Five Practices - Meeting 3 Notes

We had a great discussion concerning Intentional Faith Development; the third of the five practices of fruitful congregations. The discussion began with defining what intentional was and how it fir in with our faith development. It was said that intentional meant "deliberate ef

fort." Our faith doesn't just 'develop' by itself. That is why our intentionality is so important.

We considered various ways that our church might aid intentional faith development. As we asked each person in attendance there were many suggestions. Here are a some of the ideas and discussion notes:

-Small Groups: Not just one 'type' of group but several; a group that would walk and talk about faith issues (while also loosing weight). Prayer walking. Common thread to bring people together. It is important to be wide open on what kinds of small groups are created. Not very small group needs to be a specific group of people, but you need to be open to different opportunities. Groups must be continuous...from entry level (new believers) to those who have been a Christian for a long time. Sunday morning is not enough… All kinds of small groups.

-Discovering what is needed. Different people have different needs. We want to discover where people are on their journey and find way

s to help them in faith development. What is really need? Young adults class, young parents class, new believers class, there are many options, but which ones are needed now?

-Bible study is important. As people engage the Scriptures their faith is strengthened. Scripture should be at the core of any faith development plan.

-Get-togethers were also mentioned. These would not really be small groups, but rather opportunities for fellowship and to get to know others better.

-Faith development is more than one small group and more than just on Sunday. There were some questions on how to sustain the small groups. Our church has had small groups in the past, but they died away. How do you sustain them? How do you continue to nurture those groups….and phase them into the next group. Should be thinking about what the next step is or should be.

The conversation seemed to focus around small groups. We realized that it was impossible to develop faith by oneself. We need each other. We need community. We analyzed why it was hard to join an existing small group or class. Some thoughts included developing short-term classes that focused on a topic for 8 weeks. The next 8 weeks you could take a different 'topical' study. Some topics could include books of the bible, or life situations (marriage, having young kids, etc).

The pastor mentioned that while small groups are vital to faith development, so is time alone reading scripture and praying. He suggested having instruction in how to read your bible, or a devotional method. One he talked about was called S.O.A.P. SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. He is planning on leading a one evening class on the method for any who are interested.

The conversation was good and we believe this is just the start of some wonderful faith development opportunities.