Andy Stanley has a great little book out called, "Creating community - 5 keys to building a small group culture."
Great book.
I like his quote on the flyleaf of the book, "small groups are not an appendage to our ministry; they ARE our ministry. We think groups. We are driven by groups."
This is the direction we are headed in as a church.
Let's summarize the 5 keys in the next 5 days, taking a key a day.
Key number one:
People need community.
Stanley talks about going to Starbucks and finding a card there that they give employees that states on the front of the card, "create community. Make a difference in someone's day." On the back of the card it states, "When you work at Starbucks, you can make a difference in someone's day by creating an environment where neighbors and friends can get together and reconnect while enjoying a great coffee experience."
Wouldn't it be interesting to have a card that we hand out at our church that says on the front, "create community. Make a difference in someone's day."
And then on the back it could say, "When you come to First Assembly, you can make a difference in someone's day by creating an environment where neighbors and friends can get together and reconnect while enjoying the presence of God."
People are lonely. I am around people all day, every day, and yet there are times in the midst of a crowd that I feel lonely. I don't think I'm the only one. The only way to overcome loneliness is to connect with others on a deeper level.
Stanley writes, "We are a culture carving relationship. In the midst of our crowded existence, many of us are living lonely lives. We live and work in a sea of humanity, but we end up missing out on the benefits of regular, meaningful relationships."
God intended from the very beginning that we live in relationship with others. When we aren't in meaningful relationship, we suffer natural consequences, whether we realize it or not.
We lose perspective on life.
We begin to fear intimacy
We become selfish
We begin to experience poor health.
Stanley writes, "Living life alone does not accurately reflect the One whose image we bear."
Henry Cloud writes, "God created us with a hunger for relationship-for relationship with him and with our fellow people. At our very core we are relational beings."
One of God's biggest dreams for us is authentic community.
Did you know that God has a dream for you?
Jesus prayed in John 17, .....protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be ONE as we are one."
God desires that we be one.
God desires that we truly live out our faith, being real with one another in authenticity and truth.
Jesus goes on to pray in John 17:21, "so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
Wow....the greatest "apologetic", as Francis Schaeffer writes, is Christian community.
"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another," Jesus said.
That's what God has called the church to be about: creating environments where authentic community can take place.
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3 comments:
Hey !
Great thoughts on small groups !
Hope you don't mind if I reproduce your articles on small groups at www.grouplink.blogspot.com
Great words, Rick. One thing I think of as I read this is that what works for youth girls, does not work for boys. We cannot look to the same format or criteria for each small group. We have to look and see who is in our groups and what each individuals' needs are. To follow the same format for all will not work for all. I'm sure it is the same for adults, but adults can learn from more formal settings, whereas youth, junior high kids - you have about 3-7 seven minutes of their attention so it better be good and meaninful. The quicker the more they will retain and actually begin to grow in the things of God. I think small groups is truly about building relationships where others are at and as Rick said, thinking outside the box. That is not alwasy easy for someone like me who is not a "go with the flow" kind of gal. But, I'm willing to learn...
I agree with what Teresa O said - every group should have their own format. I also have found that each group can change their format within their own group from week to week. One week our group helped with an outreach of the church, one week we didn't even watch a DVD because the conversation around the dinner table had been so in depth and thought provoking and once in a while we just sit around and have a great time laughing with one another.
Each group has to find out what works for them - food or no food, child-care or no child-care, DVD's or in-depth bible studies, weekly or bi-weekly.
That is what is so great about small groups - if you don't like the way something is going or you get bored just change it up.
I have thoroughly enjoyed our small group and been blessed by the relationships that have been formed.
Also, to all those out there who think your house has to be immaculate and a beautiful dinner sitting on the table that's just not where's it's at. People don't mind a little dust or eating on paper plates so get over yourselves and enjoy people. In the end people are what count.
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