Breaking Ground
Did you make any resolutions to kick-off this year? If so, what are they & why did you make them?
The Dig
This Sunday, Pastor Scott kicked off the New Year by preaching on building a healthy culture within our church community.
Begin by reflecting upon the nature of culture building in a community.
How would you define organizational or community culture? What tends to define & shape a community’s culture the most?
Inherently, the culture of any community is a constantly changing & evolving thing. Ideally, the community finds a way to maintain its core positive & uniting qualitie, while it accepts & embraces necessary change in other areas of its life together.
Based upon your own experiences, what tends to prompt or produce change within an organization or community? How does this impact the community & those that comprise it?
In the Gospel Accounts, we often see Jesus correcting his disciples’ notions about what kind of community he expects them to build together. For example, read Mark 10:35-45, John 13:3-17, Matthew 16:21-27, Matthew 18:1-5, & Luke 6:27-42.
Do you recognize any major or repeated themes from these passages? Based upon what you identify, what attributes should define the culture of a Christ-centered community?
How might the community that Jesus describes be well equipped to remain committed to its core identity, while embracing healthy change in non-critical areas of its life together?
What most often inhibits the creation of this kind of Christlike community? What changes, both individually & collectively, would be necessary for it to exist?
Close by reflecting on your small group & Element3 Church as a whole.
Where do you see these positive attributes already present within both your small group & E3 more broadly? Have you seen any of them grow in prominence over this past year? If so, why do you think that is?
Where might your small group or E3 grow further into these attributes over this coming year? How can YOU help make that happen?
Coming Out of the Hole
Take time to reflect on the Sunday sermon & how this week’s teaching might speak into your daily life.
- Imagine your life a year from now. Where do you hope to see growth over the coming year? What small changes to your daily life might help you achieve that growth?
- Imagine the life of E3 as a church a year from now. Where do you hope to see growth in our community over the coming year? What small commitments can you make to help E3 achieve that goal?
- Healthy change & growth are both fundamentally things that take place in community (we need each other). Who can you bring into your journey of growth this year in order to help ensure that you get to where you hope to go?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
The Unstuck Church by Anthony J. Morgan
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, January 14th: Join us next Sunday as we begin our new series Why, where we’ll be answering YOUR questions on faith & spirituality!
* Please see mye3.org for details.