“The importance of Home Groups in building a grace-filled culture”
1) Biblical input and doctrine
2 principles (before we get into the practicalities)
- Recognise the importance of people being welcomed into the community and the importance of Christians being connected into the family.
Read Acts 2 v 42-47 and 4 v 32-37; Christians are called into a people, a devoted people. And they are called to be in very deep. Together, everything in common, no needy people, regular meetings, eating together, warm hearts full of praise for God. Deep!
But is that not massively challenging to us in a culture in the UK where people look after themselves and where individualism (‘me and my own nuclear familyism’) comes first nearly every time?
How do we as a local church carry on and improve in the task of becoming more the church we all really long for? It starts by acknowledging this
1st principle – We must recognise the importance of people being welcomed into the community and the importance of Christians being connected into the family.
Video 1: Sam Allberry and Ray Ortlund – part of a discussion about forming a grace-filled culture in church.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/youre-not-crazy/what-does-bible-say-about-gospel-culture/
Acts 2 and Acts 4 very much confirm to us that “simply saying hi to one another doesn’t work.” As individuals, God has made us for more than that (and we long for more than that), and as his body the church, there is simply no ‘only say hi, last in first out Sunday morning only option’ for a Christian who takes the faith seriously. We need to be active in welcoming people into a community and connecting Christians into a family. That’s the first principle before we look at any practicalities.
2nd principle is this. The hard work of welcoming and connecting has to go much further than the elders and the pastor*. It is a deliberate task that is to be organised and then carried out by the whole church.
(*Of course the pastor does have a particular ability, freedom and responsibility to be able to be actively involved in modelling this and getting lots of it done.)
Read Acts 6 v 1-7. Practical ministry here that was being neglected and so causing division. The leaders needed to pay attention to prayer and the ministry of the word and so the practical ministry had to be organised and carried out well by other godly Christians. Our elders and pastor are definitely going to be involved in welcoming and connecting but so that the ministry of the word and prayer doesn’t get neglected in CC Riverside, we have to organise ourselves a bit better and build some structures in that will help us to flourish and will allow us to prepare for growth.
2) Practical strategy
So how do we go from these principles to practical strategies that, driven by the right motives and ambitions, will result in Christ-exalting change within our local church? Different churches will answer that in different ways but in our context I think that there will be great benefit in putting more of this work into the hands of our Home Groups. Through the Home group leaders to the members of our Home Groups. That seems biblical and wise, it seems to match the pattern of Acts 6 where the practical ministry was entrusted to godly, spiritual Christians.
If I preached a sermon from the front and in it there was an emphasis on you as an individual trying to be more welcoming to newcomers and trying to foster fellowship with other Christians, then some of the church family would feel inspired to try (and there might be some fruit from that but I know what we are like and how quickly we forget and soon we would go back to normal), but others in the church family would simply feel crushed and unfit for the task. Too shy to speak to newcomers and too nervous to try to have people round for food and foster fellowship. Not a great result even if the sermon happened to be very good.
What would match our theology of church far better, and what I am convinced will actually work and stick, is if we more and more put things into practice from God’s word not simply as an individual but rather with others as part of our Home group. Home Groups give us a great place of confidence and help to seek to obey God’s calling on us and put these things into real action. (Doing these things together helps with Shy people/those who forget names/people who run out of smalltalk / single blokes & pretty girls etc etc)
2 practical strategies for Home Groups then;
a) Home groups to be on a welcomers rota for Sunday mornings (and perhaps responsibility for a church meal once a year)
b) Home groups to be assigned others in the church not yet in home groups to look out for, pray for and seek to draw in (“New to Riverside” course as part of connecting).
3) Q+A/comment time
Invite comments and questions first.
A couple of other questions to ask in prep for final part;
What might people be feeling when they come to church on a Sunday morning? (new/old/sin/mental health/kids/worries etc)
Why does serving with others help us to form friendships and build relationships so much quicker?
4) Practical steps
Welcoming:
Dr.Hershael York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ReJ6W57hN8
Good questions to ask;
“How are you I don’t think I have met you before?”
“Have you a particular place you would like to sit?”
“Have you ever met _____ before?”
“This is Kay she can tell you about the kids activities.”
“This is our pastor / this is ____ who is one of the elders/leaders/Home Group Leaders here.”
“How are you feeling this morning, is there anything you need?”
Shy people etc you are important here because you know how people feel! Empathy and helpfulness. HUMILITY and being prepared to be a bit embarrassed (Vera and Bethis).
Connecting:
How to have people round for food / or as a home group host people together.
Doing fun things / good things / evangelistic things together as a home group and inviting others along.
Course: First 4 sermons of new series and questions to work through.
Regular prayer in home group will ensure accountability.
Suggestions and comments before we finish
