double your impact AS A GROUP

What will it look like for you as a Journey Group to "double your impact?"

As our vision continues to grow at Christ Community Church, we're focusing in more and more on making disciples of Jesus for kingdom impact. While we do that, we're now asking - how can we double that impact?

Since this is blog crafted and directed towards mostly (Journey Group) leaders at CCC, I want to ask you, as a leader, what will it look like for your Journey Group to double the impact? What will it look like for the people in your Journey Group to double THEIR impact? How will you lead that charge? Probe that charge? Execute that idea?

I recently met with one of our Journey Group leaders and we were talking about this "double your impact" idea. He took the idea to his Journey Group and they had a great conversation about it. I'm not mandating or suggesting these as the cookie-cutter approach to doubling impact, but for this Journey Group, here is what they came up with:

1. Double the prayer. We're moving past surface things and really sharing deep issues. We're holding ourselves accountable to being more intimate and purposeful about praying for each other. A gal in our group spoke up about the fact that we share things to pray about, but we don't share the real stuff about what is really going on inside us.

2. Double the neighborhood outreach. We want to have some sort of cookout or something in atleast one maybe two of our neighborhoods and invite neighbors. Nothing overly evangelistic, just do it and they will naturally find out we are from the same church.

3. Double the Serving. We will volunteer at the Open Door Mission as a group. (Sidenote: the leader of this JG already has an established relationship with Open Door.) We will go down on a Suariday or something for maybe 3 hours and do some volunteer work and then go out for ice cream or something afterwards to talk about our experience. We will probably do this several times a year.

4. Double scoop. We will hold an Open Door Misson/Lydia House Ice Cream Social. This will be a bigger deal if we do it. We'll provide and serve ice cream for Open Door and the Lydia House. Or we could include some other Journey Groups on this idea as well.

5. Double the missons movement. We will adopt a missonary to pray for as a group every time we meet as a group and we'll keep up with what is going on in their ministry and their lives. If and when they visit Omaha or CCC, we'll get in touch with them and have them personally visit our group.

Again, these are 5 ways for this group to double their impact. Maybe your group is further down the road and these aren't challenging enough. Perhaps your group is just launching and some this looks daunting. These five ideas don't have to be yours and based on the DNA of your Journey Group perhaps they shouldn't be. Either way, ask God for the direction that your group will need as you lead your group to double their impact.

On the double,
Dusty

Leader's notes for the "Where's God When..." King David series

Journey Group leaders -

This coming Sunday, August 23rd, launches a new series on the life of King David. This morning I got my hands on the final publication of the "study guide" (for lack of a better term I suppose).

This slick little guide contains devotionals, 12 Journey Group studies, cool facts and info on the life of David, along with a place for note-taking for the sermons on Sunday mornings.

These will be made available this Sunday to the CCC family. I encourage you to encourage your group members to jump on these considering the fact that most Journey Groups will benefit from this being our fall kick-off curriculum.

ALSO - to make your life as a leader a little easier, we (the contributors) have also hammered out some "leader's notes" for you to have as you dive in. These notes will give you more confidence and a little bit of background before and during your group time.

Here it is: Where is God When Leader Guide

Thanks for leading people into discipleship and community,
Dusty White

Come and see for yourself part II (small group guide or prayer guide)

The following is a follow up to the post titled "come and see for yourself" that is located on the general Journey Group blog (not the leader blog). Please note that this approach assumes repentance and faith and that people are Christ-followers (you wouldn't want to use this in the wrong environment). I used this approach with our CCC staff team this morning...

Based on John 1:35-51 - Jesus calls the disciples

CALLING
Quick discussion - Where were you (not necessarily physically) and what were the circumstances surrounding your first encounter with Jesus? How much did you know about Jesus when you decided to follow Him?

Praise and thanksgiving are a natural result of God granting us grace and calling us to His side.

* Spend some time approaching God with hearts of thankfulness.

FOLLOWING
Quick discussion - What is one of the biggest obstacles that you are facing right now as a follower of Christ? Where do you need God's guidance, discernment, and leading?

Following focused prayers are a natural result of our personal obstacles as we journey with Jesus.

* Spend some time praying and seeking God for these stories and more.

LEADING / MODELING
Quick discussion - Jesus invited his disciples to the journey of faith. Who (names) are you currently inviting? How are you using Jesus' "come and see" approach to ministry in your own life right now?

Jesus' methods of ministry were very intriguing as He invited people into His life.

* Spend some time praying for these people in your life. Intercede for their souls with the heart of Jesus. Pray that your "come and see" life will draw them to the foot of the cross.

on the road again

It was great to see a lot of our Journey Group leaders (and potential leaders) this past Sunday night at the Onward Journey event! Thanks so much for slotting out some time to come out and hangout with some other leaders.

I hope that it was a time of encouragment for you. Rubbin shoulders with other leaders and just being in the same room with others who are "in the game" with you is necessary every now and then.

Thanks for focusing on discipleship!

Dusty

the ONWARD JOURNEY April 26th, 2009

Save the date: Sunday PM, April 26th, 6:00PM to 7:30PM, CCC Atrium

Who is naturally emerging? Before diving into the summer months all Journey Group leaders will be gathering for the ONWARD JOURNEY. We look forward to seeing you and potential Journey Group leaders you invite to the ONWARD JOURNEY. We will celebrate what God is doing in the discipleship pathways of CCC and hear from Lead Pastor Mark Ashton on Journey Group leadership.

Please RSVP (you and whomever else necessary) to journeygroup@cccomaha.org for this exciting event!

NOTE: If you’re JG meets on Sunday PM, please arrange your JG calendar and curriculum with this gathering on your calendar and notify your JG in advance.

JG leaders and this opportunity

Cosmic Fingerprints
A couple of suggestions here on how you can help us promote Cosmic Fingerprints. The very best thing you can do is decide to go yourself! Till you’re over that hump, it’s hard to invite anyone else!

Now that that’s settled… what’s a good strategy for multiplying my impact as a leader? The next best thing you can do is ask your Journey Group about it next time you meet. Tap your group and find out who is excited about it and why. Ask the group to be praying for the event. Encourage everyone to think about who they can invite.

Look up tips for reaching out on the Spiritual Discovery Blog at: http://cccomaha.org/spiritualDiscovery/blog/index.php

Make a good ask this week, then follow-up on it next week! The easiest ask is to the Friday night Fingerprints Coffee house in the gym. If the person you invite is really, really interested, don’t hesitate to invite them for the whole weekend!

Last…a few FAQs we’re getting that you may want to clarify with your group:
1-Friday night’s coffee house is free! No need to register, just come on out, listen to David Potter for a while, grab some coffee and tune in.
2-Saturday’s workshop is not free! Check out the registration tool at the bottom of the event page on the web: http://cccomaha.org/events/cosmic.php
3-The workshop adult track (college age and up) is $30 and the youth track (jr high and high school) is $20. A couple of breaks on the cost are being offered. The max a family will pay is $50 (everyone over one adult and one kid is free). Also, if you or your kids invite a seeker, we want to make their registration a gift to them. E-mail Tim Perry and request a guest pass or pick one up at the Atrium this Sunday.
4-Feel free to call, e-mail or swing by the booth in the Atrium and talk to Tim Perry if you have questions. timp@cccomaha.org .

The spiritual discovery blog has a few different threads on who will be presenting at Cosmic Fingerprints, how to leverage the opportunity, etc. I encourage you to check it out. As a Journey Group leader you might catch a few questions that you'll want to be ready to answer.

no JG training / gathering this Saturday 3/21/09

Journey Group leaders, please get out your calendar / iphone / blackberry...

There will be no Journey Group leadership meeting on March 21st, 2009 (this Saturday) - please spread the word to your natural relational network of other JG leaders. Please also note that the April date has also been change from April 25th (cross that one off) to the evening of April 26th (put that date on your radar).

We are making these decisions for a variety of reasons. More description and details will be explained in upcoming posts.

tips from the other guys out there

Since I wear the Journey Group hat around here I'm always looking for what we need to do next, how to lead better, what changes do we need to make (even though some people hate that word..."change"), what are our groups really doing, are RISKS disciples really being formed in our midst, etc.

Here are a few things that Craig Groeschel, Lead Pastor of LifeChurch.tv said recently on a blog post. Thought I'd share them with you, the other fearless leaders on the frontlines of Journey Group realities...

Elements of a Successful Group from LifeChurch.tv : swerve by Craig Groeschel
Over the years, Amy and I have participated in several different small groups. Some were much more successful than others.
Here are the elements we’ve found essential for a great group:

1. A great group needs a leader. When everyone is always voting on what we do next, we never do much. A good leader makes for a good group.

2. A great group is built around God’s word. Too often, small groups become all about fellowship. While fellowship is always essential, doing life around God’s word is what truly makes the difference.

3. A great group is a safe group. If people can’t discuss openly without fear of judgment, rejection, or gossip, the group is doomed to fail.

4. A great group looks outward. Serving together is life-changing.

5. A great group births new groups. If a group stays together for too long, they usually grow stale. Healthy groups produce new groups.

6. A great group takes breaks. We often take the summer off from consistent meetings. We’re all busy. The break makes us long to be together more.

7. A great group hurts together. I just got off the phone after talking to a young woman with four children who just lost her 39-year-old husband. Even though she is devastated, she told me confidently that her Life Group would be there for her. God is glorified through such a group.
Have you been part of a successful small group? What do you think made that group successful?

Sharing the wealth as I reflect...dusty

questions are everything

When we intentionally disciple people we need both the art and the science of good questions. The art is discerning where the Holy Spirit might be taking your disciple-making conversation, and the science is having a business card-back-pocket guide to questions that are always worth asking. A good conversation can turn into a great conversation based on one question or a series of questions pertaining to real time discipleship.

When we ask good questions we are simply:

• meeting people where they are truly at
• creating space for self discovery
• not talking down to a person
• able to diagnose where people are at spiritually
• finding out if they are “in” or “out” on following Jesus as Lord (not just Savior)
• allowing people to recognize their potential
• creating space for people to verbalize (out loud) what they are thinking
• opening doors for the Holy Spirit
• probing or raising issues that can lead to transformation
• allowing people to speak to themselves

As a disciple-maker, one of the biggest challenges during Q and A is the A – really listening. Before you ask a question two things need to be at the forefront of your mind: 1) listen to the answer without jumping in with advice, and 2) answer it yourself (for sure in your mind and out loud if necessary).

Below are 20 questions that can lead to intentional discipleship. As always, the goal is never to use a textbook approach to disciple-making or read the questions off of a peice of paper over a cup of coffee. Rather, discern where God wants to challenge those that He has you in relationship with for His purposes and be ready with something to guide a decent conversation.

1. What is your biggest challenge right now as a follower of Jesus?
2. Where is God really shaping your character right now?
3. What spiritual disciplines are you currently focusing on?
4. How are you really doing right now? Are you stressed, challenged, overwhelmed, confused, etc? Why?
5. (If married) In all honesty, how is your marriage going right now?
6. (If married) Are you communicating with your spouse as much as you are with other people, work, church, etc? When was your last date?
7. What are some things (maybe good things) in your life that you need to stop doing?
8. Do you have more critics or cheerleaders in your life right now? Is that healthy? Why?
9. When was the last time you felt the Holy Spirit show up in your life in a unique way? Was it too long ago? What did you learn from that experience? How did it shape you?
10. Are you resting regularly / taking the Sabbath idea seriously?
11. Who are some non-Christ followers in your life right now? What are you doing to help move them towards the Gospel?
12. Do you feel like you’re being a good son/daughter right now? What could you do to honor your mother and father this week?
13. What are you learning about yourself right now?
14. What are you currently reading these days? What is so interesting about it?
15. (If in your small group) To date, what has been your best group time experience? Why? How long ago was that?
16. What are some of your deepest prayers right now? Where are you asking God to show up? How can be interceding with you on these things?
17. How is your financial life these days? (dangerous for 2009!)
18. What are you currently doing to serve people outside of your established friendships? (city/world)
19. What temptations are you facing? How are you responding under these pressures?
20. How is God revealing himself to your through Scripture? What particular passages are you identifying with recently? Why?

leadership gathering this friday night 2/20

How is your Journey Group goin? What challenges are you facing? What triumphs are you excited about? Who in your group is experiencing real life transformation?

This friday night, February 20th, Journey Group leaders are gathering at the CCC Old Mill site for discipleship focused conversations, leader to leader interaction, and a chance to fill your tank on mindset and skillset ideas when it comes to small group dynamics.

When: Friday night, 7 to 9PM (light desserts provided)

Where: CCC Old Mill FLC 141-145 (the Herd room)

What: Thoughts around chapter 6 of Choose the Life (come even if you haven't read) along with tools for your Journey Group toolbox based on the art and science of good questions.