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A Vision for

CommunityGroups

FaithPresbyterianChurch

Fall2008

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urpose

Community groupsdo not exist for theirown sake, independent of the larger scopeof the

ministry

at

FPC.

Rather,

they

strategically

maintain

and

advance

the

overall

vision

and

mission

ofthechurch.Withthisinmind,thepurposeofcommunitygroupsistwofold:

1) To provide community in which those who are already followers of Christ arenurtured and challenged to live in the gospel and to live out its implications.

(discipleship)

2) To provide community in which those who are not yet followers of Christ arewelcomed and invited to process and discover the gospel for the first time.

(evangelism)

A healthy community group is one that is increasingly characterized by a concern for both

discipleshipandevangelism.Weneednotchooseoneovertheother.Balance isachievedby

workingtomakethegospelcentralsincethegospelisnotsomethingthatChristianshaveand

everyoneelseneeds,butrathersomethingthateveryoneneedsallthetime.

The claim is sometimes made that small groups can either be used for evangelism or for

discipleship,butthattheycannotdobothatthesametime.Thathasnotbeenourexperience.It

istruethat ifyouaimatedificationyouwillprobably losetheattentionofthenonbelievers in

yourmidst.Itisalsotruethatifyouaimatevangelism,youwilleventuallyborethebelieversin

yourmidst.Butthosearenotouronlyoptions.IfweaimatexperiencingChristinourmidst,we

willfindthatwearebothbuildingupbelieversandchallengingnonbelievers.1

Thistwo

fold

commitment

to

discipleship

and

evangelism

is

the

driving

force

behind

how

we

thinkandactinregardtothecommunitygroupministryhereatFPC.Thevaluessectionbelow

highlightswhatismostimportanttousasweseektoimplementourvision

alues

AuthenticCommunity

GospelCentrality

1RedeemerPresbyterianChurch,FellowshipGroupHandbook:AManualforLeadersandCoordinators.

P

V

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DiscipleMaking

Theremarkablething isthatwhenthespiritualandpersonalgrowthofChristians ishighon

theagendaofachurch,italsobeginstobemoreeffectiveevangelistically.2

OutwardFace

eadership

Iamincreasinglyconvincedthatwhenitcomestoevangelism,therealissueinourchurchesis

notsomuchmotivationasleadership.3

Leadersaspacesetters

Coleaders/apprentices

Oversightanddevelopment

2GrahamTomlin,TheProvocativeChurch.3Ibid.

L

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ormat

CommunitygroupsaremorethanjustaBiblestudy.Biblestudyisoneofmanycomponentsof

whattakes

place

in

the

context

of

acommunity

group

meeting.

Welcome

Wearehere toexperience the transformingpresenceofChrist in community together. Its

whatweallneedregardlessofwherewefindourselvesinourspiritualjourneythisevening.

Sharing

Prayer

IncludeKingdomcenteredprayer

DotheAngelsinheavenyawnwhenyoupray?JackMiller

BibleStudy

F

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