Resources

Find helpful resources for each Micro-Church element.

Starting a Micro-Church

Living out Acts 2:42-47

Micro-Churches will typically meet on a weekly basis living out what we see in the early church in Acts 2:42-47:

  • Encouraging each other.
  • Sharing meals together.
  • Praying.
  • Building devotion to the Scriptures - hearing and obeying.
  • Meeting the needs of each other, and those around us in our homes, jobs, and neighbourhoods.
  • Collectively and collaboratively discerning and living out a mission focus that the group can do together.
  • Being open and inclusive to others.
  • Taking communion together.

Weekly meetings will look different from group to group and week to week. Groups may engage in discussion using one of our spiritual formation guides, or some teaching from the Sunday service. Other weeks, groups might have a missioal focus where they serve together. Groups with families might take a week to focus on discipling the kids. The gathering for some groups may be very similar week to week. What matters is the process towards living out the elements of being a church gathered around Jesus and living out the Kingdom together and doing the collective mission the group determines.

The detail of some of this is unique to the groups themselves, so we expect there to be many conversations and coaching conversations with the specific leader around their circumstances and how to work out the details. This will not always be a straight line and for some groups this will involve some try's and retry's on certain things. However, some groups will pull things off seamlessly, but will look very different from other gouprs.

Mission Prayer - This is collaborative prayer, seeking God's mission for your group. One of the unique elements of Micro-Church is that each group will seek together, by prayer, a collective mission that they will serve together. This can take time to discern, so don't force it. Prayer and discussion around this is so important for your group.

The Prayer of Examen

Lectio Divina

Imaginative Prayer

The Prayer of Examen Colouring Book

Hearing and Obeying God from his Word

The simple yet powerful truth about discipleship is the practice of hearing from God and obeying what you have learned. This is both a personal practice as well as something you can do with your Micro-Church as you gather and discuss God's teaching.

Do's and Don'ts

  • Don't do all the talking - you may also need to help others with that.
  • Decide to be comfortable with silence; be a good listener.
  • Work to create an environment where all can share if so desired. Don't allow one person to monopolize the time.
  • Make relationships primary in importance. In other words, it probably doesn't matter if you go overtime, or if you didn't answer all the questions. It's more important that you listen to and care about each other.

Discussion Question Suggestions

  • What one insight or principle stands out as being particularly helpful, insightful, or difficult to grasp?
  • How does what is shared connect with other things that you know or are learning about God?
  • What parts may you disagree with or find challenging?
  • Consider the text from the sermon.
  • Reflecting on these verses, what strikes you most? Why?
  • What is most challenging in these verses? Encouraging? New?
  • If thse verses were applied to our culture today, how would it change?
  • When and where do you struggle most with what was shared in the sermon?
  • If you were to incorporate this truth into your own life, how would the next week be different?
  • How can we pray for one another regarding this topic?

One of the unique elements of Micro-Churches is that each group will seek to discern together, by prayer, a collective mission that they will serve together. This can take time to discern, don't force it. Prayer and discussion around this is so important for your group.

The mission will vary from group to group with a wide variety of focuses (i.e. one of the group memeber's neigbour who is in a season of need, an organization, a nearby school that may need help, the poor, etc.)

The key is discerning together God's direction for your group.

On March 14, Steve spoke on what Micro-Churches will look like at SBC. If you haven't listened to that sermon yet, or you want to listen again, click the link below.

March 14 Sermon