Missional Groups encourage one another to regularly engage in 5 missional habits.
B | Bless
Bless 3 people this week (at least one of whom is not currently connected to Belay).
Who did you bless this week? What questions, issues, or learning arose from this habit?
E | Eat
Eat with 3 people this week (at least one of whom is not currently connected to Belay).
Who did you eat with this week? What questions, issues, or learning arose from this habit?
L | Listen
Spend at least 1 period of the week listening for the Spirit's voice.
What did you hear from the Holy Spirit this week?
A | Absorb
Spend at least 1 period of the week learning Christ.
What did I absorb (learn or relearn) about Jesus this week?
Y | Your Belay Journal
Journal throughout the week all the ways you alerted others to the universal reign of God through Christ.
Share 2-3 journal entries about how you alerted others to the love and reign of Jesus.
For more information
Missional groups are based on the book, Surprise the World! by Michael Frost.
Why should I be part of a Missional Group? (DNA)
Discipleship
By asking each other about what questions, issues, or learning were stimulated by the five habits, the members of your DNA group can help you process your responses and move forward with greater insight and confidence. For example, if you ate with someone who confessed he or she had marriage problems, your fellow members might help you explore recommended strategies for him or her. If a neighbor stumped you by raising questions about same-sex mar-riage, told you they were exploring Buddhism, or asked questions about an area of the Bible you weren't familiar with, your DNA friends could help you think through ways you might have responded more appropriately. Together you could study the Scriptures to develop biblical responses to those issues.
Furthermore, by sharing with each other what you've learned about Jesus that week, you will be teaching each other from the Word of God. In other words, you'll be discipling each other based on your missional experiences through the five habits.
Nurture
If you've had an unusually busy week, your kids are sick or won't sleep, or you're feeling depleted and unable to give any more, you can share this with your DNA group. The DNA process isn't designed to beat you up when you fall short and can't fulfill the five habits. It's there to encourage you and support you when things get overwhelming.
Accountability
Having said that, if you didn't fulfill the five habits this week because of laziness or fear, your DNA group is there to provide some real accountability.
They are to hold you to the commitments you made together. Knowing that your friends are checking in on you should provide some impetus to continue with the habits.
Moreover, if the Spirit convicted you of the need for repentance in an area of your life, you might confess this in your DNA group so that they can hold you accountable to whatever new choices the Spirit's voice has called you to. If the teachings of Jesus have prompted you to set different priorities, you can share this with your DNA group and ask them to hold you accountable to it.
As we discovered earlier, to make these five commitments (blessing, eating, listening, absorbing, journaling) a set of habits, we need to stick with them for an extended period of time. The discipleship, nurturing, and accountability built into DNA groups are essential to help you stay at it. But remember, we're not asking you to do something distasteful or unpleasant. Blessing people is personally satisfying. Eating with others is fun. Listening to the Spirit and absorbing (learning about Jesus) is spiritually enriching. And journaling the various ways you alert others to the reign of God is encouraging.
