How to Develop a "Community of Forgiveness"
The recommendations suggested below are not comprehensive or meant to be exclusionary. There are other ways and resources available to accomplish the same goals. However, FM offers these recommendations because we are familiar with them and are confident in their effectiveness.
We have categorized our recommendations into six levels.
Level 1: Motivate people towards developing a personal lifestyle of forgiveness
Level 2: Offer appropriate resources to interested individuals
Level 3: Provide small groups opportunities focused on developing a lifestyle of forgiveness
Level 4: Integrate the message and practice of authentic forgiveness into all church ministries
Level 5: Discover how to use a comprehensive message of forgiveness to reach your community
Level 6: Replicate the previous five levels through ongoing leadership training
Each of these levels builds upon the previous level. However, it is not necessary to go through all six levels for people and organizations to be benefited. Each level has its own value. For example, it is not necessary for an organization to go to level 4 for people to benefit from level 3. Nevertheless, each level does move people and organizations deeper into developing a lifestyle of authentic, biblical forgiveness thereby creating a community of forgiveness.
Getting Started
Review the Forgiveness Ministries website. Request a Forgiveness Ministries promotional package for pastors/church leaders
Share promotional package with church leaders
Ask church leaders to pray about developing the church into a true community of forgiveness
Discern with the church leaders how God wants you to proceed using the six levels as a guide
Organize a prayer team to pray for the church to become a community of forgiveness (or utilize an existing prayer team)
The resources marked by an * are available through Forgiveness Ministries
Level 1: Motivate people towards developing a personal lifestyle of forgiveness
Present a sermon series on the benefits of a lifestyle of authentic forgiveness*
Copy and distribute the CD “Practicing Forgiveness: the Key to Life”*
Copy and distribute “Do I Have a Lifestyle of Forgiveness?” workbook*
Ask people to review the movies and television shows they watch using the Movie Review worksheet*
Ask people to evaluate current news events related to issues of conflict using the Current Events worksheet*
Present testimonies of the unsurpassed value of practicing forgiveness
o From members of your congregation
o From others
Utilize the four, short (2-3 minute) video presentations on forgiveness*
Acquire and utilize the videos “Luggage” and “The Lump” from NOOMA.com (12 minutes each)
Level 2: Offer appropriate resources to interested individuals
Introduce people to Forgiveness Ministries and its resources
o CDs/DVDs on forgiveness and life transformation
o Developing a Lifestyle of Forgiveness personal/small group workbook
o Forgiveness Ministries website
o Forgiveness Ministries blog site
o Forgiveness Ministries newsletter
Host an “Unwrapping the Gift of Forgiveness” seminar*
Promote and offer the personal/small group workbook Developing a Lifestyle of Forgiveness* for individual use
Level 3: Provide small groups opportunities focused on developing a lifestyle of forgiveness
Organize an appropriate number of new small groups based on the use of Developing a Lifestyle of Forgiveness (13 group meetings)*
Encourage existing small groups to work through Developing a Lifestyle of Forgiveness*
Level 4: Integrate the message and practice of authentic forgiveness into all church ministries
Host an Advanced Forgiveness seminar
Create a director of forgiveness ministries position in your church leadership. Let this person oversee the development of your own forgiveness ministry within your church with the goal of becoming a community of forgiveness.
Incorporate forgiveness training for all small group leaders*
Continue to offer at least one small group that focuses on forgiveness*
Have an annual Focus on Forgiveness event
o Day, weekend or month?
o Reflection times, activity times, celebration times?
o Host a forgiveness seminar using your own speakers—use materials from Forgiveness Ministries (workbooks, Power Point presentation, etc.) or create your own
o Forgiveness retreat
Highlight the expanded benefits of the Cross of Christ in the Lord’s Supper
Include an article on forgiveness in your church newsletter
Expand forgiveness training into
o The children’s ministry
o The youth ministry
o Adult Christian education ministries
o Music and worship ministries
o Recovery ministries
o Outreach ministries
Visual reminders such as banners, posters and bulletin inserts
Highlight forgiveness testimonies
Level 5: Discover how to use a comprehensive message of forgiveness to reach your community
Identify the ways in which the people of your community or sphere of influence are hurting and package the comprehensive message of forgiveness to meet them at their sense of greatest personal need
Offer forgiveness training to those who want to reach family members and friends (a kind of personal evangelism training)
Develop recovery ministries for special groups incorporating healing through the practice of forgiveness
o Divorced
o Abused
o Abandoned
o Compulsive behaviors
o Emotionally troubled
Offer forgiveness resources to your missions field
o Send materials
o Send a team to teach forgiveness
Support Forgiveness Ministries
Level 6: Replicate the previous five levels through ongoing leadership training
Utilize the additional resources from Forgiveness Ministries
o Personalized coaching and training
o Blended learning opportunities
o Life Transformation resources
o Newsletter
Host a Life Transformation seminar*
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