Pastoral Initiatives that are equipping (Morling College Pastoral Skills & Methods Week 5 notes)

Bell curve of the congregation:

l   Early Adapters/Innovators/Supporters make up 15-20% (the happy helpful people): spend 20-25% of time on these people pastorally;

l   Majority of the congregation 60-70%: spend 75-80% of time on these people pastorally;

l   Detractors 5-10% (You spent a lot of time with these people (detractors) but they are never happy. If you are a person who is seeking validation and love from people rather than God, there’s a danger of falling into the trap of a desire to seek validation and love from the detractors whereby you will fall into a vicious cycle where you keep spending time with the detractors and the detractors are never happy so you continue spending time to try and seek more validation. Validation should come from Christ. If detractors rise to 15-20% the ministry is in trouble/influence gone.): spend 5% of time on these people pastorally.

Equipping the church as a whole

• Cultivate Healthy Interdependence among Members (Encouraging people to remain connected and to define themselves and their own ministries rather than merely assisting the leaders in their ministry.)
• Lead the Process Not the People (Leading the process involves envisioning, defining one’s own convictions, and dreams. Changes must be made systemically and not merely organizationally. In one sense this is leading the people, but the ultimate leader of the people is Christ. Our job as equipping leaders is to facilitate the process of Head-body connection and help people find their source in Christ, not in the official leadership of the church.)
• Cultivate the Culture (Culture is composed of unspoken assumptions about relationships, beliefs, and purposes.)
• Make Changes Slowly and Indirectly
• Sound Your Own Vision and Define Yourself
• Shepherd the System and the Subsystems (Both the functional subsystems (communication, environment, nurture/education, restoration) and the structural subsystems (small groups, families, etc.) need to be nurtured. Equippers look into the body to see correspondences (isomorphism) and not just "at" it to see individual members and activities.) 
• Avoid Becoming Triangled (As relationship shepherds, equippers should be able to discern dysfunctional relationships. When individuals or groups attempt to draw you into counterproductive alliances, your "ministry" is to help people take responsibility for their own contribution to the congregation.)
• Maintain Open Boundaries with the World (Cult-like, closed group, not accepting outside people. Or church saying “it’s a big bad world out there and we are good”. Instead of telling people what they should be doing, but we need to let people be independent thinkers and be adults. Closed group + a charismatic leader is at danger of beoming a cult)
• Relax: The Church is in Good Hands (If people aren’t treated like adults and are being told what to do, it’s harmful.)

• Role of Congregation
• everyone’s expectation as a carer
• to be aware of needs and respond appropriately as individuals or groups
• to make pastoral care team aware of situations – doesn’t matter if heard 10 times at least care team knows and can respond
• Role of the Small Group (look at it like organisms, not organisation: Alive, grows, changes, impacts one another, dynamic, etc.)
• first port of call for a church should be the small group to show the relational connection of people (Purpose: relational, pastorally, what’s happening in the lives of the individual. Note: If relational aspect taken out, it becomes Nazi-like. If no boundaries, people will just rock up whenever they want to.)
• they pray weekly, supply meals, offer support
• they perform their part as best they can with skill base that they have present
• if they are burdened or feel ill equipped then they refer to the official pastoral care team for further assistance
• Role of the Pastoral Care Team
• Pastoral Care Team focuses on those who aren’t in small groups for whatever reason
• they in a sense provide the care, practical support and prayer for as much as they are able to – call on wider church as required
• Role of Pastoral Team
• supply further training for church
• bring about systemic changes through preaching and vision process
• provide oversight of small group leaders and structure
• provide direct support for carers and their ongoing development and supervision

Small group covenants should include guidelines surrounding:

l   Attendance

l   Affirmation

l   Confidentiality

l   Openness

l   Honesty

l   Sensitivity

l   Accountability

l   Prayer

Facilitating Small Groups (Jacobs, Swift to Hear)

1.           Always have in mid the task of the group, and if necessary periodically remind the group of it. (When things become extremely dysfunctional, the leader may need to shift into parental mode so people move into their roles.)

2.           The leader is there to promote communication, not as the fount of all knowledge. (Don’t look to the pastor/leader for all answers. Instead, ask “what does everyone think about that?”)

3.           Avoid introducing too much material: encourage personal contributions above mere intellectual knowledge. (eg. In bible study, we don’t have to be pressured to go through all the discussion questions, but instead go into something deeply if necessary for it to have impact on people’s lives.)

4.           Encourage personal contributions by sharing views and feelings, especially ‘group’ feelings. (Giving power back to the group, so the group owns what they have.)

5.           Try to use silences creatively. (There are times when silence become awkward. We have to be comfortable with silence if we’re not used to it.  It’s ok because sometimes it creates a space where the most quiet people may speak. Or “We’ve heard lots of interesting views tonight. Is there anyone else who hasn’t spoken that would like to speak?”)

6.           Be wary of the cosy, ‘united group’ and encourage creative dissent.

7.           Watch for openings of silent members.

8.           Be firm, but caring, with the dominant member(s).

9.           Encourage group members to own feelings and opinions, rather than make one person appear unusual.

10.       Try to balance the needs of the individuals and the needs of the group.

11.       Make clear and definite arrangements about expectations, time, frequency and place.

12.       Consider the right size of a group, and the balance of its membership. (6-8 is good, 12 is too big)

13.       Always consider the feelings engendered by changes of membership.

14.       Clergy (and other ‘authority’ figures): beware of your presence in the group!

Prayer Resource for the Week

A Prayer for Small Groups by Kevin Mahaffy, Jr.

Father, today as our small group meets
I pray that each person will feel your heartbeat
May they know they are special, they’re cared for, they’re loved
Your kingdom come, on earth as above

Our time together, though not long only short
May it seed true communion with You in our hearts
Help us see Your image inside of each other
Teach us what it means to truly love one another

Away from the big, the loud, the flash
Just a few of us here to share and to laugh
To discuss Your Word, to share and go deeper
To talk real life and be our brother’s keeper

Praying for one another as we journey through life
May we encourage each other to reflect Your light
Let us always be inclusive, welcoming, warm
A safe place for all in the midst of life’s storms

Lord we all come from a myriad of places
Give us wisdom and kindness and grace and patience
Thank you for unity in the midst of diversity
Make us one in Christ, true Christian community

Bless those abundantly who have opened their home
Upon their house, God we pray Your Shalom
May it be filled with laughter, with joy, and with vision
In return for their giving, God we pray Your provision

And let us, O Lord, never ever forget
That there’s someone else out there who has yet to connect
Your eyes and your mouth to see and invite
That not one, O Lord, would be alone in the fight

It’s a mystery to me why they seem to be Your preference
But amazingly in the end small groups make a great big difference
Life on life, Jesus you modelled it back then
So I’ll do the same, in Jesus name, Amen.