Core Values
LEADERSHIP TIPS
Core Values Bible Study available in .pdf format here
The more senses we invite people to use, the more they will learn. It has been well established that people remember very little when they have only listened to someone talking. Add a visual aspect to the presentation and their learning increases. Draw in the senses of touch, taste and smell and they will remember more. Invite people to use their memories and their imaginations and they will learn even more. Jesus knew this was true. He taught people through stories, questions, demonstrations and comparisons as well as lectures. He explained things that were difficult to understand by pointing to objects and ceremonies people knew well and then giving them deeper meaning. He invited others to participate in meals and activities that were familiar and, through those experiences, Jesus helped people understand things that were strange to them. We need to appeal to peoples' senses when we teach too. As you lead your group, be creative in your use of touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, location, memory, imagination, activity and creativity.
Some sections of this study are quite long and will need to be considered over more than one group session. Others are short and you may be able to tackle more than one topic during a meeting of your group. Read ahead and organize yourself so your group will get the most out of this study.
1. FAITH
1.1 We are committed to the adoration and worship of God.
In the centre of a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc.) print the word WORSHIP. At the beginning of this session, ask you group, "What helps you to worship? Are there particular places, inside or outside, where you feel most able to worship God? Are there objects or scenes or smells or experiences or activities that fill you with adoration, stimulate you to praise or otherwise help you to worship God?" Later, as your group members consider the scripture passages that reflect the two main senses of "worship" found in the Bible, invite them to print words that describe worship in the first sense on the top half of the surface and words that describe worship in the second sense on the bottom half of the surface.
1.2 We cherish a personal and growing experience of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord as the heart of our faith.
Before your meeting, invite some (or all) members of your group to bring one of their favourite pictures of Jesus to your next meeting. Begin your meeting by displaying these pictures where everyone can see them and give opportunity for people to share a little bit about what each picture means to them.
Prepare a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc). As you begin this section, print the words "Jesus is …" at the top of the surface and invite people to complete the sentence as they read the assigned passages of scripture. Divide the remaining passages among individuals or small clusters of your group members. Have them organize their results and report them to the whole group.
1.3 We depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit in our corporate decision-making and seek the Spirit's empowering of our ministries through prayer.
Prepare a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc). As you begin this session, print the words "Holy" and "Spirit" at the top of the surface and invite people to list synonyms or one-word descriptions under each heading. From these lists, develop some other two-word portrayals of the Holy Spirit, taking one word from each column.
For more information on the initiation of the three major Jewish Feasts read Deuteronomy 16.
1.4 We value our distinctive combination of beliefs, which helps to identify us as Baptists:
Prepare a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc). As you begin this session, print the phrase "Being Baptist means …" at the top of the surface and invite people to share what they believe it means to "be Baptist."
Bring a large map of the world to your meeting and be prepared to point out England, Holland, New England etc. to trace the development of the Baptist Denomination of Christianity.
1.4.1 The Lordship of Christ
Prepare a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc). Draw a large sign of the fish near the top and after your group has learned what it means, print the words "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour" underneath it.
When you come to discuss the meaning of Lord, recall the description of being a servant from the Background section of 1.1.
1.4.2 The Authority of Scripture in matters of faith and practice
Before this session, print the names of well known Bible characters (as many as you have people in your group) in large letters on pieces of paper (approximately 8" x 3"). As your begin your session, pin one name on the back of each member of your group without them seeing what it says. Then invite each player to discover who they are by asking other players one "yes" or "no" questions each until they are able to identify their Bible name correctly. At the end of the game ask your group members: Who is your favourite character in the Bible? Why are you attracted to that person? What is your favourite story or book in the Bible? Why?
1.4.3 The Priesthood of all believers
Begin your session with this activity: On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the words, "Job Description" and invite your group to list the things you expect your pastor(s) or minister(s) to do.
When your group comes to consider gifts given to members of the body of Christ, make a list of the ones contained in Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12:28-31and Ephesians 4:11 where everyone can see it.
1.4.4 A believers' church - the church which consists of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, visibly expressing their faith in local church membership upon profession of faith and baptism
Invite your group to perform the action rhyme: "Here's the church, here's the steeple…" If they know any variations on the game, ask them to share them with the group.
1.4.5 Two ordinances: believers baptism by immersion and the Lord's supper, which are symbols of spiritual realities
Before this meeting, invite a few people to bring to your group some tangible thing that has meaningful religious symbolism for them. It may be a picture of a Bible character or event. It may be an object (a necklace, pin, sculpture, nativity scene, etc). Whatever symbol that is significant for them. Have each person present their symbol to the group with an explanation of what it means to them. Give other members of your group an opportunity to reflect upon each item as well.
When you talk about baptism, bring a pitcher of water, a large bowl and a cup to illustrate some of the aspects of baptism. Pouring the water is effective. Immersing the cup to demonstrate how water fills and surrounds it can be compared with what happens to us when we are baptized by the spirit.
When you talk about communion, share some bread (unleavened bread like pita is appropriate) and wine (Baptists usually prefer to use grape juice) and maybe even some roasted lamb and bitter herbs.
1.4.6 Soul liberty and freedom of conscience
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc.) print the words "Choice" and "No Choice" and invite people to list some of the things in life they have a choice in and some of the things they have no choice about. (e.g. we can choose our friends but we can't choose our brothers and sisters; we can choose where we live but we can't choose where we were born.)
Before the meeting obtain the latest copy of Mission Now or invite people who have an active interest in mission to be prepared to share modern stories of Baptist missionaries working in dangerous places around the world. Include some information on our people and programs in Canada working with people from other religious backgrounds who live among us.
1.4.7 Autonomous and interdependent local churches who together constitute the body of Christ as part of the church universal
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc.) print the words "autonomous" and "interdependent" and invite people to come up with synonyms or descriptions of each word. You may need a dictionary or thesaurus to help you with this one.
Before this session, make sure that you know to which Association your church belongs and some of the things that group of churches does. Learn something about the Convention as well.
1.4.8 The local church as a community of persons who covenant together how they will walk in obedience to Christ
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc.) print the word "community" and invite people to make a word picture of what they understand by it.
1.4.9 The independence of church and state
Find out if there are any people in your congregation who serve (or have served) on your community government (at any level: village, town, city, municipality, township, county, province, country, etc.) and ask them to summarize their mandate. Invite the members of your group to consider the purpose of their church and compare it to this purpose of government.
2. COMMUNITY
2.1 We value our sense of community in Christ in our Convention, in Associations and other groups, in local churches and with other Christians as God's people, recognizing our accountability to each other
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the words, "Ecumenical Ministries." When your group comes to consider the missions and ministries your church shares with churches of other denominations in your community, list them on this surface.
2.2 We value a community shaped by:
2.2.1 Our Baptist distinctives
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) list the Baptist distinctives you studies in 1.4 and post it for all to see.
2.2.2 Our shared experiences and relationships
Give each member of your group a piece of paper. Invite them to print their name in the center of it and surround it with the names of significant people in their lives so that the names of the ones they feel closest to are physically close to their own name while others are further away. Ask a few members to share their diagram with the group.
2.2.3 Our common mission
Find out if any member of your group or congregation has a personal mission statement or one connected with their business or service group. Invite them to print it on a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) and present it to your group for their consideration. (You may even invite each member to develop their own personal mission statement.)
2.3 Our faith community is characterized by a deep concern for:
2.3.1 The sanctity of life
Before this session, invite members of your group to bring pictures of living things (from calendars, posters or personal photograph collections) to your group. Bring live plants and perhaps some quiet animals (e.g. fish, a rabbit, hamster or guinea pig, etc - be considerate of allergies!) to your meeting. Then invite the members of your group to think about creation. God didn't just make the world and everything in it functional, God made all things beautiful and interesting. Ask your group to share some of the things in the world that you find really fascinating - plants, rocks, animals, people, anything!
2.3.2 Care for the vulnerable
Bring a number of magazines to your meeting and invite the members of your group to look for pictures of "vulnerable people," cut them out and paste them as a collection on a poster board around the words "Vulnerable People."
2.3.3 Family integrity
Before your meeting, invite a few members of your group to bring photographs of their family. Try to have some that represent a number of generations. Display them and ask the ones who brought them to share a little about their relationship to / with the people in the photographs. Then give each member of your group a piece of paper and invite them to draw their family tree. They may include their biological family and / or any other person to whom they feel significantly close that they would look to them for support and encouragement in time of need. Ask some or all of your members to share their drawing with the group.
2.3.4 Careful stewardship of God's creation
Before your meeting, invite some of the members of your group to bring items that represent reused or recycled materials (e.g. recycled paper, clothing or building supplies made of recycled materials, art work made from used items, a blue box or compost system, etc.) Invite the members of your group to share some of the ways in which they "reduce, reuse and recycle" materials, whether or not they purify their water, what they know about current legislation regarding air, water and soil pollution standards. Talk about Greenpeace, Pollution Probe, Ducks Unlimited or their local conservation authorities. Ask about any environmental groups they belong to.
2.4 Our community honours the diversity that exists amongst us.
Invite the members of your group to share a bit about their ancestry. From what country does their family name come? How many places in the world do the people in your group have personal connections with? Can anyone in your group speak a language besides English? Invite them to demonstrate.
3. MISSION
3.1 Our unifying purpose is to glorify God through reaching individuals for Christ through our witness to Christ's presence, love and saving power. We recognize the imperatives of the Great Commission to go and make disciples and the Great Commandment to serve others through social care and to strive for justice and peace for all people.
Invite members of your group to bring objects or pictures that speak to them about sharing their faith, justice, peace and social care. Ask each one to show their item and share what it represents to them.
3.2 We acknowledge that the local church undertakes mission at home and around the globe. It is the Convention, Associations, and mission organizations such as Baptist Women and Canadian Baptist Ministries that provide assistance and support to local churches to make choices and establish direction for mission.
Before this session discover who your church's partner(s) in mission are and try to bring a photo and some information about their work to your session. Also obtain a globe or a map of the world and pinpoint the location of our Canadian Baptist Ministries workers. We have workers in the following places:
AFRICA: Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Rwanda, Uganda
ASIA: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Senegal
CANADA: Winnipeg, Toronto
EUROPE & THE MEDITERRANEAN: Albania, Belgium, Croatia, France, Latvia, Slovakia, Ukraine,
MIDDLE EAST: Turkey,Yugoslavia
LATIN AMERICA: Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela
4. CHURCHES
4.1 We place importance on the local congregation as the body of believers established for worship, spiritual growth, fellowship and mission.
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the words, "Worship," "Spiritual Growth," "Fellowship" and "Mission" with enough space between each one to add more information. Invite your group to think about your own church. List the opportunities available for worship, spiritual growth, fellowship and mission. Is there anything missing? Is there anything you do particularly well? Do you provide some of these aspects of ministry alongside other churches in your community?
4.2 Churches minister to those within the body and lead in mission to those outside the body, promoting trust and love amongst both, and striving for spiritual wholeness and health, in a safe environment.
In the center of a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the word "Trust." Invite members of your group to think about what it means to trust someone and print descriptive phrases around the word.
If your group is comfortable with this kind of activity, ask each member to choose a partner. Blind fold one of them and let the other one lead the blind one on a walk. Ask them to share what it felt like to trust and be trusted.
4.3 We recognize the autonomy of the local congregation to act according to its understanding of God's will.
Annual reports provide a good summary of the mission and ministry a congregation carries out in a year. Consult one of your church's recent reports as you discuss how your congregation has sought and followed God's will.
5. COOPERATION
5.1 We promote voluntary partnerships with others to do things which individual churches can accomplish more effectively together.
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the phrase "Voluntary Partnerships." Underneath that title print the letters "CBOQ." As your group learns about the not-specifically-Baptist organizations with whom our Convention has voluntary partnerships, list them. Under that, print "Our Church" and list the not-specifically-Baptist organizations with whom your church has voluntary partnerships. These may include such things as Foster Parent's Plan, Samaritan's Purse, Sleeping Children Around the World, etc., or something that arose out of your own community or district, like a crisis centre or a breakfast program.
5.2 We value our associations with others in mission, spiritual growth and fellowship.
If your community has participated in any ecumenical programs or activities like March for Jesus, the Jesus Video project, community worship, etc., try to bring promotional or follow-up material from the event to share with your group. If they have not, ask them to think about ecumenical activities and why or whether they wish to be involved in any or not.
5.3 We strive to build trust through establishing relationships and undertaking joint equal endeavours; committed to carrying out our responsibilities and obligations.
On a large surface (black board, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the words "Privilege", "Responsibility" and "Obligation" and invite the members of your group to think of at least one example of each of these in their own life. Then ask a few to share some of the privileges they have, ask a few others to share some of the responsibilities they have, and ask a few others to share some of the obligations they have in their lives.
6. LEADERSHIP
6.1 We recognize, as a priority focus, the development, training and support of pastoral leaders.
On a large surface (blackboard, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the phrase, "I want a pastoral leader who …" and invite the members of your group to complete the sentence.
6.2 We place equal importance on the training of the laity for effective Christian service and witness.
On a large surface (blackboard, white board, flip chart, newsprint, etc) print the phrase, "I expect the laity in our church…" and invite the members of your group to complete the sentence.
6.3 We place emphasis on identifying, developing, training and supporting individuals (often working in teams) to provide effective pastoral and lay leadership to churches, Associations and the Convention, in Canada and the world.
Think about the leadership in your own congregation. Make a list of the lay and ordained people who
lead the various missions and ministries your church offers or takes part in. Consider leadership in worship, education, outreach, care (pastoral or social), management, fellowship, and in other ministries.
When your group begins to discuss New Testament gifts, list them first on a large surface for all to see before inviting group members to identify the gifts they see in themselves and the ones they see in others.
7. LEARNING
7.1 We place special importance on each individual learning to be a disciple, a lifelong process which involves studying scripture, reflecting on and practicing faith, engaging in personal and corporate mission, and discerning and using spiritual gifts.
Give each member of your group a piece of paper and something to write with. Ask them to think about their faith journey so far and draw a graph (where the years of your life are along the bottom and the feeling of "mountain, valley or plain" experiences go up the side) showing at least three significant points along the way. Some may feel like "spiritual highs" while others feel like "spiritual lows" and still others will fell average. Let your graph reflect that. Ask for a few volunteers to share their graph and tell some of their story to the whole group.
7.2 We place emphasis on the local congregation as a place for both personal and corporate learning.
Ask your group: Have you ever gone back and re-read a story you loved in your childhood? Was it as you remembered it or did you get a whole lot of different things out of it? Has this ever happened with a Bible story you learned as a child but gained a whole different understanding of it when you read it again as an adult? Share some of your experiences with the group.
8. PRAYER
8.1 We are convinced that effectiveness in ministry is dependent upon prayer. Therefore, the dreaming, planning and execution of ministry will be saturated in prayer..
