What Makes a Small Group?
Some clearly define "small groups," and some don't--here's why it's important we do.
That’s why I’m such a big fan of small groups. When done correctly, no other ministry has greater potential for life-changing connection and community. No other ministry has a better shot of sewing together the fragments and divisions of the American church—let alone the American lifestyle.
But that begs an important question: What makes a small group a small group?
I started thinking about that after spending some time with my grandfather—Pap Pap, I call him—in St. Augustine, Florida, this past summer. He is exceedingly proud to have a grandson working for Christianity Today International, although it’s taken some convincing on my part to have him grudgingly accept that I don’t produce any of the magazines.
On this recent visit, I had a chance to explain a little more about what I actually do—managing the content for BuildingSmallGroups.com and Smallgroups.com. He seemed a little disappointed. In fact, he informed me that his church was growing by leaps and bounds because they did things “the old fashioned way,” through preaching and teaching.
Later in the conversation, though, Pap Pap told me about his favorite ministry at the church—a weekly prayer meeting of 10 men, all volunteer leaders. They gather every Wednesday for breakfast at a local restaurant and seek the Lord’s favor for their families, their church, and their community. My Pap Pap (a college athlete and WWII veteran) literally had tears in his eyes when he said, “I just love those guys.”
So what is a small group?
Is it a weekly gathering of 8 or 10 people playing games in the living room of someone’s home? Is it a group of bacon-fueled men joining together in prayer and fellowship? Is it 6 or 7 women meeting regularly in an online chat room, or sending updates and requests through e-mail? Is it a church softball team that shares a Bible study after each game? Is it a house church, or a cell gathering, or a home team?
Is it all of these examples? Is it none?
Maybe you think it doesn’t matter—that there’s no point in figuring out some kind of consensus definition of what a small group is and what a small group is not. But I don’t agree. Like I said before, I’ve seen small groups bring healing to lonely individuals and community to a fragmented ministry—when done correctly. But I’ve also seen groups devolve into cliques and gossip and strife.
So I’ll keep chewing on those questions, even though I don’t have an answer now and don’t plan on finding one for a long time. Lord willing, I hope to get more things right than wrong until I do.
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Comments
I once owned a book by Roberta Hestenes which addressed this very issue: There are all kinds of groups in the church, work groups, committees, etc. that can function as a "small groups" with a little added effort. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the book. Maybe someone out there can help us with a title.
Posted by: Barry Lillie | October 23, 2007 9:14 AM
Sam,
You're right to seek some kind of definition for small groups in the context of church if for no other reason than to help people get a better handle on how they're pursuing God. I guess I've asked a thousands people the question; are you in a small group? only to spend the next ten minutes trying to figure out if what they just told me was actually what I was talking about. What I should have asked, I guess, was; Are you in a relationship with at least 8-10 people who are willing to help you see Christ in your life through God's word, God'sd people and God's activities? I'm all for Christians building Biblical relationships in as many ways as they can but I hesitate to classify all of them as the best way to strengthen one's relationship with Christ. I tend to think that a small group of people who trust one another and can share what is on their heart is quite different from a co-ed softball team or a bunch of guys who enjoy helping a widow with her yard work. Some folks like yard work and I have actually seen team sports them lead people to Christ but I don't think of the every gathering of 8-10 Christians as a small group.
Posted by: Jimmy Hill | October 23, 2007 1:56 PM
Barry, I think that book is "Turning Committees into Communities," by Roberta Hestenes. It's still available on CBD:
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=1093028&netp_id=164593&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW?tCode=97DB4E8615&dCode=8F4B728548
Posted by: Sam | October 23, 2007 3:41 PM
Sam,
I work with small groups in the local church and have similar questions. I think you are purposefully trying not to recommend a formula for defining a small group for every local church, but I would find it helpful if you could you give one or two of your favorite examples from churches that have agreed on a "definition" of what their particular small groups are.
Thanks!
Posted by: Shayne Wessel | October 25, 2007 1:03 PM
Hi Shayne,
A lot of churches are following the Saddleback model right now, which basically says a small group should follow the five purposes of the church: worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship, and evangelism. Churches with this philosophy keep their groups intentionally well-rounded.
Other churches prefer to focus on a few of these areas in groups, and take care of the rest elsewhere. Teaching and prayer are the most common "functions" of these groups. They are usually Bible studies that spend a little bit of time in fellowship, a longer time in prayer, and the longest time studying.
Or, many churches stick to what they call "free market" small groups. They're also called "affinity groups." In these churches, if a bunch of people enjoy softball together, they turn their softball time into a small group. They are mainly focused on fellowship, and usually add in some time for prayer.
As you mentioned, none of these are necessarily better than the other. It's just a matter of what your church is trying to accomplish through the small-groups ministry.
Posted by: Sam O'Neal | October 25, 2007 1:27 PM
This is something we're working on going into 2008: Train our ministry leaders -- Awana, worship team, greeters, missions committee, hospitality, etc. -- to think in terms of small groups and to use their ministry to build connections and to develop leaders/disciplemakers.
I like what I heard one pastor say: Ministry for people, not people for ministry. The object of our ministries isn't so much to get stuff done, but to build people.
Posted by: Dan B. | October 25, 2007 3:37 PM
Thank you, Sam for leaving the question open ended for now. It's helpful to chew on it and read others' comments. I, too, attended the Saddleback conference on Small Groups earlier this year. One correction (respectfully): The 5 purposes are worship, ministry (service), discipleship, fellowship, and evangelism. At my church, the charge to small group leaders is to help group members 'keep these 5 purposes in sight,' though we don't necessarily spend time in each area each time we meet.
Dan Wegrzyn Oct.28
Posted by: Dan Wegrzyn | October 28, 2007 6:20 PM