People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
The Purpose of Small Groups
Second article in a series by James W. Moss, Sr.See the first article - Small Groups
Why small groups? What is the basic purpose for the existence of small groups? Keeping groups going, finding leaders, and starting new ones are all difficult assignments. Why bother? There is a significant reason.
The basic purpose for small groups is fourfold.
1. Evangelism: Groups form a platform from which to evangelize. Efforts need to be made to introduce new and unchurched people into the small group life of a church. Leadership people need to be trained to share their faith with those who don’t know Jesus. Though traditionally a person’s first visit to a church is worship, when a church has a vibrant small group life some people will be attracted to the groups first and then to worship.
2. Incorporation: Small groups form the bonding factor that holds new people in the church. We know there are two factors that are essential to long-term participation in the life of the church. The new person must have two friends in the church besides the professional staff. In addition they need to be a part of a small face-to-face fellowship group where they are known by name, feel needed and wanted, and are missed if they are absent. These two incorporation factors are most frequently found in small groups. The tragedy for many churches is that the membership class is the new person’s small group. It ends with the induction of new members. The persons who have just joined are encouraged to find another group. Many don’t. That is why there is such a large attrition ratio among people in the first six months after taking membership in a church.
3. Fellowship: Our culture fosters loneliness. The small group base is the cornerstone of fellowship and the development of relationships in any church. I strongly recommend that all small groups, regardless of kind, have fellowship times away from their study time. The genius of the old fashioned Sunday school was the class meetings. Classes would meet once a month away from Sunday morning. That gave people a chance for building meaningful relationships. Relationships are a key to small group ministry. I believe that the churches that will emerge from this decade with a meaningful ministry are those that create a place where people can come and find friends.
4. Teaching: Purists in Christian Education have chided me and urged me to put teaching first. If evangelism, incorporation, and fellowship don’t happen, then I won’t have the opportunity to teach. We are to teach whatever Jesus has commanded. It is important to teach knowledge of God’s word and the principles of the Bible.
Characteristics of a good group
What are the characteristics of a good group? First, the teacher/leader loves the pupils. People will only follow a group leader who loves them. Second, as a result, the participants love the leader in return. The flow of love spreads so that the people love each other.
The good group is having an impact on their lives. The participants are growing and maturing spiritually. This growth is evident in their talk and their walk. In addition they are appreciating the curriculum being studied. Someone in the group will have to work hard to be certain that relationships are developed.
Remember, it is difficult to introduce new adults into groups that are more than two years old. So there needs to be the regular introduction of new small groups. Sometimes it is not recognized there is that connection between new groups and growth. Summit Church had an increase of nearly 25 in worship in one year. In talking with Pastor Jones, she revealed they had started a choir, a new Sunday school class, a youth group, and a women’s prayer group. I asked, “Why are you surprised? What are you going to add now?”
However, in the beginning of new groups, try not to destroy the old ones. In fact, the people in the old groups won’t permit new groups to be formed if they think that the new groups will mess up their groups. Cell division is not an option if it was not in the DNA from day one of the group. Don’t tamper with existing groups. Please don’t tamper with existing groups. Pretty please, with a little sugar on it—please don’t tamper with existing groups.
Next - Part 3; Evaluating Group Participation
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February 23, 2004. Volume 7, Issue 3. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.