I am a pastor at 
I was reading an article on Christianity Today and came across my exact understanding of small groups laid out in a really simple few paragraphs:
Okay, let’s all say it together: “We don’t want to be a church with small groups, but a church of small groups.” Everybody says it. Well, everybody but Mecklenburg.
We have found that small groups are very much needed by those who need small groups. Read that sentence again slowly. The truth is that many do not need them, and may not be best served by them.
We initially rebuffed this idea. Somehow it was sacrilegious to even verbalize the thought. In fact, small groups can become just as much a sacred cow to the contemporary church as Sunday school was to earlier generations.
We discovered instead that it is community that is taught in the Scriptures, not a programmatic methodology for achieving it. Yes, there were house churches in the New Testament, but this is a narrative insight, not a didactic teaching from Scripture. Early cell groups have more to do with the nature of the growth and culture of the early church than they do a methodological mandate.
We are not anti-small group. But small groups are not the answer for everything for everyone. We have had to learn to think beyond (read “in addition to”) small groups for assimilation, community, and pastoral care. Specifically, we’re rediscovering the lost art of one-on-one mentoring. We also encourage a team mentality and community spirit built around ministry activities.
When writing the copy for small groups on our new church website I wrote this:
We think small groups are great. We encourage everyone to be in Christian community where you are being encouraged and prayed with and prayed for. If that means an official small group, here are a few options. If you one of these options doesn’t work for you we encourage two ways forward. Either let us know and we’ll see if there is a need for a new group or gather some of your friends together and start your own. Just let us know how we can help.
Ryan said...
1We’re working toward a type of groups that are essentially mission groups (we’re not yet sure what to call them). I’m official done with groups that are nothing more than thereputic feel-good sessions where scripture is martialed to make my life work.
Instead we are beginning to form groups around missional challenges – questions. Scripture then plays an enormous role in shaping our lives around
God’s intention both for our lives and the life of the world. They are also very action oriented. In other words, we gather together to form our lives around what God’s is doing in the world and then act, in mission, together.
05/13/08 8:03 AM | Comment Link
Dubsy said...
2Interesting thoughts.
Our church here in South-central Alabama just began what we’re calling Karis groups. It’s not a program so-to-speak but rather an informal gathering of 2-5 people. We have this rad pamphlet that has some pretty probing questions for accountability and reflection (which hopefully would lead to confession and openness). The group I’m involved in rarely uses the pamphlet, we’re reading through William Guthrie’s The Christian’s Great Interest (Banner of Truth, Puritan Paperback).
I think the point is to create guidelines or suggestions for people who have been raised in me-and-jesus church culture their whole lives to become more God’s-people/kingdom/community-minded.
diggin your blog man!
PS – Helvetica was a good choice!
05/13/08 9:21 AM | Comment Link
Paul said...
3When my church first started a small group ministry about 7 years ago or so we were committed to being “a church of small groups.” About a year ago though we started thinking that small groups are not the right fit for everone so we developed what we call “Next Step Partnerships” (NSP) which include small groups, serving teams, prayer partnerships, and in the future mentoring relationships and recovery groups.
In retrospect, however, I’m starting to question whether that was the right move. First, it’s created a lot of confusion. People are constantly asking the difference between a small group and a NSP and the differences between various types of NSPs. The confusion has resulted in many people not participating in any NSP.
Additionally, some people – particularly those more spiritually mature – have opted for one-on-one prayer partnerships, which they like, but takes them out of a setting where they are in close relationships with other members of the church. As a result some less spiritually mature members of the church are probably not getting the opportunity to learn from, question, observe, etc from the veteran Christians.
So, I’m starting to think maybe being “a church of small groups” is the best option. It may not be a biblical mandate, but Jesus had a small group, Acts speaks of meeting in homes. God designed us each to live in a biological small group (aka family), perhaps asking everyone to be in a spiritual small group is best as wel.
Just thinking out loud.
05/13/08 1:59 PM | Comment Link
Pat said...
4This topic reminds me a lot of Joe Myers, The Search to Belong. http://urltea.com/36oc. I am a huge advocate of small groups, but I know they’re not for everybody. And I think you’re saying what Joe says too – provide different entry points to community and belonging, recognizing that individuals have unique needs.
05/13/08 8:44 PM | Comment Link
Todd said...
5Pat, you are perceptive. I am coming exactly from this perspective. Joe is a good friend and his books have been very, very influential to how we approach community at The Well…
nice sleuth skills.
05/14/08 11:01 AM | Comment Link
Larry said...
6We loved this posting…over the past twenty years I cant tell you how many times we felt at the periphery of a church body because we did not join a small group. We had community daily with a variety of churched and unchurched folks, but if we couldnt commit to a formal small group every week, we werent considered really part of things at a church. One size rarely fits all, especially with 4 young kids and one hour work commutes.
05/23/08 6:25 PM | Comment Link