[Seekers] [Write us] [Up] [Contents] [Next Page] [Previous Page]

9. Exploring an Ongoing Mission Group

Here are some suggestions to help guide you toward an existing Seekers mission group. Each Seekers mission group is open to new participants. Some groups are open on a continuing basis, but others receive new members only periodically. The "closed" periods allow the group to deepen their sense of community and develop their gifts in response to the call of the group.

What To Do Next:

• Complete two classes in the School of Christian Living.
• Find a shepherd to help you clarify God's call on your life.
• Pray and listen. What makes your heart sing? Where is your anger, your compassion, your hope?
• Reflect on the calls of existing mission groups.
• Talk with members of existing mission groups. Listen to your heart as they talk.
• When a direction begins to emerge, talk it over with the moderator of the mission group and arrange a specific schedule for exploring further.
• If the direction leads into an area where there is no Seekers mission group, talk with a member of Seekers' staff team about next steps.

For New People Visiting an Existing Group

One way some Seekers mission groups introduce prospective participants to the group is to invite them to attend part of a group meeting. This visit is a time for the prospective participant to share about his or her call to the group. If this call is not clear, additional possibilities for sharing include parts of the individual's spiritual journey, or the history of the person with Seekers or similar churches. The group can use this meeting to share the specifics of their life together: when they meet; their weekly tasks and roles; and who fills them.

There needs to be a mutual consensus of the fit between the person and the group. This may be reached at the meeting or after further reflection. In many cases, someone from the group will meet with the prospective participant before the initial visit to help clarify the individual's call.

This visit usually precedes a trial period of participation in the life of the mission group. It presupposes that the prospective member has taken classes in the School of Christian Living and can accept the disciplines of the group.

The trial period is normally set for six to eight weeks - long enough for the group and the new participant to discern whether the call is right, and short enough to allow the prospective member to move on without undue pain and disruption if it is not.

Some groups have also used this process with recent arrivals at Seekers who express an interest in a mission group. Even though preparation for mission group participation normally takes some time, a visit with an existing mission group provides an opportunity to learn more about the group and may lead to a shepherding relationship with someone from the group.

If you are interested in any of the groups listed below, we encourage you to contact any of the participants, to talk about the current life of the group.

[Seekers] [Write us] [Up] [Contents] [Next Page] [Previous Page]