by Gary Reinecke | Nov 21, 2022 | Uncategorized |
As we come to the table this year for Thanksgiving, may we enter into a posture of gratitude. In seasons where it is easy to take and receive, may we resist the temptation against the materials of the world that offer a fading happiness and instead reflect upon the goodness of God’s lasting promises.
Let us remember He is the God who provides. In a world where self-sufficiency is ever present, we encourage you this season to remember our dependency is on God alone. The beauty of gratitude is that it allows us to submit ourselves to what God has done and invites us into a posture of thankfulness.
May you and your family find the space this Thanksgiving to reflect on the ways God has provided and may this reflection lead to a greater dependency and deeper gratitude.
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
9 for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
Psalm 107:1-9
Happy Thanksgiving from InFocus!
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by Gary Reinecke | Nov 14, 2022 | Uncategorized |
When I developed small group leaders in a new church plant, New Song Church, we were singularly focused on reaching 18-25 year-olds. We did all we could to make our ministry relevant. Our small groups strived to meet the needs of college-aged students and young adults who were launching their careers. I remember searching to find resources that we could use with our leaders. There were so many out there at the time but it was a struggle to find material we could use “off the shelf” (now it would be called “from your device”). I thought of all sorts of approaches from Serendipity Bible to missionally engage groups that were reaching particular college students in the area we served, to service projects or need-oriented groups. Then, I sensed the Holy Spirit wanting me to take a different approach. Instead of finding a program or curriculum, our goal would be to develop our small group leaders to think, decide, and act for themselves. Then we would coach them to lead, care for, engage missionally, multiply disciples, then leaders, and ultimately groups. This was a significant shift in my approach.
Be clear about the mission
I remember one book I asked our small group leaders and apprentices to read: Coleman’s, Master Plan of Evangelism. This laid a foundation for us to discuss the “why” behind our small groups and sharpen our vision on disciple making–e.g., to keep the main thing the main thing. This book helped us keep the purpose of our small groups clear and in front of us along the way. We had a plethora of groups, but whether it was a softball team or a Bible discussion group, the stated goals of our small groups were with the intent on making disciples.
Guard against Mission Drift
It is easy to get distracted and allow mission drift to set in with small groups. Assimilation, personal support, relationships, ministry teams, missional engagement are all good things. However, if any of these become the primary function of the small group, then we risk drifting from the mission to make disciples. Another way of saying this is to substitute the good for the best.
One of the lessons we learned during this season is that small groups are likened to the cells of the physical body. The health of the body, or church, is synergistically and independently related to the life of the cells, or small groups. This is supported by the research conducted by Christian Schwarz in Natural Church Development (1996) where he draws the correlation between church health and growth:
“If we were to identify any one principle as the most important… then without a doubt it would be the multiplication of small groups”
Make certain you are clear on the mission of your small groups.
Coach to develop the person and leader
This is so important. People matter. The best way to develop leaders is to care for the individual. Coaching the whole person will allow the ministry to be self-sustaining. Imagine two rails of a train track: one rail represents the person and the other rail, the leadership. Both need to grow in order to multiply the group. The tension between these two will cultivate a healthy coaching relationship, grow the individuals and the small group ministry.
Here is a list of questions we often use to help us coach well. (I wish I had had these at New Song Church!) `
- What are you excited about?
- What is your greatest challenge?
- What are some practical steps you can take?
- What will you do?
- How can I pray for you?
Support and care for your leaders is essential for cultivating a disciple-focused mission for your small groups! Consistently implementing the questions above can help develop leaders that multiply.
Next week, we’ll take a deeper look into training small group leaders by modeling a process for them to emulate within their groups.
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by Gary Reinecke | Nov 7, 2022 | Uncategorized |
Have you ever encountered a difficult time in your life when you just needed an outside voice?
I can often mistake my inner voice. And it can actually be the voice of the accuser. Christian community can help us hear the voice of truth; the voice of the Holy Spirit. It can happen in corporate settings or in small groups. We can also be in conversation with one or two other Jesus followers and hear His voice crystal clear. The group’s size is not a limiting factor. In church history we discover a variety of settings in which the church has demonstrated where the voice of the Holy Spirit has spoken, been heard, and discerned. Small groups have been especially used by God to help people hear and discern the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Especially today, where young people are being challenged by so many divergent voices, an environment that is uncluttered and clear is needed. Where care, concern, and compassion are elevated. Where words, when needed, are kind. Where confrontation is done with love and grace. Where people can meet in circles and not rows, making real connections that go beyond the superficial. When silence on important issues can be broken once a safe place has been created. Small groups can serve all of these purposes.
John Wesley is a model and mentor for us in the church today. Holiness groups were the forerunner of the small group movement: Serendipity Groups, Navigator 2:7 Discipleship Groups, Life Transformation Groups, Discovery Bible Studies and Three/Thirds Groups, an micro churches to name but a few.
I want to revisit a historical account of John Wesley’s Band Societies for a sense of how he forged the foundations of a movement that led to revival in England and beyond. The rules of these Band Societies can be helpful to inform and inspire the ways in which we foster pastoral care, spiritual growth, and accountability in our small groups.
Drawn up December 25, 1738.
The design of our meeting is, to obey that command of God, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed..
To this end, we intend.
- To meet once a week, at the least.
- To come punctually at the hour appointed, without some extraordinary reason.
- To begin (those of us who are present) exactly at the hour, with singing or prayer.
- To speak, each of us in order, freely and plainly, the true state of our souls, with the faults we have committed in thought, word, or deed, and the temptations we have felt, since our last meeting.
- To end every meeting with prayer, suited to the state of each person present.
- To desire some person among us to speak his own state first, and then to ask the rest, in order, as many and as searching questions as may be, concerning their state, sins, and temptations.
The actual questions that are used in the Band Societies will vary – as long as the four following occur at every meeting.
- What known sins have you committed since our last meeting?
- What temptations have you met with?
- How were you delivered?
- What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt whether it be sin or not?
These questions, when asked with genuine concern and care for one another in the context of Christian relationships, can help us identify and discern the voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Reflection Questions to Assess your Disciple Making Communities
- What is the purpose for our small groups?
- What are the components that comprise your small group meeting?
- Now review the actual fruits or outcome you are achieving from your groups?
- Circle the things that your existing groups are achieving: assimilation, fellowship, discipleship, Bible study, application.
- Which ones do you want more of?
- Which ones do you want less of?
- Which ones can you eliminate and no one would notice?
- If you could re-launch your small groups, what would you like them to look like?
- What support do you currently provide your small group leaders?
- What support is missing?
- How could you improve the type of support you are giving to your leaders?
How were these questions helpful for you? What would you add?
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by Gary Reinecke | Oct 31, 2022 | Uncategorized |
One of the most exciting parts of leading a community of people is bringing everyone together around a collective goal. Leading people on mission is a gift that requires much stewardship and an understanding of the dynamics of how people work together. Although this offers many opportunities to see team members thrive in their individual giftings, a question remains: how do we navigate the complexities of bringing a community of people to deeper levels of faith when each person is at a different place on their journey?
Author Jean Vanier states in his book From Brokenness to Community:
“Then Jesus calls his friends into community with others who have been chosen for the same path. This is when all the problems begin! We see the disciples squabbling among themselves, wondering who is the greatest, the most important among them! Community is a wonderful place, it is life-giving; but it is also a place of pain because it is a place of truth and growth – the revelation of our pride, our fear, and our brokenness.” (1992,10)
Vanier goes on to explain how bringing people together in community does not create problems but instead reveals them. When people come together in communion, it is a place where the ego goes to die, sin is revealed, and in turn resurrection occurs.
Community can be a scary place.
It can be even more intimidating when you’re one of the leaders trying to guide others to a place of openness and transformation. The beautiful piece of this is that as leaders we do not need to appear to have it all together. In fact, Jesus calls us to lower ourselves, not to elevate (Phil 2:6-8). Leading in the way of transparency and not from the way of “climbing up the social ladder” enables others to do the same. It takes away the competition. It provides a space of belonging and one where everyone can come forth on their own individual journeys to navigate the unknown waters together. Vanier states, “To be in communion with someone means to walk with them.” If we walk with one another then we will not only help others reach deeper levels of growth, but in turn we will be participants in God’s sanctifying work, not merely observers.
When you belong to a community that walks in openness, you are making the choice to step into transformation. Community reveals the dark places in our hearts and calls us forth to look in the mirror at who we are becoming. Are we becoming like the world around us? Or will we relinquish our jealousy, greed, anger and judgment in order to become more like Christ?
When these become our guiding questions, leading others in their journey no longer becomes about managing differences but instead embracing life together. It is a way other than our own and it is a way to experience freedom and wholeness as one body.
Making it real
When I was newly married and first entering my coaching ministry, I was encouraged by my wife to create a small group with some other guys with whom I wanted to do life together. So, I contacted some guys and we started meeting on a weekly basis to do some kind of Bible study. As time moved forward, we shared some really great times together: lunches, backpacking trips. couple’s date nights and various other outings. Those relationships that started over two decades ago still continue today. Even though our lives and our zip codes have changed, the bond still remains.
Whether you are starting a small group or ministry team, it is important to create a culture where people feel safe. A culture that makes people feel valued. A culture with purpose. Here are 5 questions that can help you learn and apply ways to build authentic and lasting community with the people in your circles.
5 Questions for reflection
- How can we encourage our team or community members to not “climb the social ladder” but instead lower themselves?
- As a leader, are there ways you separate yourself from the group you are leading?
- What groups have you been a part of that challenge you to live authentically?
- What did you learn from that experience?
- What principles can you bring into this group?
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1 (1992, 10)
2 (Vanier, 1992, 30)
3 (Vanier, 1992, 16)
by Gary Reinecke | Oct 24, 2022 | Uncategorized |
Coaching people to apply what they are learning on their spiritual journey is an important way to help established disciples take their next steps of ongoing growth. Obedience is not a popular concept in our current cultural climate, yet it is an essential aspect of a growing disciple. What we are often doing is “re-discipling disciples”. Here’s what I mean:
A man who was recently divorced was in a small small group I once led. He was still very much embedded in his friend group. As he took steps on his journey of faith, he eventually saw those relationships for what they were: some were life-giving, but others were not so much. One of the most difficult relationships he had was with his father. Over time, this relationship greatly improved. His relationships with his children improved. The role the small group took in his life was strategic: it helped put skin to his faith, support when needed, and lots of loving care.
Groups, when effective, can help established Christians grow into mature disciples who make disciples.
While there are lots of group formats to follow, there is one that is commonly used in the Disciple Making Movements Community which is conducive to a coach-approach. That means it helps people move from reflection to action by asking questions and listening for the Holy Spirit.
3 Thirds Groups – see https://teamexpansion.org/what-is-a-3-thirds-group/
A three-thirds group is just what it sounds like: a group format that’s structured into three segments.
- Looking Back: this first segment gives group members the opportunity to provide care and support for one another based on what’s happening in their individual lives. It also provides accountability for the goals each person set for themselves.
- Looking Up: this second segment directs the group to “look up” to the Holy Spirit for direction, guidance, and revelation for the group’s journey through a passage of Scripture. What is the Spirit saying? What can we learn from this about God? About ourselves?
- Looking Forward: this last segment offers the opportunity to look ahead and explore how each person can apply what they have learned or discovered.
This group format is designed in such a way that each group member is discovering more about God and themselves, growing in the process, and learning to make disciples.
Reflection Questions for the groups you envision:
- What is the purpose of our groups?
- What is the fruit of our groups?
- What can we tweak or re-envision for our groups?
- Brainstorm some ideas that would make a difference in the next 3-6 months?
- What is a practical step we can take to move towards that?
We would love to hear from you: have you ever been part of a small group where you experienced major growth as a disciple? What did that look like?
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