Now I know there are many dangers of striving for excellence. After all, haven’t we learned that Satan will take anything we do for good and seek to bring forth evil. We have been been taught, 2 Corinthians 2:11, to not be “ignorant of his schemes.” I know if we are not careful, a pursuit of excellence can lead to pride whereby we look down on others or desire to draw personal attention to ourselves or seek to be man-pleasers. I know it can lead to a reliance on our own strength and not God’s strength. I know it can lead to misplaced goals that believe the product is more important than the spiritual goals it aims to produce. I know it can lead to misplaced trust that excellence alone can somehow achieve God’s purposes. And I know it can lead to misplaced methods, looking to worldly techniques more than Scripture. I know all of these and now you do as well, but we can’t operate in fear as an excuse to excuse the behavior expected of us from the Lord.
Randy Smith

Template letter idea that can be used to begin a small group

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This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series Ideas to launch a small Christian group

Ideas to launch a small Christian group

The following is an example introductory letter which can be used as a template to start a small group focused on living and being one of God's people.

 

From : <leader/facilitator>                                                                                     <date>

Dear Young Adult,

For the past couple months, the Lord has been creating a growing desire in my heart, to
establish a setting where young adults can come to worship, praise, study, and pray
to our Lord God, Jesus Christ. I would like to launch into this venture in the first part of
<month>. Would you please pray with me that God will direct this plan ?

Some format must be present in our meetings, and with your approval I would like to
suggest the following as a starting place :

  1. Meet promptly at an agreed-upon day & time for 12 weeks

  2. Introduce ourselves to any new folks, and socialize for about 15 minutes.

  3. Begin the formal meeting with song & praise, lasting about 20 minutes

  4. Men & women break off into separate study groups for about 40 minutes. Each group will be led In a devotion, study, or ministry by one of its own members, as
    they believe they are led by God. At the conclusion of this time, we will re-group.

  5. The group will spend additional time in song or "in prayer" as God’s Spirit leads us.

All activities should cease no later than two hours after we arrive.

There are two things that this group is not intended for :

A. This group must not be a therapy group. A therapy group centralizes the group
focus on the difficulties of one individual – it can become an opinion-giving session. Our
intention will be to worship, praise, study, and pray. God will be our focus.

B. This group will not conflict with the intended purpose of the Shepherd Group. The
Shepherd Group provides the church with an extension of "pastoral care", where one or
two individuals minister to others. Our group will provide us with the opportunity to
focus on God and minister to each other – we must all learn to reach out to others.

Who is going to lead this group ? Quite frankly, I don't know. The pieces are beginning
to fall into place though …

<person> has volunteered to play the guitar – can you help ?

I will provide the home for us to meet in & occasionally lead the men's study
There have been several volunteers to lead the women's study, how about you ?
Who will lead worship ? Pray – maybe it should be you !

One of the neat features of a group like this, is that leadership is rotational – we must
all be responsible, as we are gifted, to see that this is a successful group. There should
be no complaining ! If God has blessed you to see where improvements need to be
made, then He has also given you the responsibility, strength, and ability to act as well.
Please do something to share this blessing with us !

Do you want to be involved in this group ?

Christ once said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." If you believe God is sending
you into this group (to help lead), I would very much like to meet with you-all on
<date>, here at <location> at 7:00pm.

You must nave an active part in decision-making and want this group to happen, or it will be a failure.

Finally, I want to share a very special section of Psalms with you. God has really
ministered to me through David –

"I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because
he Inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The snares of
death encompassed me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of
the Lord : '0 Lord, i beseech thee, save my life !' Gracious is the Lord, and
righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was
brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt
bountifully with you. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eyes from
tears, my feet from stumbling; I walk before the Lord in the land of the living."

Don't forget the meeting!!!                                        <leader>

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