The nature of the new pt 5

Gatherings and Discipling

Gatherings in the new

Much can be gleaned from parts of the above about the nature of gatherings in the new shape. At this point (summer 04) in our own situation we have just completed our first year and much of that time has been spent deliberately not doing anything too organised when we gather as we have undoubtedly needed a period of unlearning. But now we are currently reviewing, in light of our vision to reproduce and plant another church, what we actually do when we gather. Being small the bea uty of course is that each new church can, with the help of the Spirit and the Word, work out these practicalities themselves.

In an effort to maintain the simple approach which can easily be reproduced and passed on, we are using an easy to remember framework based on the letters

W O R D;

W orship

O utreach

R elationships (Fellowship)

D iscipleship

Under each of these headings we are looking, in light of Scripture, at areas such as worship, prayer, body ministry, Bible study, giving, decision making, the children, outreach, breaking bread and discipling then reaching common agreement about how best to implement each one in our own context.

This simple framework can then be passed on to each new church who then, with the Spirit’s help can flesh out the details within their own particular context.

In essence though the nature of our gatherings is focused on reality in our relationships, lots of fellowship, breaking bread, eating, playing and the sharing of our lives closely together. We attempt to do some things all together with the children, other times it’s just the adults. On these occasions we sometimes worship informally with a CD or someone starts a song, we seldom use instruments. We allow the Spirit to dictate the flow and direction of our time. When we open the Word it is interactive and participative not dominated (usually) by one individual. We prefer to meet real and present needs rather than slavishly stick to any set agenda. The nature of these gatherings is a reflection of how our lives are often interwoven throughout the rest of the week in many different ways. Most will get together with one or two others at some point each week and this is where much of the real discipling occurs. And even behind this each family or household represented is learning (and struggling) to be church in their own context at home, work and school.

Discipling in the new

This desire to work out our faith and spirituality in an authentic and genuine way in the midst of our daily lives, in community with others, lies at the very heart of the new paradigm. Bear in mind, of course, that Jesus told us to go and make disciples not to plant churches. So this process of discipling is central to what we are doing.

Again, in our own situation, in an attempt to retain simplicity in order to increase the potential for reproduction and multiplication, we are experimenting with an easy to grasp discipling pattern based on the letters A B C;

Meeting weekly in pairs or 3’s over coffee, lunch or a pint, whatever fits most naturally into our lives, we cover these 3 areas;

A sk:   how are you doing and are you struggling with anything in your life presently?

B ible:   what are you reading at the moment?

  What has God said to you through it?

  What are you doing about it?

C ommit: to pray for at least two people who are not yet consciously following Jesus.

The purpose of the first area is to encourage openness, accountability and confession of sin in a safe environment. The dynamic is not so much discipler/disciplee, where one leads and the other follows and there is limited openness and accountability from the leader, but rather mutuality. After all, the process of discipling is about helping one another become better followers of Jesus not us.

The second area, the Bible, highlights our intentional reliance on the work of the Holy Spirit, through the Word to affect the real work of discipling. It focuses more on the transformation of the heart than the filling of the head.

Then in the third area we integrate the missional aspect into the heart of the discipling process itself. The commitment to pray for someone is coupled with an intention to be ready and available to build a spiritual friendship with that person in order to help and encourage them onward in their own spiritual journey towards the Father. As and when appropriate this person can then be invited to participate in the weekly ‘ABC group’ and once this group becomes 4 people it can then multiply into two separate groups as needed.

In North America a similar pattern of discipling is currently seeing significant organic growth and multiplication resulting in the planting of several hundred new small churches.

Presently we are allowing the Holy Spirit to establish and work out this simple discipling pattern in a way that is appropriate for our own context, so we are being patient and resisting the temptation to jump to false conclusions about the potential fruit that may result.

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