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    Christ for Post-Christians: A Radical Shift for the Small Group Bible Study
    Christ for Post-Christians: A Radical Shift for the Small Group Bible Study
    Christ for Post-Christians: A Radical Shift for the Small Group Bible Study
    Ebook79 pages1 hour

    Christ for Post-Christians: A Radical Shift for the Small Group Bible Study

    By Fred W. McRae and Gundolf Lange

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    About this ebook

    How do you introduce people to Jesus Christ who have had no contact with the Bible or its message? How do you reach those who have had no contact with the church and do not understand Christian terminology and may have a negative view of Christians? This is the culture in which we now find ourselves.

    By explaining how to use Bible discussion groups to introduce the gospel message in a relevant way in today's post-Christian culture, this book introduces the reader to a new and radical form of the small group Bible study. This study is solely oriented toward the needs of the post-Christian. This book trains the reader to establish, grow, and lead Bible studies oriented toward those who do not understand Christian vocabulary, have little or no knowledge of the Bible, and have never heard the gospel.

    The author believes that the best missionary is the Bible itself. Instead of the leader answering any questions the attendees may have, the Bible provides the answers to questions posed. Thus, this book will give the reader confidence to let the Bible do the important task of evangelism.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWipf and Stock
    Release dateOct 20, 2015
    ISBN9781498223737
    Christ for Post-Christians: A Radical Shift for the Small Group Bible Study
    Author

    Fred W. McRae

    Fred McRae, a missionary with Global Outreach International, has worked in Germany as a church planting and church growth consultant since 1986. Before arriving in Germany, he planted churches in Texas and Oklahoma. He received a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1980. In 2009, he earned a PhD from the Evangelical Theological Faculty, in Leuven, Belgium. He is the author of A Case Study in Contextualization: The History of the German Church Growth Association 1985-2003 (2014).

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      Book preview

      Christ for Post-Christians - Fred W. McRae

      9781498223720.kindle.jpg

      Christ for Post-Christians

      A Radical Shift for the Small Group Bible Study

      Fred McRae

      Foreword by Gundolf Lange
      wipfstocklogo.jpg

      Christ for Post-Christians

      A Radical Shift for the Small Group Bible Study

      Copyright © 2015 Fred McRae. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Wipf & Stock

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      ISBN 13: 978-1-4982-2372-0

      EISBN 13: 978-1-4982-2373-7

      Manufactured in the U.S.A.

      Table of Contents

      Title Page

      Foreword

      Introduction

      1. The Importance of Small Groups

      2. Bible Study for the Post-Christian

      3. Inviting Participants

      4. The Role of the Discussion Group Leader

      5. Developing Good Questions

      6. Explaining Evangelism

      7. Launching a Discussion Group —an Action Plan

      8. The Church and Post-Christians

      Foreword

      Small groups (Hausbibelkreise) became popular in Germany in the 1980s. Besides Bible studies in a large group with a Bible teacher, the desire for small, intimate, and personal groups also increased within the churches. Sharing of and praying for individual needs, discussing biblical and personal topics, mutual support and encouragement in private homes often started with a common meal. These groups helped Christians to grow towards a more mature faith.

      In the 1990s, the small group concept was adapted for people who were not yet Christians, but who were interested in the Christian faith. For them, traditional evangelism methods and church services were strange and incomprehensible. By starting post-Christian Bible discussion groups, non-Christian friends could address their questions in an intimate atmosphere. The focus in these groups was not to give a lecture on Christian topics, but to start a conversation with one another. A few Christians among the non-Christian participants could tell how their faith in Jesus affects their lives. Although designed for several weeks, sometimes the group stayed together for a much longer time. In addition, non-Christian friends attended the church service and, finally, some of them became strong Christian disciples.

      Within the past several years, such post-Christian Bible discussion groups have become more important as many refugees from crisis regions such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria seek asylum in Germany. Many of them escape from their home country because the suppression through fanatic Islamic groups, like the Taliban, becomes unbearable. If they get in contact with Christians in the host country, they experience the liberating force of the gospel. But they usually know very little about the content of the Christian faith and its basic context. For those people coming from a different cultural background, post-Christian Bible discussion groups offer an excellent opportunity to lay the foundations for the Christian faith.

      Due to their hospitality, the Middle Eastern people love to host a group in their home. For the leader of the group, there is not much preparation to do: identify relevant topics, compile respective biblical passages, und develop five to six open questions that lead to a personal discussion. Nevertheless, it is a huge challenge to cope with a different language and culture, as well as the Islamic background. The leader of the group is a facilitator, a teacher, and a personal witness of Christian faith. He or she has to leave his or her comfort zone in order to help others discover how to live out a personal relationship with Jesus. As a consequence, these people grow in faith and attract other people from their culture to the gospel. In fact, there is almost a revival movement among the refugees from Iran and Afghanistan. They confess their faith in Jesus, are baptized, and become members of the church. In addition, the friendship and sharing life with other Christians is an excellent way of integration into their new culture. So, post-Christian Bible discussion groups are gaining importance for the future as cultural and religious diversity increases.

      With this book, Dr. Fred McRae helps to establish and teach post-Christian Bible discussion groups in a practical way. He also offers the great opportunity to revive interest in sharing our faith with post-Christian people (Matthew 28:18–20).

      Dr. Gundolf Lange

      Elder of the Neuhofen Baptist Church

      Neuhofen, Germany

      Introduction

      Why Another Book on Leading Small Groups?

      Germany is a prime example of a post-Christian country. The situation is so bad that some are wondering if Germany was ever a Christian nation at all. One example showing how Germany stands out so well as post-Christian is found in the numbers. It can be seen in the church tax that German Catholics and Lutherans are required to pay. Yes—in order to be a member of the church you have to pay the government a church income tax. It is very easy to determine the church’s influence based on the number of people paying this tax. The rolls indicate that Germans are leaving the church by the thousands.

      Today German Christianity is a hollow hull of what Martin Luther envisioned. It is a stark reminder of what happens to the church when it denies the authority of the Bible and turns a blind eye to cultural change. The

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