Discovering Community Through Small Groups - George Hoherd

Insight Paper: Discovering Community Through Small Groups Author: George Hoherd Insight Papers Index

"Jesus Yes, the Church No!" The bumper sticker on the hippie van reflected my attitude as the 1960s drew to a close. Though I was reared in a Christian home and had accepted Christ at age 16, by the time I was a senior in high school I had concluded that the church was irrelevant and had little if nothing to say about the real world where I lived, struggled, questioned and dreamed. Years later, as I approached my 28th birthday, that was about to change. Although I had started going to church again, it was mainly to please my new bride, a strong Christian who hadn't experienced my disillusionment. Some people from our church invited us to attend a discussion group in their home. We had become friends with another young couple, Larry and Jan, and the meeting was in their apartment overlooking downtown Portland, Oregon.
The atmosphere was very casual and inviting. People sat around, munching on snacks as they visited and laughed. Their pet rabbit Twitch hopped around the room, nibbling at our toes. When it came time for the study, Larry explained that there was no teacher. Rather, we were going to let the Bible speak for itself and exchange personal experiences and ideas about how the passage related to our lives. Someone prayed a simple prayer asking the Lord to bless our study. Then Larry asked another person to read a short scripture and a question out of the study booklet. We went around the circle and each person answered the question. As we worked through the study, the questions focused on the relevancy of the scripture to our day-to-day living. For example, one of the questions came from I John 5:4, which talks about overcoming the world. The question was not ,"What is the world?" but rather, "How well did you overcome the world this week?" At the close of the evening someone asked if there was anyone who had a prayer request. Then we had a time of praying for each other, visited a while and the evening was over.

Looking back, the above account sounds so simple, but at the time it was like the lights coming on in a dark room. It's hard to imagine, but in all my years in the church I had never experienced the fellowship, the koinonia that the N.T. talks about. I knew that I had connected with what was missing in my Christianity. We came back the next week, and the next week and the rest of the year. That was almost 25 years ago but the impact has been lasting. We still keep in touch with Larry and Jan. I still have that coffee stained booklet with small teeth marks on a page where Twitch nibbled while our eyes were closed in prayer. And my wife and I have been involved in a wide variety of small groups around the country ever since. Small groups helped me learn how to:
pray out loud
pray for other people
stretch my comfort zone and let people pray for me
introduce people to Christ
discover and use my spiritual gifts
appreciate and love a wide variety of Christians
study the Bible in a personal way

Small Groups and the Local Church
People come to church for a variety of reasons. Some come because they are drowning, some to test the water. They bring with them a vast array of needs, problems and interests. In one way or another they are hoping that the church, which claims to speak for God, will be relevant -- that is, it will deal with their problems and have answers to the big questions of life. The church does try to help people with their problems and it does seek to give answers to the big questions of life. But it is impossible for people to find what they are seeking by simply attending a Sunday morning service. So a balanced church tries to provide a variety of opportunities to meet the needs of the people it serves. One of the most important of these is the small group ministry. Its purpose is to enhance, broaden and compliment the Sunday morning meeting.

"We envision and will strive to build a church that is committed to small group ministries. We believe that much of the life of the church is to take place in homes where small groups can meet for Bible study, prayer, fellowship, encouragement, outreach, accountability and the nurturing of relationships."

Jesus and Paul as Small Group Leaders
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said "Where two or three have gathered in my name, there I am in their midst." When He began to establish His earthly ministry, He did it through a small group. "He appointed twelve ... that they might be with Him" (Mark 3:14). In Paul's farewell address to the Ephesians elders in Acts 20:18-20 he states, "You yourselves know ... how I did not shrink from declaring to you ... and teaching you publicly and from house to house." Most of the rest of the New Testament deals with the attitudes and actions that characterize the church as it attempts to become a family, a Christian community. The most well known example is Acts 2:42-47.

The Church as a Community
A few years ago an article in "Pastoral Renewal" entitled "The Quiet Passing of Natural Community" stated that in America, there was a time when community tended to be natural and easy to find. Today, however, because of cultural changes, community can be experienced only if one searches for it and works at it. One place where community can still be found is in the small group ministry of the local church. We are told in Scripture to...
"be devoted to one another" (Romans 12:10),
"accept one another" (Romans 15:7),
"care for one another" (1 Cor. 12:25),
"bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2),
"encourage one another" (1 Thess. 5:11),
"serve one another" (1 Peter 4:10), and to
"love one another" (1 John 4:11).

These ways of "one anothering" can happen only if relationships are intentional and deeper than the usual "Hi, how are you - I'm fine" routine that reflects the relationships of many people, including Christians. Small groups provide an excellent opportunity for people who want to create a caring, supportive community of Christ.

What Are the Goals of a Small Group?
It's important that small groups have the freedom to be flexible and creative while staying within biblical guidelines. The following four goals provide that balance. Most groups tend to be strong in one area while incorporating all four in one way or another.

1. Fellowship -- Acts 2:42-47
Henry Nouwen said, "Apart from a vital relationship with a caring community, a vital relationship with Christ is not possible." Small groups provide a level of intimacy and community common in the early church that is still needed by believers today. Many people say that a small group is where they began to feel "connected" to the church, especially if the church is large. Some people form friendships that last a lifetime. Retreats, socials, hiking, video nights, skiing, eating out at restaurants are just a few ways of bonding. Just as Jesus chose the twelve to "be with Him", we need to spend time just being with other members of the family.

"The evangelism which will be most effective in the city will use small groups as it’s basic methodology."
Howard Snyder,
The Problem with Wineskins

2. Growth -- Romans 12:1-2,6-8, 2 Timothy 2:15
Small groups can provide instruction and growth through Bible study, multi-media presentations, discovering and using spiritual gifts to minister to one another. They provides opportunity to interact and discuss individual life situations.

3. Worship -- John 4:23-24, Ephesians 5:19-20, l Corinthians 14:26
Small groups provide an opportunity to worship God through prayer, meditating on scripture, singing, listening to music tapes, and sharing in the Lord's supper. Some groups like to attend special events together, like concerts or seminars, then meet to discuss what they experienced.

4. Outreach and Evangelism -- Gal. 6:10, Matt 28:18-20
Small groups can advance the mission of the church through evangelism, missions, service projects both in and out of the church and other outreach opportunities. A leader in the small group movement, Lyman Coleman, suggests that at each meeting a chair be placed in the circle but kept unoccupied, then during the closing prayer a petition is made to God to fill that chair with an unbeliever.

How Do Small Groups Relate to the Total Ministry of the Church?
We are told in Ephesians 4:11-13 that God wants believers to come to a unity in their faith so they will all be "tracking together" spiritually. It is important that each group leader, and hopefully each group member, have a working knowledge of the mission, doctrine and purpose of the church. A good way to accomplish this is to have each group leader get copies of: 1) The vision statement of the church, 2) the doctrinal statement of the church and 3) the grace of God position paper. (These can be picked up at the church office or in the literature rack in the church foyer). These papers can be used as discussion guides or take-home papers and are a great way for newcomers and new groups to be grounded in the basics of FBC.

"I have watched more lives genuinely converted in and through small group meetings for prayer, Bible study, and the sharing of life than in the usual organization and activities of the institutional church."
Robert Raines,
New Life in the Church

Training, Support and Accountability
Ephesians 4:11-13 also tells us that God gives leaders to the local church to equip Christians so they can do the work of the ministry. FBC provides on-going training, support and encouragement for our leaders and members. This happens one-on-one, in small groups, and in larger meetings. We also have curriculum materials, user-friendly study guides and other resources. Leaders are encouraged to take advantage of these resources.

Testimonies
Many people will tell you that a small group is the place where they moved from simply attending church to becoming part of a community of Christ. It is where they found a place to:
celebrate the joys of life
receive support in the struggles of life
connect with other believers
grow close to the Lord
be strengthened in their journey
experience the scriptures in a personal way

A recent divorcee: "My small group is the only thing that kept me afloat during my divorce. I simply couldn't have made it without their support."
A student: "My real family is a thousand miles away. My small group is like a second family to me. I love being in the home of the group leaders."
A salesman: "It's like an island where I can relax and just be me without having to perform or be on top of things all the time."
A homemaker: "I have some areas in my life where I am really struggling. My group helps me find answers in the Bible and keeps me accountable."
The prayer of FBC is that our small groups will provide people with a Christ-centered, Bible-based community where each individual can be accepted, loved and encouraged to mature into the person that God created them to be.

How Do I Get Involved?
To learn more about how you can be involved in a small group, stop by our information booth in the Fellowship Mall, or call the church office at 593-2433.