I’ve heard communications and marketing experts believe people have to hear things 17 different times before it sinks in. Maybe it was 16 times; I’m not sure. The person who told me this told me only once.
Ten years ago, our pastors started talking to each other and to anybody else who knew anything about small groups. What we quickly discovered is that no church like ours saw small groups as a ministry pillar like we envisioned small groups should be. On the rare occasion where some church had something that resembled what we envisioned, the practice of that particular church was more in line with a random gathering the evening of a 5th Sunday. We wanted more for our church because we believe the New Testament calls for a greater level of commitment among the people of a local church.
In 2011 the move to a church of small groups may have been the biggest philosophical change in the history of our church. This is 2020 where we are experiencing the consequences of Covid-19. One consequence was a blow to the gathering and ministry of our small groups. In rebuilding our ministries, we need to relearn what it means for small groups to be a core value at our church, and why every member in our church should be a part of small group. We need to regroup.
Small groups are about discipleship. Our Lord gave us the responsibility of making disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20). We are to teach new disciples everything that Jesus taught, and that cycle is to continue from one generation to the next (2 Timothy 2:2). The reason we made such a big change and the reason we expect every member to be a part of small group is discipleship. We are trying to do what Jesus commands us to do – make disciples.
Since Acts 2 and the formation of the church, disciples of Jesus Christ do the same things through the centuries. Some people call those timeless activities one thing, while another person calls them something else. We call them the 4 C’s. For the last 2,000 years, true disciples of Jesus Christ CONNECT, CARE, CONVERSE, and CHASE. Those words guide us as we pursue discipleship, and those words evaluate our attempts to produce disciples.
The 4 C’s teach you what should occur in your small groups, both at your weekly small group meeting and after your meeting ends until it begins one week later. You will know if your small group is producing disciples if the members of your small group CONNECT with each other, CARE for each other, CONVERSE with each other, and CHASE after others.
Members of a small group know each other’s names, histories, strengths, gifts, weaknesses, passions, struggles, dreams, and fears. We believe Christianity is personal, but Christianity is not private. When we CONNECT with other disciples, we move into the realm of contributing to and receiving from other disciples. Contributing to and receiving from is the meaning of the body, building, and family word pictures in the New Testament that describes the community of Christians in a local church.
Members of a small group provide the front line for physical and spiritual CARE of each other. Members of a turn to each other for spiritual help. They seek out another in their small group for spiritual help. Accountability occurs among the members of a small group. The members of a small group help each other become more like Christ. Members of a small group view themselves as a necessary part of the spiritual growth of all the others in their group. Disciples CARE for each other.
Members of a small group CONVERSE with each other about God and His Word and CONVERSE together with God in prayer. Some of that conversation happens in small group meetings but not all of it. Small group members CONVERSE with other group members throughout the week. Small group members CONVERSE with others about God’s working through His Word in their lives. They CONVERSE together in prayer at times other than the weekly small group meeting. Disciples CONVERSE with each other about God and His Word and together with God in prayer as often as they possibly can.
Jesus’s disciples CHASE other people. We CHASE the lost, the fringe, and the wandering. CHASE means we pursue people. Disciples CHASE those who do not know God through Jesus Christ, beginning with those in their own web of relationships. Disciples CHASE those in our church who are on the fringe. Disciples CHASE other disciples who have wandered from the Lord. When someone in a small group misses a small group meeting, small group members make efforts to find out the reason. When someone in a small group misses a Sunday morning worship service or the education hour, small group members recognize this and do something; they send a text, make a phone call, write an email, or make contact to find out what was the cause for that person’s absence. Maybe it’s a simple matter like bad roads. Maybe it’s a more significant matter like hiding from the body. Whatever the reason, faithful disciples of Jesus Christ CHASE each other.
The separation of the church caused by the coronavirus decimated many of our small groups. We need our small groups for the growth of the disciples in our church. Let’s commit to the growth of other disciples by committing to a small group
As always, I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.
Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision