Liftime Sabbath Fellowships

1. LiftimeSabbath Fellowships Texas Conference

2. Introduction – What we’ll be looking at in this presentation • History behind the development of this approach • Most of context - while pastoring a traditional church • What we’re currently doing in San Antonio, TX

3. Who’s here? • Vocation • Pastors • Educators • Administrators • Lay members

4. Who’s here? • Interest/Involvement • Involved in church planting • Involved in house churches • Would like to be involved in house churches

5. Background • After being born-again in my senior year in high school, I participated in a college fraternity fellowship spawned by Campus Crusade for Christ – experienced the life changing power of small groups • Shortly after becoming an Adventist, sensed a call to a career change and full time ministry

6. First full-time ministry experience • Bible worker in New York City with Greater New York Conference van ministry

7. Two challenges that beganto emerge • Lack of places to plug people into • Dawning realization that there must be some better way to connect people to church members • Some better way to multiply my efforts

8. Initial attempt at small groups in pastoral setting • Pastoring in suburban setting (M) - went to training by Robert Coleman, founder of Serendipity House Publishers • Tried to incorporate Serendipity Bible, etc., various small group materials • Had difficulty getting church members to make consistent commitment to small group ministry during the week

9. Attempts at small groups in urban setting - New Jersey • In a more busy, urban setting not only had difficulty getting church members to make consistent commitment to small groups, but had difficulty getting church members involved in anything outside of Sabbath morning

10. Across NAD, holistic small groups is consistentlylowest score on NCD

12. Importance ofHolistic Small Groups • (Schwartz question) • “After we had processed all 4.2 million survey answers, we calculated which of the 170 variables had the most significant relationship to church growth. It is probably no coincidence that our computer survey selected this variable in the area of ‘holistic small groups’: ‘Our church consciously promotes the multiplication of small groups through cell division.’

13. Importance ofHolistic Small Groups • (Schwartz question) • If we were to identify any one principle as the ‘most important’ – even though our research shows the interplay of all basics elements is important – then without a doubt it would be the multiplication of small groups.”

14. Importance ofHolistic Small Groups • (Schwartz question) • “ . . . there is a greater tendency to give small groups priority over worship service attendance, in itself a strange alternative, in churches with a high quality index and in churches that are growing numerically.”

15. Importance ofHolistic Small Groups • What would happen if pastoral staffing formulas were driven by: • number of new holistic small groups • number of holistic small group attendees • rather than • tithe, baptisms, worship attendance, membership? • Peter Drucker - what gets measured gets done

16. NCD and Holistic Small Groups • Why has this factor continued to be our lowest, in spite of its persistence as lowest? • Possibly because, as Adventist, we devote a twenty-four hour time slot to “our religious experience” and a few hours of “common time,” Sabbath morning, in particular; however, after our Sabbath gathering, we tend to be done with gathering for the week.

17. Initial attempts at trying to multiply my efforts • First attempts at multiplying pastoral efforts via videos • Church members tended to be mailmen rather than relationship builders no matter how much we tried to encourage, coach, train in relationship building • Interests did not easily bridge over to coming to the church building • Even with Net events (‘99) clear presentations, had very difficult time getting church members to build relationships

18. Transition phase • Presentation by conference president from segments in Beckham’s The Second Reformation • List of NT church characteristics • Russell Burrill’s books • EGW cautions about not calling for settled pastors over churches • Role of pastors in early Adventism • Are these principals that still apply? • Or are things different today? This was only applicable back then?

19. A look at architecture history reference to Old St. Peter’s • Constantine gave us a way of worship as well as a day of worship • Although occasional ceremonies may have been held in catacombs, it is likely that they were regularly held in private homes --- rearranged to make “community” houses --- or in simple columned halls. The later have not survived intact, having been destroyed in the last great persecution under Diocletian.

20. Architecture history . . . • When Christianity achieved imperial sanction under Constantine, there was suddenly the urgent need to set up buildings that would meet the requirements of the Christian liturgy. All the architectural ingredients were present: the atrium house, the catacomb chapel, the Roman basilica.

21. Architecture history . . . • How these combined into the masterful composition that was one of the first Christian church buildings of the new age, old St. Peters in Rome, we do not know. Discussion about the origins of the Christian basilica has not ended. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, pp. 238-239

22. Architecture history . . . • Dedicated in 326, St. Peter’s is probably the most important design in the history of church architecture. Being the first church in the ancient capital, it had a wide influence, which was augmented by the belief that it stood where Peter, first of the apostles, had been martyred.

23. Architecture history . . . • Its extraordinary dimensions are difficult to realize from the old drawings; the nave was as long, as high, and twice as wide as the nave of the great Gothic cathedral. Its interior was one “one of the most spacious, most imposing, and most harmonious . . . ever built, imperially rich in its marbles and mosaics, grandiose yet forthright and large in the best Roman sense of the word. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, p. 239.

30. Came to conclusion • That if in western culture holistic small groups were going to become: • A sustained, regular part of church life • Essential and integral part of the fabric of church life • With broad participation • They were going to have to occur in prime time on Sabbath morning

31. Primary place small groups happen today - Sabbath School • But they usually don’t have key characteristics of Holistic Small Groups • Multiplication • Leadership Development/Discipling/Mentoring • Outreach/Mission • Accountability

32. Two possible options • Encourage existing small groups (Sabbath School classes) to become more holistic • Sabbath School action units were attempting to do this – but we didn’t see meaningful, sustained changes in Sabbath School classes • Today, Sabbath Schools at these churches are much the same as 20 years ago

33. Two possible options • Begin other small groups that meet in homes on Sabbath mornings during prime time • Had already pastored a Sabbath afternoon church plant that had difficulty getting members involved then

34. Attempts to utilize Sabbath morning prime time (NB)

35. Two important questions • How do you do this while pastoring a traditional church – or a traditional multi-church district? • How do you establish a new DNA with folks who have a very “traditional church” mindset? Wearing ties, church talk • I knew I needed to be more involved

36. What we tried – switching Sabbath School/church time • Church 9:30; SS 11:00 • To allow those that wanted to participate to go to homes for “branch” Sabbath School • To increase Sabbath School attendance at church • Children’s attendance especially was low and sporadic

37. Results • Positives • Sabbath School attendance increased dramatically • Some classes doubled, juniors tripled • Negatives • Church members resented time switch • Church members resented a handful leaving to go to homes • Home groups wouldn’t get started until 12:30, 1:00 – more minor problem, but still problematic

38. Results • Times were eventually switched back • Groups continued to meet for a while in the afternoon • Eventually dissolved

39. What we’re currently doing in San Antonio, TX (version 7.0?) • Elements that seemed to be essential • Methodology core values clearly articulated at the outset • Steve Jobs: the only thing that works is management by values. Find people who are competent and really bright, but more importantly, people who care exactly about the same things you care about.

40. Our methodology core values • Start with the end in mind – Disciples spiritually equipped to be fruit gatherers. • Key inspiration – Gospel commission, Matthew 28; “Gathering the Fruit – A Dream,” GW p. 136-139

41. Our methodology core values • Primary focus – find, pick, and disciple/care for ripe fruit (those who are spiritually open to something better) • Context of equipping – It is more important for us that those to whom we minister be involved in a small group on the Sabbath than attend a church (worship service) on the Sabbath; and we will consciously promote the multiplication of these small Sabbath groups through cell division.

42. Our methodology core values • Establish holistic small groups – buckets for the berries – as the fundamental and most important regular, life-changing corporate experience (and the most important corporate Sabbath experience) for members and non-members - more important than the worship service. • Develop holistic small groups leaders

43. Our methodology core values • Repackage our message so it’s primarily experiential rather than primarily cognitive, and then share that experience. • Establish inspiring corporate worship that utilizes various worship styles (including contemporary styles)

44. Our methodology core values • Develop meaningful spiritual experiences for children and young adults, especially that happen on Sabbath • Spend time and money in such a way as to maintain primary focus and core values.

45. Our methodology core values • Measure and evaluate effectiveness – evaluation is a tool for the acceleration of the accumulation of experience • Establish an environment conducive to experimentation

46. Use methodology core values as a screening tool • We wanted participants who could catch a vision for these core values • I needed to be involved personally in the groups (at least initially in the first group as the DNA was being set)

47. Organizational beginnings • Approached conference administration with the idea • You need to get support of Conference leadership if your efforts to do house churches is to succeed • Otherwise you’re likely to get caught in a triangulation created by those who oppose it

48. Organizational beginnings • We settled on the idea of having a retired pastor join as an associate so my time Sabbath morning could be more heavily involved in the house church • Conference president met with our board to discuss having an associate join so I could be freed to lead in church plant • Board voted to support idea • Made it very clear to board that church plant would govern itself

49. Associate came on boardlast June • We took six months to let him get acclimated and the members to get to know him • We also had a major evangelistic series in October/November with lay outreach efforts leading up to it

50. January 2010Liftime began • I began preaching about once per month • The associate pastor, elders, conference leaders and other guests have preached the weeks I haven’t been there • I have still been chairing board meetings, with associate pastor co-leading a weekly follow-up to evangelistic series, visitations, Pathfinder camporees/events