Through the years we’ve seen Christians group themselves into 'holy huddles' that leave little room for new friends to join them in meaningful ways. That’s not God’s plan! In this episode, we continue in the Conversations series. You'll hear two different conversations: The first is a couple of friends who’ve been in a small group together for quite a while… and the second one is between some couples in a true missional community. They are very different conversations. Pay attention to who and what is the focus of their groups and life together. In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• Why our traditional 'small groups' are not what God intended.
• 6 important distinctions between small groups and missional communities.
• God's amazing hope and desire for his family.
• A clear illustration of how people in a missional community see their lives on mission.

Get started here… From this episode: "Our co-mission as the Church is to lovingly invite the people God has purposely brought into our lives to join us in community as together we share the story of the gospel, make disciples, and learn to live as an extended family following Jesus together. This is not a fad or the latest church growth technique or a new name for small groups or cell groups. It is rediscovering the church as 'oikos'—an extended family on mission—where everyone is important and has a vital role to play."

Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started.

Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others…

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please subscribe and leave an honest review for The Everyday Disciple Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Free Download of the Big 3 For Episode #371 Coaching with Caesar and Tina in discipleship and missional living. Missio Publishing Get Caesar’s latest book: Bigger Gospel for FREE… Click Here

Caesar: 00:00:01

Our commission as the church, our commission, as the church is to lovingly invite the people that God has purposely brought into our lives to join us in community.

Caesar: 00:00:11

As together, we share the story of the gospel, make disciples and learn to live as an extended family.

Caesar: 00:00:19

Following Jesus together.

Caesar: 00:00:22

That's what starting or being a Missional Community is really all about.

Caesar: 00:00:26

This is not a fad or the latest church growth technique or whatever we call it.

Caesar: 00:00:32

It's not just a new name for small groups or life groups or home churches or cell groups.

Caesar: 00:00:37

It's rediscovering the church as oikos as an extended family on mission.

Caesar: 00:00:45

Where we see everyone is important and everyone has a vital role to play.

Caesar: 00:00:50

I like to think of it this way.

Caesar: 00:00:52

Joining God on his mission is joining his family.

Caesar: 00:00:56

It's going with our dad and brother Jesus guided and empowered by the holy spirit, out into the world, into our neighborhood, into the rhythms of our life, to do the family business.

Announcer: 00:01:19

Welcome to the Everyday Disciple podcast where you'll learn how to live with greater intentionality and an integrated faith that naturally fits into every area of life.

Announcer: 00:01:27

In other words, discipleship as a lifestyle, this is the stuff your parents, pastors, and seminary professors probably forgot to tell you.

Announcer: 00:01:34

And now here's your host Caesar.

Announcer: 00:01:36

Kalinowski

Caesar: 00:01:37

Woohoo!.

Caesar: 00:01:39

Alright.

Caesar: 00:01:40

Party time.

Caesar: 00:01:42

Do you know what today is?

Caesar: 00:01:44

Maybe you do today is our five-year anniversary.

Caesar: 00:01:48

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:01:49

Five years of doing the podcast.

Caesar: 00:01:51

I can't even believe it.

Caesar: 00:01:52

What grace, what an amazing journey so far.

Caesar: 00:01:56

So many of you have been with us a long time.

Caesar: 00:01:58

Some of you are brand new.

Caesar: 00:02:00

Either way, come on in, grab a snack, grabbing a beverage of choice and let's have a blast.

Caesar: 00:02:06

We're going to have a special guest on.

Caesar: 00:02:10

He was our big winner for sharing out the podcast to his network of folks.

Caesar: 00:02:15

You remember, on the last episode, I said, Hey, next, week's the anniversary.

Caesar: 00:02:18

You'll share this out to your social and all, I will pick a winner and here we go.

Caesar: 00:02:22

And yep.

Caesar: 00:02:23

We have the winner on.

Caesar: 00:02:25

And just a bit, you're going to hear from him.

Caesar: 00:02:27

So meanwhile, before we dive into the party, just while I'm getting kind of warmed up here, let me tell you about something that I was looking at again recently, we've been telling you a little bit more about our publisher Missio publishing lately.

Caesar: 00:02:41

And I was digging through their site, looking at some of my own stuff and some other things.

Caesar: 00:02:45

And, uh, came across this book again called re-imagined Church.

Caesar: 00:02:50

. And I was just struck though, this book is only a couple of years old.

Caesar: 00:02:54

I was just struck by how.

Caesar: 00:02:56

Timely this book by Nick Harding.

Caesar: 00:02:59

Re-imagined church really is the subtitle of it is clarify the win escape busy-ness and fulfill your true purpose.

Caesar: 00:03:08

And what the book's about is it's the totally doable, nuts and bolts, essential of reproducing leaders and disciples and missional communities and all that.

Caesar: 00:03:19

And it's pretty amazingly put together.

Caesar: 00:03:22

Nick is a rare type of leader where he has synthesized lots of essential tools and practices that he's come across and learned.

Caesar: 00:03:31

I actually had the privilege of walking with him and discipling and training him for a few years as well in community.

Caesar: 00:03:38

But he is a big church planter himself.

Caesar: 00:03:40

He's planted the largest church in his city and his own life and knowledge have really been combined in this book to kind of give you, like I said, the nuts and bolts of all of this.

Caesar: 00:03:52

So instead of just sort of running on that treadmill of church activity, which is changing constantly, um, what if we were to look for the abundant life that Jesus offered same stuff.

Caesar: 00:04:04

We talk about all the time.

Caesar: 00:04:05

So I just want to encourage you, maybe take a look at this re-imagined church book.

Caesar: 00:04:10

I am excited about it again, and you can get that@missiopublishing.com.

Caesar: 00:04:16

That's M I S S I O.

Caesar: 00:04:18

Publishing Missio publishing.com and I'm grateful for Missio helping to support the podcast and continuing to put out what I think are some of the very best resources for discipleship and Missional living available.

Caesar: 00:04:34

So now I want to bring on my special guests to help celebrate our fifth anniversary of the podcast.

Caesar: 00:04:41

Paul Arnold, how you doing?

Paul: 00:04:43

I'm good.

Paul: 00:04:43

I'm good.

Paul: 00:04:44

I'm very happy to

Caesar: 00:04:44

be here.

Caesar: 00:04:45

How does it feel to be a winner?

Paul: 00:04:49

You know, I don't often get this, uh, you know, I've had it twice in my life and both with you Caesar.

Paul: 00:04:54

So

Caesar: 00:04:54

that's crazy,

Caesar: 00:04:59

man.

Caesar: 00:04:59

Well, you know what, when you, when you live inside the bubble of God's grace, right, then you just come to expect these things.

Caesar: 00:05:07

Also, you'll never be able to say I never win anything, you know, people.

Caesar: 00:05:11

Yeah.

Paul: 00:05:11

Yeah.

Paul: 00:05:11

You enter raffles there and it's just like, oh, I never seem to get the prize, but.

Caesar: 00:05:16

Tina has been entering into win these dream homes that like a cable network HGTV, they offer these dream homes every year.

Caesar: 00:05:23

And so she enters our email addresses and the kids, and she does it every day and they do it about four times a year.

Caesar: 00:05:29

And I keep telling her you're not very good at this because we've never won.

Caesar: 00:05:34

Hey anyway, listen, thank you for helping us celebrate the five-year anniversary of the, of the podcast.

Caesar: 00:05:40

I can't even believe it.

Caesar: 00:05:41

Do you know how long have pr been listening to, but what was maybe called the life school podcast?

Caesar: 00:05:48

I started a disciple,

Paul: 00:05:50

sorry, with a 1, 2, 3 large school stuff.

Paul: 00:05:52

So, um, I think that was about three years ago.

Paul: 00:05:55

I started listening.

Paul: 00:05:56

2019.

Paul: 00:05:58

Well, then we hit the pandemic and it was like, yeah, excellent time to catch up with my podcast.

Caesar: 00:06:03

It's kind of hard for us to believe.

Caesar: 00:06:05

And when I look at the analytics of just how many people have actually listened and how many still do, and it's always a new wave of people and it's pretty humbling and pretty awesome.

Caesar: 00:06:14

Let's give just a little bit of your story, Paul, so that, uh, the rest of the Everyday Disciple family and folks listening can see what a winner sounds like.

Caesar: 00:06:24

Tell us about your context, obviously with your accent, you are not probably calling in from a Georgia or something here in the state.

Paul: 00:06:32

No, no.

Paul: 00:06:33

Um, although I do have family over it now I'm in the Northeast of England.

Paul: 00:06:37

So I mean, Stockton on tees and I am a church planter here within the church of England, so that my denomination, uh, we're, we're busy revitalizing a church here.

Paul: 00:06:48

So there's like a bunch of churches.

Paul: 00:06:51

Having difficulty.

Paul: 00:06:52

And we've sent a team in to include the led by me weirdly to go and do some stuff with them and help them to think more missionally.

Caesar: 00:07:01

Let me ask you, because we talked so much about this on the podcast.

Caesar: 00:07:05

What have been some of the.

Caesar: 00:07:07

Give me one or two of your greatest challenges in kind of revitalizing and replanting a much older traditional congregation.

Caesar: 00:07:15

That's been around both on the planet for a while, but also, um, as a congregation for a real long time, what are some, one or two of the biggest challenges?

Caesar: 00:07:23

And I'm not asking you to throw anybody under the bus, but I'll bet.

Paul: 00:07:27

Um, are there challenges, I mean, the challenges of all sorts of variety.

Paul: 00:07:32

Um, but I think one of the biggest ones really for this, this little family of God has been, they don't, they they've, they've, they've kind of been without somebody leading them for a long time.

Paul: 00:07:45

Um, and so, you know, that actually that leads to some issues with control and all sorts of stuff.

Paul: 00:07:51

Um, and, and moving people from that point of, you know, we're just gathering cause we need to gather.

Paul: 00:07:56

Uh, to realizing that, you know, there's something in the reason why we do that and the why that equips us for the rest of the week, you know?

Paul: 00:08:04

So, um, it's, it's been a bit of a case

Caesar: 00:08:08

of brutal.

Caesar: 00:08:09

They have a big mind set shift.

Caesar: 00:08:10

Isn't it?

Caesar: 00:08:11

The fact that's what we're going to talk about in this episode, again, today in our conversation series here, we're going to talk about the differences between our focus and groups and why we gather and hang out or any of that.

Caesar: 00:08:23

What have been a couple of wins for you in that.

Caesar: 00:08:25

Six months or a year.

Caesar: 00:08:27

I know that, of course the pandemic and all those types of things have not helped with being able to gather and mobilize and live and be in some of the ways we want.

Caesar: 00:08:35

But what, what are one or two real big wins that you're grateful to God for?

Paul: 00:08:40

It's a two, one, I mean, there's lots of little small wins and I think they Mount the big ones, but the first one is just as, as we started to of.

Paul: 00:08:49

Uh, finish a series of really bringing the, the, the church is together, the family into one big family.

Paul: 00:08:56

Uh, one of the oldest people in the church, um, uh, I said, you know, how, how are things going?

Paul: 00:09:02

I've got into a corner.

Paul: 00:09:03

And, uh, and she said, well, um, it's like a joined a different religion, Paul.

Paul: 00:09:09

Um, and she gave me this like cold, hard stare.

Paul: 00:09:12

And I was like, oh no, I've done something wrong.

Paul: 00:09:14

And then she said, Now I sit next to the person I sat next to for 20 years and I now know them better, a deeper, I love them more.

Paul: 00:09:24

Um, and so it was different and it was uncomfortable, but I feel like this is great.

Paul: 00:09:30

So that was

Caesar: 00:09:31

really cool, man.

Caesar: 00:09:33

Yeah,

Paul: 00:09:34

so that's kind of an in, and then, then out thing that happened just recently, we've been holding, um, a regular service, um, called recreate Sunday.

Paul: 00:09:43

They're taken off one of the, the rhythms of discipleship a bit more and just giving people ideas for resting and creativity.

Paul: 00:09:53

Um, and last Sunday, every family that we've been sowing into in the area.

Paul: 00:09:59

Only a few of them, but it's enough to write double the congregation size.

Paul: 00:10:04

Um, just turned up, um, out of the blue, we weren't advertising it.

Paul: 00:10:08

God just brought them in.

Paul: 00:10:10

Uh, and of course, yeah, totally the right time for it.

Paul: 00:10:14

Cause it was just so open and they got to be able to, you know, mix with everybody else and just really get to know everyone rather than, you know, one of those traditional services that can be a bit more.

Paul: 00:10:24

And I was sitting in rows

Caesar: 00:10:27

and it sounds like your, your, your life and family life and the community that's part of this congregation are pretty localized.

Caesar: 00:10:33

They're pretty in a neighborhood together.

Caesar: 00:10:35

So it's not like people are driving in from 45 minutes away.

Paul: 00:10:41

It's about 20 minutes drive.

Paul: 00:10:43

Most of us are in the area.

Caesar: 00:10:44

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:10:44

Okay.

Caesar: 00:10:45

So let's, let's get back to celebrating the podcast.

Caesar: 00:10:48

That stuff is all exciting.

Caesar: 00:10:49

I hope and trust that some of that stuff that you're trying out at least has come from the, you know, some things you've learned in the podcast and guessing all, um, what are.

Caesar: 00:11:00

Maybe a few of your favorite episodes that come to mind, uh, over the many, many, many episodes that you listen to.

Caesar: 00:11:08

I know you never miss a day, right?

Caesar: 00:11:10

You never miss a

Paul: 00:11:11

mission tonight too, though.

Paul: 00:11:13

I haven't, you know, I think one of the ones I love is why you need more storytelling.

Paul: 00:11:18

in your discipleship.

Paul: 00:11:20

I love stories.

Paul: 00:11:21

It's my thing.

Paul: 00:11:21

Um, so having that was, that's just, you know, that sharing stories.

Paul: 00:11:26

Stuff's great.

Paul: 00:11:27

Um, the other ones are kind of like, I've got two series that I'm loving.

Paul: 00:11:32

So the one where you talk about the four G's and you go into each one differently.

Paul: 00:11:36

So God is great.

Paul: 00:11:37

Um, so I don't have to be in control or this glorious, or I'd have to please anyone else, you know, God is gracious, so I don't have to prove myself.

Paul: 00:11:45

I got as good.

Paul: 00:11:45

So I don't have to look for anything else.

Paul: 00:11:47

Yeah, absolutely.

Paul: 00:11:49

Um, so, but, um, that's great.

Paul: 00:11:52

And then, um, I'm actually really loving, This series of the moment of conservation conversation series, because it helps people to think more practically about how they can apply stuff, anything, which is really practical that I can then really push to, uh, members of my church, family, uh, you know, helps them.

Paul: 00:12:12

Um, I love the leadership type stuff too, but that that's great.

Paul: 00:12:15

That gives me some fuel.

Caesar: 00:12:17

Great.

Caesar: 00:12:17

I, you know, all those things, uh, in the conversation series, I feel like we have touched on talked about some of them multiple times, but it's another lens into it, you know, as you hear some other people, I'm glad to hear that that's encouraging you because you're a practitioner and you're doing this because when I first conceived of doing it, I was like, maybe it's just.

Caesar: 00:12:36

Maybe it's it's just too basic.

Caesar: 00:12:39

I don't

Paul: 00:12:39

know.

Paul: 00:12:40

That's good.

Paul: 00:12:40

I mean like the dialogue's not gonna not gonna win any Emmy's.

Paul: 00:12:43

Right.

Paul: 00:12:43

But it's a, it's a fantastic, it's a fantastic way of just thinking, you know, this is actually something that can be applied in everyday life.

Caesar: 00:12:51

That's great.

Caesar: 00:12:51

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:12:52

They were a bit corny.

Caesar: 00:12:52

I know that, like you said, it's always tough when I have to do ladies' voices, but I don't, I don't try.

Caesar: 00:12:58

I'm not acting.

Caesar: 00:13:00

I'm just sharing the conversation as one who was a fly on the wall.

Caesar: 00:13:06

Well, Paul, thank you so much for being a long-term listener and, uh, I'm glad that, that you continue to and thanks for again for sharing it out and be, and being a part of our five year anniversary celebration.

Caesar: 00:13:18

Oh my goodness.

Paul: 00:13:20

I mean, thank you for putting these on it's been great to listen.

Paul: 00:13:23

and they have been a real tool for us here.

Paul: 00:13:25

So thank

Caesar: 00:13:25

you, Caesar.

Caesar: 00:13:26

Uh, you're welcome.

Caesar: 00:13:27

And so is everybody else?

Caesar: 00:13:28

This is, uh, my favorite thing I do.

Caesar: 00:13:30

I swear.

Caesar: 00:13:31

It's just, it's a rhythm of my life now after five years and not missing a Monday, I think back to one of my own highlights.

Caesar: 00:13:39

About a year and a half ago when I had to record part of an episode while in the hospital up under the blanket.

Caesar: 00:13:48

Cause I was not getting released for awhile.

Caesar: 00:13:50

And so I had to do like parts of it anyway.

Caesar: 00:13:53

So I am trying to be consistent for y'all

Paul: 00:13:58

sacrifice right there.

Paul: 00:13:59

That's.

Caesar: 00:14:00

Thanks again, and please keep sharing out the podcast.

Caesar: 00:14:04

Okay.

Caesar: 00:14:05

Yeah, will do.

Caesar: 00:14:06

And I hope maybe, you know, you'll win something again and it won't be from us.

Caesar: 00:14:10

All right.

Caesar: 00:14:11

All right, blessings.

Caesar: 00:14:12

Thank you.

Caesar: 00:14:14

Well, that was fun.

Caesar: 00:14:15

And I really do look forward to the next five years or beyond or whatever the Lord gives us of doing this podcast, who knows where the Lord will take us.

Caesar: 00:14:25

Well, let's get to today's topic as we continue on in our conversations series.

Caesar: 00:14:31

Glad to hear that Paul was digging that today.

Caesar: 00:14:34

You'll hear two different conversations and they're both kind of short, but they go together.

Caesar: 00:14:38

The first is a conversation between a couple of friends.

Caesar: 00:14:41

Who've been in a small group together for quite a while.

Caesar: 00:14:44

And the second one is between some couples in a true Missional Community.

Caesar: 00:14:50

They're very different conversations.

Caesar: 00:14:53

And I don't want to give too much away, but pay attention to who or what is the focus of their groups and life together here it is.

Caesar: 00:15:04

Look at this photo.

Caesar: 00:15:06

Can you believe it cut her hair?

Caesar: 00:15:08

I would have never imagined that the same original couples would still be in the same small group all these years later.

Caesar: 00:15:16

I know Mary, I feel so close to you and Nick and the others.

Caesar: 00:15:20

You're our family.

Caesar: 00:15:22

We've been through a lot over the years.

Caesar: 00:15:24

I know 10 kids and now four grandchildren between us.

Caesar: 00:15:30

You're right.

Caesar: 00:15:31

We've become like one big family over time.

Caesar: 00:15:33

I'm so glad that it stayed just us four couples and never changed, but we'll see you guys this Thursday evening, like usual, right?.

Caesar: 00:15:42

I think we're going to start planning our fall getaway and holiday gift exchange.

Caesar: 00:15:47

And Mike said he was hoping to get back to our Bible study soon.

Caesar: 00:15:51

It kind of got back-burnered over the summer.

Caesar: 00:15:54

Oh, and Mary, do you think I should invite Karen who moved in across the street to join us?

Caesar: 00:16:00

She seems nice.

Caesar: 00:16:02

I don't know Shelly.

Caesar: 00:16:04

I like our group when it's just us.

Caesar: 00:16:08

Now compare and contrast that conversation with this one, this one's between a bunch of folks living on mission together as a Missional Community, Randy, I was just praying and asking God, what next Lord?

Caesar: 00:16:24

Concerning that young single mom, Carrie and her three kids down the block.

Caesar: 00:16:29

I think Cindy and I are going to start to offer to pick her kids up after school during the week and give them a snack and help them finish their homework until she can get home from work.

Caesar: 00:16:40

They'd been home alone, so many afternoons, and I know that Carrie's worried about them, Randy replied.

Caesar: 00:16:47

She is so fun to be around.

Caesar: 00:16:49

I'm really hoping she'll keep hanging out with us and the rest of our Missional Community.

Caesar: 00:16:53

I think when we went over and helped her with the flood in her basement last month, she really began to trust us more importantly.

Caesar: 00:17:02

I think she started to trust Jesus.

Caesar: 00:17:04

Well, at least she's asking a lot of questions about who we are and why we live the way we do in the neighborhood here.

Caesar: 00:17:13

Then Tony added.

Caesar: 00:17:14

I was shocked the other day when she asked if she could bring her world famous chili to our family dinner night.

Caesar: 00:17:21

And it was great too.

Caesar: 00:17:22

She said she would make a huge batch of it this Saturday.

Caesar: 00:17:25

When we all go to finish that porch repair at the retirement home, her kids were a big hit with all the grandma's last week.

Caesar: 00:17:33

Super fun, Randy exclaimed.

Caesar: 00:17:36

She asked if I would pray for her brother, who's moving into town next month.

Caesar: 00:17:41

He doesn't have a job and is recently gotten into a little trouble.

Caesar: 00:17:45

She said, he's moving here to kind of start over.

Caesar: 00:17:48

She says he has a lot of fears and problems to sort out.

Caesar: 00:17:52

Tony, do you think Carrie's brother could move in with you and Liddy?

Caesar: 00:17:58

It sounds like it would really be good for him to get to hang around a manly man or maybe a godly man, like you who loves Jesus, but he never had a father around growing up and he needs to see and experience that kind of love and environment.

Caesar: 00:18:14

Oh, I'll ask Liddy and we'll pray about it.

Caesar: 00:18:16

I would love to bless Carrie that way and help her feel like she's helping her brother.

Caesar: 00:18:21

I think he gets to town next.

Caesar: 00:18:24

You know, Tony, it's amazing how God just keeps growing our family here.

Caesar: 00:18:28

I like that.

Caesar: 00:18:29

It's not just us.

Caesar: 00:18:33

Okay.

Caesar: 00:18:34

Did you like that?

Caesar: 00:18:35

What a contrast with how most of us see our small group and who in what it's focused on, ask yourself if you're in a small group or some sort of a community who are what's the focus.

Caesar: 00:18:49

If the group primarily exists for its own benefit.

Caesar: 00:18:52

Well, then you're not living as God intended.

Caesar: 00:18:55

Our goal is not to have a group or a program that we call our Missional Community.

Caesar: 00:19:01

And right now there's all kinds of names being used for smaller micro gatherings of Christians, but whatever we call it, here's the thing.

Caesar: 00:19:09

Our co-mmission as the church, our commission, as the church is to lovingly invite the people that God has purposely brought into our lives to join us in community.

Caesar: 00:19:20

As together, we share the story of the gospel, make disciples and learn to live as an extended family.

Caesar: 00:19:28

Following Jesus together.

Caesar: 00:19:30

That's what starting or being a Missional Community is really all about, this is not a fad or the latest church growth technique or whatever we call it.

Caesar: 00:19:40

It's not just a new name for small groups or life groups or home churches or cell groups.

Caesar: 00:19:46

It's rediscovering the church as oikos as an extended family on mission where we see everyone is important and everyone has a vital role to play.

Caesar: 00:19:59

I like to think of it this way.

Caesar: 00:20:00

Joining God on his mission is joining his family.

Caesar: 00:20:04

It's going with our dad and brother Jesus guided and empowered by the holy spirit, out into the world, into our neighborhood, into the rhythms of our life, to do the family business.

Caesar: 00:20:18

Yeah, that's how I like to articulate it now, just to clarify a few things, a Missional Community.

Caesar: 00:20:25

When we talk about that, that's the term we use and we use that term by the way, because we want to be reminded that we are a community that's on mission.

Caesar: 00:20:32

I want to always keep.

Caesar: 00:20:34

Right at the forefront of our mind.

Caesar: 00:20:36

So when we refer internally to this oikos, this family, it's our Missional Community, but we're not saying to people, of peace and outsiders or whatever that we don't know very well.

Caesar: 00:20:47

Hey, well, you know, come to our Missional Community on Thursday night, that'd be like saying come to the church.

Caesar: 00:20:52

No, the church is people it's not a place or a specific time.

Caesar: 00:20:56

Missional Community is people.

Caesar: 00:20:57

It's the church.

Caesar: 00:20:58

So here's a few things though to clarify.

Caesar: 00:21:02

Uh, Missional Community, what it is and what it's not.

Caesar: 00:21:05

Okay.

Caesar: 00:21:06

So I'm Missional Community is not primarily a small group, as you might imagine.

Caesar: 00:21:10

From this couple of conversations here, a small group was generally created to sort of close the back door of the Sunday only experience because people could hop across the street or down the road to whatever program they like and the church maybe 30 years ago or so invented.

Caesar: 00:21:26

Hey, what if we got people together in small groups?

Caesar: 00:21:30

Maybe they'll find some friendships and it'll be harder for them to leave.

Caesar: 00:21:33

So it was trying to close the back door if you will.

Caesar: 00:21:35

However, they were originally started very self-focused it's about us so we can keep people coming on Sunday, primary.

Caesar: 00:21:43

And they'll pick a time to hang out.

Caesar: 00:21:45

That's a convenient time for them and it won't have to do with proximity or mission per se or whatever.

Caesar: 00:21:50

They'll probably just get together and have some pie or coffee and study the sermon notes that the pastor preached again, even though they heard it all anyway, so a Missional Community is not primarily a small group.

Caesar: 00:22:02

However, it is a smaller group of people living together increasingly on mission.

Caesar: 00:22:08

And a Missional Community, the way we articulate it is not primarily a Bible study.

Caesar: 00:22:14

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:22:14

You're going to study the word of God and you're going to do it all kinds of ways through the story, through reading through meditation, to gather all those things, man, women, of course, we're going to be studying the Bible, but it's not just a Bible study that meets, and then we go back to our corners.

Caesar: 00:22:30

It's different.

Caesar: 00:22:32

It's the studying of the word of God is food and fuel for the mission.

Caesar: 00:22:37

It's also not primarily a support group where we get together to sort of solve each other's problems and just be there as a listening ear.

Caesar: 00:22:46

And of course all those things we're going to do.

Caesar: 00:22:48

And when you live on mission, It can be tough.

Caesar: 00:22:51

There's a lot of challenges and there's a lot of folks that aren't going to be happy and God's going to call us to give and lay down and be in different ways.

Caesar: 00:23:00

And we're going to need to support one another, but it's not a support group that comes together where we focus on someone's problem.

Caesar: 00:23:07

And oftentimes it becomes a lot of the time about one person's or one couple's problems.

Caesar: 00:23:12

No, we're not a support group that we just call a Missional Community.

Caesar: 00:23:15

Cause now we're doing the in thing more often.

Caesar: 00:23:18

A Missional Community is also not primarily a social activist group, meaning a group of Christians who hang out together, pick a cause in their city and get after it.

Caesar: 00:23:31

It's something they're for or something they want to support or something that they want to.

Caesar: 00:23:35

Closed or get, you know, whatever.

Caesar: 00:23:37

It's not a social activist group.

Caesar: 00:23:39

However, you might go out and serve and display.

Caesar: 00:23:44

God's servant heart together in many different ways.

Caesar: 00:23:47

It's not about just picking a pet project and then once a quarter or twice a year, whatever you do something about it.

Caesar: 00:23:55

No, I, Missional Community is much bigger and broader than that.

Caesar: 00:23:59

Also a Missional Community is not an affinity group, so many churches.

Caesar: 00:24:03

That's how they do their groups.

Caesar: 00:24:05

It's like, well, we're going to age and stage this.

Caesar: 00:24:07

And we're going to have the silver seniors together and people with little kids and we'll get the singles, the young singles, the people who used to be married and now singles.

Caesar: 00:24:16

And we're going to form groups based on you.

Caesar: 00:24:18

And it's about you and it's about your unique . Problems.

Caesar: 00:24:21

And even though you don't live anywhere near together, and you're not on mission for the sake of seeing more people come to know Jesus and be in discipled relationships and all that it's about us, right?

Caesar: 00:24:33

So a Missional Community is not about affinity group.

Caesar: 00:24:35

However, sometimes as you seek People of Peace, you might pick a group of people like we're really into.

Caesar: 00:24:43

Mountain biking or something.

Caesar: 00:24:45

So there's a mountain biking group right here that meets at the S the cultural center or at this pub right down the street.

Caesar: 00:24:51

And so I'm not much of a biker, but I've done some.

Caesar: 00:24:54

So we're going to start hanging out with those people, looking for People of Peace, but then as it grows, of course, that's not, you're not going to limit it.

Caesar: 00:25:01

That some guy who's in the community says, Hey, my sister really needs to start to meet you guys and get to know Jesus better.

Caesar: 00:25:08

It's like well does she.

Caesar: 00:25:09

Ride mountain bikes ? nah, I don't think so.

Caesar: 00:25:12

Well then she can't be in it and see, it's not like that.

Caesar: 00:25:14

It's not a club it's going to always grow bigger than any one affinity in our life.

Caesar: 00:25:20

However, that might be a starting point.

Caesar: 00:25:23

And I guess I could have said this first and maybe it's obvious, but a Missional Community is not a weekly meeting.

Caesar: 00:25:30

We're not looking to just replace.

Caesar: 00:25:33

Sunday morning with a smaller, more home-based hipper, more what we want to do version once a week and then maybe take the summers off or whatever Missional Community is a family.

Caesar: 00:25:45

How often does your family hang out?

Caesar: 00:25:47

What kind of things do you do together.

Caesar: 00:25:49

As a healthy family, all kinds of things.

Caesar: 00:25:52

And while you might start out, as you form a community on mission, as you identify people at peace, you might start with a weekly meeting or an open table or a larger family dinner night with a handful of people that want to be equipped and learn to make disciples.

Caesar: 00:26:07

However, it's pretty quickly going to move way beyond one night a week.

Caesar: 00:26:12

If you have something called a Missional Community, but you're primarily getting together once a week.

Caesar: 00:26:17

Um, I would say it's not, it's more like a small group.

Caesar: 00:26:21

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:26:22

So I hope that some of those things help clarify what a Missional Community really is and what it's not.

Caesar: 00:26:30

And just sort of the ethos of the whole difference.

Caesar: 00:26:33

If you're interested in getting some help with any of that, if maybe I can help you, or maybe you want some additional equipping or coaching.

Caesar: 00:26:41

I'd love to help, and I'd love to talk.

Caesar: 00:26:44

Let's set up a call or a zoom call or something to get to know each other better and see if it's a good fit and maybe we can help serve you or coach you.

Caesar: 00:26:51

You would love to do that and really help you and your folks truly start to live discipleship as a lifestyle, feel free to get ahold of me in any way I'm out there.

Caesar: 00:27:00

I'm easy.

Caesar: 00:27:01

You can also go check out our coaching and there's a way to get ahold of me on that page as well.

Caesar: 00:27:05

Just go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash coaching.

Caesar: 00:27:10

I'd love to at least have a conversation, get to know you better.

Caesar: 00:27:15

Okay.

Caesar: 00:27:15

So as always, we're going to get to our big three takeaways.

Caesar: 00:27:19

Now the big three things that I don't want you to miss, if nothing else, these wee things I'd say write down and really contemplate and pray through, but I know that's tough.

Caesar: 00:27:29

So I want to send you a printable PDF of the big three as a free download.

Caesar: 00:27:34

All you have to do is go to Everyday Disciple dot com forward slash big three.

Caesar: 00:27:40

And we'll send you a link and boom, and you go, all right, so here's the big three for this week.

Caesar: 00:27:46

Number one, if your church has traditional small groups, you'll need to begin to lead the change that you want to see by your example, how specifically can you begin to live with others as a family and hint, a weekly meeting will not get it done.

Caesar: 00:28:05

And how can you begin to lead others to embrace our true missionary identity?

Caesar: 00:28:10

As you consistently look for others that God wants to bring into his family, what are two or three things you can begin to do immediately?

Caesar: 00:28:20

Number two, as the church we exist for the sake of others unto God's glory.

Caesar: 00:28:28

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:28:29

Let me say that again.

Caesar: 00:28:29

It's so important.

Caesar: 00:28:31

We exist for the sake of others.

Caesar: 00:28:34

Onto God's glory.

Caesar: 00:28:36

However, we gather and do life together.

Caesar: 00:28:38

As the church, God has always desired that we would live as a people, his people showing others what he's truly like.

Caesar: 00:28:47

That's what it means to glorify God and our holy huddles that were born largely out of our consumeristic schedules and preferences.

Caesar: 00:28:55

And affinities is not what our father in.

Caesar: 00:28:59

And it often serves to reinforce our self-love and fear of others.

Caesar: 00:29:05

God wants more of his wayward kids to come home.

Caesar: 00:29:09

Will you offer them a place at the table?

Caesar: 00:29:12

And number three?

Caesar: 00:29:14

Uh, Missional Community is a gospel centered community.

Caesar: 00:29:17

We said that in this conversation series before it's a gospel centered community that lives out the mission of God together, and that's making disciples of Jesus and they do that in a specific area and to an identified group of people.

Caesar: 00:29:31

See, it's intentional.

Caesar: 00:29:33

We say it this way.

Caesar: 00:29:34

We're a family of missionary servants sent his disciples who make more disciples.

Caesar: 00:29:41

That's who we are.

Caesar: 00:29:42

That's our true gospel identity flowing right out of who God is, and you'll need to help the folks in your church or community.

Caesar: 00:29:50

Understand the distinction between being a group of people that exists for ourselves and being God's family together on mission.

Caesar: 00:30:00

That's key.

Caesar: 00:30:00

That's what this whole topic today is about.

Caesar: 00:30:04

I hope it's helpful.

Caesar: 00:30:05

I know that gives you an awful lot to chew on, but.

Caesar: 00:30:08

There it is.

Caesar: 00:30:09

These are the same types of things we talk about over and over for years and years now.

Caesar: 00:30:15

And I don't think we'll ever get away from it specially with other believers who were maybe formed in some other ways of seeing the church or being there.

Caesar: 00:30:23

Well, that's it for today.

Caesar: 00:30:26

Join me next time as we continue on in our conversation series, and you're going to hear a conversation about the difference between our proactive and reactive mission.

Caesar: 00:30:36

Hmm.

Caesar: 00:30:36

Yeah.

Caesar: 00:30:37

See a Missional Community should have a proactive mission directed toward a specific people.

Caesar: 00:30:42

In a particular context, but you'll find that all of you will also respond to reactive mission opportunities that come up along the way, in each case, though, the mission is to make disciples.

Caesar: 00:30:54

I sure hope you'll tune in for that.

Caesar: 00:30:56

I'll talk to you soon.

Announcer: 00:30:58

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