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City Group Leaders Field Guide
This in depth guide is your resource for anything and everything City Groups!
Check it out to gain understanding of why, what and how we live as a “Family on Mission” in our City Groups.
City Group Primer
Unless GOD’S MISSION is at the forefront of a City Group’s values, the group will inevitably default to a once-a-week Bible study where learning and information transfer is the goal. Don’t get us wrong, learning is great! Bible studies are great! But we believe God has given us the space of City Groups to connect deeply like a family and to spur one another toward mission. The reality is that a biblical vision for community can’t be achieved by just an informational Bible discussion. There has to be a deep commitment to each other and to the mission of God.
We state that our City Groups are individual “Families on Mission,” but what does a Biblical family actually and practically look like? What does it mean and how are we to live missionally? How can our City Group commit to living as a “Family on Mission”?
Mission Challenges
“The mission of God, to redeem a people for himself, to build a kingdom under his Son Jesus, and to restore all things into a new heaven and earth, is the very foundation for all of life. It is what our God is doing. It is what is communicated in the Scriptures. And it is what you and I are called into as Christians. Throughout the Bible we see God’s desire to fill the whole earth with his glory. One of the primary ways He does this is through creating humans as image-bearers, to live their whole life giving Him glory. The problem of humanity is that we’ve desired to steal glory for ourselves rather than reflect glory to God. Therefore, God sent His Son to forgive people of their sins, and recreate them as image-bearers. This is what Jesus talks about when he says we are to make disciples. We are to help people be a disciple of Jesus, that is, to trust Him, to follow Him, and to look like him. This mission is the plan of God to fill the earth with His glory, by recreating disciples like us to display his glory.
At Providence, our mission is to do that to the best of our ability. We want to co-labor with God in making and sending disciples of Jesus. That we would help people meet Jesus, learn to follow Jesus, and look like Jesus. And as a church family, we want to help people see their life fit within the grand mission of God. And this mission is not just for the few, it is the mission that all Christians are called to. If you are a follower of Jesus, this is your mission. This is your purpose in life.” - Andrew Rutten, Providence Pastor
These challenges are specifically focussed on calling our CGs into living out this Mission of God through prayer, word & deed.
New City Catechism
The New City Catechism is a modern-day resource aimed at helping children and adults alike learn the core doctrines of the Christian faith via 52 questions and answers. As with most traditional catechisms, a Bible verse accompanies each question and answer. In addition, each question and answer is followed by a short commentary taken from the writings or sayings of a past preacher as well as a commentary from a contemporary preacher to help meditate on and think about the topic being explored. Each question ends with a short, original prayer.
We have taken all 52 questions and answers and formatted them into a City Group guide that seeks to both disciple the believer and engage the unbeliever.
Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem
Not every Christian should go to seminary, but there are certain teachings of the Bible that every Christian must know. Theology is important because what we believe affects how we live. Whether you're a relatively new believer in Jesus or a mature Christian looking for a better understanding of basics of the faith, Christian Beliefs is for you.
Use the Christian Beliefs Discussion Guide (linked below) alongside your reading of Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem for life application and growth in evangelism!
**Providence has 20 copies of Christian Beliefs available for check out.
Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations
Does the idea of Turning Everyday Conversations Into Gospel Conversations sound exciting?! This training equips believers to use the innovative "3 Circles," a user-friendly evangelistic tool for a new generation. Scroggins and Wright train readers to incorporate the biblical metanarrative, as well as their own personal stories, to tell the good news that Jesus has made a way out of the broken places we find ourselves.
It doesn’t matter if you have been a Christian for decades or days, you can learn to do what God asks us to do—to make His appeal to others through us (2 Cor. 5:20). This short training will empower and inspire Christians to turn everyday conversations into gospel conversations!
**Providence can purchase trainer & trainee manuals for CGs upon request.
The Gospel Centered Life
Lots of Christians talk about the gospel, but how many really understand the gospel and know how to apply it to their lives? Featuring nine self-contained lessons with discussion questions, articles, and practical exercises, The Gospel-Centered Life helps participants understand how the gospel shapes every aspect of life.
**Providence can purchase booklet guides for CGs upon request.
Life With God
Is God distant? Is God involved in the world today?
Does God care about me? How would my life change if I followed God?
All of these are common questions about the practicality and reality of God in our lives today, ultimately asking the question, "What does life with God look like?" Through the Life with God series, we will be looking at what life with God really looks like.