H05. Missional Team B – Course of the Meeting

List of the Online Lessons: A B C D E F G H

H05. Missional Team B – Course of the Meeting

A few Christians have started two new Discovery groups with non-believers. How amazing! At the training, they caught the idea of a „missional team“. So they got together occasionally, talked about their people, prayed for them, and it was unprecedented encouragement for them. When asked if they were doing their missional team meetings in a three-thirds format, they looked at each other and didn’t understand why they should do anything different. As you may know, the three thirds are: looking back, looking up, and looking forward. The question „why three thirds“ is addressed by a lesson on this site: G12. Three thirds as the operating system (4:50).

Never Omit

Everything in the three-thirds structure is important! Some elements serve our personal and spiritual growth especially. These are:

Mutual care,
Celebration of Jesus and
Bible or a new lesson.

Christians who are part of a functional small group or a congregation usually do not lack these elements. That’s why in missional teams we put special emphasis on the parts that head us towards movement! We mark them with a tiny „never omit“ under the individual headings. If we have limited time, some pieces in the thirds will be briefly connected or even omitted. But we never omit the „Never Omit“ items! They lead us to movement.

Mutual care

The first part of the first third is mutual care:

What are we thankful for?
What worries us?
How can we help each other?

If we had no other form of community than preferably this missional team, we would certainly listen to each other, pray for each other or even help each other practically. But if, in addition to the missional team, we also have a small group and a congregation, we can more or less omit Mutual Care or – if we have enough time – somehow include it in the next part called Return.

Return

There we listen to each other mainly on the following issues:

How did we apply our own action steps from the past?
How did we share Jesus and build disciples?
How do we build our relationship with Jesus?
How have we experienced Jesus since the last meeting?

We don’t have to ask all the questions every time and have everyone share at length. However, we are always interested in the application of Action Steps and with everyone!
If we plan only 30 or 45 minutes for the entire meeting, and significantly reduce mutual care, then the Return itself can take us around seven minutes! In an hour-long meeting, we dedicate roughly twice as much to it.
One lady opted out of the Bridges to People live training because she didn’t like it when someone asked her what she „did and didn’t do“. I understand that someone can say these questions in a teacherly, reproachful or even manipulative way. That’s why we put a lot of emphasis on kindness and support. Sometimes someone doesn’t do something, even if they decided to do it at the previous meeting! If they didn’t, they need kind support, not rebuke: “Do you want to try until next time? Should we pray more? Or will you choose another step?“ The fundamental principle of the missional team is that everyone sets the action steps for themselves! And from others comes encouragement, prayer, and kind concern how things go.

Celebrating Jesus

In the usual first third we have another part called Celebration of Jesus. If our missional team was at the same time a team for establishing a new fellowship, we would include in the Celebration of Jesus even a reminder of Jesus‘ sacrifice with bread and wine (the Lord’s Supper). But if we have a small group and a Sunday services, we do it rather exceptionally in the missional team. But we certainly won’t miss out continuous thanks.

Vision

The vision cannot be missing in the second third. At least briefly, we will remember God’s heart for the lost. Someone might read a few verses from God’s Word or share a short story of how someone from the outside was recently converted. If we have enough time, we like to devote ten minutes to the Vision. In a time pressure, it can be handled well even in three minutes – like a pre-prepared inspiring monologue. But we will certainly not omit the vision. It is very important. It lifts us up, our look is directed towards spiritual reality.
By the way, vision is especially important in moments of failure or helplessness! If you want more ideas for the Vision section, take a look at the bottom of this page. And in the next lesson, the progress of the missional team follows from the Bible section / new lesson.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the idea of three thirds, which, among other things, reflect Your call to the disciples to teach the newly reached disciples to keep what You commanded them. And so that they would perceive that You are with them until the end of this age!

Hints for the Section of VISION

BIBLE PASSAGES

Matthew 2816-20 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Luke 10:1-3 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Luke 10:4-7 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
1. Thessalonians 1:6-9 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Isaiah 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
2 Corinthians 5:19-21 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Timothy 2:1-2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
2. Timothy 2:3-7 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 24,14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Revelation 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Keep adding your own passages…

Further suggestions for the vision part

„Brutal facts“ about the spiritual situation in our country, about history and God’s actions there.
Look at lesson F11. No one else! (5:32)
Your city / region: number of inhabitants, number of evangelical Christians, number of churches, how many more disciples do you need so that every tenth person hears the Good News within a year?

List of the Online Lessons: A B C D E F G H