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The Right Enviornment Pt 3. Accountability

Accountability is the eating your vegetables you hate it but desperately need it for growth. When I think back on my life the times I grew the most was when someone was watching me and had enough love for me to step in and challenge me to grow. This can not be stressed enough within the context of group life. Groups that are not willing to open up to each other for accountability are really waisting there time. It is not easy to do, but it is essential.When a group has the environment of accountability you will find changed lives, and extremely Strong relationships. It is the awkward moments we find ourselves in when we take the chance to speak into someones life and challenge them on an issue the fuel the relationship. It shows that we are not just talk, but we really are concerned with the life of our friends that sit in the circle with us.

The Right Enviornment Pt. 2 ACCEPTANCE

When I first started attending church in my late teen years I looked nothing like the people that were around me.

Brief Description:

Bleached hair - WHITE

Lots of earing's

Pants 6 sizes to  big

pot smoking, cigarette smoking, occasional beer drinking recovering drug addict

I think that pretty much sums it up. There was none even close  to where I was or that could relate to what I had been through. But the amazing thing that I found is that I didn't need them to be able to relate to me, I simply needed them to accept me where I was and lovingly walk with me to where Christ wanted me to be. If they would have not been so accepting I would probably be in a much different place today.

2. Environment of ACCEPTANCE

The environment that places personal preference on the back burner and meets people with love no matter where they are at. We need groups to be a place that has enough trust in  the Lord to realize our job is to love them the Holy Spirits job is to change them. I am  always challenged at how well Jesus did at Loving unconditionally, the ones everyone else stayed away from He was drawn to. It is easy to minister to people that are just like us, but if we think like Jesus we will find it is a blessing to minister to those that challenge us. "It is kindness that draws us to repentance". Our job as groups is to love people into the Kingdom of God.

The right enviornment Pt. 1 FAITH

I really like the idea of environment, so much so that i seem to have developed a nickname around BCC as "Greenboy". love that! You can not express the importance of environment enough. Environment produces life or death, heath or sickness it's true in the physical as well as the spiritual. With that in mind I sat down and thought through what we need for the best possible environment within our groups. I will spend the next few weeks posting some thoughts on it.

1. An Environment of FAITH.

We must have an environment that believes God will do what He says He can do. Our groups have to be a place where members know they are surrounded with people that understand we serve a all powerful fully capable more than able God that has asked us to bring all of our concerns and burdens to Him. We have to model this in our lives as leaders and it will be a natural by-product in those we lead. Always remember more is caught than taught. Our groups have to be a place were we are willing to step out in faith with the understanding that it is not us but He who lives in us. We are unable to produce the miraculous but when connected to our source God, we are conduits of HIS power working according to HIS will all for HIS glory. I don't know about you but that seems pretty fun to me.

Faith is believing that what is unseen will become a reality because of HIS abilty.

GROUP KICK OFF

Last night we kicked off our fall session of groups. We had over 80 people in groups.That is very exciting. If you are in a group or leading a group and would like to leave a testimony of what God is doing please share with us.

Thanks Group leaders for all your time. You are changing lives!

More Groups to sign up for

We have added even more groups for you to sign up for. There is still another week to sign up, so jump in.

Wednesday Night groups:

Faith, Hope, & Luck

Starts: September 10th

Leaders: Rick & Lisa Cope

Wednesday night 6:30 @ BCC

GO:Contagious Christian

Starts September 10th

Wednesday nights 6:30 @ BCC

Tuesday Group:

This group is for young moms with babies to preschool. There will be childcare provided.

Living Free

Starts: September 16th

Leader: Alana Joerin

Tuesday Mornings 9:30am @ BCC

Book Cost: $10.00

Fall Groups starting soon

I am so excited about the fall line up of groups.

There are a few ways you can sign up:

1. Stop By the table in the Lobby and sign up.

3. signup online @ bccag.org (click to sign up)

2. Stop by the connect group station in the lobby and check out all of the groups we have to offer you can sign up and drop the info in the box and the leader will contact you.

Wednesday night groups

Philippians: Running the Race

Starts: September 10th

Leader: Wendy Elarton

Wednesday nights 6:30pm @ BCC

Books cost: $7.00

Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey

Starts: September 10th

Leader: Rob Pietras

Wednesday Nights 6:30pm @ BCC

Cost: $93.00

if you are interested in what you get for the class at that price you can check it out HERE (click for info)

Romans:Grace, the power of the Gospel

Starts: September 10th

Leader: Donna Zakrzewski

Wednesday Nights 6:30pm @ BCC

Book Cost: 15.00

First Step: How BCC works

Starts: September 10th

Leaders: Nate Elarton & Kelly Robbins

Wednesday Nights 6:30pm @ BCC

Creating Connects: How to's of connect group Leadership

Starts: September 10th

Leader: Pastor Rick

Wednesday Nights 6:30pm @ BCC

 

Other New Groups Starting:

The Return of the Prodigal

Starts: September 2nd

Leader: Bob Patchen

Tuesday nights 7:00pm @ HERE (click for directions)

Book Cost: $13.00

Believing God

Starts: September 4th

Leader: Cheryl Abalos

Thursday Nights 7:00pm @ HERE (click for directions)

Book Cost: $15.00

Great chances to grow, Don't miss them.

Leadership Meeting

We had a Leadership meeting today. I thought I would post the notes for you. I talked about the difference in approaching ministry with a driven mentality vs. a called mentality. Let me give a brief explanation of what I mean.

When I use the word driven I am not talking of a personality type that is a go getter, or type A. I am talking about a mentality.

Here is an overview of what we talked about:

Driven:

Driven people think they own everything.

Driven people Spend most of their time trying to protect what they feel they own.

Driven people see their possessions as an extension of who they are.

In the end the possessions of driven people own them.

Great example of this is the Rich Young Man - Matthew 19:15-25 the cost was to high. He valued his possessions much.

Character traits:

Easily offended

Always a victim

They Give up

Motivated by personal gain

Reactive leadership

Called:

Called people believe everything is on loan.

Called people act as Gods stewards of what has been loaned to them.

Called people spend most of their time trying to give away what they have.

Called people put no stock in achievements or acquired things.

Examples of this are the found with the Disciples in Matthew 4:18-20 they left everything.

Character traits:

Rich in mercy

Perseverance

Motivated by life change

View ministry as life

Responsive leaders

I have had the chance to teach this a few times and every time it hits me very personal it's easy to float to the driven side of things. We constantly have to check our motivation. It's way to easy for the agenda to become our own instead of the Lords. 

New Groups Starting

We are about to kick off our winter session of connect groups. November 28th will be our first night of Wednesday groups. I am really excited about the topics we will be covering. Pray with us that we will have life changing moments in our groups. Here is a list of the group name and leader so you can pray specifically for them.

The Prayers of Jesus

Leader: Cheryl Scribner

Go Fish: Because of whats on the line

Leaders: Brian and Lori Matthews

NOOMA: Topical Series

Leader: Tim Rabara

Growing Kids Gods way

Leader: Beth Flood

Can't wait to hear the testimonies. By the way if you have some great stories about what God is doing in your group please e-mail them to me. I would love to celebrate with you.

Snap Shot

For all of you who could not make it to the meeting Sunday, we missed you. Here is a snapshot of what we talked about.

Some housekeeping things:

Dates:

11/17/07 - Leadership Summit

Saturday 9:00 - 11:30am

Earl Crepts will be speaking

1/20/08 - Connect ESL(leadership Meeting)

Sunday 1:00 - 2:30pm

Topic: How to spot and raise leaders in you group

1/27/08 - Made To Count: Church wide campaign

- Group Sign up - 1/06/08 - 1/27/08

- Made to count Kick Off Sunday - 1/27/08

- Campaign Dates 1/27/08 - 3/16/08

Leadership Topic:

Top 5 Laws of Connect Groups

1. Treat them like a family and they will become one.

- Love unconditionally

- Respect others

- The family that plays together stays together

- What goes down in the family stays in the family

- Families can't function properly if there is unresolved conflict

2. You can Never over Prepare

- If have don't have something planned someone will

- Where there is no vision people will parish

3. The Person is more important than the program

- Always be sensitive to the needs of a group

4. Kill the one save the many

- Don't allow one to control the group

- Conflict done right can be healthy conflict

- Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

5. View yourself As a shepherd

- Cows are driven sheep are led

- Take responsibility for the needs in your group

- Train other men and women to do the work of your ministry

- Challenge group members to move

Thanks guys for all you do. Lead with Love, it never fails.

Connect Meeting

Can't wait to see you at our meeting on Sunday. I am excited about what God is doing in our groups. I'll post the content of the meeting on Monday.

Great job guys!