An Outward Vision
The goal of a Community Group is to produce and encourage God-glorifying relationships as we express the kingdom of God. Interestingly, this happens not just by focusing inwardly, but on looking outside our group to bless others. The result is that the members of the group grow in spiritual maturity.
Why should we cultivate an outward posture of our CGs?
- CGs, where all people are encouraged to join, play a vital role in the connectivity of the full set of ministries of the church
- It is fair to say that Sunday morning worship is the pinnacle of what the church does, but CGs are the heart/core of the church
How can we cultivate this outward posture at ROC?
- Missions connection for each community group
- Each CG will be paired up with on of our church-supported missionaries
- The group will regularly pray for them, communicate with them with notes of encouragement, and (if desired) send care packages, etc.
- Shepherding and mercy
- Each CG is also paired up with an elder and deacon
- This allows the CG to be the “front lines” for identifying and helping meet specific spiritual and tangible needs within the church
Skill Development as a Leader
Leading Prayer
- Common challenges
- Running out of time: taking too long for prayer requests, spending too much time on the study
- Surface-level prayers (“Please pray for my uncle’s cousin’s sick parakeet”), as a way to mask real issues
- Practical suggestions
- Protect your prayer time
- Restructure your meeting so that prayer takes place earlier
- Have people prepare their requests in advance
- Going deeper
- As you discuss certain applications from your study, pray for them for the individuals in the room
- Have themed prayer times (particular sins, relationships, etc.)
