At the Fall Kickoff on Friday night, we talked about what it means to be a healthy member of a Missional Community. At the root of this idea is the reality that each and every one of us is responsible for the health of our own Missional Community. Part of a healthy MC is having regular gospel-centered formative discussion, and to help equip you in this area we have put together a list of 7 indicators that you will find occurring frequently in this type of discussion (see below). These indicators should be a helpful tool in evaluating your participation as a healthy MC member.
If you consider Coram Deo your home and you missed out on Friday night’s gathering, please take some time to listen to the audio from the evening. If you need to get plugged into an MC, consult the Mercator and/or let us know how we can help.
LISTENING
• Lots of people can talk, not many are skilled at listening. If people are listening well, the following indicators will come much more naturally.
• Do you find yourself easily distracted, thinking about other things, or pondering what you are going to say next?
SPIRITUAL INQUIRY
• Put simply, this is following up, digging in, and inquiring into how people are doing spiritually.
• Does the way that you respond to people draw them out and encourage deeper conversation?
ENCOURAGEMENT
• If you see that someone handled a situation in a spiritually mature way, make note of that by encouraging him or her. If you see that someone is taking a step of faith in a new area of their life, encourage them with words of affirmation.
• Do people feel encouraged by you during a Missional Community discussion?
PRAYER
• One of the ways to model the Gospel to Christians and non-Christians is by revealing your dependence upon God and the unique relationship you have with God as your heavenly dad.
• Do you stop in the middle of your MC discussion to pray for what is being shared?
CHALLENGE/REBUKE
• Speaking truth in love while confronting others with a spirit of humility, calling them to turn from sin and trust in the finished work of Christ.
• Is your Missional Community tolerating unrepentant sin?
STUDY SCRIPTURE
• 2 Tim. 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
• Do you talk about the Bible naturally in the context of conversation?
GOSPELIZE
• Helping each other apply the good news of Jesus and the work that was accomplished on the cross. The Gospel is for Christians and non-Christians alike and is a message that you will never outgrow or mature out of.
• When someone asks for insight or counsel, do you respond with good advice or good news?
