We had a great GROUPER gathering of about 40 people this past Tuesday evening. We had a great meal and experienced some good fellowship and we had we had some informative discussion. Following is the essence of our plan and what we talked about.

We’ll be using the new term “LIFE Groups”…living life together. One of our goals is to increase LIFE Group participation from 20% of church membership to 40%. We’re going to develop and maintain a LIFE Group database to include who is in which group. In September, we plan to roll out an informational and sign up campaign to include Sunday sermon series by Pastor Money. In that same regard, we will be providing Sunday sermon lesson guides for Life Groups to use in their meetings and discussions. We also need to develop 6-8 new groups to fill “holes” that exist in the present selection of Sunday morning classes and existing LIFE Groups. Starting mid-September, we will be providing training for new and existing LIFE Group leaders. We are now putting together a support team for LIFE Groups. I’d be glad to talk to some of you about that. Finally, we are assembling a library of study materials for LIFE Groups to use during their meetings.

It was suggested that we could build groups out of existing ministries such as Food Pantry, Home Rangers, and Faith Community Nurses. It was asked how evangelism fits into the LIFE Group process. This is one of the foundational components and major roles of LIFE Groups, that is helping and encouraging each other in sharing our faith; see my previous blog on this topic. It was pointed out that Sunday morning classes have members, who are part of separate other groups, and, that there are others who could be a LIFE Group. There was general discussion of group size and it was stressed that some groups may need to split so that meetings are more personal and more encouraging for sharing, (15-18 people in a group is too many). It was also suggested that lists of potential LIFE group people to be contacted, be provided so that personal and telephone contacts may be made. One current group leader shared that he had invited neighbors to attend their meetings and they had now become active group members. That’s what it’s all about. Another current group member mentioned a family member’s experience, in Ohio, where they are provided with information each week based on the previous Sunday sermon. We’ll be doing that. It was suggested that when we see someone sitting alone in church that we approach them and sit with them and invite them to join a group.

Please be in prayer about your role in helping all the above come to pass.

I have been a member of several other churches that have small groups. They are called variously: growth groups, connection groups, community groups (ours currently), and several other names. Our goal is to start many more small groups, in the fall and beyond, to the point where we have 40-50% of our Sunday morning worship attendance in small groups.

Before I go much further, let me talk about the term “small groups.” By small, we mean 8 to 12 people. Why? Because, if a group gets bigger than 12, the dynamic of interaction changes and two things generally follow. First, some people feel intimidated by the size and are reluctant to open up to sharing, especially personal things. Second, as the group gets larger, many people don’t ask or answer questions about the subject being studied, and the same 4 or 5 folks do all the talking.

Now, back to the name thing. I (and many other group “experts”) believe that the name “connection” seems to say only a beginning place beyond worship attendance, and “community” sounds a little vague and non-descriptive. “Growth” might indicate that it is all about spiritual development and discipleship.

I want to call all those groups we’re going to start, LIFE groups, because groups especially as we find them in the New Testament, are about doing life together.

There is an anagram that says it: Living In Faith Every Day.  The point is that groups should do more than meet every Sunday or twice a month, during the week for study and fellowship and prayer. They should be sharing their own lives by caring for each other, encouraging each other and helping to equip one another. LIFE groups also share in the life of the church, exhibiting its DNA, as they live together.

When the apostle Paul said farewell to the Ephesian elders, he said. “I don’t care about my life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work the Lord Jesus gave me – to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.” Acts 20:24 (NCV) Evangelism is sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who do not know Him. Evangelism involves the privilege of working with God and representing Him to others, and it is a responsibility that all Christians share.

To share means I care about those in my sphere of influence. An acrostic shows how it works:

Capitalize on common ground – a place to begin.
Accept people where they are – not where you want them be.
Risk sharing your own personal story – What Christ has done for you.
Expect God to do His part – only the Holy Spirit can draw people to God.

The Great Commission was given to every follower of Jesus. As we “go about” we are to make disciples for Jesus. It is not the Great Suggestion. You and I are the only Christian some people will ever know. Groups need to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send forth workers (from among them). Groups can encourage one another to be sensitive to the needs of their own relational neighborhood. Groups can serve together in their local community, and then share what they have learned from the experience. A group can adopt an unreached people group – pray, give, send. They can be willing to support a local or regional mission outreach, or join with a national or overseas mission team.

Evangelism has eternal significance and is the only purpose you can’t do in heaven.

I’ve talked about groups being about community, care and discipleship, and they are certainly those things. But, a healthy group is also about ministry. Ministry is to people in the church, Missions (Evangelism) is to people outside the church (I’ll say more about that next time).
Every member of a group needs to discover, develop and deploy their God given assignment for ministry for the good of the body (1 Cor. 12:7; Eph2:10)). God has created each of us with special design for service. Groups need to cultivate people with a heart and belief for that special place and way of service/ ministry (John 13:4-5). You will never arrive at the state in life where you’re too important to help with menial tasks.
There are some things you do in a group, not because you are gifted, but because you are part of a family. Read Galatians 6:4 in the Message translation. Your design reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity.

Much of what goes on in small groups is (or should be) about spiritual growth.

There are several myths related to Spiritual growth:

MYTH                                                                      FACT
Growth is automatic                                             It is a choice
Growth can be instant                                          It is a gradual process
Growth come by attending church                    It comes be developing habits
You can attain growth by yourself                     You can’t grow without others
You can measure growth by beliefs                   It involves beliefs and behavior

The truth is that there are LAWS of Spiritual Growth. Here a few:

• It is incarnational, intentional and incremental – becoming more like Christ
• It is personal and relational – being part of the body of Christ
• It is multi-dimensional – being Christ’s ambassadors

We are planning to start 5-6 new groups (and hopefully more) in the fall who will be functioning with the FACTS and living by the LAWS of Spiritual Growth.

Our number one mission as Christians is to share our faith with those who do not know Jesus. The ultimate goal for being in a small group is to encourage and help equip us to tell the Good News that brought us to Christ. Unfortunately, the number one reason Christians don’t share Christ with others is that they are too preoccupied with themselves. Before you can care about others, you must become aware of them. Then start praying for them. Pray for three things:

• an opportunity to share your faith in a non-threatening way
• for God to soften their hearts
• for God to soften your heart

Your small group needs to believe God can reach the person – no one is hopeless. Jesus praised the four friends who brought their paralytic friend to Him. There are people in our world, probably in your life circles, who are paralyzed by doubts, loneliness, fears, and even in their faith. Your faith is going to have to bring them to Jesus. Your small group needs a plan to bring people to Jesus: invite friends to a backyard barbecue; have people over to your homes for dinner; spend time as a group learning about personal, relational evangelism. A small group can encourage each other to work through difficulties.

It’s not mission impossible – availability is the key. If you’re willing to love people, doors will open.

This past week, we observed a wonderful Maundy Thursday service. Pastor Glen explained that the word “maundy” comes from the Latin meaning “mandate,” because at the last Supper Jesus gave us several mandates about the Christian life, including loving one another. It is through love that we are the most like Christ.

At FBC, we have a variety of ministries that are committed to moving us toward Christ-likeness. Our intention is that small groups will become, more and more, the way we do ministry. It is essential that we understand the role they play in carrying out our overall mission.

Church life is the sum of all activities that promote Christ’s work of transformation. Programs, committees, and teams should be designed to serve His goal of changing lives and should be surrendered as obsolete when they fail to achieve this end.

Small groups provide the optimal environment for life change. Significant relationships (including one-to-one) occur best in the context of small groups. A small group of believers who love one another with God’s love will experience the “Christ life” at the deepest level.

Being part of a small group in a church is about belonging, just as to be a Christian is not about doing, it is about being. To understand belonging we have to first understand fellowship. Mathew 9:36 says, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were …sheep without a shepherd.” We need to see people through Jesus’ eyes. Fellowship is not just about a meeting, it is about doing life together.

The core of fellowship is understanding the questions people have:

• Do I fit here? This is a question about acceptance.
• Does anybody know me? This is about friendship.
• Am I needed? This is about value.
• What is required of me? A question of expectation.
• What is the advantage of joining? A question of benefit.

A group leader needs to create an environment for people to BELONG by:

Building authentic Connections – courtesy, honesty, and humility.
Experiencing life together – being loved, being served and being admonished.
Listening to one another – slow to speak and really hearing.
Owning your group – keep going and growing.
Nurturing love – meeting people’s needs.
Growing through tension – conflict resolution and protection.

I’ll have more to share about becoming a group leader in future articles.

Lots of churches have small groups. But if truth be known, they’re usually more of an add-on than a church-wide priority. To tell if small groups are an integral part of a church’s ministry, there is at least one simple measurement: the percentage of adults in Sunday morning worship who attend a small group. At FBC, that percentage is less than 20%.

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