#136 Why Lead a Small Group
Small groups are an essential element of the Church. I believe that ideally a church ought to be a collection of small groups. Comiskey writes about small groups that, “Many read this and saw cell groups as the answer to having a healthy church.” Small groups while not the answer to a healthy church are a large part of it. Small groups provide community, opportunity for growth, different options to connect, and opportunities for leadership which is essential to prevent church tyranny. Furthermore, as Stanley writes, “The small-group program is not an appendage; it is not a program we tacked onto an existing structure. The small group is part of our lifestyle.” I too have noticed that there is a strong correlation between church health and the number of available small groups. One church that I saw do groups quite well was Journey Church NYC which has over eighty percent small group attendance. As they strongly support the small group first model of church ministry. This approach is from Activate: an Entirely New Approach to Small Groups.
In my opinion the main reason to develop a small group ministry is that it is one of the primary ways people are discipled in the church today. I am pretty involved in the small group ministry at my church. Where I participate in five different small groups as an attendee and part time leader. I find myself connecting with other believers primarily in small groups and that I come to understand more about God in this context than I do in any other. I love to hear the hard questions and to be inspired to consider new aspects of my faith that I have yet to consider. Last year at a small group a man said, “what do I do when the only thing stopping you from committing suicide is the fear of hell?” Small groups are an invaluable tool in ministry. Where we get the chance to hear from all sorts of people and find issues like that and help. I plan to be involved in the church in one form or another for the reset of my life and being a part of small group ministries is a big part of that. So I am seeking to learn as much as I can about the subject now while I am focusing on education.
Joel Comiskey, Biblical Foundations for the Cell-Based Church: New Testament Insights for the 21st Century Church (CCS Publishing, 2012), 25.
