Session One

Why are Kinships so important to us? - Chris Parsons

1.Kinships - not Home/House/Study Groups.

a.We’re making a statement that these groups are primarily relational.

b.We believe that relationshipbuilding is vital for any church.

c.We believe that relationship has to be actively workedfor especially as we grow.

2.What is the function of these relational groups?

a.Kinships provide a meeting place where people feel that they can belong.

i. This means that they must always be open to new people arriving.

ii.They must also actually plan for new relationships being valued & nurtured when new people do come.

b.Kinships offer opportunities for real & lasting friendships to be made & to grow.

i.Real friendships help us weather the storms AND celebrate the sunshine which we all experience.

ii.So we are looking for depth & reality as well as having a good time together – in fact you CAN have both!

c.Kinships can have a powerful discipling function.

i.As we share our lives together – we hold each other before the Lord & his word.

ii.We can encourage each other in both prayer & counsel when these are asked for.

iii.We can deal with ‘live’ issues that are affecting our lives.

iv.We can be made to feel that we are not alone in the issues that we face.

v. We know that we can share the deepest things in confidence.

d.Kinships are a place of healing.

i.As we pray for one another with faithful expectancy.

ii.As we provide close & supportive friendships.

iii.As we allow people to begin at last to lay down the baggage that they have carried for so long.

e.Kinships provide the place where pastoral care is given & received in WSVC.

i.The Pastoral Staff are there to provide in-depth support and training for the whole people of God to do the whole work of God.

ii.One of the pastors specifically oversees the work of the Kinship Group Structure.

iii.Our Cluster Leaders oversee and provide support and encouragement to the Kinship Facilitators.

iv.The Kinship Team share the work of the Facilitators in pastoring their group.

v.It is important to remember that we are pastors notparentsto those in the Kinships. We are there to help people to make good decisions but not to tell them what to do or to take on more responsibility that would either be wise or helpful.

f.Kinships also offer a place of referral.

i.To SMT’s - where longer standing issues can be addressed with consistency & depth

ii.To life development courses - where particular areas can be worked through

iii.To further counseling services made via contact with the Pastoral Staff

g.Kinships are one of the best places to talk about Jesus with our friends

i.There needs to be a flexibility to our programme that allows for interruptions!

ii.It is good to have a sense of open enquiry in our meetings together.

iii.Experienced groups can be very effective in working together to help people

make the right spiritual connections between things and to understand how they can relate to Jesus personally.

iv.Not everyone is suited to an ‘Alpha’ type course – you may cover the same ground but in a totally different order and at a uniquely informal & determined pace.

h.Kinships are a place where people can be successfully launched into ministry.

i.An opportunity to learn personally how to use spiritual gifts.

ii.An opportunity to succeed & fail in a small non-public environment.

iii.An opportunity to learn how to be a facilitator, worship leader or host.

iv.An opportunity to learn generosity – bringing food; confidence – in leading the group; care for others – in practically sharing acts of kindness.

i.Kinships are a place from where we can reach out into our community.

i.Kinships get a termly budgetary allowance to undertake outreach events.

ii.Kinships can work within their cluster to make a bigger outreach impact.

iii.Some events can simply provide a community service- rubbish collections etc.

j.Kinships provide a point of numerical growth for the church.

i.As the number of kinships increases further ‘contact point’s are created.

ii.As the number of Kinships increases our geographical impact increases.

3. Kinships are a place where we learn to hold different tensions

a.Between developing deep friendships and giving people away as groups multiply.

b.Between meeting the needs of individuals and looking after the whole group.

c.Between meeting the needs of the group and looking to the needs of the wider church.

d. Between letting people rest and helping them to grow spiritually and move on with Jesus.

e.Between meeting the expressed needs of individuals and helping them towards what we believe the Lord is calling them to beand to do.

Session Two

The value and purpose of a healthy kinship team

  1. They provide a strong supportive unit

No one person should be carrying the load of the kinship. It is a team effort with the responsibility shared. A healthy team will prevent burn out and keep a kinship going for the long haul.

  • Aim to share kinship night stuff – welcoming, leading, teaching, ministry
  • Aim to share pastoral care through the week
  • Aim to share the Sunday “touching base” with people
  • Aim to share the gathering of new people
  1. They provide a strong structural framework
  • Aim for a team meeting every six weeks.
  • Set goals. Have a clear focus in mind.
  • Plan ahead. It’s ok to “wing it” occasionally! But in the main, have some idea of where you are heading over a 6 week block.
  • Assess how you are doing. Don’t be afraid to be reflective. What’s worked and what hasn’t?
  1. They ensure a balanced diet

Without a team, the facilitators tend to fall back on things they want to do!

  • A team helps keep the menu fresh and relevant.
  • A team helps encourage each other out of our comfort zones to try new things
  • A team helps us to make sure that the Vineyard Values are being assimilated and the Vineyard basics are being taught
  • A team helps to keep the group outward focused
  1. They release more involvement
  • Team spirit can’t be under estimated and it is infectious. If the team feels included and is enjoying kinship, this will filter down to the kinship as a whole.
  • Teams make the flavour of a group – like the ingredients in fruit salad. Just eating apple is dull!
  1. They have a training function
  • Coming on to a team can be a training place as we begin to explore the gifts God has given us.
  • Team members can then train others – either formally, to take over your role, or informally as you model to the group ministry, sharing, generosity etc
  1. They have a spiritual dimension
  • Praying collectively as a team for the kinship is very valuable.
  • Seeking God as a team for what he wants to do with the people he has gathered to you.
  • Supporting each other in prayer through the week and especially on kinship nights. The enemy hates us meeting together!
  • Spiritually “bridging the gap” for each other when we are feeling personally empty and needing refreshment.

Session Three

Creating a Healthy diet

Kinship Menu

Starters

Time for worship

Time for eating together

Time for sharing

Time for ministry

Time for communion

Main course

Five step prayer model

How and why we worship

Hearing God

Gifts of the spirit

Developing a servant heart

Sharing Jesus

Healing

Multiplying ministry

Vineyard Values

Pudding

Gathering events

Outreach budget

Having fun

Social events

Coffee and Chocolate

Lots …..

Session Three

Kinship Team health check!

  1. How do you feel you are doing as a team in “sharing the load”?
  • What new things could be put in place to help with this?
  • Is everyone feeling valued and loved?
  1. Are you meeting as a team:
  • Often enough?
  • With a clear focus?
  • Planning ahead?
  • With time for reflection?
  • With time for prayer?
  1. Going through the Kinship Menu:
  2. Which dishes do you most enjoy?
  3. Which dishes do you tend to avoid?
  4. What things would you include every week?
  5. What things would you include termly?
  6. What has worked well over the last 3 months? What hasn’t?
  7. Looking back over the last 6 months, what two areas would you like to give more attention to?
  1. Values

(score: much-3: some- 2; little-1; not at all-0)

As a group are we:

a)Fun, relaxed and non-religious

b)Merciful and compassionate

c)Sharing our lives (honest disclosure)

d)Experiencing God’s power and presence

e)Accountable to God and each other

f)Practically caring for one another

g)Open and welcoming to newcomers

h)Biblical

  1. Discipleship and training goals

(score: much-3: some- 2; little-1; not at all-0)

As a group are we

a)Intimate worshippers of Jesus

b)Using the gifts of the spirit

c)Ministering to each other in the spirit

d)Recognizing and training the potential leaders

Feedback and Evaluation

Name ______

Kinship team role ______

  1. Please say which bits of today you have found:
  1. Most useful?
  1. Least useful?
  1. We hope to hold another Kinship Refresher Morning in the autumn. What topics would be useful to you and your kinship?

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