I delivered a talk (what are you supposed to call something like that when it’s not a sermon?) to a group of pastors the other day on the value of small groups. I wanted to give them a snapshot of what we do at Grace Community Church, and introduce them to the world of small groups (they all come from churches who have on-campus Sunday School as their form of small groups). It was not my goal to convince them all that they needed to abandon their way of doing groups, but to challenge them to think strategically about their system, and whether it was accomplishing what they were wanting it to accomplish. Whether you’re in a Sunday School environment, a small group/home group culture, or a mixture of the two, here are three things your church needs to be doing:
1. Cast the vision. Seek to answer the questions, “Why do we need each other?” and “Why are we deficient without small groups?” Use any of the 38 one-another passages found in Scripture (e.g., 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Ephesians 4:1-3, James 5:16) to point out the fact that we need each other. Sunday morning, large gathering services alone are not enough for your spiritual growth. This vision must be cast from the pastor on stage on Sundays. The vision must be cast repeatedly, with the pastor sharing both theologically and practically (the pastor himself must be involved in a small group, so that he can share what God is doing in his own heart, and how God is changing the hearts of those in his small group as well) the value of small groups.
2. Recruit leaders. How do you count a person as qualified? Instead of looking at spiritual position, I look at spiritual velocity. I also don’t lock myself into looking for the gift of teaching. I’m not asking small group leaders to teach, in the way we traditionally understand teaching. I’m asking someone to facilitate, lead, shepherd. That frees me up to recruit tons of more well-qualified people to be small group leaders. I look for spiritual maturity in the way Jesus defined it in Matthew 22:36-40, as an increasing love for God and others.
3. Define your church’s win. If a win for you is increasing numbers, don’t be discouraged if disciples aren’t produced. If you count it a win to see giving increased, don’t scrap your system if numbers decrease. Know what your win is, define it clearly, and be ready to use that as your measuring tool. I count it a win when a person takes a step towards becoming a more faithful disciple, and that looks different for every person. For some, it looks like committing to attend church regularly. For others, it may look like forgiving their spouse. For another, it may look like pursuing reconciliation with their mother. God rejoices in small steps in the right direction, and so should we.
What is your church doing to make small groups a place of dynamic spiritual growth? If they’re not doing any of the above, maybe it’s time to start.
