Ministry Outreach Fellowships: A Vital Part of Berean Baptist Church

What Are They?

Ministry-Outreach Fellowships, or “MOFs,” are smaller groups of 6-12 people that meet once per week in various homes throughout the community.  MOFs are family groups made up of people of all ages.  Christ is the “Hub” around which everything in the MOF revolves.  At Berean we consider these smaller group meetings to be as important as our Sunday larger group meetings.

We believe that believers meeting in smaller groups are both biblical (Acts 2:41-47), and accomplish biblical goals.  There are five goals that we seek to accomplish through our MOFs:

Establishing Community

This is the key goal of MOFs.  Community is practically living out the relationship that we have with one another in Christ. 

Another word for community is the biblical word, “fellowship.”  Fellowship is first and foremost a relationship: “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).  Fellowship is a relationship that needs to express itself in very practical ways.  It is something to which believers need to devote themselves, just as the early church did according to Acts 2:42: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

The importance of fellowshipping and establishing community is seen throughout the Word of God:

Rom. 1:11-12 - “For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.”

1 Thess. 5:11 - “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

Heb. 3:13; 10:24-25 - “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin….and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

 MOF is a time of genuine fellowship.  During this family time we open up about real needs and hurts in our lives so that we might minister to, and pray for one another. 

Equipping Believers

 Physically, God has designed babies to be brought up in a family context.  This is equally true spiritually.  Spiritual babies need to be brought up and equipped for their spiritual lives in the context of a spiritual family.  New believers are discipled, mentored, and equipped at Berean in conjunction with our spiritual families, the MOFs.  At Berean we believe that the task of the “Great Commission” is not simply to evangelize, but to “make disciples,” or followers of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matt. 28:19).

Practicing Accountability

 The people in each MOF are responsible for each other, accountable to each other, and encouraged to love and support each other.  Our goal is to spur each other on to “love and good deeds” as the author of Hebrew commands us (10:24).

Developing Leadership

 The book of Nehemiah demonstrates the importance of godly leadership in accomplishing a task for God.  Producing godly leaders is vital to the welfare and future of each local church.  Godly leaders are effectively fashioned in each MOF as believers are mentored and the older teach the younger.

Evangelizing the Lost

 The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  MOFs encourage believers not to be ashamed of their Lord, but to be bold witnesses of what Christ has done for them.  Concerning evangelism, MOFs:

• Encourage each Christian to reach out to his “webs” of relationship with the good news of the gospel.
• Pray for those who have never trusted Christ, and for opportunities to reach them.
• Work as a smaller group to reach the lost.
• Promote the idea that evangelism is not just an activity but a lifestyle.

 We pray that you will join with us this week, and be a part of one of these exciting, life-changing family fellowships!