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[1996 edition] [What is a Seekers Mission Group?]

Mission Groups in Seekers Church

An Intentional Christian Community
In the Tradition of Church of the Saviour

Eighth Edition - April 2004
Washington, DC

Dedication

This guide is dedicated to all those whose frustrating experience with Seekers mission groups has taught us how important it is to be clear about what a mission group is and how it functions.

Seeds of Hope Mission Group:
Peter Bankson
Pat Conover
Richard Lawrence

Seekers Church
276 Carroll Street, NW
Washington, DC 20012
www.seekerschurch.org
202.829.9882

Table of Contents

• Introduction 
• Why Mission Groups? 
• The Anatomy of a Mission Group 
  • The Call of the Group 
  • The Authority of Mission Groups 
  • Mutual Expectations in Mission Groups 
  • Balancing Mission and Support 
  • Roles and Responsibilities in a Mission Group 
  • Servant Leadership 
  • Mission Group Meetings 
  • Confidentiality 
  • Spiritual Practices in a Mission Group 
  • Spiritual Direction 
  • Time for Reflection 
• Joining -- and Leaving -- a Mission Group 
  • Preparation for Joining a Mission Group 
  • Visiting an Existing Group 
  • Leaving a Mission Group 
• The Life Cycle of a Mission Group 
  • Discerning the Call of the Group 
  • Affirming the Call 
  • Sounding the Call  
  • When Group Life Becomes Painful 
  • Ending a Mission Group 
• Postscript 
• Appendix A: The Call of Seekers Church 
• Appendix B: Spiritual Gifts and Roles in Mission Groups 
  • Discerning Spiritual Gifts 
  • Roles and Responsibilities in a Mission Group
  • Individual Roles and Authority
• Appendix C: Mission Groups of Seekers Church 
  • Artist Mission Group 
  • Celebration Circle 
  • Journeying With Children 
  • Learners and Teachers 
  • Living Water: A Retreat Mission Group 
  • Mission Support Group 
  • River of Light 
  • Seeds of Hope 

Introduction

Mission groups have been a core element of the life of Seekers Church from our beginning in 1976. A decade earlier the Church of the Saviour established mission groups as the place of primary belonging for everyone in the congregation. Today, Seekers mission groups are a primary place where we are living out God’s call on our lives, the place where we belong most deeply to this small part of the Body of Christ.

This booklet provides information on:

• Why we think mission groups are important;
• How they are structured in Seekers Church;
• How mission groups support our Christian servanthood in the life of the community and its service to the world;
• What a mission group and a participant can expect from each other;
• The significance of a mission group for its members;
• How to join an existing group; and
• How we nurture the birth of new groups.

It also includes short descriptions of the different mission groups that were active in the Spring of 2004.

Our mission groups live in the midst of a community that is guided by the Stewards of Seekers Church and supported by our Servant Leadership Team. Information about Stewards and the SLT can be found in the Guide to Seekers Church, or online in our web site at http://www.SeekersChurch.org .

A Mission Group is an Opportunity --
† To Follow Christ in Service
† To Listen and Be Heard
† To Discover and Use Your Gifts
† To Grow in Love

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