Vision Series Guide: Our Community Vision

Take Communion

Leader: Begin your gathering by taking communion, whether as a full meal together or some version of the bread and the cup before or after dinner. If you don’t already have a Communion plan, have someone read these words from Paul in 1 Corinthians 11v24-26 

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Read This Overview Aloud Together 

Think of our Community like a boat out on the ocean: everyone has an oar and we’re all rowing together to go somewhere. But this can only work if everyone agrees on where we’re headed. If we all have a different understanding of or vision for where our boat is going, we’ll likely just paddle in circles. To make sure we’re not going in circles, during the Vision Series every Fall, each Bridgetown Community sets aside intentional time to return to the Commitments and to have a conversation about what’s going well and where we can improve. And tonight is that night! 

Do These Practices Tonight

1. General Community Reflections

Let’s take some time to reflect over the last year of life in this Community by discussing the following questions?

• What has this Community meant to you over this last year? Who or what are you grateful for? Where has God met you through this Community?

• Have you noticed the Practice of regularly attending this Community change you as a person or as a disciple in any way? How so?

2. 6-Stage Cycle of Community

A Community is a bit like a living thing – far from being static and rigid, it is constantly growing and changing with those who are in it. With that in mind, there is a patterned story within most Communities that includes these 6 stages or seasons that repeat themselves again and again. 

While these stages do not have a specific amount of time associated with them (and we won’t necessarily go through all of them in a year), Communities change stages all the time. Though it may feel uncomfortable, change isn’t always something bad and we don’t need to fear it. It can actually be a huge opportunity to grow deeper in vulnerability and transformation with God, yourself, and each other. There are healthy and restorative ways through each stage.

Let’s take a few minutes to work through the description of each phase. As we do, keep in mind where we think our Community might be. It’s ok if we don’t all agree about where we are at. This dissonance can actually foster important conversations as we explore not just where, but why each of us would place our Community where we do and to talk through what we think helpful steps forward might look like.

Let’s work through these questions together:

• What was the state of our Community last year around this time? What changes (good or hard) have we gone through communally?

• As we read this, what stages currently fit our Community? What evidence would you suggest supports that?

• Based on where we think we are, what would our next stage be and how would we like to prepare for that?

3. Community Commitments 

Next, we want to begin a conversation about recommitment. To commit to something is to actively participate in it; it is to show up in a way that you are engaged and contributing. Community Commitments are a way of framing the foundation of and setting the direction for our Community. None of them should be a surprise, as they are the list everyone agreed to upon joining a Community. We revisit this list each year as a way of a) reminding us about the commitments we’ve made and b) figuring out how we can recalibrate to get back on course if we’ve drifted. The Community Commitments are organized into 4 categories: active participation in your own spiritual formation, active participation in Bridgetown Church, active participation in your Community, and active participation in Portland.

As we discuss them, it would be great if we could all open up the Community Commitments (or share a screen with someone next to you). Once we have them open, I’ll read each out loud to remind us what our Community is organized around and then we’ll work through a few discussion questions. As a side note, if there are any questions or concerns about any of these Commitments, please talk with me at some point (it doesn’t have to be tonight). I’d love to help you work through it or help point you to someone who can.

Leader: Pause here to read through the Commitments. Once you’ve read them all, move onto the following questions.

• Consider this list, what do you feel like we do well as a Community? 

• Where might there be an opportunity for growth for our Community or for you as an individual? What might we be missing? (e.g. for Community: mission, taking more leadership responsibility, praying for each other, etc.; for an individual: regularly attending the gathering on Sunday, showing up to Community on time, being present, etc.)

• In light of all this, what specific things do we want to grow in as a Community? And how do we get there? How will we each, individually, be a part of committing to that growth?

4. Other Important Conversations 

Whether we have enough time and stamina left this week or we want to set aside some time in the future, there are likely some other conversations that may be helpful for our Community to have. 

Leader: Not all of these will be relevant to your Community. Please have read through them in advance and pick out one or two that might feel helpful to discuss.

• How is mission going? Is it time to revisit that conversation?

• How is our meal plan working? Do we need to revisit that?

• How are our Leader(s) and/or Coordinators feeling? Do they need help with anything?

• Is there anything we want to start, stop, or continue doing as a Community?

• How do we feel about the way we’re currently integrating kids in our Community? Do we need to talk about that again? Or do we need to get ahead of some upcoming transitions?

• Are there any other conversations we need to have that we might be avoiding? 

End in Prayer

Before we leave, let’s spend some time praying for our Community, asking God for the things that came up tonight, and inviting the Spirit to help us become more like Jesus together.