Community Examen, Part 1: Appreciation (08.03.20)
A Series of Guides for Groups Reassessing & Realigning on Community as Followers of Jesus
Leader’s Note
- After taking July as a sabbatical from CG, we will be taking a few weeks to reconnect, assess, and define what your CG is hoping for in this next season.
- Note: We encourage groups to abide by local ordinances for public health and safety. Continue to meet via video calls, or if meeting in person outside, abide by SF safety guidelines for outdoor, in-person gatherings.
Opening Prayer
After the group welcomes one another, have one person open in prayer and then take 2-3 minutes of silence. As you sit in silence, ask the Holy Spirit to help you be aware of what you’re bringing back into meeting as a CG after sabbatical.
Checking In
After a time of not meeting, there are bound to be some big or little shifts in our lives to report on. Set a timer for 1-2 minutes for each person to respond to this question:
- What are you bringing into group time today? What would you like the group to know?
Community Examen
It’s important for communities to periodically assess with one another how the community is doing. What is going well? What’s not? How might we grow and adapt?
As followers of Jesus, we also get curious about if our community is helping us relate to and live in alignment with Christ. How is our community doing in growing us as disciples of Jesus?
That’s what the next few weeks of practice guides will be about: chatting about our hopes for community and discipleship in our CGs.
Practicing Appreciation
In the following weeks, we will explore some of what is not working in CG—including an opportunity to provide feedback so church leadership can better support you—but we’ll start this practice series by appreciating what is going well.
Take 2 minutes of silence reflecting on these questions. Take personal notes if helpful, and you’ll have an opportunity to share with the group:
- What are some things you appreciate about the culture of your CG?
- What are some things you have witnessed others do, say, or be that you want to voice appreciation for?
Take turns sharing your appreciation with the group. Get one person to keep a running list (perhaps on a shared Google doc so all can see) of the things your group appreciates.
After all have shared, take note of any repeated, common themes.
Closing Intercession
Pray for your group, our church, our city, and our world.