SO, WE GET IN SMALL GROUPS. THEN WHAT?

C. Philip Slate

It is likely that most of us have attended a funeral of a friend, or especially a fellow church member, and learned things about her or his life we wished we had known earlier. Those occurrences help to make up the statistic that regular church attendees will get to know no more than 42% of the people “at any level of significance.” The percentage might be higher in a small church where the numbers are more manageable. The percentage will usually be lower, however, in larger churches, unless those churches take steps to avoid being merely a “gathering of strangers.”

Knowing only a few fellow-Christians at a significant level might be tolerable in our individualistic society, but it hinders our “doing church” as specified in New Testament teaching. The Greek word allēlōn, meaning “one another”, “each other”, occurs nearly one hundred times in the New Testament, and fully a third of them refer to what Christians are to do in relationships: encourage, pray for, confess sins to, love, serve, weep with, and so forth (examples, Rom. 12:10, 16; 13:8; 14: 15:5; Eph. 4:2, 32; 5:21). Since most of those actions cannot be done while sitting row upon row, singing, partaking of the Lord’s supper, or listening to sermons—all good—thoughtful churches often use Bible classes or other groups to serve purposes beyond the assembly that are an inherent part of biblical church life.

Guide Groups to Productivity

It is known that when groups get together, especially in homes, they will talk! Usually, the subject matter, though not evil, fails to promote much godliness. I was once a member of a congregation with groups that met monthly in homes, had a light meal, reported on the work each had done (assignments given the previous week), and enjoyed each other. I created a list of eleven activities designed to let the group members know important things about each other. Without direction, groups tend to wander aimlessly. The following kind of questions were used successfully. Questions should vary, of course, depending on the makeup of the group, and the questions should be made known before the meeting.

1. Who you are and why you are here in this place? (Grow up here, came for work or education?)
2. Will you tell us how you became a Christian?
3. May we ask you about one person who had an influence for godliness in your life—made you want to be a Christian or to be a better one?
4. Will you tell us about some incident in your life that was especially meaningful and contributed to your Christian growth?
5. Which song or hymn has been meaningful to you at some point in life?
6. Likely we have all been blessed by a specific text if Scripture at some point in life. Will you tell us about one that has had meaning to you, fed you, encouraged you?
7. Have you been favorably impressed by a Christian family at some point in your life? If so, will you tell us briefly about them?
8. If you have had a very good experience in a Bible study—a class or with an individual—will you tell us about it?
9. Have you ever heard a sermon that really connected with where you were at the time? Or one that answered an important question you had? Or one that motivated you to act?
10. Has anyone ever helped you, been an encouragement to you, when you were having a tough time in life? If so, will you tell us briefly about it?
11. (Usually it takes two weeks to do this one because it occurs at end of the year. By this time the group has heard from everyone else several times). Have all group members to answer the question, “What do you appreciate about . . . ?” In this manner every group member has a chance to say something about every other group member. People will say things they would rarely say otherwise. It is an upbuilding exercise.

Response to our Culture

There is much loneliness and anonymity in our culture. Some crime is attributed to mental illness or less serious emotional disturbances. What Christians can do for one another contributes to emotional wellbeing, to wholesomeness, as well as to encourage spiritual growth and service. Smaller units of behavior enable people to interact healthily, to “have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12:25). Lacking smaller settings for interaction at a significant level, I don’t see how it can do its best for the Lord.