The C3 Global Fast — 21 days of prayer of fasting from 9th- 28th March 2013

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

The secret to a major breakthrough in any circumstance is to first breakthrough in prayer. When we add fasting to our praying we increase our effectiveness many times over.

There is not a preacher, a pastor, or a group of Christians throughout all Christian history who have achieved some great thing for God that have been able to say, prayer was not part of it. Not just ordinary prayer either, but prayer that breaks through. Prayer and fasting bring breakthroughs that nothing else can. Even Jesus told his disciples some things cannot be achieved without prayer and fasting, (Mark 9:29).

Saying a prayer is not the answer. We are not here to be appropriately religious. We are here to change people and circumstances. Therefore we must be able to pray so that we effect changes. These changes are wrought in prayer.

Old timers called it ‘praying through’. 

Was it William Carey the great missionary to India, who originated the much-said statement, ‘God does nothing but in answer to prayer’?

On Prayer Mountain in Seoul, Korea, a property owned by the largest church in the world, Full Gospel Central Church, at any given time, up to 10,000 people can be found on the mountain locked away in small caves and holes in the hill, crying out to God for their church, their city, their country, their Pastor and his team. They have around one million members in their church.

It’s difficult to argue with that kind of success.

Jashil Choi, Pastor Yongii Cho’s mother in law, committed herself to extraordinary prayer and fasting in the early days of that church, locking herself in a hole in the ground, determined that either God would bring blessing or else she would die.

David Yongii Cho the Pastor of this largest Church in the history of the world, says that he prays no less than three hours, sometimes five hours daily.

Martin Luther of Germany, possibly the most pivotal man in the entire Reformation of the 15^th Century said, ‘I have so much work to do, that I cannot get along without giving three hours daily of my best time to prayer’.

Jonathan Edwards the man God used for the Great Awakening in America in the 17^th Century records, ‘When I was a boy I used to pray 5 times a day in secret, and to spend much time in religious conversation with other boys. I used to meet with them to pray together. So it is God’s will through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of His saints should be one great and principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s Kingdom in the world’.

R.A. Torrey preached, ‘Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer’.

Ralph Herring says, ‘Prayer is a summit meeting in the very throne room of the Universe’.

Leonard Ravenhill writes, ‘One might estimate the weight of the world, tell the size of the celestial city, count the stars of heaven, measure the speed of lightening, tell the time of the rising and setting of the sun – but you cannot estimate the power of prayer. Prayer is as vast as God is, because God is behind it. Prayer is as mighty as God is because He has committed Himself to answer it’.

E.M Bounds says, ‘A prayerless minister is the undertaker for all God’s truth and for God’s church. He may have the most costly casket and the most beautiful flowers but it is a funeral, notwithstanding the charmful array. A prayerless Christian will never learn God’s truth; a prayerless ministry will never be able to teach God’s truth. Ages of millennial glory have been lost by a prayerless church. Hell has enlarged herself and filled her dire caves in the presence of the dead service of a prayerless church. If the preachers of the 20^th century will learn well the lesson of prayer, and use fully the power of prayer, the millennium will come ere the century closes. If the 20^th century will get their texts, their thoughts, their words, their sermons in their closets, the next century will find a new heaven and a new Earth. The old sin stained and sin eclipsed Heaven and Earth will pass away under the power of a praying ministry’.

The power of God lies untapped until we begin to pray.

The church without prayer is Samson without hair. The good thing about hair is that it can grow again. The great thing about prayer is that it can be grasped again. It can be revived. If prayer is revived, revival comes. The two are inseparable.

Prayer has no ‘ifs’ in it. The only ‘If’, is whether or not we will pray. Once we pray God will answer.

A wealthy gentleman called Count Von Zinzendorf of Moravia led a community in Hernhutt, on his estate in the first half of the 18^th Century. The community was called ‘the Lord’s Watch’ and they committed themselves to a prayer meeting that would be continual. This prayer movement actually lasted nearly one hundred years. It is not difficult to trace the large bulk of missionary activity to that prayer meeting. It was Moravian Brethren from Hernhutt who influenced John Wesley to a real relationship with Christ. They also had a deep impact on George Whitfield. Great things come out of great prayer.

From Abraham pleading with God for Sodom and Gomorrah, to Moses standing upon the mountain over the warring armies, to King David rising morning, noon and night, to pray, to Daniel opening his windows to Jerusalem three times a day, to Elijah bowing in intercession for the drought to break, to Jesus Christ Himself, spending entire nights in prayer, and rising early every day to seek His Father, to the 120 in the Upper Room, to the Apostles unwilling to abandon the practice of prayer in order to administrate the church, to Peter seeking God on a roof top, and receiving the revelation of the salvation of the Gentiles, to John the beloved disciple receiving an entire revelation of the end times on the Isle of Patmos when he was in prayer on the Lord’s Day.

In all of these prayer is the secret. And it is no secret. It is a well documented key, available for anyone to unlock the great doors of the Kingdom of God.

Ps Phil Pringle

I love this time of year. Many people are coming back from holidays and are feeling refreshed, they’re making key decisions about their coming year and it’s a great opportunity to re-state the vision for our church and call people to be involved in a cause that has eternal consequences – Building the Church.

In one way every Sunday should be Vision Sunday, or at the least we should focus on why we exist as a church every Sunday and emphasise an aspect of our vision – through preaching, testimonies or honoring of people who embody the vision. Remember, vision leaks and if we don’t remind and inspire people about where we are going together as a church, it’s easy to lose focus, enthusiasm and momentum.

For our church, February is really our Vision month. We have a Goal Anointing Service – where we pray for people’s personal goals for the year, a Vision Sunday – where we present our church Vision and then the following two Sundays are all about Volunteering. It’s a chance to mobilise people while the vision is fresh in their hearts and minds.

Vision Sunday

For us there are a number of key components to a successful Vision Sunday. Our emphasis will vary from year to year, but in essence we want to make sure our whole church is moving in one direction, that people are clear about who we are and where we are going together.

Essential Components of Vision Sunday

Re-State the Vision

For most churches, the vision doesn’t change from year to year. It’s to Build the Church or see Transformed Lives or Make Disciples or to Impact Our Community or whatever your vision statement is. It’s not like we have to come up with a new vision each year. What we really need to do is re-state this vision in a fresh and compelling way.

Give Highlights

Reflect on the previous year. Find some things that went well and highlight those things. Make heroes of leaders and volunteers who exemplify what the vision is all about. It may be the youth ministry or connect groups or Alpha or the prayer meetings. This is not an Annual General Meeting with lots of graphs and reports but it’s important to give a snapshot of things that matter to your average member so that you can celebrate your successes together and launch off those successes into a new year.

Use Testimonies

Get some people to share their story of salvation and spiritual growth. How have they grown? How much difference has being part of this church made? Remember, our vision is all about people and testimonies are the best way to demonstrate this.

Tell Stories

Reflect on where we have come from as a church. How we started. Tell stories that help people remember what God has done in and through us. Use humour. Highlight people who have been around long term, are loyal and faithful.

Coming Up

Let people know some of the exciting things coming up this year. Which Visiting Ministers are coming. What Conferences, Getaways or Seminars are coming up. What Outreach events are planned.

Optional Components or ideas for Vision Sunday

Induct Leaders/Pastors

It’s a great day for praying for your key leaders and pastors in front of the church – it helps people be clear on the structure and strength of the church. It’s also a great day for ordaining new pastors or publicly praying in new leaders. Just make sure that any new appointment is not a big surprise – let key people know beforehand.

Preach Values

Last year I preached a message about the 12 key values of our church – why we do the things we do. Our flavour and focusses. This message is now given to every visitor who comes to our church because it’s a great overview of what we are all about.

Set Goals

Some years we have set public goals – growth goals, baptism goals, salvation goals, connect group goals etc. We don’t do it every year because some people react to the “numbers thing”. But it’s good to give the church some goals we can pray for together and work towards. Remember the key principle – under-project and overachieve.

New Initiatives

If you are planning to introduce new things this year, Vision Sunday is a great day to mention these. Try and think what will excite and engage the average member of your congregation. Maybe it’s launching Compassion in your church, or a new Marriage Course, or launching the Phil Pringle School of Leadership. These aren’t new vision ideas but rather fresh ways to fulfill the vision.

God bless you as you inspire your churches for a wonderful year ahead!

John Pearce
C3 Church Australia National Director

How to Recruit Volunteers

An annual recruitment drive is an excellent means of:

• Recruiting new volunteers.
• Inspiring and celebrating your current workers.
• Giving volunteers an opportunity to try something new.

Key elements of a recruitment drive:

• Conduct it over two weekends.
• Preach on serving.
• Get volunteers to share their stories.
• Highlight unsung heroes.
• Ask everyone to fill in the Opportunity to Serve form.
• Get your small groups to discuss volunteering.
• NOTE THIS ONE: Train volunteers to recruit their friends.

Use two focal points when recruiting volunteers:

1. The needs of the department

Aim to recruit for all your departments.
For example:

• Volunteer administration staff
• Youth and Children’s ministry
• Small groups, and so on

2. The wiring of the people

Tech heads enjoy all things technical whether it be operating computers, sound or lighting

Friendly faces enjoy the company of people and excel at welcoming strangers

Creatives are passionate about music, design, photography, art and song writing

Connection builders are natural networkers who thrive on linking people together

Task lovers enjoy behind the scenes practical tasks involving administrative skills

How to Train Volunteers

INDUCTION

New volunteers should attend a one hour induction session that covers your church’s vision and primary convictions about volunteering.

It’s helpful if new volunteers complete a simple gift assessment survey to help you and them ascertain their primary gifts and suitability for their ministry area of choice.

Conduct it during a Sunday service in a separate room at the church. This makes it accessible to people and solves multiple obstacles such as child minding and finding a free night.

BEST PRACTICES IN TRAINING

IBM conducted research on the effectiveness of their training. A group of people were arbitrarily divided into three sub-groups. Each group was taught the same simple thing using three different approaches. The UK Post Office confirmed these results with similar research.[1]

The results speak for themselves:

FOUR INEFFECTIVE WAYS TO TRAIN VOLUNTEERS

1. Tell them what to do.
2. Instruct them in a teaching session.
3. Show them a task and leave them to it.
4. Hand out written job descriptions.

USE THIS PROVEN FOUR STEP METHOD TO TRAIN VOLUNTEERS:

1. Demonstrate what you want them to do.
2. Ask them, “What did you see”? Now you know what they didn’t see and therefore don’t know.
3. Get them to lead another trainee robotically through the activity giving them precise instructions as to what they are to do. Now you are testing their knowledge.
4. Tell them to do it while you observe. Now they experience it and act out what they have seen and been told.

Six Ways to Retain Volunteers

1. KEEP YOUR PURPOSE FRONT AND CENTRE

Motivation drops when volunteers feel they are just a cog in a big machine they can’t see, feel or handle.

 Remind volunteers why they are doing what they are doing.

Use tools like:

• One on one conversations
• Facebook and twitter
• Sunday announcements
• Re-visioning segments at volunteers meeting
• Vision fulfilment stories

2. CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENT

Every time we achieve a personal goal we feel better about ourselves, our lives and if it’s a particularly challenging goal, the entire universe!

Therefore, a wise pastor will set achievable yet stretching goals for their church to accomplish.

These goals can range from a missions project to a Christmas service attendance figure to a certain number of baptisms to a percentage involvement in small groups.

Once the goal is achieved time must be taken to:

• Tell the stories.
• Highlight achievements.
• Honour key volunteers.
• Show pictures.
• Reward special efforts.

3. FOCUS ON OUTCOMES MORE THAN PROCESS

Daniel Pink’s research in Drive shows that people remain highly motivated when they have autonomy and can direct their own lives.

Therefore an astute pastor will empower people to adapt processes to suit their style, gifts and personality.

For instance, if the agreed outcome of a small group is relational connection and growth in Christian wisdom then that should be your focus. Whether the small group leader attains this through meeting in a café or home or park should be of little consequence. Whether the leader attains this through an emphasis on prayer and worship or Bible study or talking over a meal should be of little consequence.

However, if the outcome is not being achieved then you should analyse the small group leader’s process. For instance, the café may be the brilliant for relational connection but too noisy for discussions or the prayer segment in the group meeting is crowding out connection time.

4. ENCOURAGE

Encourage through:

• Thank you notes
• Awards
• Public thanks
• Text a thank you
• Deflect credit to unsung heroes
• Boast about work done by committed volunteers
• Interact through social media
• Regularly remind your church of what volunteers do
• Annual Volunteer Appreciation night
• Private words of praise

5. BE A GODLY EXAMPLE

When pastors provide a godly example they:

Inspire

Volunteers are inspired by their pastor’s courageous faith and sacrifice.

Model

As people watch a godly leader they discover how to follow Christ and lead a life worthy of Him.

Antidote

Good leaders provide a wholesome antidote and alternative to ungodly role models and deceptive images of how life should be lived.

6. PUT PEOPLE IN TEAMS

When Jesus began the journey of developing people He placed his twelve disciples into a group. He knew that working in a group has many advantages over striving to achieve by yourself.

There is something special about working in a team. You can support one another; learn together; train each other; achieve collectively and also engage in healthy competition.

Team ministry also meets that deep seated need for affiliation and close, interpersonal relationships that we all possess.

John Finkelde
Grow A Healthy Church

[1] Coaching for Improved Performance Whitmore

How to Empower a Church in Soul Winning

Soul winning is easy when believers are full of JOY, and they understand HOW to win souls!

Many of God’s people have been crippled and silenced through disappointment, which is the opposite of joy. If left festering, disappointments can turn to unbelief. Unbelief is sin! Ouch! BUT…

There is New Wine!

New wine must be poured into new wineskins. Luke 5:38
God has new wine ready to be poured into our lives but there are many believers still wearing old wineskins!

Old wineskins represent our religious ways, hard and brittle hearts sculpted by disappointment, limited capacity due to inflexible and rigid ways or mindsets. New wineskins represent the flexibility to move with the Holy Spirit, soft and joyful hearts created by a willingness to trust God even when we don’t get what we want, and a new capacity. Religion kills but the Spirit brings life.

I believe God is calling us to remember, and be “wowed” by, our FIRST LOVE. The pure joy and gratefulness of knowing that God is real and that He knows YOU, has forgiven you, and given you eternal life. Childlike faith… that is what WOW’s God and brings His smile!

The POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT releases indescribable JOY and it is “for them”. A move of God for soul winning! We have to be willing to trade our disappointments, religious ways and self- limiting beliefs for trusting God and going after what His heart beats for…SOULS!

When you have an encounter with God, you cannot wait to tell someone about it! The woman at the well had an encounter with Jesus and raced off into the city to tell as many as she could. (John 4:28). The fact that Jesus had the time and inclination to have a one on one with this woman opened her heart to believe. He won her with his non-judgmental approach. He gave her an eternal perspective, His words and His mercy transformed her.

If we offer the same approach to a hurting and lost world they will come. Gracious words SHAPE people and inspire them to clean up their lives.

I believe we need to serve people in a practical way. I have seen it countless times working with CAP (Christians Against Poverty). By offering a FREE service helping people with their finances, hurting hearts become grateful and open to prayer. We have seen many clients saved on the first appointment because of our non-judgmental approach, meeting practical needs, and time spent caring.

When we get our eyes off ourselves and make ourselves available for people, God can “make His appeal” through us. Helping believers understand that they are all needed, and have a responsibility as, “ministers of reconciliation”, gives them purpose and brings fulfilment, as each member does his or her part in bringing in the harvest.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

I have seen that the problem is not that believers don’t want to share their faith, hope and love. They don’t know HOW!

I am passionate about EQUIPPING the saints! I believe many Christians want to win souls but lack the art! One of the best tools we have is our personal testimony but many people just don’t know how to share it in a short, concise and convincing way.

In my Evangelism workshops we cover subjects like: going the BOLD, looking for hooks, overcoming objections, pushing through distractions, the power of your personal testimony, on tour with the Holy Spirit, expect them to come (the nod), minsters of reconciliation, prayer is the work evangelism is the mopping up, playing your part, how to prophesy over a pre-believer, and slamming the door in the enemy’s face with sanctification!

It’s not just a lesson it’s an impartation!

Community Events have been strategic in soul winning this past year. First we focus on training believers how to reach out to their friends and family, and then we give them an opportunity to use their new skills by putting on an attractive event like a pamper day or family fun day. We always write on the invite that there will be lucky door prizes (so they stick around) and a “Short story of Hope”… (Notice I said short)! That way we are up front about the fact we will be talking about HOPE at some point.

Having the event at the church means they have been loved upon by the team and feel comfortable about coming back for a Sunday service as they have already made connections. The team feel encouraged by seeing salvations at these events and are more likely to volunteer again as they have tasted purpose.

Let’s help believers find their “sweet spots” by providing opportunities to serve. Let’s fill our people with the power of the Holy Spirit so they are full of JOY. Let’s shape people with our words, and equip them HOW to win souls and we will see revival!

Therefore since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 2 Corinthians 3:12

Now is the time of favour, now is the time of salvation.

Cheering you on!

Nicola Gibb

Nicola Gibb is a dynamic preacher, who imparts the power of the Holy Spirit wherever she goes. Nicola is passionate about “seeking and saving the lost”, and is ordained as an evangelist in the C3 Church Movement. She also works with Christians Against Poverty as the National Evangelist, teaching the art of soul winning to CAP centres and Churches all over Australia.

For more details or to book Nicola for an evangelism workshop, community event, church service or conference, go to her website www.nicolagibb.com

Alpha Report for C3 Church Victory, Newcastle

Last year, C3 Victory ran Student Alpha throughout our church. Not only was it a great course with relevant and culturally appropriate material, but it provided the church with an effective tool to reach pre-believing friends.

The mandate of the local church is to reach lost people and assist them to become strong and passionate disciples of Jesus. Recent Census survey results in Newcastle revealed 70% of the population believed in God and at least 50% marked ‘Christian’ in the religious question. With approximately 10% of our city in church on a given Sunday, we felt our opportunity was very positive to reach people open to spirituality.

We began winning souls slowly in 2012. In April, we transitioned the church out of our permanent, suburban building into rented facilities in the heart of Charlestown Square shopping centre. It took great focus and energy from our staff and people to make this transition, and it took some time to adjust. After a few months, we had seen at least 100 new visitors, but few translated into decisions for Christ. Our Senior Ministers, Ps Keith and Janet Edwards, agreed that taking on Student Alpha would be an excellent way to focus the church once again on our true north. The value of the shortened program of seven weeks, with a ‘Holy Spirit’ day, made it possible to schedule this focus into our calendar leading into Christmas.

We cleared the calendar for the last quarter of the year and launched Student Alpha for the adults, charging the church to embrace a ‘GO’ spirit. We presented a three week preaching series, followed by an Alpha dinner, where we hired the local bowling club and invited Jamie Malcolm to share his testimony. Over 180 people attended this night, half of which were pre-believing people, and of the 90 unsaved, 45 signed up to attend the Alpha course, making up 18 adult Alpha connect groups. This was an outstanding result.

The youth also utilised ‘Youth Alpha’ in their weekly connect groups. The feedback was very positive across all the youth, as it helped to disciple many young believers.

We were inspired from our conversation and training from the C3 Alpha Co-ordinators, Ps Adrian and Rachel Dunwell. Their consistent encouragement throughout the course was extremely helpful, and their passion and fervour for winning the lost was imparted to our staff and Alpha facilitators.

Throughout the course, we saw 21 of the 45 adults make first time or rededication decisions, which was a very solid outcome. The Day of Change (Holy Spirit day) was a powerful time that impacted many lives, as a number of people experienced the Holy Spirit for the first time and solidified their faith.

What surprised us the most, however, was the impact Alpha had upon our church services. Before launching Alpha we had seen 60 decisions in 9 months across adults, youth and kids. Although this wasn’t an outstanding result for us, we knew it was possibly an effect of the building transition. Yet in the final three months of the year, after launching Alpha, we witnessed 84 decisions for Christ and altar calls filled with people accepting Jesus. This culminated in 17 responses at our Christmas production, our most significant result in the past five years. Overall, we witnessed a 130% increase of decisions for Christ in the final quarter than witnessed in the first nine months together.

Employing Alpha has brought a renewed passion and fervour for winning souls to the life of our church and we have been delighted with the outcome.

To be honest, when Ps Phil endorsed Alpha at the beginning of 2012 we joined many people wondering if this well recognised but much tried method would be a successful tool, as our experience with it in the past was okay, but not life-changing. Now, our testimony is that the model C3 have created has a renewed sense of life and was very successful in empowering the church with a tool to win their pre-believing friends and family to the Lord. We are very thankful we took the step of faith and launched it again.

We have decided to run Alpha in term three this year. We have cleared our calendar again so the church can focus their attention on this period. We aim to ensure the platform and “My Story” video testimonies reinforce the power of winning people to Christ, and, as a result, we have lifted our targets for winning people to Christ in 2013.

“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” John 4:35 (NKJV)

Craig Sparrow is the Executive Pastor of C3 Church Victory in Newcastle.
Under the leadership of Senior Ministers Ps Keith and Janet Edwards, he has been on staff for 7 years.

During the first week of June this year Christian Schwarz, the founder of Natural Church Development (NCD) toured Australia. It was great to meet up with many of our C3 NCD representatives around the country at Christian’s conferences. Christian introduced his new resources that particularly address the quality characteristics of ‘Empowering Leadership’ and ‘Holistic Small Groups’. Because these two quality characteristics feature as C3 Australia’s minimum factor most commonly, the release of these resources is timely. The ‘Empowering Leadership’ book is particularly interesting. These books can be ordered at http://toolshed.ncd-australia.org.au/.

The following thoughts have been put together by Adam Johnson from NCD Australia to give some insight into addressing our small group challenge.    

Empowering your small group

Between the weekly 3 hours or so that make up a weekly carpark-to-carpark corporate worship experience are another 165 hours of Kingdom life. During that time, our small groups provide a greenhouse of spiritual growth to nurture church members through the peaks and challenges of everyday life.

The C3 movement is involved in a church health process called Natural Church Development (NCD). In the initial research of NCD, one of the questions asked of pastors was, “If your people could only make it to either the worship service or a small group each week, which would you prefer?” In healthy growing churches around the world, the preference was clearly for small group attendance. Small groups are not an optional extra or stepping stone between Sundays, but truly the epicenter of life-transformation.

While C3 is the healthiest movement in the Australian NCD database, a challenge we face is how to take our least developed area of small groups to a new level. The key to this will be in helping our existing and emerging small group leaders learn how to better empower their small group members. Despite being often out of sight, by sheer number, these small group leaders are our most important group of people as we look to fulfill the vision of C3.

Here’s why this growth in empowerment is so important.

The diagram above shows the path to your best life and the road to mediocrity. Most people will become part of your church towards the left hand end of this scale—some with a degree of spiritual maturity (part way along), some starting from scratch (far left). The role of the senior leadership of the church is to model, envision and equip people to make the journey towards their best life. Spread along this top line are the many small group leaders who make the human-life-chain between the senior leadership right through to those just starting the journey.

The second diagram indicates what happens in churches when the principles of empowerment are not adequately passed down that human life chain. The further people try to grow on the journey, the steeper the path becomes. You may passionately want to go further, but the means of doing so seem to be increasingly out of reach. This ends up creating a spiritual ceiling and putting such a strain on the human-life-chain that frequently an avalanche occurs where the empowerment supply line breaks down. At that point, the church has to move for a time into maintenance mode while the leaders rebuild the leadership supply line, mending burnout, disillusionment, and stagnation along the way. It need never happen.

Passing down these essential principles and establishing a church-wide culture of empowerment depends first of all on knowing what those principles are and then being able to pass them from leader to leader via a very simple process. Without this in place, it is more likely that the favorite ideas of each person in the chain will be passed on in an increasing pool of fogginess. After a while, the message further along the line might as well be that the secret to the senior pastor’s spiritual power is the purple shoes he or she wears!

Having researched and worked with these dynamics for more than a decade, the Natural Church Development team has developed the Empowerment Test. It is a reliable and easy way for small group leaders at every level to learn the universal principles of empowerment and discover the simple things they could do better to make a greater difference in the lives of those in their care. Check it out at www.3colorsofleadership.org

Steve White
C3 Church Australia NCD Specialist
Senior Minister C3 Church Monash

What Makes a Connect Group Vibrant?

Why Is It Important To Have Vibrant Connect Groups? What makes them so?

Walking into a large auditorium where you don’t know anyone can be rather daunting at the best of times. If that auditorium is a Church, where yes, you may get a welcome from a few people the first or second time you come, if real connections are not made during the week, as well as at Church on a regular basis, most people start to feel unwelcome and join the congregation less often.

Connect Groups are the building blocks of Bayside Church and are the primary means for pastoral care.

It is in Connect Groups that people find their place of belonging at Bayside and where they have the opportunity to pray for, encourage, support one another and form friendships.  It is these friendships that help people to feel a sense of belonging not only during Connect but also on a weekend when they walk into church.  All it takes is a couple of smiling faces that you know within a crowd of strangers to make you feel that you aren’t alone.

In Connect Groups people grow in the Word and in the Holy Spirit and learn how to live as committed followers of Jesus Christ.  At Bayside we not only study out the sermon notes from the weekend before but, dependant on which group you belong to, you are able to cover real life topics such as, parenting, communication, marriage, overcoming an orphan spirit and how to draw a prayer circle around an issue and then as a group be committed to continue to pray until you see results.

Connect Groups are a place to allow the Holy Spirit the freedom to go where He wants to on a level where everyone feels comfortable.  You may have new Christians who don’t know the Holy Spirit yet and that’s fine because once you have built up a trust within your group, people are more likely to want to experience what you have and will generally flow with the proceedings.

In Connect Groups people discover their God given gifts and talents to help others and to grow the kingdom of God at Bayside and in the market place.  We encourage everyone within our Connect Groups to participate.  It’s not just the ‘Leader’s’ Connect Group, it is a group of people where everyone has a part.  You may have people within your group who feel that they can’t contribute in any way or who don’t know what their giftings are.  Everyone wants to feel needed, be it in a big way or a small way.  The idea is not to overwhelm them so start small by asking them to bring supper for the evening or to even write out the birthday cards for those within the group.  People who contribute tend to stay.

There may be those who are more confident and we ask our leaders to sow into these people so they can eventually run a Connect Group of their own.  All of our leaders are looking to clone themselves from the time their groups start.  Once again we don’t throw people into the deep end but nurture them until they are fully confident to lead a group and sow into others.  They may start off by praying for the group, then by running a study whilst the original leader takes a step back to observe and then is able to give feedback.  Our Connect Group leaders are also supported by our Network Leaders who visit each of the groups allocated to them at least once during the year and they are also followed up by regular phone calls and prayer.

Connect Groups pray for and provide opportunities to include unchurched friends, family, work colleagues and neighbours.  We encourage our Connect Groups to be groups with arms that are wide open to those within the community.  There is nothing like a when a group takes on a project, like Bayside Church’s ‘Hit the Streets’ where we fix up local kindergartens and schools and put on a bbq for those in the community to see the love of Christ.  It not only blesses the community though, it also builds stronger bonds with the people of your Connect Group.

So why are Connect Groups so important to Bayside Church?  It’s not just a place to belong, it’s a place where you feel safe enough to do life with one another!

Rob Buckingham
Senior Minister Bayside Church

Connect Group Makeover

Three years ago we realized the need to change our approach to building Connect Groups in our church. They were not working and we knew we had to think outside the box of the past. In the past our Connect Group ministry had created social connections and a place for friendships to be formed but they failed in facilitating discipleship pathways for our people. Discipleship was our number one goal so a makeover was required. Here is what we did.

People that Connect

First we appointed a couple that were sold out to the idea that our church needed a thriving small groups ministry where people would build genuine relationships with each other and God. We then set the following not-negotiable boundaries:

1. Senior ministers, staff pastors and key leaders need to run at least one Connect Group (Carolyn and I run two each)
2. Before you can lead a Connect Group you must be in a Connect Group
3. Connect Groups run fortnightly or monthly not weekly (life is too busy)
4. Connect Group leaders personally disciple each member meeting with them one on one as require
5. The meeting time is one hour and then people are released to go (some stay for a while, but not more than 30 minutes)

Connect Groups need constant monitoring and adjusting to stay on track and remain fresh. We have been careful not to declare or announce that our goal is to have every member of our church in a Connect Group. Our goal is to disciple every member of our church.

Places of Connection

We recognized that a high percentage of people won’t commit to a Connect Group due to time constraints, workloads, cultural or generational backgrounds or stages of life. So we accepted that there would be people of connection – Connect Group leaders, and places of connection like prayer meetings, and ministry and maintenance teams. Here pastors and leaders build a wider network of discipleship by seeing that group as their Connect Group and people to disciple.

We seized the opportunity to make discipleship happen where people are already gathering in small groups. Our seniors love to gather fortnightly for prayer and fellowship. They don’t need or want another Connect Group. That is their place of connection and the coordinator is their person of connection.

Our children’s pastor gathers volunteers during the week to administer programs, plan calendars, and run mums’ groups. Once a fortnight they meet and connect as part of their volunteer day. It works a treat for them and our children’s pastor.

Our worship team keeps the connect mentality at practices where most members are too busy to be a member of the team and attend a Connect Group on top. So training nights have become a place of connection and discipleship for every member – when members need or want more they join the Connect Group of the person who has been discipling them within the team.

Christian A. Schwarz, founder of Natural Church Development (NCD) says that he spent an extensive amount of time forming a true definition of healthy small groups in thriving churches all over the world.

His conclusion was – a small group is a group that is small. For many years we were over complicating our Connect Group ministry trying to recreate what we already had in many areas.

Our iConnect (name of our Connect Group ministry) has been flourishing since the makeover. Men and women are engaging in discipleship at the highest level in the history of our church. Those that are looking for deeper connection quickly find it. Those that want to take things slowly don’t feel like they are being rushed into something. Genuine connection leads to discipleship and discipleship leads to growth.

Connect Training

Recently we hosted ALPHA training in our church as we prepare to launch ALPHA. I found these two sessions very powerful in affirming the DNA of our Connect Group mindsets and practices. Everything from the ALPHA acronym definition to limiting the time of the group, and not being pushy with people, reaffirmed the stuff that really works in connect discipleship.

We have not perfected the art of discipleship through connect and would love to have further insight to what is working for you. Please share your comments and feedback below.

Living life, enjoying the journey,

Claude Carrello
Senior Minister C3 Church Rockingham – Mandurah – Siem Reap

Connect Groups in our church have always been an integral part of the way our people are cared for and connect to God and His family.

The core values in our church are LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, SERVE GOD, SERVE PEOPLE and Connect Groups are an expression of the LOVE PEOPLE section. Loving people in our church family means doing life together, caring for one another & reaching out to those who don’t know God. Our Connect Groups, Youth & Young Adults & C3KiDS areas are integral in our means of loving one another.

‘Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…if we love
one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete’
1Jn 4:11,12

Bruce and I began our leadership life with leading small groups wherever we were. They’ve always been a place where people can enjoy each other’s company, grow in their relationship with God and with each other, share their joys & their burdens, know they have people praying for them & supporting them in their life’s journey, and bring their pre- Christian friends to a safe, fun environment.

Connect Groups at C3 Church Adelaide Hills:
— Provide for pastoral care of the church body through being the primary care and
connect system for the members of our church.This is achieved through:

o Fellowship
o Friendship
o Support
o Prayer
o Encouragement
o Doing life together
o Having fun

— Support personal growth and development for each individual by providing a safe
environment for each of person to use their gifts and grow in their faith. This is
accomplished through:

o Praying for and prophesying over each other
o Studying the word of God
o Discussion, support and re-direction from others within the group

— Helps us to reach out to the unchurched through:

o Being purposeful with who we are reaching out to
o Sharing our progress with others
o Prayer support
o Providing opportunities for people to socialise together

Mostly we have held groups fortnightly, and at this stage the groups alternate between being a study night, based on the month’s theme in church (Bruce writes study notes for the leaders to base their thoughts around) and a social night, where people can connect together and invite pre-Christian friends to join with them in doing something fun.

Everyone in our church is in a Connect Group. It is one of the first things they are connected into after they have come along for 3 weeks or more. That doesn’t actually mean that they all attend, but it does mean they know who to go to if they want support in anything. And for those that wouldn’t go regularly to a group, they still feel connected with a group and will attend a few times throughout the year. There is always a regular core who are at everything and they know who they can get alongside and encourage to get to their group for each meeting.

Most of the groups are mixed with couples and singles, with a couple of single gender groups as well. Some of the groups are age specific, but we like to mix them up a bit, so that people learn from all ages and can support across the ages through life issues.

Last year our Youth and Young Adults area changed to meeting in Connect Groups as well. They meet weekly, with one Sunday night a month, where they come together as a large group to worship and grow. This had been very effective for accountability and encouragement for them to reach out to their pre-Christian friends.

A church cannot grow without small groups.

People need to feel connected, needed, loved and welcome in the church family in which they worship and Connect Groups provide this in the best way possible. With the 2020 Vision before us, what better way to grow our churches than by adopting a fulfilling Connect Group system for your church. Different things work in different areas, but I encourage you to keep tweaking your small group structure so that it is the most effect tool for growth that you have. It’s friends bringing friends to church that sees the Kingdom advance and our churches grow, so we can plant more churches and see the 2020 Vision come to pass. Let’s all join together and encourage each other in our efforts and pursuits!

Bruce & Julie Williams
Snr Ministers C3 Adelaide Hills

What is ALPHA?

ALPHA is a seven week practical introduction to the christian faith. It is an opportunity for people from all walks of life to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over seven thought-provoking weekly sessions, with a day or weekend away in the middle.

ALPHA began at Holy Trinity Brompton in central London in the late 1970s, when it was realised that people weren’t walking into the church seeking answers to Life as they used to. ALPHA gathered non-churchgoers from all walks of life into relaxed and informal settings to present the basic principles of the Christian faith.

The success of ALPHA since it began 27 years ago has been truly incredible. Currently over 33,500 courses are being run worldwide in 163 countries. There are 18 million people attending the courses running in tens of thousands of churches of all denominations.

How does it run?

The ALPHA course is based around small groups of about 12 people, hosted by one or two leaders whose role is to facilitate and encourage discussion with the emphasis upon exploration and discovery in a relaxed and informal environment. Each session begins with either a meal or refreshments. This provides a chance to get to know others in the small group. There is then a short talk ( via DVD ), which looks at a different aspect of the Christian faith each week. This is followed by a time of discussion in the small groups where everyone is welcome to contribute their opinion, ask questions and discuss with the rest of the group.

People attend the Alpha course for a wide variety of reasons; some want to investigate whether God exists; others are concerned about what happens after death; some people have particular questions that they would like to discuss; others want to understand other peoples’ beliefs or would like to explore what the purpose of life is. Many of the people who attend an Alpha course have never been to church while others may have attended church occasionally but feel they have never really understood the basics of the Christian faith.

The ALPHA course can be specifically tailored for a particular setting or group allowing the course to be held in gyms, board rooms, prisons, offices, residential homes, cafés, universities, parent and toddler groups, youth clubs, youth groups and schools, even for those who speak English as a second language (ESOL).

C3 ALPHA uses the Student ALPHA DVD pack which is presented by Jamie Haith and we have found that the course works best when it is run consistently throughout the year, with each course ending in a celebration dinner or drinks party that is also used as a way of introducing people to the next course. In this way, people who have attended the course are able to immediately involve their friends by inviting them to the following one.

So why C3 ALPHA?

As C3 Churches we all know and understand that the 20/20 Vision is a core focus to our movement globally: 1000 churches with an average attendance of 500 people. To achieve this we need our church members to embrace this vision not just with their support but with action.

We at C3 ALPHA believe that the ALPHA course is a tool that God is breathing on for our movement as it empowers people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, of all leadership abilities to reach out beyond the walls of their respective churches and into the communities that they are a part of .

C3 ALPHA is so easy to implement and if embedded within the DNA of a church will be sure to bring consistent and sustainable growth and leadership development.

Where to from here?

If you are interested in implementing C3 ALPHA , or if you would like us to take your leaders and church through the C3 ALPHA training, enabling you to launch C3 ALPHA succesfully from the best possible platform, then please feel free to contact us on either of the below contact details. We are more than happy to answer any questions that you may have on this phenomenal course that is revolutionising and growing churches globally.

Looking forward to talking with you soon!

Adrian & Rachel Dunwell
adrian.dunwell@myc3church.net / rachel.dunwell@myc3church.net

P . +61 (0) 2 99728645
M . +61 424 829 150

ALPHA TESTIMONY — C3 Church Bridgeman Downs

Alpha has had an amazing impact in our church.  We have run our first round and are about to start round 2.  We have had 28 decisions for Christ so far and have seen others progress in their journey toward God.

It has been really exciting to see people who have not been in church for over a year, attend a course, return to church and get connected  through Alpha.  Our leaders and members have felt a fresh sense of excitement about seeing their friends and families won for Christ and feel empowered to explain their faith.  We love Alpha!

One family here in our church has been incredibly impacted.  One of our young leaders invited her father, brother and husband to join an Alpha course.  Her Father made a public decision for Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit at our day of change. He is now a well connected member of our church. Her brother and husband came to our day of change, received prayer and has begun attending connect.

Many stories like this are unfolding in our church, and we are very excited to see what God will do with this fresh round about to unfold!

Michelle Smith
Connect Pastor