http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs en web@southridgechurch.ca Copyright 2010 2010-03-16T13:52:50+00:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/d1eUgSaJeBQ/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/growing-in-circles/#When:13:52:50Z We’re getting really excited about our upcoming leader-training event called “Growing in Circles” with Bill Willits.  I hope you’re getting excited too!  If you don’t already have it on the calendar, mark it down right now - Saturday March 27th from 8:30AM-12PM (childcare will be provided).  We hope all of our leaders, as well as those in our groups who may one day lead a group, will make sure to join us for the morning. We’re expecting big things from God as we get together to work through what it takes to be the life-changing community that God wants us to be.  It’s going to be a blast! As a bit of background, if you don’t know who Bill Willits is - check out his church’s website, www.northpoint.org.  Bill is one of the founding pastors of North Point Community Church (in Atlanta Georgia) – one of the most influential (and largest) churches in North America.  He started it 15 years ago along with a guy named Andy Stanley - you may have heard of Andy.  Bill is the “Director of Ministries” at North Point and God has used to him to build one of the most successful Group Life Ministries in North America where they have over 10,000 people in small groups.  Bill has also coauthored a book with Andy Stanley called “Creating Community”.  A number of our Life Group Leaders have read it.  We’re looking forward to hearing what Bill has to share with us.  It’s going to be a really important morning in the life of our church.  Leaders, please make sure contact me by this Friday March 19th to let me (jjantzi@southridge.cc) if you are able to come and who from your group will be coming with you.  If you absolutely cannot make it, we’d really encourage you to make sure that someone from you group does come to represent the group.  This is definitely a “don’t miss” kind of event! Hope to see you on March 27th. Group Life 2010-03-16T13:52:50+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/growing-in-circles/#When:13:52:50Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/0JsZakkvgnM/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/groups-that-grow-spiritual-growth/#When:19:37:16Z At November 14th’s training event, we talked about two different characteristics of “Groups that Grow”.  The first characteristic we talked about was “Authenticity”.  (You can read more about that discussion in my previous post.)  The other characteristic we talked about was how Life Groups can play a powerful role as a ‘catalyst’ for spiritual growth in people. Let me explain… Groups, in-and-of themselves, cannot provide or produce spiritual growth in people.  Life Groups are not responsible for anybody’s spiritual growth.  But they do play a very important role in encouraging group members to take personal responsibility for their own growth. Here’s what our survey told us about Spiritual Growth and Life Groups: 85% of group members said that their Life Group has helped them to experience moderate to extraordinary spiritual growth in their lives.  (44% said ‘Moderate’, 36% said ‘Significant’, and 5% said ‘Extraordinary’) 8/10 group members said that they believe that their group experience is vital to their spiritual growth. 6-7/10 group members said that their group experience has helped them to apply the truth of the Bible and to engage in spiritual disciplines in their everyday lives. There are a lot of ideas that we could pull from these stats.  But one thing is clear: Life Groups play a critical role in helping people take their next steps of spiritual growth.  So, as Life Group Leaders, what practical action steps can we take to help the people in our groups take their next steps of spiritual growth? Here are the top three action steps you came up with around your tables: “Simplify Spiritual Growth” - Narrow it down to one simple next step Too often we complicate our life with Christ and get overwhelmed by all of our shortcomings and areas where we need to grow.  This usually leaves us feeling paralyzed and like we’re going nowhere with God.  So instead, ask yourself and your group, “What is one thing – one simple next step – that you can take this week to grow in your life with Christ?” “Set Spiritual Goals” – Where do you want to be in one year from now?  Six Months?  Three Months? We certainly don’t want to become overwhelmed by all of our shortcomings, but we do need to see the bigger picture and to have a clear sense of where we are going.  Setting spiritual goals can help to provide that kind of direction. Check out this ‘personal reflection tool’ that you can use to help you set spiritual goals for the coming months and year. “Set Clear Expectations” – Discuss the group’s role in helping group members experience spiritual growth. The group does not exist to provide or produce spiritual growth in people, but to encourage group members to take personal responsibility for their own growth.  Talking about this reality as a group can help to set clear expectations of the group’s role in a person’s spiritual journey.  Check out this resource that you can use as a group to develop a group plan and to discuss how the group can better encourage spiritual growth. Here are a few other action steps that came up in the discussion: Hold people accountable to their next steps Encourage people when you see growth “Assign Homework” - Give people study and reading options during the week. Encourage Spiritual Disciplines (i.e. Bible Reading, Prayer) Serve together – Foster an ‘others-oriented’ & ‘outward-focused’ attitude in the group Follow-up with individuals outside of regular group time and be intentional to continue spiritual conversations Pray together regularly What do you think about all this?  What’s your action step? Group Life 2009-11-26T19:37:16+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/groups-that-grow-spiritual-growth/#When:19:37:16Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/qawACsmQKmo/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/groups-that-grow-authenticity/#When:20:49:20Z If you weren’t with us on Saturday morning at our “Groups That Grow” Leader Training Event – you missed out!  We had an awesome time hanging out with our leaders and talking through some characteristics of “Groups that Grow”.  One of these characteristics was “Authenticity”.  In a recent survey of Southridge Life Group participants, the impact of this group characteristic came through loud and clear.  For example: Group members who said that they were experiencing significant levels of authenticity in their Life Group were FOUR TIMES more likely to say that their Group has helped them to experience significant levels of spiritual growth.  And these same people were almost SEVEN TIMES more likely to say that their Life Group experience has exceeded their expectations.  Wow!  Clearly, authenticity & honesty is HUGE in a healthy, growing group! So, on Saturday we spent some time talking about this reality.  We got really practical about things that we can do in our groups to help foster a greater degree of authenticity. Here are the top three action steps that you came up with around your tables: “Set & Respect the Ground Rules” Setting clear expectations & ground rules with your group is key to building a safe environment for authenticity & honesty! Check out this training video on setting the ground rules with your group. “Connect Outside of the Weekly Meeting” Hanging-out with group members outside of your weekly meeting would certainly help to build trust and authentic friendship.  Also, simply following-up with group members after they said something at group can open the door to some pretty cool God conversations. “Model Authenticity” Leaders set the tone and need to be the first to take the risk of vulnerability.  Remember, group members will follow your lead! Here’s a list of the other action steps you came up with: Remember that “There are no right answers!”  Have fun together! Ask good questions (i.e. “What word would best describe how you feel about God?  Why?”) Mix the group up; Split guys and girls into smaller groups occasionally Take a few weeks to share life stories with each other. Pray together! Tailor curriculum appropriately to your group Prepare well & purposefully Go on a mission trip and/or a retreat together Challenge each-other What do you think?  What are some other potential action steps that we could add to this list? Group Life 2009-11-17T20:49:20+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/groups-that-grow-authenticity/#When:20:49:20Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/veg8swDrtQ4/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/groups-that-grow-training-event/#When:19:49:13Z It’s hard to believe but November 14th is just around the corner!  I hope you’re planning to join us (from 8:30AM-12PM) for our fall training event “Groups That Grow” happening here at our Glenridge Location.  We’re praying that God will use our time together in big ways! Check out this video for a bit more info. Jeff Group Life 2009-11-04T19:49:13+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/groups-that-grow-training-event/#When:19:49:13Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/rajGobw59to/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/online-training-for-new-leaders/#When:15:39:24Z It’s been a crazy fall so far and there’s lots of things on the go (hence the lack of Group Life posts!).  One of these “things on the go” is the development of an online training experience designed specifically for new(er) Life Group Leaders.  An Online Life Group Leader Orientation, of sorts.  Here’s what this “orientation” looks like: There are four, short training videos (10-14 minutes each) addressing some of the essentials that new groups & new leaders should work through as they start up. Topics include the purpose of group, setting ground rules, facilitating a meeting, and multiplying your group. Each session is accompanied by a worksheet (PDF) which includes notes and reflection questions.  Leaders are encouraged to follow along with this worksheet, to make their own notes, and to take 20-30 minutes to work through the questions at the end. For new leaders, a staff coach will follow-up and connect one-on-one to debrief the session with them before moving along to the next session. All-in-all, after working through all four videos and connecting one-on-one with a coach after each video, the orientation process will likely take between 4-6 months to complete.  That said, while these videos were designed specifically to help coach new leaders through the first few months of leading a group, they may be helpful to some of our more “veteran” leaders as well.  So, no matter how long you’ve been leading a group, you are more than welcome – even encouraged – to work through these sessions on your own. If you’re not a leader but are curious about the possibility of one day leading a group, by all means - feel free to browse through the videos and work through some of the content.  You can preview this online training at http://vimeo.com/channels/realconnection I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. Enjoy! Group Life 2009-10-02T15:39:24+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/online-training-for-new-leaders/#When:15:39:24Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/MtU7ZKRlz5Q/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/why-i-dont-believe-in-christian-accountability-part-ii/#When:15:36:31Z Here’s PART 2 of Mike Foster’s (http://www.DeadlyViper.org) article on “accountability” in the church.  There are some great thoughts here. I’d love to get your reaction. Why I Don’t Believe in Christian Accountability! PART 2 I truly believe it is time to reinvent and rethink this very important component of our lives. Over the years, Christian accountability has deformed into a very ugly, uninspiring, and broken system. First off, I want to change the word from “accountability” to “advocacy.” If we are going to redefine a process and introduce a new concept, I think it needs a new word. The word I use in this context with fellow friends and leaders is advocacy. The term can be described as active support, intercession, or pleading and arguing in favor of someone. So let’s take a look at what advocacy means. Radical Grace Is The Foundation: Radical grace is the core engine for any healthy relationship. You can not have true transparency or confession without it. I encourage people to make verbal commitments to each other and clearly state that they will stand by one another through the best AND the worst. Most people live with the fear of rejection and allow this fear to dictate how honest they will be with others. In advocacy, we are constantly demonstrating that this relationship is a safe place. Through our response to one another’s failures, our own deep confession, and reminding each other that we are in this for the long haul, we implement radical grace. Focus on the Yes, not the No: Advocacy focuses on the “yes,” not the “no.” Too often typical Christian accountability revolves around long lists of what NOT to do. We spend way too much time discussing and managing the sin. Often we lock onto the most minor unhealthy behaviors and think that’s going to prepare us for success in life. Unfortunately we operate on the faulty assumption that working on the symptoms will address the core problem. Bad idea!!!  Advocacy spurs us on to the “yes.” It revolves around the crazy good things that we should be engaging in. It pushes us to live a life of positive risks, creativity, adventure, and significance. We rally around each other in this and focus our relationships around this theme. I truly believe a large amount of moral blowouts flow from boredom and dissatisfaction. We become depressed and unsatisfied with our life, career, and marriage and then we enter into dangerous territory. Why? Because we are not focusing on the “Yes!” I know that in my own life I become vulnerable when I have lost a sense of mission and purpose. Having an advocate in our life is important in reminding us of our calling.  Priority on People, Not Organizations: When people fail or become involved in some scandal, too often we immediately consider the ramifications on the organization or company. I’ve talked to many Christians who are very concerned about when a pastor falls of how this impacts the cause of Christ. Unfortunately, we place more concern on the damage to the brand of Christianity or the church instead of the fallen individual. I’ve seen horrific and hurtful things happen to people in the name of protecting the organization instead of the fallen person. Quite frankly, that sucks!!! If you haven’t figured it out by now, Christianity’s brand is failures and wrecked lives. Churches are places with messy people who do stupid things. I’ve certainly made my contribution to this effort with my mistakes. In advocacy the importance is placed on the individual. It is about people, especially those who are most broken. The organization, church or company should take a back seat. Multi Group Approach: Christian accountability often is accomplished in small groups that are too general or with just one person that puts too much responsibility on one individual. Advocacy embraces having multiple layers of transparency and connection. I have about 10 people who are involved in spurring me on to a life of integrity. They can actively speak into my life and I would listen and make the necessary tweaks. However, I have about 4 people who I have a deeper connection with and discuss harder things. I also have more structure with this group. This is what I consider to be the core. But even beyond the core, I have one friend that has full access. We take complete responsibility for each others integrity, purity, and sustainability. I refer to this person as my “first call.” When the crap hits the fan, I call him first. Each layer moves into a greater level of commitment and advocacy and each layer has an important role. Group Life 2009-07-15T15:36:31+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/why-i-dont-believe-in-christian-accountability-part-ii/#When:15:36:31Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/2sOeKnrRbgQ/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/christian-accountability-part-one/#When:20:31:01Z Here’s an interesting article that I stumbled across recently from a pastor named Mike Foster.  I’d love to hear your thoughts about this! Mike Foster is a pastor, speaker and co-author of the book, “Deadly Viper Character Assassins”.  He blogs at www.DeadlyViper.org  You can follow his thoughts on life and leadership at Twitter.com/mikefoster  Why I Don’t Believe in Christian Accountability! Part 1 I am deeply committed to all of us living a life of radical integrity and grace. Through Deadly Viper I get the chance to work with leaders on personal sustainability and living a life with no regrets. And though I champion the ideas of transparency, authenticity, and brutal honesty, I don’t believe in Christian accountability.  The whole concept makes me cringe and I don’t think I’m alone in this assessment. It’s horribly broken, ineffective, and doing a lot of people a disservice. In many ways Christian accountability is facilitating a pathway to our lives being chopped up by character assassins. So here are a few reasons why I don’t believe in Christian accountability and why a new discussion needs to happen around maintaining our integrity. 1. Lack of Grace: The primary reason Christian accountability doesn’t work is because we are more interested in justice and fixing a problem. I’ve seen too many times great men and women get chewed up by this process. When we fail, what we need most is grace and a second chance, not a lecture. We have all probably experienced or seen a harsh response to our struggles or failures. But there is a big problem when we respond with justice and not grace. You see human beings are wired up for self protection and survival. When we others being hurt, rejected, or punished for their sin, we correctly conclude that it is better to hide, conceal, and fake it in the future. It basically comes down to this: I don’t want to get hurt, so I’m not telling. When we lack grace, accountability breaks down. 2. Bad Environments: Let me be frank. If I were having an illicit affair with a woman I’m not going to confess it to 4 guys at a Denny’s breakfast. And yet, too often Christian accountability is carried out in these types of environments. We meet in small groups in a weekly environment with a few of our friends. Ultimately there is a lid on how transparent these conversations can be and too often we believe that if we are meeting weekly then we are “accountable.” My best conversations about my brokenness and struggles have come in non typical environments. Places where I am completely relaxed, at ease, and feel removed from my daily life. I have seen leaders every year go away for a week and meet with a coach or therapist and have this time be very effective. They dump a ton of junk; begin working strategies in their life, and start dealing with significant character issues. To be frank, I would rather have us have one week of brutal honesty then 52 weeks of semi honesty at Dennys. My point is simple. Find an environment that is going to allow you to open up and examine your current process. 3. The Results: Unfortunately, the results speak for themselves. If Christian accountability was a company it would need a serious bailout. It simply inadequate and the results are sub par at best. The breaking down of our marriages, financial impropriety, ego maniac and narcissistic behavior, sexual misconduct, and the bending of every rule we come across are simply signs of a failed system. Last week I read a post from a pastor who had received emails from 33 other pastors who confessed to him of being involved in an affair. 4. We Game The System: If I wanted to I could spend the next decade of my life convincing you how wonderful I am and how I have it all together. (Luckily, I have no desire to do that) It bothers me that I’m clever enough to package Mike Foster in such a way that I could make you all believe what a swell guy I am and how I have it all together. The problem with Christian accountability is that you and I can game the system. I know how to beat it and if you stick around the church long enough you will figure it out too. And that’s a problem. We’re the alcoholic that knows where the hidden key to the liquor cabinet is. Gaming the system is not hard. We know the right words. We know the right things to talk about. We know how to frame things up to effectively keep everyone off course on who we truly are. I can do it and so can you. And that’s a big problem. So that’s why I’m not a fan of Christian accountability and truly believe it is busted. But please don’t lose hope. In part two, I have something I want to offer up as a replacement to this flawed system of maintaining our integrity.   Group Life 2009-07-02T20:31:01+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/christian-accountability-part-one/#When:20:31:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/7NTiI-_4fBY/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/four-secrets-to-great-question-asking/#When:14:18:32Z I came across this post on Community Christian Church’s small groups blog. Thought it might be helpful for Life Group Leaders and for group members who help facilitate the discussion. Enjoy! Four Secrets to Great Question-Asking Questions Carter Moss | Christ Community Church/NewThing Adult Catalyst One of the most important skills for small group leaders to develop is the skill of asking GREAT questions. Great questions will help create a great discussion. Of course it’s more of an art than a science, but here are some tips that are hopefully helpful for you: Secret #1: Ask open-ended questions! Avoid the yes-no, true-false, multiple-choice questions [“Is Jesus the sheep or the shepherd in this parable?”] Avoid questions that let people off the hook with a simple “Sunday school answer” [“Why did Jesus die on the cross?”] Ask questions that require people to have to share some actual thoughts and feelings [“Which of the challenges the author mentioned has been the most difficult one for you in this past year? Where are some ways that you have done well in overcoming that challenge?”] Secret #2: Ask follow-up questions! Many people default to trying to stay pretty surface level with their levels, so get in the habit of not letting them off the hook—ask more follow-up questions. Here are some examples of good follow-up questions for short/simple answers people give: What makes you say that? How do you feel about that? How do you think that would’ve affected you if you had been living in the time of Jesus? How would you explain your answer to a non-Christian friend or neighbor? Try to get at the core of what people are really trying to say. Secret #3: Start an argument! I like to tell my groups that if we all just always agree with each other and with every word that every author we read says, then it makes for a pretty boring group and somewhat pointless discussion. The point of actually discussing things is to get different perspectives and wrestle with things! Here are some examples of questions that can help create discussion by playing a little “devil’s advocate”: Do you really agree with what the author is saying in that chapter? Why or why not? Why did God design it to work that way? Why not just do (whatever else) instead? What would you say to someone who disagrees with that? Why do we really have to do it like that? Why can’t we just go (some other route) instead? Secret #4: Make sure the rubber hits the road! I often tell my small group that by the end of the night, we need to make sure we apply what we’re discussing to our current lives—otherwise we just leave group a little smarter, rather than with changed lives! Whatever it is you’re discussing, make sure to end with some application questions. Here are some examples: So what in the world does that have to do with our lives today? How can you change your perspective from today on regarding that issue? What one thing can you do differently in this next week to start living that out? Some groups will add some accountability to that last question, recording what members share, and asking them to report back the next week. Group Life 2009-06-10T14:18:32+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/four-secrets-to-great-question-asking/#When:14:18:32Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/hBQAl-HxBsI/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/knowing-jesus/#When:16:43:32Z This question has been haunting me lately: Do I really love Jesus?  It’s a simple question, or at least it sounds simple, but when you stop to think about what the question is really asking — it’s down right scary (and anything but ‘simple’!). It’s also a bit of a confusing question.  What does it really look like to love someone that you can’t see, hear or touch?  Tangibly speaking, how is loving & knowing Jesus even possible? For me, as I’ve been wrestling with this question and have tried to find language to better understand it, I’ve been looking at “knowing Jesus” in two different yet interdependent ways: My Passion and My Practices.  First, when I say “passion” I’m not just talking about an emotional experience. I’m talking about what drives and motivates us as followers of Christ - the things that we think about and talk about the most.  Is it an all-encompassing, all-consuming vision centred around knowing Jesus, or is it something else? It’s easy to replace this vision with something else and to not even know it. Church ministry.  Family life.  Money.  Bible knowledge. Success… you name it.  Whatever consumes our thoughts the most is most likely our greatest passion in life.  In reflecting on my own journey with Christ, I was reminded of a story from several years back while I worked at Youth for Christ.  As part of my credentialing process with them, I remember sitting around a table with a number of board members for an “affirmation meeting” (it’s always fun being in the hot seat!).  After some discussion/grilling about different theological issues, someone asked me to “talk about Jesus for a little bit”.  To share with everyone around the table what Jesus meant to me personally.  Instantly, I got that lump in my throat and my eyes started to water.  I tried to sputter out a few words, but eventually I just gave up and starting bawling like a baby (the convulsing/sobbing type – it was ugly!).  I was so overcome with this raw passion and love for Jesus that I couldn’t even speak.  So finally, someone jumped in and relieved me saying, “Well, that answers that!!”  Fast-forward several years to today and if I’m honest that passion just isn’t there for me like it was in those early years.  Some might call it maturity or growth – which might be part of it – but deep down I fear that I’ve let my passion and hunger to know Jesus slide and that I’ve gotten too comfortable with routine and predictability.  Can you relate to this?  Is the vision of knowing Jesus really the most important thing in your life?  At the end of the day, if our passion doesn’t translate into action – into “practices”  - then it’s all useless fluff.  We can have all the passion in the world, but unless we commit to doing what Jesus says to do, we are not following Jesus.  At the same time though, even if we commit to doing what Jesus says to do but do it without passion and God’s vision, it’s legalism.  Sometimes I wonder if I’ve put the cart before the horse on this one. Anyone else out there tracking? “Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Philippians 3:8-9 Group Life 2009-05-10T16:43:32+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/knowing-jesus/#When:16:43:32Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SouthridgeCommunityChurch-group_life_leadership/~3/ZjjZ0dB6e7I/ http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/being-inclusive/#When:02:52:40Z There’s this tension that every group faces.  Do we open our doors and regularly include new people in our group or do we focus on building a stronger sense of community within the group that already exists?  And I get this tension. We participate in groups because we want to build real, authentic friendships with other group members.  We participate because we hope that group will be the kind of place where we can be ourselves and where we can feel safe to share whatever is going on in our lives – the good, the bad and the ugly.  This can feel difficult to do when there are new people that we don’t know regularly joining our group.  I totally get that and have even felt it in my different group experiences over the years.  But as much as I get the emotion and apprehension behind this point of view, I have to say that I’m sitting on other side of the fence on this one.  Let me explain why… Imagine if our church, which is operating at well over 80% capacity on Sundays right now, decided to close our doors to new people cause we were already too full.  Instead of going multi-site and trying to find new ways to include & reach others, we just placed closed signs on all of our doors and locked up once all the regulars had made it in OK on Sundays.  It would save us lots of money, resources, time and energy.  We’d all get to know each other better cause there’d never be anyone new.  We’d show up each week knowing who’s going to be there and what’s going to happen…  You get the idea. Ridiculous idea, isn’t it?  No church would ever do that (I sure hope not anyway!). But in some ways, this is exactly what we do when we refuse to include new people into our groups. As far as I’m concerned, refusing people the opportunity to connect into our group is just about as ridiculous.  Sounds a bit harsh, I know, but for those on the outside looking in – it is harsh. And it’s tough on the group in the long-term too.  Despite what some may think, being ‘exclusive’ usually ends up hurting the group experience more than it does to help preserve and enhance tight-knit relationships. Groups that aren’t active in reaching out to new people usually end up calling it quits after struggling with a number of different internal issues for quite some time.  We’ve seen it many times around here - closed groups are dying groups!  There’s just something about the group that works so hard to protect their own comfort and closeness with each other - they often end up missing out on so much of what God has for them.  Being open to new people and actively inviting others out definitely appears to be really important to the spiritual health of every group. Now, just to clarify something, what I’m not saying is that “being open to new people” means that your group has to come to Life Line regularly to add new people. Life Line is primarily about forming new groups – not adding new people to existing groups.  At the same time though, if your group is in a place where you would like to add a larger number of people (say 4+ people) then Life Line is certainly an option, it’s just not the best option.  Personally inviting your neighbours, friends, coworkers, people you bump into in the coffee area on Sunday mornings is always the best option. At the end of the day though, this isn’t a conversation about simply inviting new people into our groups.  It’s a conversation about the kind of people and community that God wants to form us into.  People who won’t stand to see other people ignored or excluded. People who God uses to make a tangible difference in other people’s lives.  People who selflessly look to include others, to initiate new friendships and to welcome in the stranger.  A community of Christ-followers who are constantly being shaped and challenged by new and unique friendships.  For me personally, probably the biggest reason why I’m sitting on the other side of the fence of this tension is because of the example of inclusivity that we see in Jesus himself.  Ephesians 2:11-13 describes how God gave his life to include us. That even though we were outsiders and “foreigners”, God brought us “near through the blood of Christ”. Jesus gave up everything so that we could be included as God’s friends and family.  And so as someone who wants to be like Christ, shouldn’t this same level of inclusion mark my life and relationships as well?  Shouldn’t it mark every Christ-followers life? Anyway, that’s my take on all of this.  That’s why I’m on the other side of the fence on this one.  What are your thoughts on this issue?  Am I missing something?  P.S. If you’re interested in processing this a bit more on your own, there’s a great section on this tension in the book, “Walking the Small Group Tightrope”. Group Life 2009-04-22T02:52:40+00:00 http://www.southridgechurch.ca/blogs/post/being-inclusive/#When:02:52:40Z