As we have been looking at the 8 Essential Qualities found in healthy churches we have thought about Empowering Leadership, Gift-Based Ministry and Passionate Spirituality. Today we move on to Inspiring Worship and Holistic Small Groups.
There is no right or wrong style of worship, what is seen in healthy churches is that those who attend, find the worship an inspiring or uplifting experience. So the next quality is Inspiring Worship. Rather than being an obligation or spiritual duty, worship is something they would not miss. When we did a survey on this at m2o a few years ago we discovered that a significant proportion of people did not prepare themselves internally for worship and so arrived in church in a hurried and distracted frame of mind.
Very often what we get out of worship is in direct proportion to what we put into it. Try to find space to prepare yourself for your encounter with God each week.
We have had home groups or small groups at m2o for longer than most people can remember but for some it can be a mixed experience. Research has shown that healthy churches have Holistic Small Groups where people not only discuss the bible and learn from books or the leader but actually apply the biblical lessons to the questions members have about everyday lives. And more than that, they do all the church does but on a smaller scale – pastoral support, prayer, worship, outreach and using one another's gifts.
What could you bring to your Small Group to help it become more holistic, or how could you help other groups become as good as yours?
Martin Saxby
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