Taking A Serving Sabbath | How to have a successful serving sabbath

Leading a small group can be a fun and energizing experience when people are showing up, relating well, responding to truth, and applying what they learn. That kind of leadership experience can fill you up and make you want to serve and lead again.  Other times, small group leadership can be be a draining experience where you as the leader are giving away nearly everything you have emotionally, spiritually, and physically to serve your group members. 

In either case, it is good to take a sabbath from serving.  Sabbath is a special time-out of ministry for you to refresh yourself in mind, body, soul and spirit.  It may be for a weekend, or for a few weeks.  It is not just about taking time off and it's not about doing nothing.  It is about doing things that will refresh and renew you so that you can re-engage in ministry.  Here are a few ways to do Sabbath successfully.

Make a Serving Sabbath Plan that includes the following:

Soak in NEW pools of thought:
One way to think new thoughts is to hear new voices.  By that I mean, read new books, and blogs, attend a seminar or service, or listen to a new podcast.  New voices provide new thoughts and new thoughts are refreshing




Change your Scenery:  Sabbath is an opportunity to get away.  Time off is good, but time away is better.  A change of scenery can help us with a change in perspective.  Sometimes it is helpful for us to pull back from the things we are working on and the people we are working with.  A sabbath that includes seeing new sights will help us see our selves, our work and others with new eyes.

Spend time with positive people: Who makes you laugh?  Who encourages you and gives you energy?  Who makes you feel special?  Who is full of life?  Sabbath can be a time when you connect with life giving, positive people.  Time off is good.  Time away is great, but spending part of your time off and away with positive people can reset your attitude and spirit.

Seek God:  Sabbath is not just time off, it should be a time upward.  Take time to read God's word.  A time to pray and linger in the presence of God.  Sabbath is your opportunity to extend your times of prayer and worship.  Block out the unnecessary buzz and noise of  music and media.  Be with your father and let him speak to you.

Assess your SHAPE:  Your time off to unwind is a great time to also  review the way you are living and serving.  Are you serving from your strengths?  Does your ministry match your SHAPE? (Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Passion, Experience).

Sleep-in: Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.  No, really... I mean it.  There is an element of faith and trust in God at we exercise when we sleep.  We trust that He is truly the one in control.  He is at work and we don't have to pretend the world will stop spinning if we rest.  Sleep is God's way of reminding us that He is in control, not us!

Sleep-with: Sabbath is a time to connect intimately with your spouse.  Marital intimacy is a special way to show and receive love, affirmation and encouragement to your spouse.  I know, I know...my single friends are gagging right now, but here's my encouragement to anyone who is single... be intimate with others on your sabbath.  Not sexually of course, but relationally.  Get with people who know you.  People who know your heart.  People who know your story and love you not for what you do but for who you are.
 

Sharpen the saw:  The wise lumberjack won't just rest from cutting trees, he will also sharpen his saw.  A serving sabbath is an opportunity to learn while you are resting.  Learning new things while you rest will provide you with fresh insight and ideas for when you re-enter ministry.  Sharpening the saw should include praying, learning and even planning and preparing for your next season of service.

 

Set NEW Serving Dates:

Some people go on permanent Sabbath and miss the opportunity to be blessed by being a blessing through serving.  If you sit out for a season be sure you to get back in the game.  Make a commitment to yourself and ministry leaders to emerge from your serving sabbatical with renewed passion and energy for service.  Your re-engagement might be another person's opportunity to slip out for a much needed Sabbath rest.

Co-leaders and Core Teams | the small team behind your small group

Leading a small group alone is never a good idea.  A naive person believes they can effectively cover everything associated with hosting and leading a small group.  It is foolish for a solo leader to believe they will make it to every group meeting, always be on time, come fully prepared, and care for every group member effectively.  Every leader needs a co-leader but there are also times when it is right for a leader to go beyond just having a co-leader and build a core team.

What a Core-Team does:
A core-team is a small group of people who share in planning, praying, facilitating, communicating and shepherding a small group.  This small core team members serve the small group based on their "shape" for service.  SHAPE is an acronym for (Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences).  The core team meets a few times prior to the group launch to make key decisions concerning the group. Team members serve the group in areas such as marketing and inviting,  ordering and preparing materials, managing communications, hospitality, recording and reporting attendance, deciding who will teach, and determining who will facilitate and lead discussions. The core team is lead by one clear leader who upholds the vision for the group and  relates to the church staff as the "point person" for the team and group. 

Reasons to build a core-team:

When the purpose of the group is recovery:
Recovery group ministry can be spiritually and emotionally draining at times.  It is unwise for one person to attempt ministry to multiple people who are hurting and in need of loving emotional support as they take steps toward healing and wholeness.

 
When there are multiple small groups within the group:
At times it is beneficial for multiple groups to meet in one setting.  On occasion multiple groups are studying the same curriculum or are learning from the same teacher.  The energy of cenergy is good in these settings which helps to overcome the problem groups face when they are too small.  Multiple small groups in one setting will require a team of people who will (among other things) host table discussion groups.

When the group is on-going:
There are some groups that are offered each season as a part of the church's discipleship process. A solo approach to an on-going small group will lead to burn out, while a team approach will lead to consistent, repeatable, and effective small group ministry many times over and for new groups of people.

When multiple groups are doing the same study:
It is good to build a core team any time the same study is being offered in more than one group.  People who sign on to be a part of these groups are likely looking to have a similar experience as others in the church who are going through the same material.  One of the main goals of the group would be consistency of experience.


Which type of small team is needed for your next small group idea?
Would your group benefit most from a simple leader - coleader team or would your group thrive best through the effort of a core-team?

What other scenarios are right for core-team effort?

How to pray as a small group (and how not to)

Almost every small group includes prayer.  Whether it is prayer before a meal,  prayer as an opener or closer, prayer circles, all pray, some pray, or leader prays, the fact is, most groups pray.  Here are a few things to consider when you are looking to add the element of prayer to your small group gathering.

Know your group:  Never assume that everyone in your group is as comfortable praying as you are.  Many people are not comfortable with prayer. Know your group members and avoid putting the person who is uncomfortable or new to prayer in the position where they are forced to pray (especially aloud). 

Stay modern day:  People often change their tone of voice and verbiage when they pray.  Some use Old English or King James language in an effort to express reverence toward God in prayer.  This kind of language change up can be confusing to someone who is new to prayer.  Using new or different "biblical" or uncommon words and phrases in prayer can cause a person who is new to prayer to doubt whether he or she can or should pray.  They begin to think that prayer is reserved for spiritual giants who have a lot of practice and have mastered the use of the right words, phrases or forms and postures for prayer.

Keep it short:  Praying short prayers encourages participation.  Praying short prayers (instead of exhaustive long prayers) will leave room for others to pray about requests that have been made or application points from the material.  Group members who are new to prayer may feel encouraged to pray when they know their small prayer fits in.

Hold Out:  Depending on the type of people you are hosting, you may want to hold out on including prayer (or at least group prayer) as  a part of your first few gatherings.  Holding out on praying together may give your group time to gel in other ways first.  You can use the first two weeks to build anticipation toward the week where you will begin including prayer.

Pre-plan posture:  Think about the poster you will choose and invite people to use when you pray.  Hand holding can be appropriate for a short prayers in unity, but it can be awkward and distracting for group members during extended prayer times.  The same is true for standing or kneeling and the laying on of hands.  There is nothing worse than experiencing sweaty palms or having to break the chain in order to cover a cough, sneeze or scratch an itch.



Change it up:  There are a lot of ways to pray.  For instance, group members may learn to pray using scripture.  Group members can participate in responsive reading prayers.  People may enjoy writing out their prayers to God (possibly allow some members read their written prayers aloud). Leaders can also suggest silent prayer, or paring off into smaller groups of 2 or 3 people.  Be creative but know your audience!

Follow Up:  If requests for prayer are spoken, have someone write them down (possibly even e-mail them out to the group to pray over during the week).  Follow up with the person the next week to see if there have been any outcomes related to the request for prayer.  This not only demonstrates care and concern, it communicates faith, anticipation and expectation that God will respond.  Answered prayer inspires more prayer and results in growing faith.


When and how do you use prayer in your small group?

Can a Small Group Be Too Big? | dealing with the large – small group scenario

Because interest-based groups are often open groups (meaning new comers are welcome) there is always the potential for the group to grow!  With that comes the potential for the small group to get too big.  At first, it can be exciting to be a big small group.  Bigness can bring excitement and energy.  However, space for comfortable interacting and relating can become limited and the quality of conversation can be compromised.

Some models of small group ministry (Cell Groups) would advocate dividing the group (like the cells in the body grow and divide) and creating an entirely new group.  This division strategy can be good for dealing with growth but it is not always the best or most appropriate response to growth.  At times,  group members are even resistant and adverse to this kind of change. So, before you count off your group members by 1's, 2's and 3's and divide them into separate gatherings, consider these internal division methods first.

1)  Celebrate your success!  Start by getting your group members together to celebrate the fact that you have grown!  Never make growth out to be a negative thing.  Growth is always positive but it does create new opportunities and challenges that can become a negative if the growth dynamic is not addressed. 

2)  Communicate the challenges.  Talk to the group about all of the challenges you face now that your number is greater. 

3)  Brainstorm solutions.  Invite the group to brainstorm solutions to the challenges associated with your growing group.  Working together in this way will help group members thoroughly understand the growth and development issues and embrace any changes or adjustments that might be needed. 

Two common issues groups face when growh happens are 1. Not enough space and 2. Decrease in the quality of conversation due to the face that not everyone gets a chance to or feels comfortable speaking in the larger group.

If not enough space is your group's challenge, consider hosting your small group in a larger venue such as a subdivision clubhouse or a room at the church.

If your challenge is quality of conversation, consider ways you can break your large group into smaller groups.  You may have everyone altogether for fellowship, announcements and learning, but divide into a few smaller groups for discussion and prayer.

Example of a Large-Small Group Situation:  The Alpha course is a good example of a large-small group situation.  Group members all share in a relational meal time at the start of the gathering.  Next they receive announcements and then sing a song or two. After this they watch a teaching video and from there they break out into smaller groups for discussion.  This is a great format for this type of life group.  Guests get to meet a number of other guests but are only want to discuss the teaching with a few.  Consider how a format like this may help solve large-small group situation.

What are your ideas for dealing with the large – small group scenario?

Would Jesus Play Softball?

Would Jesus play softball?  He certainly seemed to enjoy boating, fishing and hiking.  I know, I know, you argue...those were necessary forms of transportation and sustenance! But still, is it crazy to think that Jesus enjoyed any kind of activity?  I know Christians who struggle to admit that they do.  It's as if they feel guilty for enjoying any other activity other than reading the bible, praying, worshiping or witnessing.  

I have also met people who "get around the guilt" by quoting 1 Corinthians 9:22 "...I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some."  It is as if these people are saying, "I don't really want to play softball... it is just what I have to do in order to reach softball players for Christ." Look, I'm all for missionary endeavors, but let's just call it like it is (no pun intended)... we are Christians and we like to play softball.  

There I said it! Astonishingly, I feel no guilt about it, nor do I believe I should feel guilty.  We are Christians who enjoy doing things.  We are Christians who play softball. We are Christians and we exercise. We are Christians and we play euchre. We are Christians who like to go bowling and enjoy a good cup of coffee.  We are Christians who like building things. We enjoy interior design.  We ride bicycles, horses, and motorcycles.  We are Christians who do these things and sometimes we even do them together in groups!

At our church, we embrace the idea that Christians do things beyond Bible reading, prayer, worshiping and witnessing.  We even mix our Christianity with these things and for us it is not awkward or unnatural.  We blend who we are with what we do.  There are a few words for this kind of living and they are; authentic, real, mature, and alive. 

When Christians live this way... unbelievers are attracted to them.  Yes, sometimes we do things because we know unbelievers are interested, but we don't have to pretend we aren't enjoying ourselves.  We certainly don't have to hide our excitement from other Christians.

So, batter up!  Swing for the fences my friends.  Pray and Play Ball!

If you are interested in playing softball this summer
Click here to fill out the First Assembly Community Ministries Men's Softball League Form.

What do you think? Would Jesus Play Softball?

What activity do you love to do?