Small Groups

Mission

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Why are small groups so important to the health of a church?

Because they can – at their best – provide some vital ingredients for our growth as Christians, that are not on offer in the main church meetings. And that is why Moses used them, Jesus used them, the Early Church used them.

We begin life in a small group (usually) – the family.  Small groups, in churches, can provide support, love, a sense of belonging – all the things that many people in society crave. They can provide a safe place for discussing the teaching given on a Sunday morning, asking questions.

Worship is often seen as just meaning singing, but a small group can provide an ideal place for experimenting with many other kinds of worship, including silent meditation. People can bring ongoing issues for prayer and support, and the small group can be a better place to bring friends who are interested in exploring faith, especially if that small group provides visitor-friendly events, such as meals, walks and days out. 

Very few church leaders need to be convinced of the value of small groups – in theory!  So why are they such a pain in practice?  Why does it never work as well in a local church as it sounded when they explained it at the conference? 

Part of the answer is that people are much more difficult to organise than names on a piece of paper.  In addition we also need to recognise that house groups don’t just happen.  In fact, for the first few months they don’t solve problems in the church – they cause them. And if we don’t set them up correctly they go on causing problems for a long time. 

It would not be an exaggeration to say that some churches have instituted small groups and regretted it ever since!  Their house groups have produced disunity and division while declining numbers have seen disillusionment set in and groups disband.

Many churches would benefit from a radical rethink of their house groups, or a thoroughly biblical, helpful idea will continue to see its amazing potential unfulfilled.  From time to time we need to go back to basics and examine the factors that make small group structures so vital.

House groups: the choices

There are basically five possible ways of dividing a church into small groups:

•   By geography: Linking people together by virtue of where they live.  Those churches which follow this system generally work towards a specific goal, such as setting up a group in every street, or establishing a group for every twenty-five houses in the community.  (These are ideals – I don’t know of any local church which has achieved either, yet!)

•   By age: Banding people together by virtue of age – groups for teenagers, young marrieds, the middle-aged. This system is used by many southern Baptists in America.

•   By ‘mix’: Putting folk together in order to achieve a ‘mini-church’ feel.  It is a deliberate attempt to mix old and young, new Christians and mature, singles and marrieds.

•   By subject: Giving people the choice of various study options, such as prayer, the second coming, the book of James.  People can work together on a subject that really captures their interest.

•   By ministry: Linking individuals with similar gifts or tasks in the life of the church – the music group, evangelism team, deacons.  These groups can be used for planning and worship.

Having got the groups sorted out, what is the next vital issue? Training, training and training – both prior to people becoming homegroup leaders and once they have taken up their posts. Next month we will look at a series of guidelines for homegroup leaders, but let me say, as strongly as I can, that if your church does not take the equipping of its homegroup leaders seriously, you risk disaster.

Running a small group, making everyone feel included, including those who don't want to say anything, gently restraining those who want to say too much; comforting and supporting those who are facing serious illness, marriage breakup, teenagers going off the rails, redundancy, problems with ageing parents, financial problems – without the group becoming simply a place that concentrates on these difficulties – it's a huge task.

And that is only the pastoral side. If your homegroup leaders are in place, it is still not too late – take seriously the need to train them.

(first published in The Baptist Times September 2010)