Interestingly enough, I do not know of one church that does not have small groups in one form or another. Many of them do not have a declared small group ministry, but people will get into small groups regardless of whether or not small groups is an official ministry. People naturally and automatically seek out relationships. We do it automatically. It has been said that if someone who is new to the church does not form a relationship with someone else in the church within a few months, they are likely to leave the church or, at best, always be on the fringe of your church.
As you think about starting small groups, don not discount the natural small group relationships that already exist in your church. Part of creating Christian community is helping people to see that their existing relationships can revolve around the mission of the church. This, in turn, helps people use their routine, daily relational time with people for the glory of God.
That is what Jesus did. He did not necessarily try to organize a small group ministry. Instead, he started a relational ministry that functioned in small groups. He then modeled and taught what it means to live in relationship to God and to one another through His everyday life. Yes, Jesus participated in the Jewish Synagogue activities, but His ministry was in everyday life (John 15:15).
What does a Christ-centered small group do? The simple answer is that it lives in relationship to the Lord and to one another. God's Word dedicates a great deal of its content to this community. Consider the following passage:
"They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity--all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47 (NLT)
The results of this life together are that:
- the Body, the Church, heals itself as it is fitted together in community (Eph. 4:11-16).
- grace is administered in various forms (1 Peter 4:10).
- people are spurred on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:23-25).
- And, this biblical community creates a picture of Christ that non-believers see, and, as a result, attracts more and more people to Jesus (John 17:20-23).
A wonderful summary statement for the process of community expressed in these verses is this: "I regularly share my life stories with you. You regularly share your life stories with me. Together we will share the life story of Jesus Christ as it is told in God's Word, and, over time, our life stories begin to look and sound a lot more like Jesus' life story."
I agree but…
You might agree with this very basic description of small groups, yet have doubts that this value of Christian Community is not shared by others in your church community. Settle the issue in your own mind and heart first. Is relational ministry in small groups an add-on program, one ministry among many, or part of the fabric of your overall church life? If you do not get clear on that, you will run into walls later. Even if you do not know yet where your church is on this value, at least make the issue clear with yourself before moving ahead. Otherwise, you may find it difficult to persevere through the hard work of starting small groups.
Consider what Paul said in Colossians 1:28-2:3 "So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ's mighty power that works within me. I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other friends who have never known me personally. My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God's secret plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (NLT)
Paul said he worked very hard to achieve the goal of people being encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. He said the result of this work, of this knitting people together, was that these relational ties would help people know Christ Himself. You and I will not ever know Jesus Christ as well as we could unless we are knit together with others.
You may have clarity about this in your own heart, but others in your church may not. It would be nice if everyone just "got it" about relational community and could figure out that they need to be living it with the people in their spheres of influence, but people do not always automatically "get it."
If Christian community is not already the culture in your church, then, unfortunately, people who have been around your church the longest sometimes have the hardest time "getting it". Newer Christians, who have not established a lot of church paradigms, sometimes get it quicker and easier. It is important to think about your church and analyze how small group relational values will be received by those in your congregation, and approach the introduction of small group ministry accordingly.
Who Needs to "Get It" First?
Opinions vary about who needs to be on the small group values page first: senior leaders, other key influencers in the church, or a group of grass roots Christ-followers? Some approaches start with a top-down approach (get senior leaders on board first) while others use a bottom-up approach (gets a grass-roots movement going first). It may be relatively easier to use a bottom-up approach where a few other grass roots people share and live this value together, but it is important to realize the growth of Christian community in the church as a whole is tied to the "get it" factor of senior leaders.
Small Group growth and group multiplication can happen organically at the grass-roots level and can produce wonderful fruit, but eventually growth, leadership development, and ongoing leader support will hit walls if senior leaders are not "on board" and encouraging the process to move forward.
On the other hand, evidence shows that where senior leaders are living and preaching the value of Christian Community, the ministry has a better chance of getting started well and sustaining growth. Consider the following survey
Small Group Survey
How would you describe the senior leaders' commitment to building small group community in your church?
Of churches surveyed who have been able to establish a small group ministry:
65% said "Our senior leaders preach it and live it!"
14% said "Our senior leaders preach it, but don't live it."
13% said "Our senior leaders allow small groups, but don't actively support it."
3% said "Our senior leaders don't support small groups at all, our groups are underground."
SmallGroups.com
Therefore, if you have got small groups and you want Christian community in small groups to thrive, it is critical to get clarity with senior leaders. Get senior leaders to live it and preach it, and help everyone to see their existing relationships as platforms to express their love for God as they love each other.
