Cell Group Leader Trainer's Guide

Cell Group Leader Training: Leadership Foundations for Groups that Work Trainer’s Guide M. SCOTT BOREN and DON TILLMAN Cell Group Resources TM , a division of TOUCH ® Outreach Ministries Houston, Texas, U.S.A. Published by Cell Group Resources TM P.O. Box 19888 Houston, Texas, 77224-9888, U.S.A. (281) 497-7901 • Fax (281) 497-0904 Copyright © 2002 by TOUCH ® Outreach Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Cover design by Don Bleyl Text design by Rick Chandler Editing by Blake Egli All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. Cell Group Resources TM is a book publishing division of TOUCH ® Outreach Ministries, a resource and consulting ministry for churches with a vision for cell-based local church structure. Find us on the World Wide Web at http://www.touchusa.org 2 Contents Foreword . 5 Introduction . 9 Part 1: Cell Group Leader Training, Trainer’s Guide . 11 How to Use this Trainer’s Guide . 13 Session 1: Preparing Your Heart for Cell Group Leadership . 26 Session 2: Getting a Meeting Off the Ground . 52 Session 3: How to Facilitate Ministry in the Cell Meeting . 72 Session 4: Practicing Transparent Communication in a Meeting . 94 Session 5: Life Outside the Cell Group Meeting . 112 Session 6: Reaching Out to Unbelievers . 134 Session 7: Walking Together through the Stages of Group Life . 156 Session 8: Reforming Groups by Producing Leaders . 186 Appendix A: What Do We Do with the Children? . 210 Trainer’s Guide Part 2: Upward, Inward, Outward, Forward, Trainer’s Guide 225 How to Use this Trainer’s Guide . 226 Session 1: Capturing the Cell Group Vision . 228 Session 2: Reach Upward . 245 Session 3: Reach Inward . 255 Session 4: Reach Outward . 265 Session 5: Move Forward . 281 Session 6: Putting Your Plans into Action . 290 Appendix A: The Four Dynamics in the Cell Meeting . 293 Part 3: How to Lead an Interview Discussion Using the Journey Guide for Cell Group Leaders . 297 How to Use this Interview Guide . 298 4 Foreword I wrote the first manuals for equipping cell leaders in the early 1990’s in Singapore. This new material is a very special revision of earlier approaches to the training, and is truly “state of the art!” You may be sure the materials have stood the test of time. There are no untested ingredients in the chapters. The establishing of a mentor relationship between the equipper and the cell leader intern is even more important than the printed materials. Each session should bond the trainer to the trainee. Do not see yourself as a temporary person in the lives of those you train; instead, realize that for months and perhaps years to come you will provide guidance for those completing the materials. Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr. Houston, TX 5 Trainer’s Guide 6 SESSION Acknowledgements While writing this training, we realized we are building upon the shoulders of pioneers. A resource like this would be impossible without those who paved the way by daring to think “outside the box.” Their books and training tools have laid the foundation upon which this training is built. In this resource you will find a distillation of the best of the best. These pioneers include Ralph W. Neighbour Jr., Bill Beckham, Jim Egli, Joel Comiskey, Karen Hurston, and Randall Neighbour. We are greatly indebted to those who have gone before us. Thom Corrigan spent two days helping us wrestle through the training’s organization and content. Others like Dawson McAlister, Mark Hayes, Daniel Carr, James Bell and Eric Lerew played crucial roles in the training’s testing and development. Without their input, this tool would not stand as tall. The editorial support of Blake and Brandy Egli have been crucial to the development of this training. Rick Chandler, as always, developed a user-friendly design and attractive layout. Both of us owe a great debt to our spouses, Shawna Boren and Kathy Tillman, whose feedback and support have been critical to the project’s success. Our Father has walked us through the development of this tool. We pray that it will be a blessing to His name and advance His Kingdom. 7 Trainer’s Guide 8 Introduction Cell Group Leader Training has been developed for pastors and church leaders who do not have time to become cell group experts. Each session includes detailed instructions on how to teach the material, how to facilitate the activities, and how to help people process what they are learning. We have sought to make the process as simple as possible. We have also sought to make this training reproducible so that you can develop other trainers. Keep your eyes open for those who have the potential to assist you in future training. You will find three different tools in the three parts of this Trainer’s Guid e. They can work together or separately. • Part 1: Cell Group Leader Training This training has been designed in eight sessions (plus one for children). When used, it will equip new and potential leaders. • Part 2: Upward, Inward, Outward, Forward This training has been designed to equip group leaders and their members in the four dynamics that make a cell group effective. This training will facilitate the development of a strategic plan to help a group accomplish the purposes of the group. • Part 3: Journey Guide for Cell Group Leaders This Journey Guide has been developed to help pastors and leaders get to know current and potential leaders. The interview guide located in Part 3 will facilitate a discussion between a pastor or cell group coach and the potential cell group leader. Through this process the pastor or coach will discover strengths and weaknesses and determine if a person is ready to enter into the leadership of a group. This tool will also prove to be a good self-assessment for existing leaders. 9 Trainer’s Guide 10 PART 1 Cell Group Leader Training Trainer’s Guide Trainer’s Guide 12 How to Use this Trainer’s Guide This Trainer’s Guide has been developed so that you can facilitate effective training. The following will orient you to the training, guide your preparation, and give you ideas for presenting the sessions. Optional Formats The complete training contains eight primary sessions and one supplemental session for intergenerational groups. We have designed the material so that you can adapt it to your setting. Some options work better than others, but this resource gives you the freedom to implement your training in a format that will work for your church. • Option #1: Retreat Followed by Seven Weeks of Training This is the best format for this training. The retreat introduces a presentation of your church’s cell group vision and kicks off the training with Session 1. (A retreat schedule has been provided on pages 20-28.) In the weekly training that follows, participants will learn how to lead a particular aspect of the cell group and then be provided with an opportunity to practice in their groups what they have learned. Note: To enhance this option further, hold your training sessions every two weeks instead of every week. This provides more time for processing and practicing what has been learned. • Option #2: Eight Weeks of Training This option is exactly like Option #1 except no retreat is included. Session 1 is taught during the first weekly meeting. • Option #3: Five Weeks of Training plus Three Monthly Follow-up Sessions In this option, participants are trained through Session 5 in weekly training times. These five sessions include the foundational pieces for starting a group. The final three sessions are then taught in monthly follow-up sessions. Initially, you can do this in your monthly huddle meetings where all of the group leaders come together. When you have experienced leaders who have already been through these sessions, you should hold a separate monthly training session for new leaders who need to work through Sessions 6-8. 13 Trainer’s Guide • Option #4: Two-Day Retreat This works best if you are training people who are already leading groups. It is not as effective in training new leaders because it deals with too much information and they do not have time to process it. New leaders need consistent input over a period of weeks to develop the practices of effective leaders. Here is a sample schedule for a two-day retreat: Friday Evening 6:00 Arrive and Settle In 6:45 Session 1 8:15 Break 8:30 Session 2 9:30 Evening Concludes Saturday 8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Session 3 10:00 Break 10:15 Session 4 11:15 Session 5 12:15 Lunch 1:30 Session 6 2:45 Break 2:30 Session 7 3:45 Break 4:00 Session 8 5:00 Day Concludes • Option #5: One-Day Seminar A one-day seminar is not as effective as the other options because it does not have the built in followed-up over a period of weeks. But one-day training is great for transferring information and orienting participants. Seminars work well when you have invited outside speakers. If you choose this option, you will only have time to teach the first six sessions. Train the final two sessions in monthly cell group leader gatherings.

Thriving under Persecution: Meserete Kristos Church Leadership during the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991) BRENT L. KIPFER* Abstract: Under persecution during the Ethiopian Revolution (1974-1991), highly committed men and women led the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) through remarkable transformation and growth. Although persecution has been an enduring reality in the global church, leadership in that context has received scant research attention. Drawing on interviews and other first-person accounts of faithful MKC leaders in the Derg era, this essay explores the dynamics of their experience using the leadership theory of Robert E. Quinn as a conceptual lens. Persecution forced MKC leaders to clarify the priority of their commitment to Jesus and the mission of the church. Prepared to die for the sake of the gospel, they demonstrated leadership marked by a highly effective pursuit of purpose, compelling integrity under pressure, attractive love, and remarkable creativity—leading to extraordinary results. Between 1974 and 1991 the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC)—an Anabaptist Christian renewal movement in Ethiopia—experienced a profound transformation. Under pressure from a Marxist regime bent on eradicating evangelical Christianity from the country, the MKC grew from 800 to 34,000 baptized members, greatly expanded its geographic reach, dramatically increased the pool of people in active ministry, became financially self-supporting, adopted a radically new ministry structure, and nurtured a contagious spiritual vitality among its members. A remarkable group of leaders—both men and women—played an essential role in this transformation, leading the MKC with courageous purpose, integrity, love, and creativity. This essay, based largely on extensive interviews with twenty-four MKC leaders, explores the dynamics of leadership that enabled the MKC not only to survive but also to flourish under circumstances of persecution and extreme hardship.

LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY FIVE PRINCIPLES TO MAKE AND MULTIPLY DISCIPLES THROUGH THE SMALL GROUP MINISTRY DOCTOR OF MINISTRY PROJECT A Thesis Project Submitted to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF MINISTRY By Timothy W. Yates Barboursville, West Virginia November, 2012 ii Copyright © 2012 by Timothy W. Yates All Rights Reserved iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In January of 2009, my Pastor, Dr. David Lemming began to realize the traditional Sunday school was no longer effective as a means of evangelism and discipleship. Consequently, Pastor Lemming asked me to investigate the small group model. Thank you Pastor for having the wisdom and fortitude to leave a traditional model in order to embrace a more effective means of making disciples. Thank you for entrusting me with this ministry. Fortunately, that same year, I enrolled at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and eventually became a disciple of Dr. Dave Earley and Dr. Rodney Dempsey. I want to thank these two godly men for sending me on the most incredible journey of my life. You time, training, and friendship have been invaluable and life changing. I also want to thank my wife (soul mate) who also joined me in my mission. Thank you for being an incredible small group leader, disciple-maker and multiplier. You have the uncanny ability to see the big picture and the incredible potential of multiplication. It is a joy serving Jesus shoulder-to-shoulder with you. I also want to thank my mentor, Dr. Charles Davidson and my reader, Dr. Rodney Dempsey. Your constant encouragement has inspired me to forge ahead during the difficult days of writing.

Rethinking Discipleship at Faith Methodist Church in Singapore: Making Disciples Through Effective Small Groups

Please HONOR the copyright of these documents by not retransmitting or making any additional copies in any form (Except for private personal use). We appreciate your respectful cooperation. ___________________________ Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) P.O. Box 30183 Portland, Oregon 97294 USA Website: www.tren.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone# 1-800-334-8736 ___________________________ ATTENTION CATALOGING LIBRARIANS TREN ID# Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) MARC Record # Digital Object Identification DOI # Ministry Focus Paper Approval Sheet This ministry focus paper entitled RETHINKING DISCIPLESHIP AT FAITH METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE: MAKING DISCIPLES THROUGH EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUPS Written by MOH-YING WONG and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned reader: _____________________________________ Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: December 13, 2015 RETHINKING DISCIPLESHIP AT FAITH METHODIST CHURCH IN SINGAPORE: MAKING DISCIPLES THROUGH EFFECTIVE SMALL GROUPS A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY MOH-YING WONG DECEMBER 2015 ABSTRACT Rethinking Discipleship at Faith Methodist Church in Singapore: Making Disciples through Effective Small Groups Moh-Ying Wong Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2015 The goal of this paper is to develop an intentional communal disciple-making process at Faith Methodist Church that will help foster life transformation among its members. At Faith Methodist Church, a transformed life is defined as one growing in the areas of Fellowship (community), Adoration (worship), Involvement (service), Transformation (discipleship), and Harvest (evangelism).

Doctoral Project Approval Sheet This doctoral project entitled A SOTERIOLOGY FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE: STUMBLING INTO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR A PENTECOSTAL MISSION STRATEGY FOR JAPAN Written by PUI BAK CHUA and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned readers: _____________________________________ Dr. Cindy S. Lee _____________________________________ Dr. Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: February 5, 2020 A SOTERIOLOGY FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE: STUMBLING INTO GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR A PENTECOSTAL MISSION STRATEGY FOR JAPAN A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY PUI BAK CHUA FEBRUARY 2020 Copyrightã 2020 by Pui Bak Chua All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT A Soteriology from God’s Perspective: Stumbling into God’s Righteousness for A Pentecostal Mission Strategy for Japan Pui Bak, Chua Doctor of Ministry 2020 School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary Building upon theology; scriptural principles; and religious, cultural, and social studies, this doctoral project aims to implement a discipleship process utilizing the modified Twelve Steps concept (N12) for Niihama Gospel Christ Church (NGCC) and Japanese Christians. In mutually caring closed groups and in God’s presence where participants encounter the Scriptures and their need to live a witnessing life, N12 aims for eventual habit change, ministry empowerment, and development of Christlikeness translated into culturally-relevant witnessing. Part One will begin by describing the general trend of decline in both the community and church contexts.

8 80513 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1972. Allen, Roland. Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962. __________. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962. Alexander, Archibald. The Log College. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1968. Anderson, Neil, and Elmer L. Towns. Rivers of Revival: How God is Moving & Pouring Himself Out on His People Today. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997. Arn, Win, Elmer Towns, and Peter Wagner. Church Growth: State of the Art. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1989. Autrey, C. E. Renewals Before Pentecost. Nashville: Broadman, 1968. ________. Revivals of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1960. Baer, Hans A. African-American Religion in the Twentieth Century: Varieties of Protest and Accommodation. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1992. Bahr, Robert. Least of All Saints: The Story of Aimee Semple McPherson. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1979. Bainton, Roland. Yale and the Ministry. New York: Harper, 1957. Baker, Ernest. The Revivals of the Bible. London: Kingsgate Press, 1906. Banks, Robert J. Paul’s Idea of Community: The Early Church Houses in Their Historical Setting. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994. Barrett, David B. Evangelize! A Historical Survey of the Concept. Birmingham, AL: New Hope, 1987. Beardsley, Frank G. A History of American Revivals. New York: American Tract Society, 1904. Beasley-Murray, Paul, and Alan Wilkinson. Turning the Tide: An Assessment of Baptist Church Growth in England. London: Bible Society, 1981. Beere, Joel R. Puritan Evangelism—A Biblical Approach. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 1999. Blumhofer, Edith L.

August 2011 In this issue Young Pastors Give Their Take Young Pastors Give Their Take on the Church of on the Church of God By Carl Stagner God, 1 Macro Missions in Micro- nesia, 2 he Church of God Leadership Summit 2011 Put is rich in diversity. Faith into Action, 3 The spectrum of Tbackgrounds, cultures, Social Media Keeps the Church Connected, 4 perceptions, and ages is Tear ‘n’ Share Permeates broad. I asked Jonathan Local Eateries During NAC Frymire (30), Erin Taylor 2011, 5 (30), and Chris Denney Jonathan Erin Taylor Chris Denney Choosing Unity, 6 (34), a series of questions to Frymire 55th In Service Training get a sense of the Church of Institute Convenes in God from the perspective stand the call to follow Christ as both Leader Anderson, 7 of young pastors. and Forgiver until high school. While attend- Martha Black: E-mail ing college, we were part of a significant Encourager, 8 CGM: How were you called into ministry? revival in our college town, and it was during MACU to Launch Worship Frymire: My calling came gradually. The that time that God called me to a deeper walk Certificate Program, 9 first nudges toward ministry probably came with him and also to a life of ministry. For Leaven’s Sake: Targeting in high school; however, I was extremely Our Own Kind, 12 reluctant to follow that path. With so many CGM: What are your specific ministry passions? Subscribe pastors in the family, I didn’t want to go into Frymire: When it comes to Christianity, I ministry just because it was what I knew.

Durham E-Theses Facilitating mission in British Methodist churches: lessons from historical and contemporary models Worsnop, Paul J How to cite: Worsnop, Paul J (2000) Facilitating mission in British Methodist churches: lessons from historical and contemporary models, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4206/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 FACILITATING MISSION IN BRITISH METHODIST CHURCHES LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MODELS The COI)yright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should he IlUhlished in any form, including Electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derh'ed from this thesis must he acknowledged aJ)l,ropriately. Paul J Worsnop June 2000 Submitted to the University of Durham for degree of Master of Arts (Theology Department) \"I '; ,"'- ~-I- ~ 7 JAN lUUl FACILITATING MISSION IN BRITISH METHODIST CHURCHES LESSONS FROM HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MODELS Paul J Worsllop - MA Degree (Durham) - JUlie 2000 ABSTRACT The recent rapid decline and current ageing membership of British Methodism has given rise to questions as to whether it has a viable future.

The Cell Group Church Structure: An Evaluation Peter Koh INTRODUCTION The modern Cell Church movement that emerged over the last two and a half decades of the 20th Century has been hailed by some as the Second Reformation1. It has been credited for the rise of huge churches in many parts of the world, with membership running into the thousands. I would like to deal with one specific model in the Cell church movement. It is a model formulated by church growth specialist, Ralph Neighbour Jr., and fleshed out by several large churches in Singapore and Malaysia2. For a while it received star billing here and overseas as a definitive answer to the growth and outreach needs of the church. Using Neighbour’s terminology, we shall refer to this type of church format as the Cell Group Church, or CGC for short3. 1 By authors such as William Beckham in The Second Reformation – Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century (Houston: Touch Publications, 1997), and Greg Oden in The New Reformation – Returning the Ministry to the People of God, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990). 2 The methodology of this church format is definitively set out in: Ralph Neighbour Jr., Where Do We Go From Here? A Guidebook for the Cell Group Church (Houston: Touch, 1990), and Lawrence Khong, The Apostolic Cell Church (Singapore: Touch Ministries, 2000). 3 The CGC format is commonly regarded as a Western adaptation of David Yonggi Cho’s pioneer mega cell church in Seoul, South Korea. In his CGC Guidebook, Neighbour made many references to the mega cell churches in Seoul.

NEW OLD WINE: AS FUTURE OF WESLEYAN THEOLOGy1 ROB "lntelligent, biblically based . for the mind, there is nothing better around than the Alpha course, ' states evangelist ony Campolo. "lf you've ever wondered 'why jesus?' hardly a better answer than this," according to evangelist Luis Palau. "Alpha is a powerful tool for reaching the lost for and helping them mature their faith,' states founder of Campus Crusade for Across denominations and para-church groups, from England to South to South Korea, the Alpha "short course" has ten years swept the globe. Beginning 992 with only courses offered through Brompton Anglican Church London, the Alpha course has grown to over twenty million participants wor1dwide, and still growing.3 Through a unique combi- of worship, prayer ministry, video and small group discussions, thousands have been drawn into a persona1 relationship with jesus as Savior and Lord, while a1so producing renewed vigor and enthusi- asm among formerly mainline Protestant denominations. Although utilized across the Body of from Catholicism and Anglicanism to Pentecostalism and non-denominationa1 settings, and containing numerous matic/ Pentecostal (j.e. the extraordinary such as healing, speak- ing tongues, words), many ways Alpha presents a vision of faith and that is distinctly Wes1eyan form and content (e.g. worship and evangelism as core practices of the especiaIIy as nurtured smaII groups grounded prayer and Scripture study). Moreover, through upholding a Bib1ical vision rooted the actual physical death and of jesus as key to salvation, through a grounding intercessory prayer, meal- and the agency of the Holy aII phases of Alpha, many theo- logica1 distinctives that were once considered constitutive of early and Rev.

54 ' WORD & DEED My love his outpoured-wine, -. ,, « ~t Acup o'erfilled, a table spread i- , ,:Beneath his-name and sign.. , I That other souls, refreshed and fed* > , t ,. May share his life through mine. , • . f My all is in the Master's hands 4 For him-to bless and break; - , i Beyond the brook his winepress stands ,- ' v i. And thence my, way I take* * r i ,1 Resolved the whole pf love's demands To give„for his, dear sake. -' i > » i i' i .i .. Lord,- let,me share that grace-of thine ( Wherewith thou.didst sustain1 , The burden of the fruitful vine», l The gifrof buried.grain. -i * p ./ iWho dies-with thee, O Word divine; ,'Shall rise, and live^gaini ,• _ - It has'always been important in any theology of the sacraments to uphold both the vertical and horizontal aspect of the sacraments. Sacraments as true fellQw7 ship-r-being one with Christ and each other. Both aspects are fujlypresent in this affirmation, of the believers' life as.sacramental. It gives a deepened and broad­ ened view on what sacraments are. And I certainly believe that there, is-and has always been a sacramental theology in The Salvation Army and that the Army therefore is not non-sacramental. u -,- • . > However jthe argument .for, the .sacrament of serving cannot be the-main or only part of a Salvationist sacramental theology. It runs the risk of, placing too much attention,on ''our. side"—;the human agent. From,a more traditional theo­ logical view ofthe sacraments they are first and/oremost actions of God.

Milford United Methodist Church Good to Great Forum – January 26th, 2009 A brief outline of the Good to Great process: 1. Disciplined People Identifying leaders with vision and determination, cultivating a “Who first, then what” culture. 2. Disciplined Thought Confronting the brutal facts; putting every sacred cow under scrutiny. 3. Disciplined Action Insisting everything we do serves our mission; majoring in the majors, minoring in the minors. 4. Building Greatness to Last Making disciples and producing men and women who are even more passionate and prepared to know and serve Jesus Christ than we are. Last September, Good to Great released a letter to initiate dialogue in three areas – a) Cell group ministry b) Summer programming c) Sunday morning worship schedules In October, then, Good to Great hosted a series of small home-based meetings where church members and friends voiced questions, concerns, opinions, and suggestions. The data collected from those meetings are listed in this packet. Since October, a group of seven church members have begun a comprehensive cell leader training program. Cell group remarks. Also, the Education and Worship committees have been involved in discussions about summer programming and Sunday worship schedules. Education and Worship Team remarks. What’s next? Develop a 3-5 year plan for our church. What do we need to do to most effectively help people discover the joy of knowing and serving Jesus Christ? From the New England Conference Office of Congregational Development’s G2G packet: “Great churches are those pivotal congregations where transformative leadership, radical innovation, deep faithfulness, and disciplined action meet.

PRIMER UMC DOC Primer Copyright 2015 © Manila Episcopal Area, Philippines Central Conference of The United Methodist Church All rights reserved. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occassional page copying for personal or group study is permitted, on condition that the source is indicated. Published by the Manila Episcopal Area of the PCC-UMC and Discipleship Resources-Philippines UMC Headquarters, 900 United Nations Ave., Ermita, Manila, Philippines Book design by Cheenee Bautista Printed in the Philippines CONTENTS Foreword, v Introduction, vii A Brief Description of Disciples of Christ (DOC) Ministry, 1 The Basic Patterns that UMC DOC Emphasizes, 10 Two Aspects of the Equipping Track, 15 Processes for DOC Ministry, 16 CARE Group Ministry, 18 Conducting CARE Group Meeting, 22 Guidelines in Doing Personal Daily Devotion, 24 UMC DOC Network Gathering/Conference, 26 FOREWORD There are countless strategies for missions, evangelism, and discipleship that are offered by many writers and denominations. Some are effective and some are not. For many years, the Manila Episcopal Area (MEA) has been wanting and waiting for an effective discipleship program to be used by pastors and lay people to disciple members and, in turn, make them disciple makers. UMC DOC (United Methodist Church-Disciples of Christ) is the answer to this dilemma. UMC DOC will help us fulfill our mission as United Methodists. This program is in harmony with the Wesleyan teachings we love so dearly and is consistent with our UMC teaching and practices. This discipleship program also seeks to address the reported exodus of some members especially the Young People to other “fellowships” that have been causing heartaches to church leaders like me.