If you’ve been following the blog for very long, you’ve probably noticed I have a love/hate relationship with small groups. For the ninety minutes or so I’m attending a group, I love it. Outside of those ninety minutes, I’ve tended to hate it more than anything. But over the past few months, I’m starting to have a Julia Stiles, Ten Things I Hate About You moment with it.
I hate the way you take up a free night
I hate it when the kids get in a fistfight
I hate it when no one wants to lead
Probably because they have an entire group to feed
I hate that I can’t find anyone to lead the ministry
And the fact that no one attends because of ball
But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you
Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
Before I wrote blogs, I wrote poetry. My mom said I had a gift.
Regardless, the truth is, as much as I want to hate groups, I have to admit I need them.
And so do you.
Here’s why:
- Groups are a great way to evangelize.
Your neighbors may not be ready to come to church just yet, but they would attend a group focused around how to make their marriage better. Once they’re a part of your group, they make friendships, their marriage gets better, and they realize maybe they need Jesus.
- Groups can be great for discipleship.
I’ve discovered most people aren’t thinking about how to grow closer to God. They have too much going on already, and it gets pushed to the background, unless they’re part of a group that talks about it.
- Groups can be a great way to identify and train new leaders.
If someone can lead a successful group, there’s a good chance they can lead a ministry. If they can’t lead a successful group, then you know they probably shouldn’t be leading a ministry. Either way, you’ve discovered something very important without much risk.
The benefits of a healthy group ministry are tremendous. I hesitate to say it because of my past frustrations, but I almost think it’s vital to the health of your church.
And so, I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of work to do in this area because it may be the difference between a stagnant and a growing church.
On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the small group ministry at your church? Do you have any frustrations? I’d love to hear about it, so leave a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to get tips on church growth, leadership, and more delivered to your inbox each week.
