When I think of small groups, I think of my freshman year at the University of Tulsa. I remember our 9pm meetings in David Bohlen’s apartment who, as an upperclassman on track team, was discipling a group of younger teammates. We would meet and discuss a book we were going through and/or a passage of scripture David picked out for us to wrestle with. Inevitably, the conversation would digress from the book we were discussing to girls we thought were cute, upcoming track meets or class projects, et cetera… but weaved throughout all of our discourse was the golden thread of God, who was living and active in our lives, our studies and all of our extra-curricular activities.
These reflections bring about a sense of loss within me as I long for the transparency in friendship as Candace and I walk through life here in Pella, IA. I look back on the small groups of guys that supported me amidst a difficult family situation in college, a small group of guys and girls that helped me through my crisis of faith after leaving full-time ministry in 2004, and a small group of guys and girls that brought joy and perspective to my life amidst the 9-5 work week after grad school with heartfelt joy and thankfulness… It’s has always been in the context of small groups that I’ve encountered the love of God in my life.
In thinking about this experience, and let’s be clear, all of this is filtered through the lens of my experience, it seems as though small groups are something that the modern Church has struggled to understand and an even harder strategy to implement.
A brief history: As of late there has been a lot of movement in the church world to reclaim the small group dynamic, as we’ve moved from a rural economy to something much more urban. Cities have grown, small town’s have dried up, and in this flux — small neighborhood and rural churches have all but disappeared. And the ones still in existence have transitioned from vibrant reflections of Christ to something that more resembles a purple hair convention.
In this new landscape, community-driven churches seem to be few and far between, where one pastor lives and ministers in one place long enough to deeply know the congregants in the pews. Unfortunately, in place of community-driven churches, large mega churches have sprouted, converting shopping malls and old WalMart’s into modern technology-driven churches with an accelarated growth plan. These churches seem to attract young families wanting to raise their children in church (even though they’d been absent for much of their twenties) and baby boomers who have become disinfranchised witht he politics of smaller denominational churches. Many of these new church attendees are looking for the church to meet their need as opposed to being part of a community of people who help in filling a need. Yes, that is an over-generalization, but in all seriousness, it seems the mega-church targets a segment of society that believes going to church is a good habit to have, as opposed to the minority who believe Church is not an weekend experience rather it is a daily lifestyle.
These thoughts, along with a great brainstorming session with Pastor Marty Schmidt of The Bridge, in Ottumwa, Iowa, spurred creation of a sketch which was then beautified by designer, Brandon Jones, as seen below:
This diagram conveys the three main views of small groups as they relate to church strategy. Over the next few days (Wednesday-Friday) I’m going to outline each of these small group mentalities and try to facilitate a conversation in the comments section of each post. My hope is that we can (together) begin a dialogue moving small group interaction from a forced social engagement to a more missional and comfortable paradigm for people to go and grow in.
Below will be linked as the posts publish… so this will be the resource page for the discussion.
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Small Groups and the Church series posts:
*design by Brandon Jones
7 Comments on "small groups and the church [an introduction]"
Our pastor makes no bones about the fact that we’re all to be in a small group of some kind. We’ve been in the same one for three years, though a number of members have come and gone. One couple has become very close friends, and I’m so thankful for that. I think people who complain about large church congregations (just for the same of being large) must not be in relational small groups or serving in specific ministries.
Yeah… interesting point, Joy. Wondering how many people don’t engage with others at church and then blame the church for not being engaging?
I agree with much of what you say. However, it is my experience that the small church is alive and well and is a great expression of the ultimate small group dynamic. Of course there are many small congregations that are “purple hair conventions” but many are very much alive and serving the Lord. God bless!
Terry Reed
Small Church Tools
Thanks Terry! Yes, it is a generalization to call all community churches “purple hair conventions,” I was trying to use that correlation to make a point, but may have been too critical on the reality of today’s small church environment.
How have you seen small groups be utilized in these communities?
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