Marty Martin

ALWAYS BE READY
Part 1 – Apologetics is more than saying you are sorry

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” – 1 Peter 3:15.

What comes to mind when you hear the word apologetics? If I asked that question to a few people on Sunday at Northstar, I probably would get a deer in the headlight or blank stares. I’m sure at least one person would pause for a moment and suggest that apologetics has something to do with being sorry, or apologizing.

The simple definition of Christian Apologetics is a study of the evidence for Christianity and using that knowledge to provide a rational defense of Christianity. Christian apologetics, is important for all believers who hope to defend the faith effectively and prove the reliability of the Bible. By comparing Jesus to other religions using facts, logic and history, you can show that Christianity stands up very well under intellectual scrutiny and has done so for thousands of years. Christian Apologetics is something every believer should be aware of. Here’s why.

Non-Christians, skeptics, and people of other faiths are asking some very good questions regarding the Christian faith. The word apologetics comes from the Greek word found in 1 Peter 3:15 and means “defense.” The Bible says that we’re to always be ready to give a “defense” to people who ask us about the hope we have as Christians. Why is that so important? Simple. There are many people who want to test you. They want to discredit Christianity. They attack the validity of the Bible. They ask questions they hope will have no answers, and as a result raise some doubts in your eyes. Some of those questions include:

“What evidence do you have that there is a God or that the Bible is really true?”

“If God is so loving, why does He allow evil and suffering?”

“If God exists, why do so many intelligent scientists say he doesn’t?”

“Ultimately, don’t all religions lead to God?”

“How can you really know what happened 2000 years ago?”

“What’s the difference between Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius, etc.?”

We have the responsibility to give honest answers to honest questions. Christianity is not a blind faith. There are things that we have to accept on faith but we can also prove many of the parts of the bible are rational and more importantly documented in history. It helps to have some basic information when you hear some blatantly wrong comments or faulty premises from the skeptics in our lives. We are told to be prepared to give a reason for our hope.

Our hope is a firm belief that we shall always stand acceptable before God with the perfect righteousness of Christ (Philippians 3:18). Our hope is that when we die, we shall be with Christ in glory (Romans 8:16-17). Our hope is that God never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Hope is contagious. Christianity is always relevant, impactful, is always new and always changing lives. In short, the gospel of Christ is still the good news.

The reason for our hope is the cross. Hope is the result of Jesus dying on the cross in our behalf. We must then present Christ and those who put their trust in Him are pardoned of all sin and declared righteous in His sight. We should never present our faith as a set of rules and regulations. That is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we let God work on the anger, guilt, despair, and confusion that often lies behind the questions.

How does an ordinary Christian go about honing their apologetic skills? Does it take years of seminary or college? Not really. Just like every other facet of the Christian walk, developing reasoning skills is a life-long pursuit. If you are a Christian and feel yourself lacking when your friends or family or colleagues challenge what you believe, I would like to provide you with some basics that will help you get started down the road, starting with the next blog post.

Part 2 – The Basics

As a pastor, I find myself in places other than Northstar. I will be visiting the sick in the hospitals or at home. Sometimes I will find myself in someone’s home and on occasion there will be some family members or friends that do not go to church. The “I don’t believe you have to go to church to be a Christian” debate comes up periodically.

That seems to be a popular concept these days. Home churching is gaining popularity in the same way home schooling is an alternative to classic schools. (By home churching I do not mean a church that starts or meets in someone’s home. I am referring to the growing number of people who love Christ and live by Christian principals, but want to go it alone outside the walls of the institutional church).

I think home schooling works well. For me personally, there are many advantages to homeschooling (We chose to home school our children). Then there are the benefits of more time with the kids, personalized education, working at your own pace, more control over outside influences, stronger family bonds, and flexibility. It works well in many cases.

Does home churching offer the same benefits over a church? Can it work just as well?

In an attempt to answer that question, let me remind you of what the church is. As we talked about in the Revolution series, the word “church,” is translated from a word that means an assembly of people. More than just that, it means, an assembly of people with a common starting place. The word is ekklesia, and that common starting place is Jesus Christ. So the “church” is not the building or buildings. It is the different kinds of people, coming together to further the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Let me also answer a question some of you may be asking right now. Is it possible to be saved without going to church? Yes. Is it possible to believe that Jesus is who He said He was and believe that Jesus died for the forgiveness of your sins and rose again, conquering death? You can believe all those things and be a Christian without going to church.

But, then you have to ask the next logical question. Is it possible to respond in worship, effectively, and to submit your life to Him by being discipled without being a part of a community of His believers? Is it possible to receive all the gifts God wants to give you and use them to serve for His glory without being part of a community of His believers? Our response to what God has done for us is highly personal. I get that and what’s more there is something profound about that. However, there is something deeply valuable, and I believe critically important about learning to respond to God together.

1 Corinthians 14:26 says: “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” Notice the phrase… “When you come together…” The Apostle Paul assumes the church will come together. This verse doesn’t make much sense sitting home alone.

Then there is the Acts 2 Church we talked about a few weeks ago in the Revolution series. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2: 42-47.

Part 3 – A Christian Lone Ranger needs a group of Tontos

EXIT STAGE LEFT
Part 1 – Where have all the followers gone?

Do you remember that little church rhyme that you did with your hands that went like this. Here is the church and here’s the steeple, open the doors and see all the people. Today, you would not need to use as many fingers.

Some Christians are exiting the church. Their premise: I can be an effective Christ-follower without the church.

Five years ago, George Barna wrote a book entitled Revolution claiming that 30 percent of those who would describe themselves as “followers of Jesus Christ” no longer attend traditional church services on Sunday. His research and experience indicate that people are leaving the institutional church, but they continue to gather informally and regularly with other believers, and seek to share the good news with their neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends.

Barna says, “There is a new breed of Christ-follower in America today. These are people who are more interested in being the Church than in going to church.

Reggie McNeal makes the following statement in his book, The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church. “A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church because the church no longer contributes to their spiritual development. In fact, they say, quite the opposite is true.”

So what does that mean for the church today and for Northstar? Why do people leave the church? I have given that very question a considerable amount of thought over the years. I have come to conclusion that there are many possible reasons. It may be the Christian life is not what they expected.

Here’s an example of what I mean. The biblical picture of a “wonderful life” looks dramatically different than the average person’s definition of a “wonderful life.” If this picture is never explained effectively, a person may hear “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” only to find that God doesn’t respond to every call for help as we would like. Nor does He always prosper us or eliminate all the hurts, habits and hangups that plague our lives. Some people believe that if they just follow God’s rules that He will bless their lives. When things fail to work out as promised, some become disillusioned and leave the church. Certainly that is not the only reason.

There are many other reasons. Some may be legitimate concerns. Others just may be trivial in the total scheme of things. The fact is, no matter what you do and how well you built the environments in the church you cannot please everyone. The surest road to disaster in virtually every undertaking in life is trying to make everyone happy. Because what happens at the end of the day, is nobody is happy. The bottom line is that people will leave the church. But why and what people do next is what is important.

This comment on a blog sums up how many people feel. “I am currently rediscovering the Creator and removing the chains of religion in my own life. I must admit also that my experience outside of the Institutional Church walls has been life changing.”

Over the next few weeks, I will discuss why, in virtually every case, it is better for Christians to be connected to a community of believers. Until then, let me lead you with a few verses that address the subject.

““Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” – Matthew 18:18-20. Jesus is saying that there is a connection from heaven to earth, and that connection is found where two or three (at least, that is) come together, Jesus, will be there. Those are not part of a Christian community can read about Him, study and pray, but if you want to really want to transformed, you have to gather with other believers.

In Ephesians 5:32, The apostle Paul writes about the church as a profound mystery. In 1 Corinthians 12, he describes us as a body in which every part—small or large, seemingly important or apparently insignificant—every part is of great value and to be considered necessary in the body.

Part 2 – Why can’t I be home-churched?

Why Northstar is going to multi-site.

“Our beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.” – Job 8:7

Let me proactively answer some of the typical questions that are asked when churches transition to multiple sites.

So…how do I make a decision as to where to go to church? Well, unlike McDonalds where you may have the choice of five or six sites in your area, more than likely there will be just one Northstar church location within relatively close proximity. My answer to the question is to encourage you and your family to attend the location where you are most likely to fully engage. For me, full engagement involves connecting in a Northstar Group, serving in some capacity, giving to the church, and inviting your friends and neighbors to come. I believe that attending a campus in or around your community allows you to engage more successfully and impact your community more effectively.

Do I need to commit to one or can I float between two sites around my house? Again, I do not think floating will be that easy or even advisable. But, having said that, I do believe it is important to choose a campus and commit to attend there. By committing to one campus, you can truly get involved in and feel a part of that church community, engage in Northstar groups, and be a part of what is happening there. In the end, choosing a campus benefits you and the campus to which you commit.

I am attending and serving at our present location. If I choose to attend another campus would I be breaking my commitment where I am currently serving? Before I answer that, let me say one thing. Rhe transition to 25 sites is a vision at this point and if it comes to fruition, it will take the next 12 years to accomplish. The answer is we completely need for members who are transitioning from one campus to another to leave and begin serving elsewhere. In fact, for the new location to be successful, we need those who have been serving at Panama City to come and serve at the new location once it opens. That will include staff as well.

What services or programs do you intend to offer when a new location opens? We plan on offering all the programs from Sunday services, to children’s programs to Northstar Groups. It may not happen day one. We expect to add every program as attendance and financial support increases and we see needs develop.

How is membership at the new location handled? It will be the same as joining Northstar today. However, I would recommend that you move your membership to whatever location you are attending. We will develop a process to move memberships to the right location once we actually have a new location.

Are you pastor of every location, Marty? I will be the lead pastor regardless of the number of locations, but my feeling at this point, and this is all subject to change, that we will want a pastor at each location when the ministry needs of the new location warrant a dedicated pastor.

How often will you visit? We are a ways from having this problem, but obviously I cannot commit to how often I will physically speak at each church. There are technical requirements that will determine where I speak from. However, we will be one church with multiple campuses, and each campus will be a high priority for me and everyone on staff. I would like to speak in person at each location as often as is practical.

Why Northstar is going to multi-site.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:18-19.

Why a satellite church, Marty?

That is a good question. About two 2 years ago, as a leadership team, we had to discuss the reality of the rapid growth of our present campus. With our numbers growing, a decision had to be made on expanding our current facility, purchasing a new facility or finding other ways to continue to handle the people God was sending.

After reviewing the options, we decided the best option is a satellite church model: one church, multiple locations. Multi-site is a proactive strategy for reaching more people, not just a reactive response to more crowding.Using this model has many advantages, such as cost. Building onto existing facilities to accommodate growth creates a heavy financial burden. Using a satellite model, we are able to quickly launch a church within a community with a significantly initial cash outlay because using existing facilities is always cheaper than building something new.

Another reason is traveling distance. With gas costs, it makes sense to locate a satellite church in the midst of people’s communities. Statistics reveal more of our visitors are coming from a distance. Statistics also reveal that our main drawing card is our worship service. We believe we must think globally and regionally, not just locally. Multiple locations make the Northstar worship experience available to more people who come from a distance as well as extending His kingdom outside our area.

A second, third, fourth, etc., campus is not primarily for us. This expansion is driven by vision issues, not capacity issues. There is still space in our services.We believe that one of our primary missions as a church is to seek and save the lost in our city. We are also a church, however, who believes that faithful teaching and discipleship must trump pragmatism. We believe that being multi-campus is the best way to do both. Multiple sites is about reaching others with the gospel. It is the entire congregation engaging in a first-century missionary effort to reach another part of our region with the gospel. The true payoff is seeing Christ transform lives and knowing he let us play a part in it.

Of course, there are some benefits for us. It is more cost effective than building a bigger sanctuary. Multiple sites brings together the best aspects of larger churches and smaller churches. Secondly, It overcomes geographic barriers of people getting to church. Other benefits include enabling untapped talent to emerge, tapping more volunteers through adding ministry opportunities, and it centralizes funds and resources. And, finally, it enables a church to extend itself into smaller niches.

One of the primary criticisms of a multi-campus church is that you create disparate groups of people who will never know each other. That is certainly valid. Realistically speaking, however, this happens at any multi-service church like Northstar. For that matter, it happens at any church above four or five hundred people. That is why we have small groups.

We plan on opening the first satellite campus in Callaway.

So what are the next steps? We have begun by sharing this vision with you, the congregation. Financially, we do not believe this challenge is out of our reach. The question is whether God is calling us to step out of our comfort zone and start a second campus in a community beyond our own? That is the question we need to answer. If God is behind this, it will succeed.

Why Northstar is going multi-site.

Jesus replied, “What is impossible with human beings is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27.

At Northstar, our dream is simple: that the world may believe Jesus. Our focus is on creating a church that people will love to attend. We simply want to create a church that is relevant and life changing and the best option for those in our area on Sunday morning. That dream is now 12 years old and I am proud to say that our dreams of what could be for our surrounding community far surpass our memories of what we have already done. But, when God is involved, anything is possible. We expect great things ahead.

Which brings us to our vision for the future. By our 25th anniversary, we will open 25 satellites, have 2,500 small groups and have a total church attendance of 25,000.

Last week I talked about our vision for Northstar Groups. This week I want to talk a little more in detail about our vision from a missional perspective. On opening 25 church satellites by the year 2024. John Piper once said, “The question is no longer whether we’ll be a megachurch, but what kind of megachurch we will be.” What kind of church we will be in the future, is what the vision is all about.

We know these numbers can seem daunting and the change that will be involved confusing. You know doubt have questions. While we certainly don’t have all the answers today, I will try in the weeks and months ahead to use this blog to update you as often as possible. However, I know that there may still be other questions, which I did not address and would love to hear from you if you have something you’d like to know.

Let’s start with the basics in case there is any confusion out there. A satellite church is one church meeting in multiple locations, but they share a common vision, budget, leadership and mission. Our satellite churches will share the same name (our best guess today) and have the same core ministries. At this time, the worship will be live, but the teaching will be streamed, at least initially, from our present location.

Think of it in terms of franchising. Think of any franchise. Take Chick-fil-A. Whenever you see a Chick-fil-A, you know you will find the same core menu and quality of service. Because of the positive association we have with one Chick-fil-A, we are comfortable stepping into another. We expect the same outcome with the multiple church sites. In addition, just like any franchise, a satellite campus begins with a solid vision and stable leadership in place. It offers the chance to begin with the core ministries in place.

Another obvious question is how much will this cost? Our research puts a price tag on this of between $150,000 to $250,000 depending on what we are doing. By that I mean do you use top of the line equipment and the latest technology, or what is involved in renting and repurposing the facility, etc.

You are probably wondering right now if it would be easier to do a church plant. The answer is no for several reasons. First shared resources and shared DNA, or vision and values. Then you have pre-established frameworks for everything you do, pre-trained staff, etc. That is not to say we do not advocate church planting. Actually we would like to do both, but that is a topic for another blog post.

Part 2 – Why a satellite strategy?

BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD
Your Invitation Can Change the World

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like. – James 1:22-24.

When someone tells you your invitation can change the world, what pops into your mind? Participating in the G8 summit or being asked to intern with Warren Buffett, or maybe helping with clinical research that would eliminate hunger and disease. It is a hard question to respond to because your brain immediately files it under a trick question. After all, no one can effectively change the world or so we often assume.

It does seem out of our reach, actually well out of our reach.

But you never know when you accept an invitation whether it will change your life forever. Spend a summer with Warren Buffett and i am sure your world will never be the same. For the rest of your life, you will be known by your friends as someone who hung out with the wizard of Omaha. Your invitation will only change your world if you accept the invitation.

Consider this: Some of you asked or were asked, or hope to be asked in the future, to attend the prom and when that happened, your life changed or will change. A simple decision like that can change the course of future events.

You are the greatest influence we have in the community to reach people for Christ. Your simple invitation can change someone’s life forever. By inviting someone to Northstar you are giving them the opportunity to experience God in a new way and to learn about His forgiveness and love. And you are changing the world.

I encourage you to invite people who are close to you but far from God to church this coming weekend. We believe very strongly in the power of a simple invite to church. We’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of people place their faith in Christ through our weekend worship experiences. And the reason most of those people came was because someone took an interest and invited them.

You never know what God will do when you simply say, “Will you come to church with me this weekend? It could change someone’s world. Your decision to invite or not is yours to make, it is up to them to accept or reject. In each case, your invitation could change the world in which we live.

We are prepared so invite as many people as you want. God will do the rest according to His plan.

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” – Philippians 4:9

BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD
Our Legacy

During the preparation for the vision and the “This is how we change the world” series, I wondered about the legacy Northstar will leave for future generations. I wondered about my legacy.

Have you ever stopped and wondered what your legacy will be? What will people remember? I do. So I ask myself this question? What do people learn about God and your heart and Jesus as they watch you? I encourage you to ask that same question. Because your parents are watching. Your boss is watching. Your coworkers are watching. Your neighbors are watching. In fact, people watch us all the time to see if I see if your behavior is any different than everyone else. People enjoy seeing religious people trip up. Groups of religious leaders tried very hard to catch even the Son of God slipping up.

So as we embark on getting better as a church, it is perfect time to pause and take stock of our walk with God and what changes we need to make to change the world and our legacy.

Francis Chan is a well-known pastor and speaker. He recently left Cornerstone Church, a church he started many years ago in Simi Valley, CA. Here is what he had to say about the legacy of the church.

“ If [what we know of the Church] ended now… what would it be remembered for? … I believe if it ended now, there’d be a little period of history right here called “the Consumer Age of the Church” where the norm was, you’d show up to these places and you’d consume.It’s an age that was weird because there was more Bible knowledge than ever before… more Bible knowledge accessible through the Internet — you can listen to anything at all — this information about God and about the scriptures right at their fingertips, and yet people started getting picky about going, “Well, I’ll only take the Word of God if it comes through this person’s mouth, I need this type of personality; I’ll only sing with this type of song, this style of music; I wanna show up to a place, I want you to “feed” me, I want you to disciple my kids, I want to be able to bring my neighbors, and I want you to lead them to the Lord. I want YOU to disciple them, and we’ll pay you. And if I don’t like the way you do it, I’ll find another place.”

Is that an accurate description? If so, it is a sad legacy and far removed from the Acts 2 Church. It will only change if we change.

Consider the following statements that were inscribed in 1100 A.D. on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop:

“When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable.

“As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

“And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.

“From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and who knows, I may have even changed the world.”

Part 3: The first small step in changing the world.

If you attended church on 9/11, you heard me speak of the Northstar Vision, specifically clarifying some details of that vision. I was concerned we were caught up in the end numbers and missed the foundational idea.

The idea: get better as a church, not bigger.

Yes, we want and expect Northstar to grow, but it is not our primary motivation or goal. It is a byproduct of getting better as a church.

There were some that were frankly intimidated by the numbers. If taken out of context they can be intimidating. Especially if you forget we are looking nearly 12 years out. There were others who were concerned the vision was a first step on the road to becoming a mega-church and advancing the church’s celebrity and status. I do love this church and I am guilty of talking about how much I love this church, however, the only thing I want to advance is spiritual maturity, Godliness and increasing our passion for those who are far from the heart of God. That is what is mission critical to Northtar. Whether or not you become part of our church is not important, although we would love to have you with us. We are more concerned that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Our prayer is that you find a church where you can be nurtured and mature in your faith.

Let me spend just a few moments talking explaining why numbers are part of the vision in the first place.

Pastor Perry Noble says that “numbers represent souls… and souls MATTER to God. There are numbers of people outside these walls that do not know Jesus… and they matter to Him, therefore, they should matter to us. There are numbers of teenagers outside these walls that need to be reached… and they matter to God–therefore–they matter to us. There are numbers of marriages falling apart in our community… and they matter to God; therefore, they should matter to us.”

And Rick Warren in his book The Purpose-Driven Church book said that “since the church is a living organism, it is natural for it to grow if it is healthy. … If a church is not growing, it is dying.”

I agree with Perry. Numbers equal people. Christ’s command to “make disciples” cannot be accomplished without adding people to the church. If we are obedient to the Great Commission—finding, winning, and folding lost people into our churches — we must be aware of and committed to numerical growth.

Second, there are still large numbers of people who need to believe in Christ and connect with His church. Statistics put that anywhere from 70-80 percent. If we are not concerned about the numerical growth of our church, are we not neglecting the 7 or 8 people out of ten that need to be saved?

Thirdly, church planting is not keeping up with population growth. To keep up with the population growth, we need more churches. That is why our vision includes satellite locations because we want the opportunity to reach the population in those areas. Not because we wish to be a large church. Remember that the purpose of the church vision is to look out a decade and prepare for what God will do. But as we open up satellites, the vision also needs to focus on the numerical growth of our existing churches at the same time.

There is additional statistical data on why growth is needed. But all that is just background to the fact that each new member is another person that is no longer far from the heart of God. In short, spiritual growth, or getting better, is what counts in the end, Getting better is the goal, not an emphasis on numbers. And getting better means more people finding God.

Jesus said, “I will build my church.” As long as we are following Him this will happen. It may not be as quick as we would like but the Church will grow. The way God’s work was accomplished has not changed, “Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Part 2 – What is your legacy?

How do you explain the Tampa Bay Devil Rays going from the worst team in baseball to one of its best teams in 2008. They went from being professional baseball’s worst team with a 66-96 record in 2007 to this amazing year with their 92-61 record. From laughingstock to serious contenders. How do you go from being a loser for eleven years to being the team they are today? They simply eliminated any limiting belief that they had in their belief system. They did not give up, stuck together and are now a very good team.

We decided to take a semester off from small groups to evaluate them objectively and make whatever changes were necessary. We uncovered some real concerns. The problem was what we envisioned didn’t speak authentically to the experience. As any good ad guy knows, it’s dangerous territory when your words aren’t backed up by your product. Frankly, some people did not view the experience as a good investment of their time. So, we did our homework and we fine-tuned how we do groups in an effort to improve the experience.

We also discovered that in many cases, people attended one small group session before dropping out. It is like the fan that attended a Rays game one year and never returned because they assume that nothing will change. And like a baseball team, a small group may take time In order to grow together in Christ. It takes time getting to know people and what God is doing with them in their own spiritual journey. Sharing the common joys and frustrations of life through small group fellowships with other believers is one of the best ways way we are encouraged, challenged and held accountable in your journey with Christ. We highly recommend you plug into a small group and that you give it some time before deciding whether to continue.

It seems obvious that small groups have been a mixed bag for the last few years. There have been wonderful stories and equally compelling examples of connectedness and spiritual growth that happens in the right groups. But, others have fallen short of delivering on the promise of true biblical community.

I don’t believe it is a function of the small group concept. I wonder whether many of us first, understand and second, KNOW HOW TO DO TRUE BIBLICAL COMMUNITY, so we struggle with what to do when we are added to a group. So what does it all mean? What are my responsibilities? What should a small group experience be like?

Let’s start with a basic truth. People need community. The only way you can have unity is through community. The only way you can have true fellowship is in small groups. There is no way to have true fellowship when you are in a group of 500 people in the 11:00 a.m. service. You can’t know everybody and in reality, it is possible not to know anyone.

If we are not in a small group, we are missing out on the benefits of regular, meaningful relationships. God created us to have those kinds of relationships, beginning with our spouses, but extending to others as well.

If we accept the fact that we need to be part of a good small group, how do we turn theory to practice, from model to real experience? Just as the Tampa Bay Rays had to eliminate any limiting belief that they had in their belief system, so must we. What that means is the group will only be as good as we are willing to make it. If we expect to just show up and find ourselves in true Biblical community from the start, we will most likely be disappointed.

As we begin the new semester of small groups, I challenge you to ask this question: “What do I want my Northstar group to become?” This question will provide you with clarity of purpose as well as an action plan. If the mission is to connect relationally with people in such a way that it encourages you and the group to follow Christ, to improve your spiritual maturity and theirs, it will only happen if we choose to make it happen. And, believe me, the ends will justify the means it takes to get there.

Part 3 – Small groups are what you make of them