A mini-order is a small group of Christians who compose a 'rule of life' together, take a vow to live by it, and then meet monthly to hold each other accountable for living by the rule of life, declare God's forgiveness to each other when they fail, and encourage each other in mission-minded living.
For centuries Christians from different times and places have sought to develop a ‘rule of life’. The purpose of a rule of life is to establish a daily rhythm of life that will allow Christians to grow more deeply connected to God and to encourage one another in discipleship and character transformation. The idea of a ‘rule of life’ has its origins in monastic orders where each order devised a ‘Rule of Life’ for the daily ordering, discipleship, mission and harmonious coexistence of the community. The word ‘rule’ is perhaps a little misleading – it does not mean a list of rules or laws. The word comes from the Latin ‘regula’ meaning something that is done regularly (i.e. a rhythm or pattern of living).
The idea of a ‘rule of life’ in this course is also strongly influenced by the life and example of Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700-1760). In 1715 Zinzendorf was part of a spiritual revival at his school, the Halle academy. He and four friends, who were the main leaders of the revival, formed a prayer and accountability group which would later go on to become the “Order of the Mustard Seed” (a rule of life was developed for those in the Order).
They started as young friends at school and their main goal of “being true to Christ” was expressed in terms of standing firm against the temptations of adolescence. In later life they would focus more on integrity in their various positions of responsibility. Members of the Order had a sense of connectedness and were accountable to one another but, unlike a traditional monastic order, the members were people who had separate lives, families and careers.
This course follows that spirit, being adaptable for a wide range of people in a whole variety of life stages and circumstances. This course does not offer a pre-written ‘rule of life’. Each small group that undertakes this course is encouraged to formulate their own unique ‘rule of life’; there is no ‘one size fits all’. The goal for each small group that completes the course is to create a ‘mini-order’[1] with their own simply expressed, three or four point ‘rule of life’ which can have both whole group and individual elements. Small groups (about 8-12 members) could just be a group of Christian friends getting together; it could be an existing church home group; it could be an interchurch project. When a mini-order is ready to be formed, it doesn't need a leader (in fact the Order of the Mustard Seed explicitly said it MUST NOT have a leader), but there does need to be someone guiding the group through the initial 6 sessions, perhaps as a sort of consultant who then may or may not go on to be a mini-order member.
Mini-orders were originally created for SouthWest Chelmsford Churches, four parishes in the southwest of the city of Chelmsford in Essex, but if any of these materials are useful to anyone else they are offered freely and gladly.
[1] Our user-friendly term for a small group with its own ‘rule of life’ – the name ‘mini order’ offers a smile of gratitude to the influence of the monastic orders and the Order of the Mustard Seed that have gone before us, and from whose wells we drink.
For centuries Christians from different times and places have sought to develop a ‘rule of life’. The purpose of a rule of life is to establish a daily rhythm of life that will allow Christians to grow more deeply connected to God and to encourage one another in discipleship and character transformation. The idea of a ‘rule of life’ has its origins in monastic orders where each order devised a ‘Rule of Life’ for the daily ordering, discipleship, mission and harmonious coexistence of the community. The word ‘rule’ is perhaps a little misleading – it does not mean a list of rules or laws. The word comes from the Latin ‘regula’ meaning something that is done regularly (i.e. a rhythm or pattern of living).
The idea of a ‘rule of life’ in this course is also strongly influenced by the life and example of Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700-1760). In 1715 Zinzendorf was part of a spiritual revival at his school, the Halle academy. He and four friends, who were the main leaders of the revival, formed a prayer and accountability group which would later go on to become the “Order of the Mustard Seed” (a rule of life was developed for those in the Order).
They started as young friends at school and their main goal of “being true to Christ” was expressed in terms of standing firm against the temptations of adolescence. In later life they would focus more on integrity in their various positions of responsibility. Members of the Order had a sense of connectedness and were accountable to one another but, unlike a traditional monastic order, the members were people who had separate lives, families and careers.
This course follows that spirit, being adaptable for a wide range of people in a whole variety of life stages and circumstances. This course does not offer a pre-written ‘rule of life’. Each small group that undertakes this course is encouraged to formulate their own unique ‘rule of life’; there is no ‘one size fits all’. The goal for each small group that completes the course is to create a ‘mini-order’[1] with their own simply expressed, three or four point ‘rule of life’ which can have both whole group and individual elements. Small groups (about 8-12 members) could just be a group of Christian friends getting together; it could be an existing church home group; it could be an interchurch project. When a mini-order is ready to be formed, it doesn't need a leader (in fact the Order of the Mustard Seed explicitly said it MUST NOT have a leader), but there does need to be someone guiding the group through the initial 6 sessions, perhaps as a sort of consultant who then may or may not go on to be a mini-order member.
Mini-orders were originally created for SouthWest Chelmsford Churches, four parishes in the southwest of the city of Chelmsford in Essex, but if any of these materials are useful to anyone else they are offered freely and gladly.
[1] Our user-friendly term for a small group with its own ‘rule of life’ – the name ‘mini order’ offers a smile of gratitude to the influence of the monastic orders and the Order of the Mustard Seed that have gone before us, and from whose wells we drink.