Reading Scripture Together

I'm intrigued by the ancient practice of lectio divina, a liturgical practice for reading the Scriptures (and also devotional writings). Not sure what I think about it - It has its dangers. Maybe a mix or alternating pattern of exegetical study and devotional reading is best.

Any way, here's an interesting piece on adapting the the practice to a house church/small group context from from Church in a Circle- 

...Each Sunday morning all of our missional communities and faith family come together under one roof. We sing, we share at the Lord’s Table, and we focus on God’s Word. As a church, we are learning to value dialogue (not only monologue), and are fostering a conversational community where communal discernment is embraced and invited, where shared leadership is emphasised, and each personactively participates. We use a variety of techniques to explore Scripture together, including Lectio Divina.

Lectio Devina: Discerning Life With God Together

The Sundays we practice Lectio Devina prove to be beautifully formative experiences. I could offer story after story of what we’ve seen and heard in the midst of our gatherings (and I will tell you one of them today). But first, this is how we practice it in a large gathering of people.

There are four basic moves in our practice of Lectio Devina (we call these “moves” in an effort to distinguish them from a “steps” mentality because it is not a four-step linear process; it as a movement between states of awareness where each stage naturally progresses). This is not a Bible study where we are interpreting the text, as much as allowing the text to interpret us. Here is how it works in detail.

Movement One: Reading Deeply

While sitting in a comfortable position after a few moments of silence (which is awkward in our noisy world!) we begin with silence before God. We are now ready to listen as someone reads the text aloud. Everyone is reminded to savor each word as they listen for a particular phrase that speaks to them and captures their imagination. After the reading a few moments of silence each person is invited to ask God, “What word or phrase do you want me to hear today?” A few more moments of quiet reflection is offered. Finally, anyone is welcomed to share aloud just the word or phrase. No elaboration is needed. This means we do not share anything that isn’t present in the text. In other words, we do not seek to make application. Not yet. We just listen. We simply allow God’s Spirit to speak through His Word slowly as we identify a word or phrase directly from Scripture.

Movement Two: Thinking Deeply

The text is read aloud again using the same translation, preferably by a different voice as it provides a different experience. Each person is invited to slowly repeat the phrase that seems to be for them while the passage is read again. We want to think deeply with God. We ask God, “Where does this  phrase touch my life?” After a few moments to reflect each person is invited to share their reflection aloud using phrases such as “I hear…” “I see…” “I feel…”

Movement Three: Living Deeply

The text is read aloud a third and final time. Each person is invited to speak to God in words or images what He places on their heart. That response may be confession, thanksgiving, joy, or repentance. Finally, each person asks God, “What do You want me to do in light of this phrase?” This may come instantly for some while for others it unfolds throughout time. After a few moments of reflection anyone is invited to share aloud their response.

Movement Four: Rest

Finally we simply rest in silence in God’s presence, meditating on this experience with His Living Word.

Once we have enjoyed this time together I usually ask the church if we could identify any consistent themes within the room. I don’t force it. I want to allow the chance for deeper listening to what the Spirit could be saying to us as a community. I may offer extra insight into the particular Scripture in its context, but for no more than 10 minutes and only after we’ve all listened deeply to God through the text. I do not want to shape our readings, only ask God to shape our understanding of what it means to live from this text as His people joined with Him in Williamsburg, Virginia. My hope is that this part of the experience gives our collective reading theological and missiological integrity while inviting all of God’s people to work out the text in their lives as disciples of Jesus...

If Jesus Ran Your Small Group

What if you were in a small group......run by Jesus?  What would that be like. Here's some thoughts by Justin Knowles:

If Jesus was in charge of small groups at a church, what would they look like? What would he focus on? Why? What would be his priorities? It actually is really fun to think about and I think it’s relatively easy to figure it out because we just need to look how Jesus lead. I think if we are doing these things, we ought to be doing pretty good.

It’s all about relationships. Jesus had a small group. His disciples. He poured his heart and life out for this group of men. He spent time with them. Ate with them. Lounged with them. Prayed with them. Prayed for them. Yes he loved the crowds and did miracles but a majority of his time was with his small group and he poured into them.

His curriculum was story based with real life application. Jesus is the ultimate story-teller. Everything thing he taught he taught with an illustration and story. He brought up scripture, then a story, then application. “Go and do likewise. Go and sin no more. Truly I tell you…”. When it comes to high school small groups, we need to have Scripture and then stories of real life and then an application they can actually do that has to do with that lesson.

Invested in the core leaders. Jesus had the 3 close disciples. The one who we took on the mountain with him. They were his core. He knew what they were going to do later so he wanted to make sure they were properly poured into. Same with our small groups and leaders. There are some we see have major potential so we want to make sure we pour into the core so they in turn can pour into others.

Some Links

Miscellaneous links from my Blog roll:

Three Ways to Pray for Missionaries

When You Are Sick of Theology

Top 5 Ways to Shrink Your Bible Study Group

The Death of the Bookstore

Marks of Healthy Small Groups

Rick Warren on Healthy Small Groups:

1. Healthy small groups study the Bible. Small groups in the New Testament studied the Bible together. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching …” Of course, we know the teaching of the apostles is what we call the New Testament today. They lived in an oral culture, but they were still studying lessons from the apostles....

2. Healthy small groups share life together. The Book of Acts says the early believers were devoted to fellowship (Acts 2:42). This means they were serious about their friendships. Notice the Bible says they were devoted to the fellowship, not just to fellowship. In other words, fellowship is not just something the church does; we are the fellowship.Jesus calls us to be committed to one another, and it is through small groups that we learn the skills of relationship. Small groups are laboratories of love, where we learn to obey the command of Jesus to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

3. Healthy small groups remember Jesus together. The Bible says the early believers devoted themselves “to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). The “breaking of bread” in this passage specifically refers to Communion (or the Lord’s Supper). In the early Church, they did not take Communion in a large worship setting. They served it in small groups.

4. Healthy small groups pray together. The Bible says the early believers devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42). Jesus taught that there is a power to prayers spoken aloud for each other, and he made an incredible promise about small groups of believers: “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Matthew 18:20 NASB). In the intimacy and confidentiality of small groups, we can pray for each other as we share our hurts, reveal our feelings, confess our failures, disclose our doubts, admit our fears, acknowledge our weaknesses, and ask for help.

5. Healthy small groups are generous. The Bible says these small groups gave “to anyone who had need” (Acts 2:45 NIV). Small groups allow us to help each other with practical needs. Can I loan you a car? Can I provide you with some meals when you are sick.

6. Healthy small groups worship together. The Bible says the New Testament small groups worshiped together, “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people” (Acts 2:47). We need to worship God more than once a week, and small groups offer an opportunity to worship together.

7. Healthy small groups witness together. As these small groups met together, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). They were inviting others to join them. One of the proofs of a healthy small group is that it reproduces, so a small group may add members, but a small group may also help start another small group.

I cut out some material specific to Warren's Saddleback Church. You can read the whole thing at the link.

Hat Tip: Rick Ianniello

Megachurch Trends

I saw an interesting article by Thomas Rainer at Lifeway on Seven Updated Trends on Megachurches. I was particularly interested in #6.

Trend #6: A greater interest in groups. Megachurch leaders have a growing interest in groups as the church mechanism for assimilation, evangelism, fellowship, ministry, and more in-depth teaching. Groups have different names: small groups, Sunday school, life groups, home groups, etc. Megachurch leaders know that the health of their congregations can often be measured by the health of their groups. As the church grows larger, it must intentionally move smaller as well.

A very important concept is buried in that last line: "As the church grows larger, it must intentionally move smaller as well." Note that it must be intentional.

I see signs of all seven trends in my area, and at the church we attend. How about you?

Non-Transformative Bible Study

Why are there so many Bible study groups and Bible study programs, but so little Bible study that transforms lives? Jen Wilkin at the The Gospel Coalition has some ideas.

Why, with so many study options available, do many professing Christians remain unschooled and unchanged? Scripture teaches clearly that the living and active Word matures us, transforms us, accomplishes what it intends, increases our wisdom, and bears the fruit of right actions. There is no deficit in the ministry of the Word. If our exposure to it fails to result in transformation, particularly over the course of years, there are surely only two possible reasons why: either our Bible studies lack true converts, or our converts lack true Bible study.

I believe the second reason is more accurate than the first. Much of what passes for Bible study in Christian bookstores and church resource libraries just isn't: while it may educate us on a doctrine or a topic, it does little to further our Bible literacy. And left to our own devices, we pursue a host of unsavory (and un-transformative) self-constructed approaches to "spending time in the Word." 

Read it all at the link.

What a Concept! - Shallow Small Groups

This is funny - but too close to reality for a lot of people and churches.



God save us from shallowness. May God bring about true community in our churches!

Hat Tip: The Blazing Center, Nine Marks

House Churches in the News

Check out this AP article published in the Washington Post about the house church movement - House Church: Skip the sermon, worship at home:

The members of this "house church" are part of what experts say is a fundamental shift in the way U.S. Christians think about church. Skip the sermons, costly church buildings and large, faceless crowds, they say. House church is about relationships forged in small faith communities.

In general, house churches consist of 12 to 15 people who share what's going on in their lives, often turning to Scriptures for guidance. They rely on the Holy Spirit or spontaneity to lead the direction of their weekly gatherings.

Dangers in Leading Small Group Bible Studies

There was an interesting discussion this week at Christians in Context on Steering the Right Course in Small Group Bible Studies

On the one hand, many (if not most) small group Bible studies become simply poolings of ignorance, with everyone, if they contribute at all, simply "sharing" what the passage "means to me." Both knowledge of and practice of sound hermeneutics are often notably absent. On the other hand, people in small groups who have theological training and knowledge can dominate and stifle discussion and interaction, and/or confuse everyone else with interjections of technical terminology and concepts foreign to the average Christian. I have often bitten my lips to keep from over-dominating a group while so wishing to correct obvious error.

How do we prevent this from happening, so that knowledgeable teachers can teach and everyone can join in discussion? A lot of prayer is needed of course - both in the group and before the meetings.

One important thing to remember is to stay focused on the Biblical text and what it says and keep the group so focused. To the text, to the text, always to the text. Use your theological knowledge to look at the text, use you life experience to look at the text, but do not stray from the text. If a leader can provide background information to the passage in question, and then ask questions that consistently call the participants back to the text and what it actually says in its context, as opposed to what they wish it said or various possible philosophical and emotional rabbit trails, perhaps the Word can do its work in us with as little human interference as possible.