Community Group DISCUSSION GUIDE Week FOUR

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Community Group DISCUSSION GUIDE Week FOUR: PLANTING CHURCHES | Multiple scripture references Series Overview It’s easy to forget where we’ve been. When that happens, we lose sight of the mission that God set us on from the beginning. Therefore, we must often draw on our roots to bear fruit in a new generation. As a result of God’s commission to reach our world, we must look at the objectives we’ve always had and the new ones he’s revealing to us now. This Week “Church Planting” at its simplest form means starting new churches. It is a relatively new term; nevertheless, it’s something that has existed since Jesus left his disciples. It’s also a term that is often misunderstood. This week, we’ll look into church planting in the New Testament (specifically Jesus’ last words on earth and the actions that followed) and seek to bring clarity as to why The Chapel believes church planting is necessary. Finally, due to a lack of a specific biblical reference that says, “Go and plant churches,” everyone is encouraged to read Dr. Tim Keller’s article entitled, “Why Plant Churches.” He does an excellent job summarizing the main arguments for and against planting churches in today’s culture. You can find that article here: http://download.redeemer.com/pdf/learn/resources/Why_Plant_Churches-Keller.pdf DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Leaders, encourage your group members to spend time considering and answering the following questions before coming to the group, as this will produce a more lively discussion time.) 1. Take a moment and read Matthew 28:18-20 together. Is it possible for this Great Commission (from Jesus to his disciples) to happen without churches? Why or why not?

2. In the New Testament, the book of Acts shows us what happened when the disciples took Jesus’ final words seriously and carried out his mission. How much of Acts do you consider as a book about church planting?

3. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement from Dr. Tim Keller, “New churches are the best way to reach new people?” Why or why not?

4. If you agree that “new churches are the best way to reach new people,” how does that affect a 42-year-old church like The Chapel?

5. How could you see yourself as someone who could be a part of starting a new church (not going to a new church)?

CLOSING THOUGHT Planting churches happens when disciples are made. Someone once said, “McDonalds didn’t become what it is today by building one gigantic church downtown.” The same is true for the Church. The Chapel can’t just build gigantic buildings on our current sites, because we’ll eventually run out of room for the lost. New churches must be planted to continue our effectiveness for the Kingdom. Application • BAPTISM: Baptism was often the first way for believers to identify with a local church in the New Testament. If you’ve never been baptized as a believer, you could do it at The Chapel on February 22nd. You can sign up at www.thechapelbr.com/baptism. • THREE: Write down the first names of three lost people that you regularly interact with, pray for their salvation and pray for an opportunity to be the one that shares the gospel with them. This is an incredible way to get involved in church planting. • PRAY: Seek the Lord to see how God may want to use you and your group as part of a church planting movement.