate Wing Functions:

• Overall Coordination

• Celebration Worship

• Teaching the Word

• Unity of the Body

• Resourcing ministry

• Supporting Leaders

• Reaching the World

• Public Evangelism

• Financial Oversight

Corporate Corporate

Wing Wing (large)

(large)

Corporate Corporate

Wing Wing (large)

(large)

Community Wing Functions

• Abiding in Christ• Body Life Fellowship• Edification of the

Body• Equipping the

Saints• Ministry to the

hurting• Witnessing to the

lost

CommunityCommunityWing Wing (small)(small)CommunityCommunityWing Wing (small)(small)

• Care of the “new babies”!

• Mutual accountability• Application of the Word• Leadership

development• Leadership co-

ordination• Prayer mobilization

Small Group Ministry Small Group Ministry Is Not Simply One of Is Not Simply One of Many ProgramsMany Programs

It’s a System for a It’s a System for a People-Centred & People-Centred & Community-Based Community-Based MinistryMinistry

And a Small Group Church is And a Small Group Church is Not a Collection of Not a Collection of Independent House ChurchesIndependent House Churches

It’s a structure which connects people with people in order to release the power of the available ministry in your church

It Does Not Mean It Does Not Mean an Absence of an Absence of DepartmentsDepartments

MOTHER CHURCHMOTHER CHURCH

The Small Group Church The Small Group Church Provides a System…Provides a System…

Essential Departments

……through which departments through which departments support the ministry of the support the ministry of the

groupsgroups

Small Groups: not Just a Good Idea, but a GOD idea

• Every member in ministry

• Cost effective• Exponential growth• Faithfulness in

stewardship• Holistic ministry• Continuous

harvesting

Building Christian Community

Small Group Ministry in Today’s Seventh-Day Adventist

Church