Side by Side by Ed Welch

Many of you received a copy of the book Side by Side by Ed Welch.

You should have also received the following schedule

by 2/24 read page 11 through 42
by 3/6 read page 43 through 64
by 3/16 read page 65 through 84
by 3/27 read page 87 through 110
by 4/6 read page 113 through 139
by 4/17 read 141 through 163.

I believe this resource could be a good resource for your ministry to others in the church, not only in Soul Care.

Through April 17th, I am going to be posting various quotes, ideas and resources related to this book.

For now, here are a couple of things to remember.
Some of you may find this information very basic.  If that is the case, look at the book as an assessment tool and  as a way for you to help other people live out the Biblical truths in the book.

Some of you may find this book has a lot of ideas you need to implement in your life.   DO NOT try to do them all. 

Thank you for all you do!  

From blog.emmanuelbaptist.com site.

Here is the resource I posted at yesterday (01.23) blog.emmanuelbaptist.com for this week's Soul Care questions.

I want to encourage you as a Soul Care leader to check the online resources I reference in the Soul Care notes.




This week's Soul Care questions deal with observing Romans 6:1-11, the passage Pastor Duke preached from this week.

Below are some additional questions for studying the Epistles

For more One to One Bible Reading resources you can download, click HERE


Context questions:
What can you learn about the person or situation to which the letter is written?
What clues are there about the author and his circumstances?
What was the main point of the passage immediately before this one?
Are there logical or thematic connections to the passage you are reading?

Observation questions:
Are there any major sub-sections or breaks in the text?
Are there key connecting words (for, therefore, but, because) that indicate the logical flow of the passage?
What is the main point or points?
What supporting points does the author make?
What surprises are there in the flow of the argument?

Meaning questions:
How does this text relate to other parts of the book?
How does the passage relate to Jesus?
What does this teach you about God?
How could you sum up the meaning of this passage in your own words?

Application questions:
How does this passage challenge (or confirm) your understanding?
Is there some attitude you need to change?
How does this passage call on you to change the way you live?

Group Resource: Sticky Church

In Sticky Church, Larry Osborne, pastor of North Coast Church, write about sermon based small groups.

He makes the point that most discipleship programs are very linear but most spiritual growth comes as a result of life putting us in "need-to-know or need-to-grow situation."

Osborne has a chapter entitled "How Small Groups Change Everything."  Some of the key points in this chapter are key thoughts for us to consider.  I am going to list some of his key points in italics with my thoughts following.

1. One of the measurements that tells how important small groups are to a church is the participation level of senior staff and key lay leaders.  Every pastor and almost every deacon is involved in Soul Care as a member and/or leader.
2. The second measurement is the percentage of adults who attend a small group the critical mass of a small group ministry is 40% to 60% of the average weekend adult attendance.  Our average Sunday service adult attendance has been around 550 and we have approximately 200 people in groups, which is 36%.
3. One thing that begins to happen when critical mass is reached is the demise of the Holy Man Myth - the idea that pastors somehow have a more direct line to God.  This myth cripples a church because it overburdens  pastors and under-utilizes the gifts of everyone else.
4. Another falsehood that loses its grips is the Holy Place Myth - the idea that God's presence is somehow great in some places than in others.  We can and should speak Biblical truth anywhere.  It doesn't need to happen only in church building.   
5. Another advantage is the number of opportunities for high-impact, life-on-life ministry.  More people are able to speak into more people's lives.
6. Small groups offer the best children's program.  Click HERE for more about this.