I wonder if many of our churches and small groups have become the churches of Sardis and Laodicea. They have the reputation of being alive, but many are dead – killed off by a fatal disease called Agenda-itus. I wonder if these groups' deeds are not complete in God's sight because they are not fulfilling His mission. They believe they are rich because they study the Bible and pray together weekly, but I wonder if they are not actually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
I wonder if Jesus stands outside the door of many of the homes where our small groups meet and knocks. "Let me in!" He cries. He has empowered us with His Spirit to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, and yet some of us sit in our cozy homes, not willing to carry the Good News down the street much less around the world. We are so busy "doing Bible study" that we apparently do not have the time or interest to do what the Bible says!
I wonder if Jesus would spit us out of His mouth if He were to observe what happens (or doesn't happen) in most of our groups. I wonder if He is waiting to return because His church has not yet fulfilled His commission.
It's time to wake up our small groups and allow the Spirit to transform our groups into true spiritual families that minister to and with one another by the Holy Spirit's power. That may mean getting out of our safe routines and agendas and letting God take control.
You see, a real Christian small group is more than a meeting, more than a Bible discussion, more than what's on the agenda, and the real leader of a small group is not the person we usually consider the leader. The person we often call the leader should be the human facilitator of the Holy Spirit's leadership. That has huge implications for what is on the group's "agenda."
A "leader," as defined secularly, must maintain control of discussion and all the group's plans. A facilitator, on the other hand, gently guides the group, while the Spirit leads the facilitator. This distinction may mean that the facilitator changes the agenda if it is not in line with what God has planned for the meeting time. This may be a huge leap for some small group leaders. Some of us feel like we must be in control at all times.
We've acquired a debilitating and often fatal disease called agenda-itus. And its symptoms for those afflicted are numerous: drowsiness, inattention, spiritual starvation, legalism. It happens when a facilitator sticks so tightly to his or her agenda that the group suffers.
Having an agenda can be helpful. An agenda keeps us on track. It provides purpose and direction. Most people don't want to show up for a meeting and have the leader say, "So, what do you all want to talk about tonight?" I've been in meetings like that, meetings in which the facilitator didn't facilitate. Meetings that went nowhere because the leader had no idea where it was going to go.
But the other extreme is just as bad if not worse. God has made it very clear in His Word that our plans amount to nothing when separated from His purpose. But when we make our plans according to His will and purpose they can make an eternal difference (see Proverbs 16:9; 19:21).
There's nothing wrong with us as leaders making plans, but we must be sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit as we facilitate. If we carry out our own plans – plans that are not God's plans – He says we are "obstinate children" (Isaiah 30:1)!
Sometimes I have an agenda set for a meeting, but the Holy Spirit has something else in mind for that night. So I set aside my agenda, while the Spirit leads, and prayerfully try to keep in step with Him. This seems dangerous to some of us. As Jim Cymbala has said, "God the Holy Spirit does unusual things, and he does not always notify us in advance."
A young woman shows up and begins crying during the icebreaker. A couple share that they are having problems in their marriage. Someone shares a prayer request for a parent who is dying, or a spouse or child who is very sick. A man in the group has lost his job. A variety of situations can crop up that may mean throwing out the agenda – or at least part of it – for the meeting. Or perhaps as you pray before the meeting, the Spirit puts something on your heart that is not on your agenda. Or, in the facilitating of the study a tangent arises that you sense is more important than the study itself, and the Spirit urges you to discuss the subject more.
What do you do? You follow the Spirit's leading!
How do you know the Spirit's leading? You must spend a lot of time with the Spirit – studying the Word, praying in quiet meditation, getting away from the rush to listen to God speak to you. You have to stay connected to the Vine (John 15)! When you do, you can be the facilitator of the Holy Spirit's leadership over the group. Your agenda will be His agenda, and you will truly be alive and transformational.
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Parts of this article were adapted from Leading from the Heart: A Group Leader's Guide to Passionate Ministry by Michael C. Mack (Cell Group Resources). It is available from TOUCH Online at http://www.touchusa.org/.
