Post-moderns are highly relational and love small groups. But they also love large groups. So what do you do?
Why not do both large and small groups as part of the same meeting? It can be done various ways. Let me offer several illustrations of how it works:
I oversee a large group of sixty high school students that is also a collection of eight small groups. It meets in my house every Wednesday evening. Teenagers love the energy, and synergy of the large group. They like to hang out and see all the people who are there. We let them hang around, eat and talk for the first fifteen minutes. Then they all gather on the floor of our family room and kitchen for icebreaker and Bible study. After the study, they break into small gender exclusive groups through the house for application, prayer and accountability. Freshmen girls are with freshmen girls. Freshmen guys gather with freshmen guys, and so on. This format is very popular. We started with just a handful, grew, multiplied, and grew again. We would continue to grow if we had the space.
Don and Brenda lead a group of young married couples. They meet together as one large group of 16-18 then break into "girls only/ guys only" smaller groups for accountability and prayer.
Claude and Ginny lead a group of single adults who are thirty-to-fifty years of age. They meet as a large group for worship and a challenge, and then go to various rooms in the church for small group discussion. The small groups can be coed or same sex.
Ron has a hundred and fifty teens gather in the Loft at our church every Sunday morning. After announcements and a challenge from the Word, they gather into same gender exclusive groups of six.
The large group/small group format not only combines the strengths of both, but it is also a great way to find and develop apprentices. Often an apprentice is not ready to launch out on his or her own but is ready to lead a small group time that is part of a larger group session. The combo allows them to develop at their own pace. Also when people are reluctant to accept the role of apprentice they can get their feet wet by leading a small group prayer time and develop from that entry point.
This combo also is beneficial when a host home is not immediately available for a coming multiplication or when a group is reluctant to multiply. Just multiply into another room of the same house! They can still see all of their friends for at least part of the evening.
My experience is that when groups get too small—usually six or under if they meet on their own, they die. This becomes discouraging for the group members and devastating for the leaders. Yet, when the group of six or less is part of a larger group, it can benefit from the life of the larger group. It can also grow to a higher birth weight before an eventual launch out on its own.
I could go on about the benefits of the large/group small group combo. I am convinced that it is a winning method of effective ministry in the 21st century. Try it. I think you'll like it.
