I believe that God dreams of a Church that is filled with developing followers of Jesus the Christ. I believe that God desires for His Church to GROW! How do we know that? How do we know that God is not pleased if we choose to just to be a club of people who are alike and like spending time with each other at the expense of those who do not know Jesus? Because our Bibles tell us that it is not okay! As followers of Jesus, here are his orders: “And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

            Over the past few months I have been using this article to talk about the 8 systems of the church. Each church has 8 systems that are in action all of the time. Sometimes they are good systems and sometimes they are not. At BMZ we are attempting to improve on our systems. So far, I have written on the "Evangelism System (what we do to get non-attenders to attend worship)", the "Assimilation/Merge System (moving individuals from guests to involved members)" and the "Stewardship System (ways that we challenge people to move toward discipleship with their finances)".

            This month, I want to write about the "Discipleship / Growth Group System". We have always had classes offered at BMZ for study and growth in our faith.  But now we are going to be more intentional about how we are going to offer opportunities for spiritual growth. In small groups, we are offered a chance to get better at being followers of Jesus Christ.

            Our Growth Groups will be on a semester system. We will have a Growth Group session starting every October (Fall Semester) that will end before Christmas, and a Growth Group starting every February (Spring Semester) that will end before May. There is also a possibility that we will have a Summer Semester starting in June. Again, these will be opportunities to continue to grow in our faith in Jesus Christ and an opportunity to get to grow with other people from BMZ and beyond. AND, we believe that Growth Groups have the potential to become a "Generator" for the churches of BMZ.

            This month I want to share 4 things that Growth Groups can “Generate” for our churches:

#1 = Growth Groups "Generate" numerical growth and assimilation. Our worship opens the front door to BMZ. That's where people come in to figure out what BMZ and the Christian faith are all about. Growth Groups can close the "back door". They encourage people to stick around and get a chance to "Grow" in their faith.

            #2 = Growth Groups "Generate" life change. With the different Bible studies and book studies, people can use these great materials and study times to Grow spiritually. A person can learn more about the faith and have support around them to take "next steps" in their following of Jesus Christ.

            #3 = Growth Groups "Generate" commitment. When in a small group with other developing followers of Jesus, people tend to become more committed to spiritual growth; more committed to serve the church and the Kingdom; more committed to giving in a Biblical manner; and, reaching out to those who do not have a church of their own.

            #4 = Growth Groups "Generate" relationship building. As a church, we must grow larger and smaller at the same time. The Biblical mandate is that we grow numerically as a church. When we preach the Good News of Jesus Christ, that happens. But, it makes it harder for new guests to feel connected to the church. Growth Groups offer chances for people to connect with others from BMZ.

            The systems that we are attempting to learn and are using are a tool used to partner with the Holy Spirit to bring people to a faith in Jesus. That's it. We are just trying to find ways to introduce people to Jesus and start them on the road to discipleship.

                        "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations..." (Matthew 28:19a).

            Those are Jesus' (Lord and Commanding Officer) marching orders. That's what we are following here at BMZ.

Over the next few months I will continue sharing in this article more about the systems of the church and what we are doing to improve ours at BMZ.

Next month = "Discipleship / Growth Groups System: Part II". I want to spend a little time answering a couple of questions about our Growth Group structure; including why we are going to be on a semester system.

                        See You in Worship (Sign up for a Growth Group),                                     

                                                  Stan Pegram