Leader's Guide
1. Debrief your party from Week 6. Use the first three questions on page 161 as a guide
2. If your group didn't host a party, talk about why. What hindered your group from having the party?
a. Plan another time where your group will throw another party. The week before Thanksgiving would be a great opportunity to have a Thanksgiving party.
3. Now discuss what apprenticeship might look like for your particular community.
a. What is apprenticeship?
b. How is it different from discipleship?
4. Do the activity together on page 160.
Leaders Note: There are several different ways you can do this activity:
- Have each person take a couple of verses. Have them read the verses while thinking through how they might apply to your particular group. After a couple of minutes come back together and have each person summarize what they learned.
- Split your group into smaller groups (2-3 people each). Give them a couple of verses to discuss together. Come back together as a large group. Have one representative from each group summarize what they learned.
- Read through each verse as a whole group and discuss how they apply to your particular group.
- Be creative and think of another way!!
5. Read page 155.
a. Which are areas you need to grow [KEEP READING]
Leader's Guide
1. Do the following activity that is on page 88.
"Split up individually or in groups of two and make alist below of all the words that come to mind when you think of Community. Set a timer for five minutes."
2. Discuss the questions on page 89.
3. How would you explain what biblical community is?
4. What practical steps can you take to move towards deeper community with those in your missional community and those outside your missional community?
NEXT STEPS
1. In two weeks, you will be challenged to throw a party and invite some sojourners (see pages 136-137). Read page 87. Brainstorm ideas for your party and begin to plan it.
2. Next week your MC will meet in a local bookstore or library (see the bottom of page 89). Decide on a place to meet.
Leader's Guide
1. How would you describe the gospel to someone who asked you?
2. Read page 51, starting with the second paragraph:
"When and where the Gospel lost its place in the everyday life of believers is a mystery, but there is no doubt that it is not informing most of our basic life issues. We often end up shrinking the Gospel down to a small set of beliefs or doctrines that have no practical effect on our daily lives. At the same time, we neglect to live out the greater story."
3. Is your own view of the gospel missing anything?
4. In what ways could you expand it?
5. Read Isaiah 61:1-4 and Luke 4:16-22.
- List some of the key aspects of the Gospel illustrated in the given scriptures.
- What do these mean for a modern reader?
6. Discuss the chart on page 58. Explain each of these elements in your own words: Communion, Community and Mission. (You can also [KEEP READING]
1. What does incarnational mean? (Refer to last paragraph on page 26 and last paragraph on page 30.)
a. What examples of this have you seen in your own life?
2. At the bottom of page 26, the author says that missionality by itself can hurt the cause of Christ more than it helps. Why do you think that is so?
3. Read together the first paragraph on page 35.
4. Now read together the story in John 8:1-11
a. Why do you think Jesus chose to get involved in the woman's story?
b. How do you think an advocate is different than a friend?
c. What does it require for us to become advocates?
5. Referring to pages 38-39, what were your experiences with this weeks action step?
(Note to Leader: Encourage your group to make this a lifestyle, not just a one time activity.)
6. Discuss the questions on page 41.
7. Close by praying together as a group.
NEXT STEPS
1. Walk through the [KEEP READING]
TK PRIMER: Week 1 Discussion
Leader’s Guide
1. As a missional community, read together the story of Abraham in Genesis 12: 1-5.
2. How has your idea of being missional changed based off what you learned this pastweek? (Refer to section 1.1)
3. Read together the last paragraph on page 2:
“The foundation of a missional life is the decision to offer God our plans in exchange for his plans. It requires that we are willing to leave our world so he can send us to extend his Kingdom. Whether we choose to engage the call is up to us.”
a. What are some things you have had to give up to follow God?
b. What things hinder you from making the decisionto live a missional life?
4. Discuss together each of the four immersions on pages 10-11.
a. Which ones are personally intimidating for you?
b. What are some examples in your life of some ofthe four immersions?
5. Referring to page 15, what were your experiences with this weeks action step: crossing your fence, crossing your street, crossing a social, political or ethnic barrier? (Note to Leader: Encourage everyone to share.)
a. Did you have any fears? Any hesitations?
(Note to Leader: Encourage your missional community to make this a lifestyle, not just a one time activity.)
6. Spend some time thinking through non-Christian friends who you may want to include in your community. Write their names down at the bottom of page 16. Share who they are with the [KEEP READING]
Vision Series Curriculum this Sunday: The Vision Series starts this Sunday! It's time for all of our missional community leaders and members to get their copy of the curriculum, the Tangible Kingdom Primer. If you are in a missional community you need to buy your copy no later than this Sunday! We will be selling the curriculum in the foyer after every service for $10 per copy. You can buy them with cash or check or pay by credit card here and pick up your copy in the foyer this Sunday. Please do not let money be a problem, scholarships are available.
2nd week of Open House: If you are in a missional community and looking for new members, we will be opening our homes a second week this week, September 13-20. Open House hosted by missional communities invites people to visit different MCs throughout this week, hoping to welcome new visitors this fall. We hope that people will visit numerous groups and find an MC they want to be involved with and dive into community. We are asking all of our "open" missional communities to create an environment that allows visitors to meet the group and to hear about what God is calling you to.
If you're not in a missional community, we want to help you find one. You can find and learn about all of our missional communities by visiting our group finder. Please visit a few during these two weeks and find a place to jump in.
Vision Series Curriculum: The Vision Series is coming up in just a few weeks! It's time for all of our missional community leaders and members to get their copy of the curriculum, the Tangible Kingdom Primer. If you are in a missional community you need to buy your copy this Sunday! We will be selling the curriculum in the foyer after every service for $10 per copy. You can buy them with cash or check or pay by credit card here and pick up your copy in the foyer this Sunday.
Missional Community Open House: If you are in a missional community and looking for new members, we will be opening our homes for the next two weeks, September 6-20. We will be having an "Open House" that invites people to visit different missional communities throughout these two weeks. We hope that people will visit numerous groups and find an MC they want to be involved with and dive into community. We are asking all of our "open" missional communities to create an environment that will allow new potential members to meet the group and to hear about what God is calling you to.
If you're not in a missional community, we want to help you find one. You can find and learn about all of our missional communities by visiting our group finder. Please visit a few during these two weeks and find a place to jump in.
Each year during the Vision Series we ask all of our missional communities to take a break from what they are studying so that everyone can study the same thing. This fall all of our missional communities will go through The Tangible Kingdom Primer together.
We are asking that everyone involved in a missional community to pick up a copy of the Tangible Kingdom Primer by September 13th. They will be available for $10 at Austin High School starting this Sunday and at the church office during the week. You can also buy a copy by credit card by clicking here and pick up your copy in the foyer on Sunday.
The Gospel Centered Life Curriculum is now available to order. You can order Participant Guides by emailing Chelsea: chelsea@austinstone.org
This would be a great guide to help your group grow and get on mission over the next few months. What's inside the curriculum? Check it out:
Week 1 - The Gospel Grid
Week 2 - Pretending and Performing
Week 3 - Believing the Gospel
Week 4 - Law and Gospel
Week 5 - Repentance
Week 6 - Heart Idolatry
Week 7 - Mission; The Gospel Propels Us Outward
Week 8 - Forgiveness
Week 9 - Conflict; Gospel-Centered Conflict Resolution
Want to be one of the first groups to pilot this material? Contact Chelsea to order your copies. (Participant's Guides are $5 a copy. We offer the material at cost.)