Skip to main content

When a Small Group isn't a Small Group

That seems like a crazy title. It doesn't sit well with my math-leaning mind. How can a small group not be a small group? Let's focus on purpose. Small groups are about sanctification (i.e., the process of Jesus' disciples being conformed into His image as Paul wrote about in Romans 8:29, the often left-off completion to the often quoted Romans 8:28). In the Harvest Bible Chapel (http://harvestbiblechapel.org/) paradigm, small groups are about walking in Christ in community.


With the purpose defined, I contend there are groups meeting in your church carrying the small group label that aren't really small groups. So when is a small group not a small group?



  • When it is a Bible study
    Wait a minute. I cannot possibly be dissing Bible studies, can I? Clearly Jesus' disciples should study His word. But small groups are to be more than a "What do you think?" discussion of our favorite book of the Bible. Small group has to be a vehicle to push to application of God's word. Application of the truth, application of knowledge is biblical wisdom. In a section on pressing to application in Why Small Groups chapter 4, "What Makes a Great Leader?" Mark Mullery writes, "The most challenging aspect of leading a discussion is trying to press the point home to application. The leader who fails to bring application leads his group down a merry path to deception!

  • When there is no transparency

    Without transparency and without confession of sin, there is no mercy. Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)
    There should be regular confession of sin one to another in small group. Therefore, confess your sins one to another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:16)

  • When there is no real accountability
    As John the Baptist told the Pharisees, who were just watching baptisms from a safe distance and not the least bit interested in following Jesus, real followers of Christ are to "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matthew 3:8). Asking for and accepting genuine, in-your-face-when-it-needs-to-be accountability is a fruit of repentance. If there isn't real, uncomfortable accountability in your small group, you aren't helping each other toward repentance (i.e., a turning from our wicked ways and turning or returning to God).

I am sure you could add to this list. But the goal isn't to have an exhaustive list. Rather I want you to look at your current small group or other groups in your ministry area that carry the "small group" label. Is the group focused on sanctification? Is the group focused on walking with Christ? Is the "small group" really a small group?

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Day That Changed Everything

It was a mid May Saturday morning in Madison, Wisconsin in 1980-something as Adam Goldberg would say at the beginning of an episode of "The Goldbergs." While that works well for storytelling on television and basing an episode loosely on real events, I remember exactly what day it was. This was Saturday, May 12, 1984. My girlfriend, Kim - now my wife of nearly 38 years, and I were figuring out what we might do that day. Whatever we were going to do, it would start with going out for breakfast, perhaps to Mickey's Dairy Bar, and eventually move to studying. Finals would start the next day. It was my second semester senior year, her second semester sophomore year. My younger brother, Tom, nineteen months younger than me, two years behind me in school and the youngest of five children, was also a sophomore, all of us at the University of Wisconsin (UW to its alumni) in Madison. A few days of tests were between them and summer. A few days were between me and college graduatio
Post a Comment
Read more

The Burn: Stage 2

Today marks exactly thirteen months since an episode I still do not fully understand landed me in the ER. Since then, I have suffered nearly daily headaches. More accurately, I have battled a headache severe enough to require me to take some sort of abortive action somewhere around 60% of the days over the last thirteen months. The majority of the time that means taking a rescue medication often accompanied by an anti-nausea medication, putting an ice pack on my neck, another ice pack over my eyes and head, and sleeping for 2-3 hours in a dark room. Some days I go back to sleep again later the same day. By my rough approximation, I have slept the equivalent of nearly a full month of days of extra time over the last year trying to fight off these headaches. This journey has already taken me places I had never been and places I did not know existed. Of course there is a complicated physical aspect to these headaches. I have worked with my primary care provider, a neurologist, pain manage
Post a Comment
Read more

One Year Later -- A Look Behind the Mask of James MacDonald

Recently, James MacDonald started a 40-day “devotional” video series leading up to a re-launch into "ministry." He started this series exactly one year to the day that the elders of Harvest Bible Chapel fired him for cause. If you know James MacDonald, you know starting his “devotional” on February 12, 2020 was intentional. If you don’t know James MacDonald, you need to know starting on that date was intentional.  The verse MacDonald used in his February 9 Facebook page teaser post caught my attention : … for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16:9 ESV) By using this verse and including the second half of the verse, MacDonald hopes to position anyone opposing his return to “ministry” as adversaries. MacDonald regularly portrays himself as under attack or as the victim. He is doing his best to weaponize Scripture here. If you know MacDonald you may share my skepticism. You may share my concern as you see hi
Post a Comment
Read more