Sunday Meeting ProgramThere is room for traditional church, but our primary MO is found in Acts 2 (see below).
1. Introductory fellowship. I anticipate new folks coming in every week. It would be good for us to allow folks to chat for a bit just to catch up. People naturally want to do this, and we are often waiting on the others to come in. This also makes room for any newbies to introduce themselves and get to know folks before jumping right in. I would say that we target 15-20 minutes.
2. Pray. This is more of an opening deal to set the tone and to ask God to get all in our business. It transitions us to worship. Rather than me doing this every week, what I want is to pick someone who will lead our group each particular week. I believe that God is going to bring in leaders of leaders (see below), so I want to give a platform for that to develop. Opening prayer sets that tone and allows those people to get some experience.
3. Worship. Rachel will lead us as she feels led. The main issue here is to first minister to God. Everything else will flow out of that.
4. Topical study. What I would like to do is cover a subject that we feel God is working on within our group. For example, He is talking right now about transforming a city. To me, that incorporates removing demonic strongholds, evangelism, intercession, healing/prophetic/deliverance and other topics.
We could pick something out of that and spend some time studying it according to the word. I would like for us to grab the topic and then spend time during the week individually working through that topic with the LORD. We each would study the bible, pray, etc. and then bring our findings back to the group for corporate sharing until the matter is exhausted..
5. Ministry time. Each week, we will allow for time to minister to each other. I would like to continue to pray for every new person who comes into the group.
6. Outreach planning. This is a formal time that will allow us to share what is on our hearts for the week and solicit other participation. For example, if Jessica wants to go read the bible out loud at the park, she could organize that at this point.
7. Fellowship. When possible, we can cook out and just hang to continue building the foundational love.
Ministry Vision
This ministry will evolve into being the leadership to a number of churches (home groups) that will be spawning around the valley. We are primarily leaders of leaders and will operate apostolically to that end. It is a significant prophetic voice to the region and will walk with the highest levels of government, business and local churches (even outside of our home group network). There will be no limit to the power of God displayed. LOVE will be our primary MO. Our other home groups will carry that same DNA with the goal of transforming each respective city.
Our mandate is found in Eph 4:11.
I see the White House group as the core group – the hub. It will serve as leadership over other home groups’ leaders. We will have those leaders coming to the White House to strategize, pray, etc. Those home group leaders will be leading their own people – knots in the fishing net. Hence, we lead the leaders. Periodically (weekly or whatever God says), everyone will meet as a corporate body. That is where we will see more of the traditional church with preaching, etc. This gathering could end up being quite large.
The aim right now is to build the foundation, which is the leaders of leaders and our core group. Then we will focus on building leaders of the home groups. Then we focus on the corporate body and reproduction.
As such, we will continue to perfect what/how things play out. Part of that is to develop our style of outreach, etc.
It wouldn’t surprise me that some of the folks coming into our midst now/immediate future become leaders of other home groups fairly quickly.
Days will come when we will preach in a larger, corporate setting. I have been pondering that for a while, but I really believe God is more on establishing a deep-seated fellowship/core group based on love at the present moment. We will need each other in the coming days. So, as this thing expands beyond our core group, the more traditional preaching will come forth.
Everyone be ready.
Thanks for praying, and please, please share your thoughts.
Acts 2 Model
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and [ao]to prayer.
43 [ap]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and [aq]signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed [ar]were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread [as]from house to house, they were taking their [at]meals together with gladness and [au]sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding [av]to their number day by day those who were being saved.