Recommended Reading: Multi Site Church Revolution

As our church began a new 'alternative' service in November called 'Refresh', I began thinking about how other churches do this sort of thing and whether or not I could learn from them by doing some reading.

I did some research and discovered that there are only currently three books out there about the concept of 'multi-site' churches, so I ordered all three and got started.

I'm currently about one third of the way through the first, called 'The Multi-Site Church Revolution', by Greg Ligon, Geoff Surratt and Warren Bird. In it, these three authors share their findings as they have travelled the country visiting over twenty different churches that are using some form of multi-site model. Many of these have been the trailblazers in this movement and no two are doing things exactly the same way!

If you'd like to know more about a model for church that helps Christians connect with people where they are at, allows growth without expensive building expansions and offers variety in worship and atmosphere, this is a great read. Multi-Site Church Revolution is a thorough survey of what the future church in America will probably look like!

Extra CREDIT: Even MORE questions for your group time!

This week's Group Guide is all about hope; how it impacts our future (heaven) but also how it impacts the present! The questions are meant to help your group get talking about how they view hope, the promises that God has made to us in scripture and whether or not they 'invest', or put their trust in that hope.

The opening question, which is purposely lighter than the others, would be great to break into pairs and answer. And don't forget that the bonus questions can offer some other ideas for discussion!

Here are a couple of additional questions that occurred to me while listening to the sermon:

1. How does your life reflect the hope you have to those around you? Has anyone ever asked about it? How do you respond?

2. Name one situation in your life right now that leaves you feeling hopeless. Pray together as a group over that problem.

As always, feel free to call or e-mail me if you have further questions about the Group Guide for this week!

EXTRA CREDIT: Even MORE questions for your group time!

This week's Group Guide focuses on the concept of Grace as 'undeserved & unearned favor from God'. The questions are designed to help spark conversations about whether or not you realize that we all live on God's favor, how we respond to God's grace, how we extend grace to those around us (or not) and whether or not we have a sense of entitlement, brought on by the strong emphasis our society places on rights.

Here's another few questions you might consider using in your group meeting this week:
- If you were the woman accused of adultery in John 8:1-11, how would you feel about the accusers? About Jesus?
- If you were one of the Pharisees, how might you feel after this incident?
- What do you think Jesus might have been writing on the ground (WARNING: there's no way to know, so remember there is no right answer to this)

EXTRA CREDIT: Even MORE questions for your group time!

This week's extra credit feature brings a new idea to the table!

See, I've become aware that not everybody always understands the intent behind the questions we write in the Group Guide, and I think this feature is the ideal place to clarify that. In addition, I'll still post an extra question (or two) that has sprung to mind as a result of hearing Sunday's message.

So, here goes:

This week's guide is all about our dependence on God and how He is the one responsible for touching the lives of those we encounter, rather than we ourselves. The scripture passage used to illustrate this idea is continued from last week, Mark 1:40-42. In it, Jesus encounters a diseased man (leprosy was a widely used term for various diseases back then) who asks to be healed. Christ responds that He is willing, reaches out and touches the man, and he is healed instantly.

'Extra Credit' Question:

1. Have you ever tried to help someone out in your own strength and only made things worse? Or had someone else do that to you? How did you feel?