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Convergence, a review

Photo taken from http://www.allthingsconverge.com

I’ve just recently finished going through a new small group study called Convergence, published by Creative Trust.

This series of 7 studies is DVD-driven, with each study standing alone. Here are the DVD studies available now:

Breaking the Ice: Learning to Share our Stories

Parenting: Helping Your Kids to Become Adults

Frustrations and False Gods: Living in a Fallen World

Heaven: Understanding God’s Plan and Our Hope

Marriage: Life after I Do

Personal Growth: Learning to Meet Life’s Demands

Each DVD features Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz) facilitating a conversation with well-known, respected Christian authors or speakers about the challenges that Christians face while trying to integrate faith with real life. Each DVD is a 3-4 week study.

There are some real strengths in these studies.

Strengths:

1. The videos are only 20 minutes long. When DVD-based curriculum gets longer than that, it begins to infringe on discussion time. 20 minutes works. It gives enough information to communicate an idea, but not so much that the group leader feels the need to squeeze discussion time.

2. There’s no cost to the group member. The only cost incurred is the DVD itself (which is a mere $15).

3. Both the leader’s guide and the participant’s discussion guide can be found online for each study (by clicking HERE). All you have to do is print it off, and you’re good to go.

3. There’s no real homework to be done from week to week. Instead of needing to spend hours pouring over the specific material (which can, by some, be seen as busy work), group members can show up and immediately jump into the conversation. Don’t take this to mean that the studies aren’t challenging, or don’t require any work. It just means that you won’t feel like an outsider in the discussion if you haven’t “done your homework.” And though a homework-heavy study may be the right call for your group in some seasons, a homework-light study can be incredibly refreshing.

4. The questions are short, and elicit discussion. Some curriculum writers feel the need to control the answers of group members. Their goal is not necessarily group discussion. Rather, they want group members to parrot back a certain answer, which makes group discussion much cleaner and simpler. But not necessarily more helpful. Phrasing questions in a way that spurs discussion is incredibly difficult, and often leads to messier discussions, but I’ve had much greater fruit in those types of discussions than in the ones in which, realistically, there was only one “right” answer.

5. Don Miller is really good at interviewing/conversing. I picked up a copy of Free Market Jesus a while back, hoping that Don Miller’s sermons would be as impactful as his books. [insert long, awkward pause] Don’s gotten much better in front of a camera. He represents the “everyday Christian” really well, and seems to ask the “right” questions to spur the dialog with the person(s) he’s interviewing.

6. There’s a specific Scripture connected with each lesson. I’ll expand more in the following section.

Though there are great things about this curriculum, I’ve got a couple of cautions/suggestions.

Cautions/Suggestions:

1. They’re quite academic, which may keep some people on the outside. Though I’m a fan of Tremper Longman, I found the DVD’s that he’s a part of to be “heady.” The content was solid, but if I wasn’t 100% engaged in every word, I was quickly lost. In the future, making sure these discussions don’t spiral into a seminary-level conversation is something to look out for.

2. Scripture seems to be a secondary thought. Though I’m glad that there is a specific Scripture (sometimes 2) passage connected with each week’s study, I feel like there could be more. If there’s a place for expansion, it’s here. The videos each week don’t necessarily revolve around Scripture. And I’m fine with that. I’m not always looking for a sermon for my small group each week. But when there’s not a passage targeted by the conversation that Don’s having, I would like (as a small group leader) to be able to draw from a deeper well of passages related to the topic at hand.

3. With a couple of the DVDs, I’m not sure how they would fit with my small group. They may be helpful for a group leader to go through on their own (e.g., “Breaking the Ice: Learning to Share our Stories). Or they may be good for a side-discussion (e.g., “Frustrations and False Gods: Living in a Fallen World”). I’m just not sure how well it would integrate into our small group.

Overall, I think these studies will be a great resource for small group leaders, and I’m going to recommend them to the small group leaders I shepherd.

Have you used these before? What do you think?

Here’s a sample from one of the studies:

Convergence Promo – NEW from All Things Converge on Vimeo.

Sin disrupts community

June 2, 2010 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

After having looked at cows, rhinoceroses, anteaters, and sloths, God puts Adam in a deep sleep. When he wakes up, he sees Eve and immediately notices that she’s much different than anything he’s ever seen. I imagine she had that angelic light and chorus around her as Adam laid eyes on the one he would spend the rest of his life with. Adam manages to stammer out these words:

This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man. (Genesis 2.23)

Adam and Eve rapidly move from this level of relationship to one of blame-shifting, hiding, deceiving, lying, and pride. What’s the result?

Disrupted community.

Enmity. Pain. Difficulties. Frustrations. Sweat. Shame. Banishment. Broken relationships.

Sin in the OT is first a relational breach. Adam and Eve are separated from each other and from God. Things that should bring great joy would forevermore be painful and difficult. And maintaining and growing the relationships that matter most would be far from easy.

Don’t think that your sin only affects you and your relationship with God, and that, since it’s just between you and God, it won’t make a difference in the lives of others. There is a horizontal aspect to sin. It erodes community.

To think it only affects you is to think to little of sin and its consequences.

Have you ever noticed your personal mistakes having a negative impact on community?

Embrace Constraints

May 26, 2010 / Ben Reed / 1 Comment

Your organization has a problem that it hasn’t yet figured out how to solve.

And you don’t have years of related experience to draw from.

Or loads of cash.

Or an extra staff person.

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t tackle the issue.

I don’t have enough time/money/people/experience.’ Stop whining! Constraints are advantages in disguise. Limited resources force you to make do with what you’ve got. There’s no rook for waste. And that forces you to be creative. —ReWork, chapter Progress, by Fried and Hansson

Though you may see the constraints that your organization face as disadvantages, Fried and Hansson argue that they are just the opposite. Constraints force our minds to think outside of the box, looking for new and innovative ways to overcome the various issues that inevitably and consistently arise.

So instead of looking for more and more resources, use the creativity God has given you (and your team). In the long run (and I’d argue in the short run, too), you’ll be better off.

Convergence, a small group study

May 24, 2010 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

I’m in the process of reviewing a small group series called Convergence. Have you heard of it?

Convergence is a series of DVDs designed specifically for small groups looking for more than just Bible study. Convergence will examine the intersections between faith and real life with the goal of sparking deeper conversations and stronger community within small groups.

Each DVD will feature Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) facilitating a conversation with another well-known Christian author or speaker about the challenges that Christians face while trying to integrate faith with real life.

Unlike other DVD series that rely on a single person to speak and teach, these DVDs will rely on the interviews hosted by Donald Miller to start conversations within small groups.

Here’s the promo video:

Convergence Promotional Video from All Things Converge on Vimeo.

What do you think makes for a successful small group study?

Are small groups essential?

May 11, 2010 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

This is a guest post by Matt Harmer, small groups pastor at Manna Church. You can find him on Twitter HERE and on Facebook HERE. If you’ve got a small groups story to share, or a unique perspective on small groups ministry, and would like to guest post on this blog, please see these guidelines HERE.

I recently traveled to a nearby city to meet with a Small Groups Pastor friend of mine for a time of connection. It was the first time we’d actually met face to face, although we had quickly become e-acquaintances (twitter friends, really). As we sat in his office and began to talk, one of the first questions that came up was, “So, how did you end up as the Small Groups Pastor?” The stories unfolded…

“Well I did this job for a while, and I interned here. I worked as this while I obtained my degree from such and such, and then someone came along and said, ‘We think you’d be great at doing the Small Groups stuff.’ And that’s how I ended up where I am.” We laughed and joked about how it seems that small groups people have the best stories.

In this post I want to unfold for you not so much the story of how I ended up in the small groups ministry at Manna Church, but how small groups got into me.

A common misconception is that small groups are just another aspect of local church ministry. Even as I considered taking the position, I viewed it as a small component of our church’s life – my primary responsibilities being to process the data and plan the events, and basically just “keep that thing going.” As I began to dig deeply into importance of what I was doing, my thinking about small groups, ministry, and Christian life in general changed. Essentially, I had “ended up” in a position where a powerful philosophy of ministry was able to be inculcated into my thinking. The result of this change of view was a fresh vigor for the task of “keeping that thing going” – knowing where you’re going makes the driving to get there worth it.

In a nutshell, here’s what I’ve learned:

Every person who has received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior is absolutely called to the “game” of ministry, and it’s absolutely necessary that each individual engage in that call. We must be a people who take seriously the responsibility to be ministers for Him. That being so…

Small groups are where the “game” is played. It’s in Biblical community that believers receive mentoring, encouragement, support, prayer, challenge, teaching, etc… (It’s important to note that both the group leader and members receive the benefits this community has to offer.) Moreover, it’s through community (small groups) that the unreached are reached!

The life of any church is in the relationships the people have with one another, and small groups facilitate the building of those relationships. I know now that what I’m doing in processing the data, planning the events, training leaders, and launching them into the game is THE thing. It’s not some small aspect of church life – it’s a part of it, yes – but it’s the most important aspect…

If we don’t have small groups…if we don’t have people who understand biblical community, build it, and DO their Christian lives together while reaching out to the unreached around them…if we only have a bunch of people who gather on Sunday mornings to sing some songs and hear a great message and then go home… Then all we have is a Christian social club, and that’s not what the Church is supposed to be.

A truly “deep” study

May 10, 2010 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

I posted this question last week on my blog:

What does it take for a “regular” Bible study to turn into a “deep” Bible study? What goes into making small group time a “deep” Bible study?

You can see all of the great comments I received HERE.

Instead of jumping straight into the methodological (how-to), it’s appropriate to look at the theological/philosophical (why?) definitions of what I believe is a “deep” discussion in a small group. Starting with the theology behind the methodology helps to give a framework so that groups know why they are doing what they are doing…and why change is (or might be) necessary. If we were to jump straight to the “here’s how to lead a deep discussion” topic, we’d be undercutting the foundation.

When we go about defining what a “deep” study is, we find it’s pretty simple.

A truly “deep” study is one that helps us to take steps of faith. A “shallow” one does not.

And what does it look like to take a step of faith?

1. Start following Christ. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9)

2. Understand what it means to follow. Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40)

3. Repeat daily. Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

4. Go. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

I’m not negating the sovereignty of God to draw and grow people, nor am I doing away with personal responsibility, but if a small group discussion doesn’t help the group members to love God and their neighbor more (which Jesus defined as that which the Law and Prophets hang), then it’s not deep. Period.

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a “seeker” small group, a college group, a preschool group, or a boating affinity group. Discussions that don’t put feet to the Word and propel us to go are ultimately fruitless.

There will be much debate on how to flesh that out, depending on whether you operate with Sunday School classes, cell groups, home groups, community groups, or knitting groups. And that’s okay. I know that the way that each small group system fleshes the disciple-making process out will be a bit different. But here’s my admonition to us all: let’s not make the Christian life (and becoming a disciple) too difficult. Jesus didn’t. Love God. Love your neighbor. That’s difficult enough.

Depth is less about the transfer of information and more about life transformation.

I’ll continue this series of posts tomorrow, and talk about various aspects of studies that lend to the disciple-making process as described above.

What do you think? Have your thoughts on “deep” studies been challenged?

A “Deep” Bible study

May 6, 2010 / Ben Reed / 18 Comments

Can you tell me which small group has a “deep” Bible study?

Ever been asked that question? Ever asked it yourself?

I’m asked the question all of the time.

But instead of posting my thoughts, I’d like to hear from you, so leave a comment below.

What does it take for a “regular” Bible study to turn into a “deep” Bible study? What goes into making small group time a “deep” Bible study?

I’ll post my thoughts later. But for now, I’d like your input.

Laughter

May 3, 2010 / Ben Reed / 0 Comments

An essential part of building community is laughing together.

Those I feel closest to I also laugh with. I mean, we do talk about really important stuff. Life-changing. Heart-wrenching. Tear-enducing.

But we also laugh together. So hard that we cry. So hard that it hurts our stomachs. So hard that we accidentally pass gas.

And I’m convinced that it’s healthy to laugh together. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says that there is “a time to laugh.” Laughing together helps to build relationship. It helps to build trust. And community is fostered when you laugh with somebody.

Too many people think that “religion” has to be completely stoic. To be a “good” follower of Christ means that you’re straight-faced, walk around with blank stares, and have furled brows. But that’s just not true.

God created humor. And if you never experience that with other followers of Christ then you’re missing out on a great blessing.

I laugh a lot with the guys I work with at the Grace offices. At the end of one of our Sunday services, a few of us went out on stage as Adam Bayne’s “band” to help him with an announcement. Enjoy laughing at this picture…at our expense. Go ahead…I’m giving you “a time to laugh.”

And while you’re at it, why not invite your neighbor over for a cup of coffee, and laugh together with them, too. Who knows? It may be that God uses that to help you build a relationship with them that leads them to follow Christ.

Safe = Dangerous

May 3, 2010 / Ben Reed / 2 Comments

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve watched this short video of a sermon given by Alan Danielson (you can follow him HERE on Twitter). So I thought I’d share it with you.

I love this quote from the video:

“We are so far educated, above and beyond the level of our obedience, that it’s disgusting. It’s time, if we’re going to say we want to be like Jesus, to stop just talking about it, and start doing it.”

Is your small group too safe?

Abide, a review

April 29, 2010 / Ben Reed / 2 Comments

I just finished going through Jared Wilson’s latest release, Abide. It’s been published by Threads (a 20-somethings division of their big daddy, LifeWay Christian Resources).

I read Jared’s other release, Your Jesus is Too Safe, and reviewed it HERE.

This is a 5-week study focusing (with 3 sharp, well-done, short, and helpful videos to go along with it) on the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, fasting, and service. The study concludes with a time to drive home the importance of practicing the disciplines in the context of community.

This is a typical Threads study, except for the fact that Jared’s dry wit makes an otherwise dry topic (I mean, who really thinks it’s thrilling to read a book about spiritual disciplines?) more enjoyable. And Jared gives a unique (ok, it’s probably not unique…I’m sure others have written stuff like this, so I’ll say that it’s, at the very least, refreshingly different than most) take on the disciplines, presenting them not as a “law” that we have to make sure we check off of our spiritual to-do lists every week, but rather as developing a rhythm that, over time, begins to feel natural…all in the midst of a culture that constantly pushes away from anything that slows us down.

The difference between this study and other works on spiritual disciplines is a sense of relief. Many of us grew up in church environments that stressed things like quiet times, service projects, and worship services – which are all good things – in such a way as to create holy homework for the Christian life. – p. 11

The key component, Wilson asserts, in creating Kingdom rhythms, is “abiding” in Christ. And I think he’s absolutely hit the nail on the head.

By “it’s a typical Threads study,” I mean that the book is loaded with extra information in the sidebars (which, in the chapter on prayer, because as I’m reading, I’m constantly distracted by the extra info on the side…which is quite funny since Jared is talking about removing distractions from your life). Which, for some people, is great. It gives access to additional resources, quotes, books, etc. But for others, it becomes a distraction. Sometimes, more is not better.

Which brings me to my second critique. And this is for all of the Threads studies I’ve gone through. There’s too much information to process in a normal small group meeting time. Sure, questions and sections can be skipped if the leader so decides. But the problem is that the lesson builds on itself. It’s structured so that, if you don’t read the opening couple of pages of the lesson, you won’t really understand the last couple of questions. So the reader is forced to read every section and answer every question. And that really squeezes discussion out of group time. Threads studies seem to be built around a small group time that will last close to 2 hours.

So my question to the Threads team: Are you really aiming for discussion? Or are you aiming for short, directed answers?

Because if you want more discussion, lighten up on the question load. And work to make them more open-ended.

Leaving the questions more open-ended leaves more room for heresy. I get that. But it also leaves more room for creativity. And discussion. And room for those people who don’t feel like they have “all the answers” to speak up (because when the questions are looking for that exact right answer, if you’re not certain you’ve got that answer in the bag, you’d better be quiet, else risk embarrassment).

That said, this study is solid. And compelling.

I think that Jared has laid out a system that can really help people develop rhythms when it comes to the spiritual disciplines. So this is a study that I’ll be recommending to the small group leaders at Grace. And I’ll recommend it much, much quicker than any other study on spiritual disciplines.

But here’s the caveat I’ll give each of them: Instead of spending the recommended 5 weeks, plan on spending 10.

Abide from Threads on Vimeo.