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The long term aim of the church is to bring people to maturity in Christ. Jesus’ “Great Commission” is to go and make disciples of all nations. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”(Matthew 28:19-20)
No matter what structures are employed, it is the values at the heart of the model that are important. The aim is to embody the experience of the early church community expressed in Acts 2: 42-47. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
To be a member of a pastorate is, along with the celebration1 and small groups3, the most effective way of enabling any individual member of the church to grow in maturity and be actively involved in the church.
A pastorate fulfills five roles:
- A way for newcomers to join the church: “People come to church for many reasons, but they stay for only one – relationships.” John Wimber
- A place to experience community: Pastorates and the social setting they provide, are an ideal way to shape and build Christian community.
- A place to grow in relationship with God: In addition to providing a base for Christian community, pastorates gather together to worship, hear teaching, engage in discussion and pray. The pastorates benefit from a breadth of Christian experience and maturity which reflects God’s intention for the building up of his people A pastorate-sized group is a helpful setting in which to develop gifts and nurture talents.
- An effective means of church growth: Along with spiritual growth, there is an expectation of numerical growth
- A place from which to serve the world: As a mid-sized group, pastorates are ideally suited to mission and social action projects. Linked to Alpha: Pastorate members invite their non-Christian friends to pastorate socials. Hopefully some of the people will attend an Alpha course and the pastorate will also send a team to lead the Alpha small group. That small group can then join the pastorate where they already know some of the members and get fully involved with the community. Some pastorates may choose to adopt and support a particular ministry
Where do pastorate groups meet?
Ideally in the home of one of the leadership team or an established pastorate member, not necessarily that of the leader. Obviously, it is hard to find homes that can accommodate 25-30 people, although it is amazing how many can be crammed into a relatively small space. Some of our pastorates also meet in church halls or rooms, libraries and other locations. Anywhere with room!
What does a typical meeting look like?
In a pastorate people can take turns hosting the evening, to lead ministry and to give talks. One way to begin may be to encourage someone to share personal testimony, particularly when the groups are just beginning to meet. While we want the pastorates to look unique to its members, every pastorate meeting does require some planning. A typical pastorate meeting might be:
7:15 Food
8:00 Welcome/notices/feedback
8:10 Worship
8:30 Talk and discussion
9:00 Small groups/prayer/ministry
9:30 End
What happens on the weeks in-between?
We encourage people to meet in small groups on the week in-between pastorate meetings for Bible study, more intimate prayer and greater accountability. We have found that the best way to set up small groups is for the pastorate leader to identify people who would be good small group leaders and ask them whether they would be happy to take on that role. As people in the pastorate make friends, they will naturally meet outside the pastorate and small group setting. Social events can also be organised to invite others from outside the pastorate, especially non-Christian friends.