Building
Authentic Connection
At
Cheyenne Berean Church we are working hard to build biblical
community as a church of small groups. Corporate and small group
community are the essential foundations of all we are and all we
seek to do. Our desire is to take that community connection to the
next level.
“Legos”
remind us that just as the Lego was designed to be connected to
other Lego pieces, so God has designed us to be in relationship with
Him and His body. We find our greatest fulfillment and purpose when
we are intentionally connected with others. These connections must
be held together by the bonds of biblical love, mercy and grace.
Also, you’ll notice that the Lego piece has a side that receives and
a side that gives. Healthy biblical community is mutually beneficial
to all.
Finally,
notice that a Lego only has a limited number of connecting points.
God doesn’t expect us to be everything to everybody. We can,
however, tighten the circle of our lives so we can focus our
resources and energies to connect in a significant way with the
church and others.
We
know that God is at work in and through the community of believers
at Cheyenne Berean Church. We want to help you connect in loving
relationships with your neighbors.
Five
Pillars of a Focus Group
Shepherding
Members
of a focus groups are not alone. Each FG (focus group) should have a
shepherding champion who seeks to keep the elements of a FG in
proper balance, will rally the group to meet needs of any of the
members if one of the group is in an emergency need and will oversee
the spiritual well-being of the group.
Prayer
In a focus group,
members pray for each other and the needs of the church and other
connections that affect the group and its members. Each should
regularly pray for the members of their own focus group.
Bible
Study
At CBC we are
serious about Bible Study. From our doctrinal statement to our
pulpit and FGs we emphasize the relevance and authority of God’s
Word to any and all of life’s situations. We desire to reflect the
Bereans of Acts 17:11 “Now the Bereans...received the message with
great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what
Paul said was true.”
Fellowship
The sense of
connection takes place not by scheduled weekly meetings but by
shared times of happiness and difficulties and well...shared time!
Missions
For CBC local
outreach as well as foreign evangelism is missions. Each Focus Group
should adopt a missionary and keep informed about their missionary.
They should seek to not just support and encourage their missionary
but to stimulate within the group the spirit of outreach to the
community, nation and world outreach.
Why
Focus Groups?
We call the small
groups at CBC “Focus Groups”. Why do we have Focus Groups and why do
we always seek to keep adding more?
The Book of Acts
gives the record of the birth and establishment of the church and
one of the most basic elements of a local church…togetherness.
Notice that throughout the book of Acts this emphasis
on...togetherness.
-
They waited on
God...together! 1:14
-
They
experienced God...together! 2:1
-
They grew in
faith...together! 2:44
-
They met
collectively...together!2:26
-
They
prayed...together!4:24
-
They gathered
regularly...together! 5:12
-
They solved
problems...together! 6:2
-
They shared
blessings...together! 14:27
-
They
celebrated communion...together! 20:7
-
They met in
homes...together! 2:47
It is in
our Focus Groups, in the small group settings, that we grow as we
focus on authentic relationships with Christ, believers, and people
in our neighborhoods and community. We have two basic types of
groups: strengthening and serving. At Cheyenne Berean, Focus Groups
are not an optional part of church life. They are an essential
biblical element of who we are and what we do as a maturing church
community.
A
Focused Approach To connection In a busy world
At Cheyenne Berean we know that there are two different needs that focus groups meet:
Service and Strengthening.
Our approach to focus groups is to provide the resources and connection necessary
to provide for the spiritual, social & service needs
of the church and it’s people through the ministries of
strengthening and Serving Focus Groups.
