One of the most appreciated second hours had been when we simply provide opportunity for unstructured fellowship. Coffee and sweets were brought, and we used the time to talk with all those who seem to get away from us Sunday after Sunday.

A final change of pace came at the end of each quarter when the normal groups were set aside, and applicants for membership were interviewed as to their spiritual background and asked why they wanted to become a part of the congregation.

What we learned from participating in a significant number of years of interacting around the common topic which binds us together, our faith? The general principles seemed to be:

1. It is almost impossible for sensitive Christians not to respond to articulated need.
2. Differences, whether of personality or on the idea level, should be a means of binding us closer together in love rather than severing us in conflict.
3. Using Scripture as authority keeps the groups in check.
4. The discussion groups serve as an initial phase for deeper Christian encounters.

Over the course of the next several blog posts, I will expand on each of these items.

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You can learn how to develop highly relevant Sunday sermons that grab the attention of your congregation and help your listeners respond effectively to the deep truths of God’s Word. David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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At Circle Church we’ve held discussions on the topic “The Needs of Our Neighborhood.” We arranged for groups to walk through the black ghetto, to drive around the medical center, to visit Circle Campus, to go into Skid Row, to view the area where neighborhood work was going on. After thirty minutes we reassembled to discuss briefly how we could most effectively meet the needs of these communities.

Along with the interaction groups that were held in the main hall, we usually conducted a lecture class in the balcony. It helped to relieve the congestion downstairs, and there are certain topics that lend themselves to guided expertise rather than to open discussion.

Having scheduled a Christian clinical psychologist to direct a three-week lecture series on marital problems, we then invited those who expressed more complex needs than could be handled in the Sunday morning sessions to register for extended evening counseling in someone’s home.

Certain individuals in the congregation have specialty areas and they are able in a unique way to relate their interest to the church. Usually the lecture will last for about twenty-five minutes with a period for questions following.

The Service of Interaction was intermittently spaced with approximately one special Sunday a month. We might have invited a guest artist to have a musical concert, or even better, recitals were often given by our own members. Joint recitals with two or three individuals performing were much appreciated. We also had occasional children’s musicals.

Panel discussions offered another possible “special.” For example, we had whites and blacks discuss the merits and demerits of the “Black Manifesto.” Debates on topics proved quite helpful. We also had film showings for the entire congregation, or one shown on an elective basis.

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Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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At Circle Church we learned it was important that the leader be trained to ask the right type of questions.

For instance, while discovering truths from James 1, the leader can ask, “What does James mean in chapter one, verses two through four?” If he does, he will receive academic answers.

Or he can ask, “Are any of you presently facing a trial—as James writes about in chapter one, verses two through four—and could you share this with us? Then we’ll see if we can figure out how these verses apply.” With such a question, we could establish a good basis for the type of discussion we were seeking. And, the group could begin to move forward.

As with the rest of the Circle Church program, variation was the key theme in the interaction groups. While preaching from the book of Daniel, the people discussed each chapter one week before I expounded on it. Another member of the staff had them discuss a chapter of James the same day he preached from it. Current books on the Christian market, or secular books that in some way relate to our faith, could both serve as the basis for good discussion.

However, we established the prerequisite that the material must have been read before anyone was allowed to attend. Favorites among our congregation were works such as those by Francis Schaeffer. Perhaps, if we anticipated that the sermon material would be difficult or controversial, we would schedule discussion for nothing but reaction to the message—in other words, having twenty-five Pastor’s Classes.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about? Or, what will you preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon? David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

Share and Enjoy