On Church Groups: Small Groups
In our last post on church groups, we gave an overview of why churches have large groups outside of Sundays and what churches do in those groups. In this post, we’re covering the same questions for small groups.
But first, let’s briefly look at their origins.
Where did small groups come from?
Small groups like the ones we typically think of started around the mid- 17 th century. That’s when a German Lutheran pastor named Philipp Jakob Spener began forming them in his church to stimulate a more living faith among his members. Spener himself got the idea from the small groups he participated in during his student days. From there, it took off in England, especially through John Wesley’s influence, and eventually made its way to the States.
In different seasons and places, believers have had to meet in small groups due to persecution. And in some cases, these groups became their own churches. To this day, small groups are a staple of most Protestant churches.
What are small groups?
Small groups are just that – ‘small’ groups of believers in a local church who meet regularly to “consider how to stimulate each other to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).
Typically, people share about their lives – their spiritual status, marriage, parenting, struggles and temptations, prayer requests – and then pray for each other. Many times, they also include some form of biblical study or review of other materials like Sunday’s sermon or a good Christian book.
And there is a leader who runs the group. They lead the study, facilitate the discussion, and direct the meeting to its fitting end. This also includes giving feedback or counsel (as needed) and asking questions during the sharings.
Why do churches have small groups?
Churches have small groups in order to foster all of the following at a more intimate level:
Relational Accountability (Heb 3:12-13) – an invitation to let others into your life to help you grow as you open up your heart to them
Loving Fellowship (1 Thess 5:11; Eph 4:29) – an investment of your life into those of others to help each other grow in Christ
Learning and Application (Jas 1:22-24) – pondering, discussing, and applying God’s Word or Christian material in a way that often cannot be done in a larger group
As you can see, small groups extend a church’s shepherding ministry beyond Sunday mornings through the whole body.
Because in a small group, it’s just easier to dig into a study or discussion, share more openly, and interact more closely with each other so that we can encourage each other’s “progress and joy in the faith” (Phil 1:25).
What makes for a good small group experience?
Study and discussion. This includes studying a passage of Scripture, discussing a chapter in a good Christian book, or reviewing the past Sunday’s sermon. This frames the whole time around God’s Word. That can also help open up people’s hearts to share more personally.
Meaningful sharing. Share specific heart-issues with specific life-news. Of course, this takes time and trust. And vulnerability can be scary. But remember why we are there: to bless others. As Paul said, “It’s more blessed to give than it is to receive” (Acts 20:35). And also remember, there is no condemnation in Christ (Rom 8:1). So, share about your relationship with Christ, what God is teaching you, your struggles and sins, and (yes) specific updates and prayer requests. In fact, you can turn your updates into prayer requests and even into confessions about your own failures. The more we share openly, the more it will encourage others to do the same. I’ve seen that dynamic play out numerous times!
Giving counsel wisely. Wisdom dictates that we get to know each other in order to give counsel and to give better counsel. We have to earn some relational capital to do that well. We have to show that we actually love them! Even then, we shouldn’t chime in on everything right then and there. Often, a brief word of encouragement and a promise to pray for them are going to be more effective than any guidance in the moment. Also, a good way to open up a door for giving feedback is asking follow-up questions. That’s a sign of being a good listener.
Keeping up with each other outside the meeting time. This can include having a group chat where prayer requests, updates, etc. are shared with each other. You can meet as a group for dinners. You can spend time one-on-one. Make the most of the time you have with each other to invest your life in theirs.
Here are some warnings about small groups.
Because small groups can be so helpful, we need to be mindful of a few pitfalls in order to help them flourish.
Groups are not the church. Don’t let your group supplant the church in your heart. The church is not one segment of the population. It’s the fellowship of all the saints. Some people may love their group, but not so much the church. So, people can be more faithful to their small group and not the Sunday gathering. It must not be that way.
Our attachment must be tempered. People will come and go, including you. If we get inordinately attached to one group, any change will not just be hard, but devastating. And that’s a sign of some kind of idolatry in our hearts.
But this issue is not only about people leaving, it’s about people coming in. We want to welcome new people to our groups. We want to welcome unbelievers who’d actually like to see what believers are really like. What a glorious opportunity for them to see genuine Christians in action!Hidden agendas undermine the purpose of small groups. Sometimes a group can be the platform for a leader’s theological or political hobbyhorses. Or a very tight-knit group can become an exclusive club, so no one really grows and no one new can join. Or a disgruntled group can become a mini-cabal that meets to voice their displeasure about the church.
Conclusion
Small groups are a great means to help each other grow in Christlikeness (Eph 4:11-13). You can take what you do in a large group and do it in a more concentrated way in a small group.
They provide a great opportunity to invest in others, which is really what the Christian life and the church are all about (Rom 12:9-16).