For what it's worth, here follow two short series for homegroups. The first, "passions and gifts" lasts three weeks and aims to help people discover what they're good at and what they love doing. The second course "mision integral", aims to help us use our gifts in God's mission in our whole lives, not just in the church community. For this (second) course, each participant needs a copy of the (British) Evangelical Alliance document "Let my People go", printed within September 2005's "idea" magazine, which is available from the EA at £0.50 a copy. Anything below is available for you to use and adapt as you choose without permission or attribution.
St Michael's Church, Galleywood. Three sessions for homegroups about spiritual gifts.
Homegroup leaders' guide.
Session 1: Passion
Before the session, please photocopy the "homework" handouts so each participant gets a full set.
Introduction (2 mins): Everyone has a part to play in God's plan for his world. But we all have a different part, because none of us is exactly like anyone else. These sessions are designed to help each of us to identify our passions and spiritual gifts, and see how they can be developed. In our first session, we're going to identify our passion.
Warmer (8 mins) : Give each participant a chance to name the "non-serious" thing that makes them most passionate. It might be Chelsea, or real ale, or Shakespeare.
Input 1 (2 mins) : Read the following passage, adapted from Bruce Bugbee's What you do best in the body of Christ:
"I was rushing across town from one meeting to another. Suddenly, as I stopped at a red light, my eye was caught by a ragged man, about 55 years old, looking through the trash. I started to wonder about this man. How long has he been on the streets? When did he bathe? Where did he sleep? Could he work? Why didn't he?
"I felt saddened and overwhelmed and guilty. The truth is, I don't do anything for the homeless. Am I a bad person? Some would say so."
Discussion 1 (10 mins): What would you say to Bruce Bugbee? Is he a bad person? (Note: this is not a discussion about homelessness - we could have chosen a different example - but about the way we feel when there are 1000 good causes and we simply can't get involved with all of them).
Input 2 (2 mins) : Keep reading:
"The fact is, I do care about many things, including the plight of the homeless. But I don't care about everything equally. This does not mean I think homelessness is less important than my particular passions (training Christians to play their part in the church, and making sure people in the Chicago area have access to fairly traded products from Africa). It's just that my heart is drawn towards one set of commitments, and since God made and indwells my heart I believe he placed those passions there. Of course, if my passions are all selfish I need to re-examine my walk with God; but I refuse to let another person tell me that because I don't care as singlemindedly as they do about abortion - or youthwork - or the persecuted church I'm less spiritual than they are.
"Some Christians use the terms "call", "burden", dream" or "vision" to refer to what I have been calling our "passion": a desire of the heart, that grows as we pray, to make a difference in the world in a way that glorifies God and is for other people's benefit. Discover your passion(s) invest in them wholeheartedly. This is the single thing that will transform your ministry the most."
Discussion 2 (8 mins) : Is Bugbee right? What is the danger in this approach? (I suspect that someone will say that the danger is that we won't just do what needs doing- after all, "ministry" literally means "servanthood". Personally I think that's right - Bugbee may have gone just one stage too far in his argument. But others may feel differently. Anyway, this should make for lively discussion! Others may want to argue that "a call" may be a supernatural revelation that we should do something, even if we don't feel passionate about it.)
Bible Passage (20 mins): Read Psalm 37.1-11 (perhaps in unison).
a) What dilemma has got the Psalmist thinking? (the way the wicked seem to be succeeding).
b) What encouragement does he receive? (a longterm view sees justice winning out in the end)
c) What do verses 3-4 mean in this context? How would we rephrase them in our own words? (I'd say something like: "look, life isn't fair right now, but one day right will be seen to be right. Meanwhile, all we can do is live our everyday life right, making the most of every day in the place God's put us. If we start by making God our greatest joy, we'll find that he gives us passions that he longs to satisfy.")
d) What is the condition attached to the promise that God will give us the desires of our heart? How, this week, could we live differently because we have seen this? (Habits of constant praise? Praying for joy?)
Prayer (7 minutes): Anyone that wants to can voice a passion of their heart. Finish by reading Psalm 37.1-5 out loud together.
Homework: Give participants both the handouts (passion questionnaire below and gifts questionnaire), and ask them to do the passions questionnaire by the next homegroup. Please make sure any group members who can't be with you on this occasion get the homework too.
Session 2: Growing your gifts
Feedback (12 minutes): start by going round the circle and giving every participant a chance to give us their feedback on the homework; but if someone wants to "pass" that's fine, no pressure!
Input 1 (4 minutes): Andy writes: "Our passions alone do not determine what God is calling us to do (in the church or out of it), and nor do our gifts; rather, it's the interplay of our passion and our gifts. For example: since a small child, I've been passionate about maps, and wanted to make them for a living; but I soon discovered that I'm messy, bad at detail and a poor draw-er, so my gifts obviously didn't match my passion! I deal with the mismatch by doing lots of exploring and poring over maps, but not trying to make them. Or for a second example, when I do gifts questionnaires, "hospitality" often comes out as the main gift. But Alison and I don't have a passion to have lots of people in our home - so I use the gift by being the "host" at services, making sure people feel welcomed and are having a good time. As a general rule, our passions will show us where to invest our energy, and our gifts will show us what to do there!
"Next week, having done both the passions project and the gifts questionnaire, you'll be in a good position to determine what ministry you might be called to; and you as a group will be in a better position to discover what form of ministry you might be called to. Meanwhile, we'll look at one example of someone in the bible who was called to develop his gifts, and see if we can get some general guidance for ourselves from his example."
Bible Passage (25 minutes): Distribute sheets (available below) reproducing 2 Timothy 1.3-9a, 2.1-2 and 3.10-17. In silence, ask each participant to spend 5 minutes reading the passage and
a) underlining Timothy's role-models and influences
b) circling the support structures surrounding Timothy to help him develop his gifts
c) drawing arrows to any advice Paul gives him about how to grow in his gifts and develop others' gifts.
Share with one another what's been discovered, and each time ask the question: what is the equivalent for us?
(For what it's worth, I noticed a) Lois and Eunice; Paul himself who laid on hands, then later Paul again as a model; three pastors were particularly important role models for me. b) Timothy is surrounded by prayer and "equipped" by the bible; our "equipping" may be very different to his!; c) I particularly noticed commands to have his gift "fanned into flame" (though I'm not sure what this would mean!), to be strong in grace, and to be himself a role-model for others.
Prayer (17 mins): It's worth the leader planning this carefully, so that there's a variety of types of prayer. For example, you might start by inviting prayers of thanks in the form "thank you for x, they showed me how to y". Then after about five minutes you might want to encourage people to pray one-word prayers (e.g "patience") for their own development; then open up for sentence prayers for those to whom we have an opportunity to be models/coaches; and finally you might want to end with a pre-composed prayer for us all to have our gifts fanned into flame!
Homework : Gifts questionnaire. Mention that this is not an exhaustive list of gifts, and is really only a way to get us thinking about the subject; at the next session, many people will find themselves saying "it wasn't on the sheet, but I think my main gift is xyz."
Session 3: Putting it all together
Feedback and prayer (30 mins): Each participant will now have investigated their passions and their gifts. Give each participant plenty of time to talk about what they've learned about themselves. As a general rule, our passions will show us where to invest our energy, and our gifts will show us what to do there! Make sure everyone knows they have a right to say that this way of proceeding is rubbish, too! After each person has spoken, spend time praying for them individually. Make sure this is done sensitively - some people may not appreciate having hands laid on them, for example. A very large homegroup might have to break into two for this bit. And there'll inevitably be a certain amount of wondering what a certain gift "means"; the most useful thing you can do is ask: what does that word mean to you? Does that describe you accurately?
Input 1 (4 mins) : After easter next year, each homegroup - as it's able - will be asked to come up with a plan that will do good in God's world and tend, directly or indirectly, to forward the work of evangelism; as well as continuing to be together as a family, caring for one another and growing in holiness. There are plenty of options for what groups can do - running Alpha, painting a house, organising an adult ed.-type course in spirituality, supporting new parents… All that counts is that the thing the group chooses to do furthers God's mission and corresponds to the passions and gifts of the members.
We've got all autumn and winter to think about it, but now's not a bad time to start musing. Is there a project that this group's passions and gifts lend themselves to?
Discussion (10 mins) on this subject
Input 2 (10 mins): Read Romans 12.6-13 - and see the appropriate pages from Tom Wright's "Paul for everyone" for ideas on what to say about it, or just ask everyone to read it slowly to themselves and share one phrase or idea that particularly strikes them as important for themselves or for your group.
For more on this subject: in addition to unpublished material by Clare Wells, I found the following helpful:
Stephen Gaukroger, Growing your Gifts
Bruce Bugbee, What you do best in the body of Christ
Peter Wagner, Your spiritual gifts can help your church grow
Christian Schumacher, God in work
Tom Wright, Paul for everyone - Romans II
Homework Handout I: Discovering your passions!
By "passion" we mean "a desire of the heart, that grows as we pray, to make a difference in the world in a way that glorifies God and is for other people's benefit". Some Christians prefer the words "burden" or "call".
If you are looking for where to serve God, remember that although every Christian does have a contribution to make to their church, most of us spend a lot more time in our homes and workplaces than we do in church activities. So although you may have a "call" to a secondary "ministry", your primary ministry will probably be to your colleagues, clients, customers or family members. If, as a teacher, assembly-line worker, accountant or homemaker you are using your God-given gifts in a way that makes God's world a better place, you are God's minister where you are.
1. Make a list of your greatest achievements - but make sure they are things you enjoyed doing. (These may be accomplishments that wouldn't mean much to anyone else, but are significant to you)
2. What kinds of things lead you to lose track of time when you do them, so that you become focussed on them and are less aware of the other things going on around you?
3. What energises you? In Bugbee's words, "when you are investing in your passion, the activity or thoughts about it will actually give you energy. This is God's way of moving you towards those people, roles or causes that are his created agenda for your life."
4. You were made in the image of God. So, is there some aspect of mirroring God the Father's role in his world that impassions you: creating manufactured goods? Poems? Or something else? Nurturing plants? Or children? Or others?
5. You were made in the image of God. So, is there some aspect of mirroring God the Son's role in the world that impassions you: serving people? Restoring broken things? Or something else?
6. You were made in the image of God. So, is there some aspect of mirroring God the Holy Spirit's role in the world that impassions you: communicating (perhaps communicating particular things)? Helping other people communicate? Peace-making? Encouraging? Something else?
7. Have the questions above helped you to list one or two areas that God might have designed you to get involved with? (Perhaps one will be in church, and one outside it).
8. The test: Do your passions glorify God and help others? If not, start again from the top! If so: what changes (including stopping other things!) will you need to make to your life to acquire a ministry that fits your passions?
Homework handout 2: Gifts questionnaire
For each of the following statements, rank your answer from 1 (no, this doesn't describe me at all) to 5 (yes, that's me exactly).
1. I'm a good listener
2. I speak the truth to power, regardless of the consequences.
3. I like to help out.
4. When I explain things, people often say "that makes it a lot clearer".
5. I look for the things people are doing right and tell them so.
6. I spend much time helping others in practical ways.
7. I find it easy to make helpful relationships with others.
8. I often feel like a shepherd caring for a flock of sheep.
9. It doesn't bother me whether I get the credit, but I do things behind the scenes.
10. Injustice makes me speak out.
11. I love giving (a lot more than 10% of my income!)
12. I have an ability to see when leaders have made the wrong decision, and I tell them so.
13. I'm one of life's natural entrepreneurs.
14. I love starting new projects.
15. I can see the big picture and build a team that will achieve its goals.
16. I tend to find others look to me for a lead.
17. I love teaching people.
18. I feel bad when others are hurting.
19. I have a particular concern for those outside the church community.
20. I have six new ideas that we could implement right now in my business or the community.
21. Yes, the buck stops with me, and I'm comfortable with that.
22. I'm a natural communicator.
23. I weep with those who weep.
24. I don't just weep with those who weep, I give them time to grieve then I help them dry their tears and work out what to do next.
25. People become Christians when I tell them about God.
26. People often say they feel better for having had a chat with me.
27. I always look for the best in others, and tell them what I see in them.
28. Giving things away is a pleasure for me.
29. If the conversation is going to turn to discussing Jesus, I'd rather be with a group of unchurched people than a group of committed Christians.
30. God has called me to live simply and redistribute the excess to others.
Now total together your scores from 3, 6 and 9: this is score A.
Total together your scores from 1, 7 and 8: this is score B.
Total together your scores from 2, 10 and 12: this is score C.
Total together your scores from 13, 14 and 20: this is score D.
Total together your scores from 15, 16 and 21: this is score E.
Total together your cores from 4, 17 and 22: this is score F.
Total together your scores from 18, 23 and 24: this is score G.
Total together your scores from 19, 25 and 29: this is score H.
Total together your scores from 5, 26 and 27: this is score I.
Total together your scores from 11, 28 and 30: this is score J.
Maybe (but don't take this too seriously!), based on (my interpretations of) Ephesians 4 and Romans 12:
If score A is highest, maybe you have a gift of service.
If score B is highest, maybe you have a gift of pastoral care.
If score C is highest, maybe you have a gift of prophecy.
If score D is highest, maybe you have a gift of apostleship.
If score E is highest, maybe you have a gift of leadership.
If score F is highest, maybe you have a gift of teaching.
If score G is highest, maybe you have a gift of mercy.
If score H is highest, maybe you have a gift of evangelism.
If score I is highest, maybe you have a gift of encouragement.
If score J is highest, maybe you have a gift of generosity.
Handout for Session 2
2 Timothy 1:3-9a, 2.1-2, 3.10-17 (New International Version - UK)
I thank God, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
I remember your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life— not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
You know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings— what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
a) Underline Timothy's role-models and influences
b) Circle the support structures surrounding Timothy to help him develop his gifts
c) Draw arrows to any advice Paul gives him about how to grow in his gifts and develop others' gifts.
St Michael's Church, Galleywood: A short course for homegroups on "mision integral"
Introduction: in our last series, we looked at our passions and gifts. In this series, based on material produced by the Evangelical Alliance, we look at how our gifts and passion can be harnessed to make a difference in the world. The aim of this short series is to build a culture of whole-life discipleship where everyone is valuing their gifts and passions and seeing how they can be used in the world and the church.
Session 1: The parable of the yeast
Preparation: *have some dough ready for each participant to knead as they talk.
*give each participant a copy of the September 2005 edition of “Idea”, the magazine of the Evangelical Alliance – Andy’s ordered extra copies for everyone.
*it’s worth putting the questions in section C on three cards, one for each group.
A: all together Ask everyone to turn to idea p13. They don’t need to look at the words at the moment, just the two diagrams.
Which of these represents church as it sometimes seems to be? And which church as it is?
Let people muse on this together and give their reactions. (The text suggests that the church often feels like it’s in the situation of the first diagram, whereas actually its members are “in the world” Monday to Friday every week).
B: all together Quite slowly, read out Matthew 13.33.
1. In quiet, ask members to skim read Matthew 13.1-32. Then ask: what does the story in Matthew 13.33 have in common with all the others? (All about the kingdom of heaven and growth).
Distribute dough to each person; they can knead it as they speak!
2. How would meditating on this one-verse story potentially change the church? The world? Us?
C: in three groups Put the dough down, and look at the diagram on idea p14. This suggests that three crucial things are interlinked:
a. Living as Christians in an alien culture. This could be called “holiness”.
b. Mission: acting to change the world and the destinies of those around us.
c. Maturing: growing up as Christians.
Group 1: How does having Christians living distinct lives in an alien culture impact on their mission and their growth to maturity? What are some specific examples of how you, with your particular gifts and passions, are finding yourself living differently from those around you? How is this affecting your mission and your growth?
Group 2: How, in practice, has your growth in spiritual maturity (since you became a Christian, or in the last 10 or 30 years!) affected the way you tackle the mission you believe God’s called you to, and the way you live a distinct, holy life in the world? Give a couple of real examples!
Group 3: How does getting involved in God’s mission to the world affect our maturity, and our determination to lead a holy life? Is it possible for immature, unholy Christians to be successful in mission?
Let each group feed back its findings to the whole group.
D: all together Explain that "mision integral" (coined by the Spanish speaking theologian Rene Padilla) means "Mission that includes - integrates - our whole lives". But it is also a bread analogy, though not this time about yeast, because pan integral meals wholemeal bread! So we're talking about whole-life Christianity instead of something that just uses one "refined" part of our lives for God's purposes.
E: in pairs Spend time listening to one another about where we spend our “whole life”, then praying (silently or out loud) for one another.
Ask the group to read idea pages 21 for next week, and
-circle any phrase or sentence that particularly strikes them,
-underline anything that could be implemented here, and
-draw and arrow to anything they disagree with.
Session 2: The role of leaders
A: all together How did people react to the article we’ve been reading? What did people underline/arrow/circle?
B: all together Read Ephesians 4.7-13.
1. Who is verse 8 speaking about? And what event(s) are being described? (Jesus’ victorious ascension and Pentecost)
2. What is being described in verse 9? (Probably that it is Jesus himself who is received when the Spirit is received – or is this about Christmas?)
3. What sort of leaders has Jesus given to the church? (apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors; some make a parallel with the kind of people any organization needs: entrepreneurs, visionaries, recruiters/marketers, trainers and people with personnel skills, what do you think?) Who do you know in Christian leadership who is like one of these? (Someone submitted their thoughts to the people looking for a new Vicar in Galleywood a year ago, saying that since Roger had been a pastor and Stephen a teacher we now needed an evangelist – what do you think?)
4. What is these leaders’ role (to prepare people for “works of service”)
5. In Thank God it’s Monday, Mark Greene says:
“50% of Christians have never heard a sermon about how to be a Christian at work. Could it be that our preachers, far from equipping us to do our works of service, have simply been recruiting us to help them in theirs?”
Is this fair? If so, what can we do to change a few things?
6. What will be the final result for those who are duly equipped for works of service? (maturity)
C: individually, then in pairs. Fill in page 21 of idea. Feed back to the whole group. What are three practical things we could do as a church to do better in this respect? Write them down to send to Graeme or Andy.
D: All together Spend time praying for each group member, and also for your leaders.
Ask the group to read idea pages 25-30 before next time.
Session 3: turning your life around
Optional Preparation: Cue up a copy of Bridget Jones’s Diary, DVD Chapters 15-17 or VHS 42 mins 26 seconds to 48 mins 41 seconds.
A: Optional video start Play the section from Bridget Jones’s diary. Bridget, having discovered that her boss and boyfriend (Hugh Grant) has been unfaithful, re-thinks her life.
B: Proper start Ask everyone: “How has discovering your gifts and passions, and reading the idea material, changed your life and priorities?”
C: All together Read Jeremiah 29.1-14. This is a letter from Jeremiah, still in Judaea, to the exiles in Babylon.
1. What are the promises – general and specific – contained in this letter
2. Until the promises are fulfilled in their totality, how are the Israelites to live?
3. What specific things are you being called to by this passage?
D: In pairs Spend time listening to one another about where we spend our “whole life”, then praying (silently or out loud) for one another.
Ask the group to read idea pages 31-33 before next time.
Session 4: turning your homegroup around
Preparation: cue up Shrek, DVD Chapter 5 or VHS 22 mins 50 seconds to 30 mins 10 seconds
A: Video start Warn people you’re going to be asking them if they recognise characters or patterns they see in home group, then play the section from Shrek. The fairytale creatures are being evicted from their homes, and find refuge in Shrek’s swamp. Shrek agrees to go on a journey. Ask: how is this film like or unlike this home group?
B: All together Read Acts 19.1-20. These describe the most fruitful years in Paul’s ministry, the formation of the Ephesian church.
1. What signs are there that the small group of disciples Paul found in Corinth still needed “equipping for mission”? How was this put right while Paul was there?
2. What kind of equipping for mission do we need, and how can we, as a group, get equipped? Was there anything in the reading from idea that pointed a way ahead?
3. What is Luke’s aim in telling us this story? (a model? An encouragement? A challenge?)
4. In what ways is this group like and unlike “the lecture hall of Tyrannus”?
C: All together Some time ago, the PCC looked at what we do in homegroups. It decided that we shouldn’t centrally dictate a few patterns for groups to follow, but it did wish to encourage each group to come up before Lent with a plan as to how, after easter, each group planned to:
I> Do good in the community as a group, and equip each individual to change the world for the better in their everyday living
II> Challenge our community with the message of Christ crucified to others by being directly or indirectly involved in evangelism
III> Be built together as God’s family, growing in holiness.
What does the group think of these three aims? How, practically, can the group structure itself so that it is effective in all three ways? Would prayer partnerships help? How about accountability structures, more listening to group members’ weekday experiences and praying for them, running an alpha group or having a party for neighbours? What about becoming a community prayer cell, running “adult education” courses in the area with help of clergy, or being involved in a practical community project?
Around easter, there’ll be a “homegroups fair”. Each homegroup will have a table to show everyone what makes it distinctive, and recruit others to join. Now is the time to plan this table, and find out who will prepare what.
D: All together: Pray for one another and the group.