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Discussion starters

1. From your own experiences, observations, conversations with others, and your imagination, describe what it feels like to be excluded, and what impact this has on a person’s sense of self?

2. What do you think it means for someone to ‘belong’ to a church community and feel included?

3. Reading 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, what stands out to you about Paul’s appreciation of inclusive diversity in church life?

4. Why and how should a church community seek to be inclusive? 

5. What possible tensions, dangers, and requirements might there be for inclusion to happen well?  Why might different individuals already within the church find this hard or resist such steps?

6. What benefits are brought to each individual and the whole group when everyone receives and offers belonging and participation (i.e. are both ‘guest’ and ‘host’)?

7. Are there aspects of yourself which you feel are ‘too diverse’ and so you suppress or hide them when in our church community?  How might these in fact be strengths you could contribute, and what would it take for you to be comfortable to do so?

8. How does a church’s breadth and depth of inclusive diversity empower the whole group as a missional community in society?

9. With which people in our local community might our church develop a more actively inclusive approach, and what challenges might this entail?  How could we deal with these challenges?

10. Brainstorm specific actions you can take on your own or with others to help our church become more inclusive.  When and how will you attempt any of these?

▶︎ Intergenerational in Formation John Merchant

Discussion starters:

1. Please read Luke 2:41-52.  What can we learn about intergenerational formation from this story?

2. What are the benefits for older people and younger people learning discipleship together?

3. What are the challenges for older people and younger people learning discipleship together?

4. What makes for good listening to one another in discipleship? What particular additional challenges exist in doing this across generations?

5. Can you share any examples of where someone from a different generation helped in your formation?

6. What practical actions can we/you take to develop better intergenerational relationships? 

▶︎ Intercultural in Composition Miso Kim

DISCUSSION STARTERS:

Biblical References: Galatians 3:28, Acts 15, 17, Luke 15:1-2, Revelation 7:9-10.

1. What cultures are you familiar with? (Ethnic, traditions, generation, pop)

2. What cultures / people make you comfortable / uncomfortable? Why?

3. What are some ways we can show interest in each other's different cultures to better understand them?

4. How was Jesus counter-cultural in his times, and what can we learn from how he treats different people?

5. Why is it important for the church to be intercultural to reflect God's kingdom? (Rev 7:9-10)

▶︎ Intentional in Discipleship Steve Bernard

Discussion starters

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Read Matthew 7:13-27

1. Dallas Willard suggests that to grow spiritually you may need to, "Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life... [because] hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day." What part does ‘hurry’ play in your life?

2. In what ways is your phone forming you? What fruit is it producing in your life? Is it a help or hindrance for you in following Jesus?

3. What does knowing God through prayer look like for you at this time of your life?

4. Henry Nouwen suggests that "self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us 'beloved'". What is your experience of spending time completely alone with God?

5. Is there one thing you want to put into practice to be more intentional in your discipleship to Jesus?

▶︎ For integral mission (2 Corinthians 11:30-12:10) Steve Bernard

Discussion Starters

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1. As you consider the subject of integral mission as 'The task of bringing everything in our lives under Jesus as King’, are there any areas of life that you find more difficult

   • a. to bring under Jesus as King?

   • b. to think of as being used as part of God’s mission in the world?

2. When you consider wounds in your life, how easy or difficult is it for you to allow God into that space?

3. Read 2 Cor 1:3-7 and Isaiah 53:4-5. What do you think of the idea that as the Messiah’s wounds heal us, that our wounds may bring healing to others?

4. Henri Nouwen says “We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not ‘How can we hide our wounds?’ so we don’t have to be embarrassed, but ‘How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?’ When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.”

   How might we put our woundedness in the service of others as we think about integral mission at GBC?