INSIDE SADDLEBACK: 3 Areas for your Groups to Shine in 2022 - UNITY, DIVERSITY & CIVILITY

In each "Inside Saddleback" Group Talk Podcast episode we feature four unique segments: Saddleback Scoop, Network Nugget, Leadership Learning and the Trending Topic. In this exciting new episode, we cover the following insightful topics:

Saddleback Scoop: 3 Keys to Unity

1. Success is never a solo entity. You need Mentors, Models, Partners and friends
2. The older I get, it’s not so much the place, but the people I am doing life & ministry with.
3. Love always wins out. 

Key Scriptures on unity from Rick Warren's message you can take deeper:
YOUR LOVE
“My dear friends, we always have good reason to thank God for you, because your faith in God and your love for each other
keep growing all the time!” 2 Thes. 1:3

“ Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.” Col. 3:14

YOUR FAITH
“We always thank God for you all ... for how you put your faith into practice...” 1 Thess. 1:2-3

YOUR GENEROUS SPIRIT
“They were extremely generous in their giving ...giving even more than they could afford.”

Network Nugget—Diversity. 

Diversity depends on your area, but also depends on proximity in these areas. 
1. You
2. Your small group & small group ministry
3. Your leadership
4. Your church

Leadership Learning—Civility

How to be civil? Try these 7 guidelines: 

1. Listen with your eyes (don’t roll your eyes) acknowledge their view
2. Sleep and hungry—know the right time
3. Social media news vs. Good news
4. Neither side may trivialize or dismiss the concerns of the other.
5. Neither side should define the “other” according to one single characteristic or identity marker.
6. Both sides should aim to help each other understand their own experience and perspective using a type of speech (words and tone) that can be heard by the other.
7. Both sides should accept the fundamental ground rule of life in a free society: the essence of

Liberty is the right to be different and to act wrongly in the eyes of others—you will need to agree to disagree. Look at the fundamental role of fear in situations of public conflict that we end up facing in our culture, politics, and law and can I add our small groups:
- The fear of being excluded from full participation in public discourse or public life;
- The fear that the other side is trying to coerce change of my side’s core identity
- The fear that the other side will use the power of law to force my side’s conformity with beliefs and practices that we find vile; and
- The fear of losing or betraying deeply valued relationships of love, either with the Divine or with people, or both. Fear is your greatest enemy in being civil. Presidential deranged syndrome. Focus on doing Jesus stuff
and BELIEVING Jesus has everything in control
Now these three things, are essential to understanding the Trending Topic

Trending Topic—Where the Groups needs to shine 
Why do we think laws are going to change people’s hearts?
Too often we get sucked into a battle that is a lose/lose because we forget, the church is the answer.
Look at the big topics at a super high level: abortion, sexual identity, racism and socialism. Laws don’t change hearts. 

Abortion 

- Health care
- Community around...will have baby
- Religious and married—can’t afford, don’t think they will have the support—they made one mistake, the church needs to help them not make another.

Racism:

- The most segregated hour in America is Sunday mornings. We like unity, struggle with diversity

Socialism
- Broken society
- Broken family systems
- Never had a parent, happy to look to the government (why not the church)

Sexual Identity
- Most church’s not an open conversation
- Don’t know how to love and not condone or approving (divorce)
- Preston Sprinkle

How to not get sucked into the wrong argument? Temptation—Lead us not into temptation - Sermon of the Mount.
1. Yes to God, get in the right place
2. Watch and pray, you will do dumb things
3. Put down roots, authentic community, God’s Word
4. Remember your purpose, why are you on this planet.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/09f048a7 - Your Small Group's Role Against Racism
https://share.transistor.fm/s/7e0d9d0f - Developing an Anti-Racist Culture in Your Small Group