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SMALL GROUP MINISTRY IN A LOCAL CONGREGATION
by ©Rev. Dr. José Abraham De Jesús-Rivera
"Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple,
they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and
generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all
the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number
those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46–47)
SEARCHING FOR COMMUNITY
From the beginning, the church was formed by small communities of people willing to share what they had found in the Good News of Jesus as the Christ. They shared in the temple and they shared in their homes. The book of Acts says that they had everything in common and no one lacked anything. The church thus began its life meeting in small groups.
Small groups have also been a key element in the development of popular religiosity throughout the world and have inspired powerful movements throughout the church's history. South African churches used small groups to raise consciousness about the policy of apartheid. In Latin America, church- based -communities began the largest change the Latin American Roman Catholic Church has ever experienced, and were fundamental to the development of liberation theology. During the 1970s, small groups became one of the tools used in the church renewal movement.
One purpose of small groups is to create a community of people who share the same interests and who are bound by a common pursuit. Pastoral psychologist Howard Clinebell affirms, "In the small, sharing group lies the power which enables persons to love more fully and live more creatively. This power is the people dynamic—'the power we have to recreate each other and ourselves through caring and sharing.'"1
Today many people hunger to find communities they can trust, communities where they can share some of the burdens they are carrying. Many church people are looking for small communities of study where they can become more knowledgeable about the Bible and deal with faith issues in their daily lives.
Thomas Kirkpatrick in Small Groups in the Church: A Handbook for Creating Community affirms:
Our problem of community, which noted sociologist Robert Nisbet calls the single most impressive fact of the twentieth century Western society, is relatively modern. For most of our human history, group life was a given. But we have less and less reason to be together and fewer and fewer ways of knowing each other, while our need for intimate and interpersonal relationships remains constant.2
Today, even churches with fifty to one hundred members may be too big to develop the intimacy necessary to deal with issues of faith, study, or support. Small groups, however, are places where intimate interpersonal relations can become a reality in the midst of the community of faith.
Scripture shows the early church to be a place where koinonia or fellowship was celebrated. It was not just the worship celebration that gathered people into the church in those days, but also the feeling of being with a special group of people. Communion (the Eucharist) became the center through which koinonia developed and was experienced. People today need to find those niches in which fellowship is experienced and celebrated.
Human beings also have some inherent spiritual needs that small groups can help fulfill. These needs are not "churchly" needs but spiritual ones—things that make humans who they are, independent of their particular religious beliefs. Howard Clinebell in Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counseling: Resources for the Ministry of Healing and Growth, identifies these needs:
- To develop a viable philosophy of life; a belief system and living symbols that give meaning to life.
- To develop creative images and values to guide our lifestyles constructively.
- To have a growing relationship and commitment to a loving God that integrates and energizes our life.
- To develop a higher self or soul as the center of our whole being (Assagioli).
- To renew our basic trust to maintain hope in the midst of losses and tragedies (Erickson).
- To discover ways to move from alienation of guilt to the reconciliation of forgiveness.
- To develop ways to undergird self-esteem and reduce alienating pride with an awareness of being deeply valued by God.
- To have regular moments of transcendence, mystical or "peak experiences" when we experience the eternal in the midst of time (Maslow).
- To belong to a caring community that nurtures and sustains us in our spiritual journey.3
Most of these human spiritual needs can be fulfilled in the small group ministry of any local congregation. People thirst for a place where they can find the nurture and care that will help them not only understand themselves but also understand what is going on in their lives and in the world around them.
More and more people are finding the support and fulfillment of their spiritual needs in small groups, not only in the church but also in the wider community. That is one reason why many support and advocacy groups have been founded and have been so successful, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Unfortunately, some individuals who do not have access to these types of opportunities isolate themselves from the rest of the community and from society. For many, "individualism" has proven to be just a temporary masquerade. Many end up in a psychologist's or psychiatrist's chair, attempting in that way to break the circle of loneliness and frustration created by isolation.
The church, then, has a unique opportunity to serve the needs not only of its members but also of the community. It can become a haven for those looking for a refuge, an identity, interpersonal relationships, or community and for those looking to fulfill their human spiritual needs through the Christian faith. The church can also open the door for some of these people to become members of the church as they discover there a faithful community that cares and people they can trust.
ARE SMALL GROUPS NEEDED IN YOUR CHURCH?
Many pastors and church leaders ask themselves if small groups could help their church. Consider the following:
- Are church members seeking to better understand how the Bible applies to their life situation?
- Has the work of the committees become a chore rather than a blessing?
- Do members of the church need personal care beyond what the staff can provide?
- Do members need opportunities to identify, use, and further develop their spiritual gifts?
- Do members and potential members need opportunities to connect with one another?
- Do members seek opportunities outside of worship to hear and receive God’s grace?
- Is there a need to develop leaders in your church?
- Has your membership failed to increase in numbers for several years due to members leaving or moving into inactivity?
- Is your church searching for new ways to retain members and reach inactive members?
- Does your church have a commitment to reaching people who are unchurched?
Should your church have a commitment to reaching people who are unchurched?4
If you have answered “yes” to some of these questions, small groups can enhance the totality of your church’s ministry.
FOCUS OF SMALL GROUPS
Although small groups can be created around many different issues, most can be categorized as focusing on one of the following:
Spiritual growth groups try to serve those members of the church concerned about their spiritual development and about practices which can help deepen their faith. The group’s focus on spiritual growth may lead participants to reflect upon scripture and their lived faith or encourage them to keep a journal about spiritual practices. This type of group may be especially interesting to older persons in the congregation.
A nurture and study group will excite many people who feel they need to learn more about the faith and the Scriptures. Many of these groups revolve around Bible study, Bible interpretation, and how the Bible speaks to us today. The small group Bible study is less structured and more relationship-oriented than the typical Bible study usually is. But Bible study is not the only way to nurture a congregation. Nurture and study groups may gather about almost any issue members are interested in.
Mission groups focus on ways the church can witness in the community and the world. Often these are task–oriented groups that support different local, national and international ministries. For example, some churches have small groups involved in Habitat for Humanity. The group focuses its involvement on this special project while also helping others in the congregation to know and reflect on various service opportunities.
Care and support groups in the church help people cope with life issues such as loss, divorce, addiction, marital problems, sexual and physical abuse, or any other emotional or psychological needs. These groups can grow very rapidly and should be handled by a well– trained leader with special organizational, caring, and counseling skills. They can also help to unload the pastoral counseling services in a more realistic way, either by offering group counseling or small group support.
Fellowship groups create opportunities for people to know and to share with others by doing things together, like watching movies, going to the theater, spending time in a park, hiking, or eating dinner together. This type of group responds to the social needs of people and can be very helpful when in the church. It gives people in the congregation an opportunity to get to know each other through deeper level of fellowship.
Within these five broad categories are endless possibilities for small group formation. Each local church can use the categories as a starting place as it discusses the small group ministry best suited for its own context and purpose.
SMALL GROUP SIZE
Definitions abound for the number of people that constitute a small group. Starting Small Groups and Keeping them Going recommends between seven to twelve people as the ideal number.5 A larger size will make the work of the small group more difficult and will inhibit the full participation of each member.
Bibliography:
1. Clinebell, Howard J. The People Dynamic: Changing Self and Society through Growth Groups, New York: Harper & Roe, 1972, vii.
2. Kirkpatrick, Thomas G. Small Groups in the Church: a handbook for creating community, New York: The Alban Institute, 1995, 10.
3. Clinebell, Howard J., Pastoral Care and Counseling: Nashville: Abingdon Press; 1984, 110.
4. Johnson, George S., Mayer David, and Vogel, Nancy Starting Small Groups—and Keeping Them Going, Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1995, 14.
5. Johnson, George S., Mayer David, and Vogel, Nancy Starting Small Groups—and Keeping Them Going, Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1995, 14.
©Rev. Dr. José Abraham De Jesús-Rivera
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