The Value of Small Groups

I believe in small groups.

Nearly ten years ago, my senior pastor asked me if I had any accountability relationships with other men. I responded that I did not. He encouraged me to consider forming a small group of men to whom I could be accountable. The idea of having a group of close friends with whom I could be transparent and open was an idea I quickly warmed to.

As I prayed about it, the Lord brought three men to my mind. Each one already knew me through their involvement in the worship ministry at the church where I was serving as worship pastor. I approached each of them individually, asking them if they would be willing to meet weekly with me for Bible study and prayer and for mutual accountability. Each man agreed to be a part of the group.  We began meeting at a McDonald's restaurant early in the morning every Friday.

I had no idea how important this group would become to me. As we shared together each week, we become as close as brothers, sharing our struggles, fears, pain, successes and joys. Our relationships became so transparent that there was nothing we held back from one another. It was a safe place to be. There was plenty of laughter, occasional tears, and deeply satisfying time spent together in God's Word and in prayer. Last year, I officiated the wedding of one of the guys. There have been dinners, ball games, work projects, house movings, and even family vacations with each other. We have experienced life together.

Through the years, the group grew to six men, and even today, over ten years later, we continue to stay in weekly contact with each other. I moved to Colorado from Arizona eight years ago, but the distance hasn't lessened our commitment to each other. There are emails flying back and forth many times each week. The rest of the group still meets each week, even though I am no longer there. We hold a yearly summer retreat in the mountains of northern Arizona, and it has become the spiritual highlight of our year. These brothers in Christ have given me some of the closest friendships I will ever have. These guys will be men I remain close to for the rest of my life.

I believe in small groups.

 

Are we losing sight of our true mission as Christ's church?

I have been on staff at several large churches over the past 20 years. At each church, those of us in leadership have spent a lot of time strategizing our approach to ministry and evaluating our methods and effectiveness. We have attended conferences at large and growing mega-churches, hoping to learn from their successes. We have adopted various mission statements, vision statements and priorities, each time trying to make them memorable and catchy.

This past summer, I took a break from ministry. I have been reading, thinking and praying about how we do church in today's American culture. I'm not sure I have many answers, but I have begun to ask some questions.

1.  In our effort to be appealing and relevant to our cultures, have we lost the primary importance of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ?
2.  Are we relying more on the human wisdom of marketing and packaging than we are on being dependent on the Holy Spirit for ministry guidance and spiritual fruit?
3. Is bigger really better when it comes to churches, or do we risk a culture where deep relationships and vital community are difficult to achieve?
4.  Do our clever marketing strategies actually work against the goal of producing mature followers of Jesus Christ?

I find my heart yearning for a return to the basic essentials - to the simplicity of focusing on the Great Commandment (to love God and love others) and the Great Commission (to go into the world and preach the gospel, baptizing and teaching those who believe).

Maybe all of our strategies and methods aren't bad in and of themselves, as long as we don't allow them to take leadership over the primacy of living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we approach the end days, we cannot afford to lose sight of why we have been left here on this earth. Life is too short, hell is too hot and too many people's lives are at stake.