Building Christian

Community
Small Group Ministry
in Todays
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 1.1

Building a church without walls
In the Minds of
Many People
...the building is the church
The Truth Is...
the people are the church!
The Effective Cell
or Small Group Is

(1)holistic
Its 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
Warfare
Service
Edification
Discipleship Bible Study
Fellowship
Evangelism
Worship
Christs 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
Community
Wing (small)
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

Community Wing Functions
Abiding in Christ
Body Life Fellowship
Edification of the
Body
Equipping the Saints
Ministry to the
hurting
Witnessing to the
lost
Community
Wing (small)
Care of the new babies!
Mutual accountability
Application of the Word
Leadership development
Leadership co-ordination
Prayer mobilization

Small Group Ministry
Is Not Simply One of
Many Programs
Its a System for a
People-Centred &
Community-Based
Ministry
And a Small Group Church is
Not a Collection of Independent
House Churches
Its a structure
which connects
people with
people in order
to release the
power of the
available
ministry in your
church
It Does Not Mean
an Absence of
Departments
MOTHER CHURCH
The Small Group Church
Provides a System
Essential Departments
through which departments
support the ministry of the groups
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 Todays
Seventh-Day Adventist Church