DEVELOPING DYNAMIC SMALL GROUPS AT RIVERTON BAPTIST COMMUNITY CHURCH

Pastor Colin Meadows

Churches need to have times when the members meet together for corporate worship. They also need times when in small groups people can meet for personal encouragement and spiritual formation. Small groups in churches thus have a vital role to play and we at RBC are committed to their growth and development.

Biblical basis for Small Groups: See Acts 2:42-57. Here we note that the early Christians met together and broke bread or held communion in each other’s homes. The believers were seeking to create a culture of community, to reach out to others and to grow in their faith.

There were various kinds of small groups operating at that time. These included the initial group of disciples (potential leaders), the inner core (Peter, James, John), various witnessing and outreach groups (see for example Luke 9,10), prayer meeting groups (Acts 1:18), administrative groups (Acts 15) and many others. This is much the same for us in our church environment today. We have numerous types of ‘small groups’ that are meeting regularly in our church to carry out various functions. Here we will focus on small groups that meet for Bible study.

What constitutes a Small Group: Roberta Hestenes speaks of a small group as being ‘an intentional face to face gathering of 3 to 12 people meeting on a regular time schedule with a common purpose of discovering and growing in the possibilities of the abundant life in Christ’ (Turner, 2000:22). That is a great goal for any small group to have! A group such as that is intentional as it meets. It is not just a time for social interaction, but also a time for moving forward in spiritual formation and personal growth.

The Purpose of Small Groups: Right from the start, a group needs to clearly define its purpose and to review that purpose from time to time. Small groups in churches have the general goal to intentionally study the Bible, and to grapple with its message for us today. The Bible is God’s revealed will for us to study and apply to our lives. We need to be careful that we don’t move away from this primary focus.

There further needs to be a careful balance between mission and nurture in the group. The balance will vary from one group to another. Mission is reaching out to those connected to the group who have not yet committed their lives to Christ. Nurture is strengthening the faith of those who have such a personal faith. Small groups can play a role in both areas. When mission and nurture is taking place, then a sense of ‘community’ begins to develop and worship occurs. We should always remember that God has made us for relationship – with Himself and with others. Our western society in these days is hungry for relationship, due to our excessive stress on individualism.

Small groups that are healthy and dynamic will produce learning and growth that is life changing. This does not happen by chance. It requires careful preparation and sensitive leadership. The role of the leader is thus vital. Let us look at some of the important factors that the leaders must focus on as they seek to develop dynamic small groups:

1. Spend time in prayer and preparation: This is often the difference between ‘an interesting meeting’ and ‘a time that I will remember all week’. If the leader have not prepared well, they are setting an example for others when they lead in the future. By saying ‘I just had no time to prepare this week’ the leader is sending the wrong message! They are saying that this has a low priority for them. Remember that much in life is learnt by being ‘caught’ as well as ‘taught’. The leader must thus watch the example they set.

2. Be committed to a Team Leadership Structure: The leader must not be a ‘lone ranger’ in leading a small group. Involve others in leadership. See the example in Exodus 18. There Moses was warned about trying to do things alone. Allow the group to select others for various roles – pastoral carers, assistant leaders, prayer support, etc.

3. Know what the desired outcomes are for the group’s discussion: Have firmly in mind what the intended goals are for the study. These will become apparent from a careful study of the materials. If they are not obvious to the leader, then don’t expect them to be obvious to others! Allow the outcomes to surface through the discussion. We must however allow the Holy Spirit freedom to teach us new things during the study.

4. Arrange seating to encourage discussion: Make sure that individual group members can see each other. Remember that distance from others can cause a sense of separation. However, allow people to sit where they feel comfortable. Don’t force people to sit in certain locations. They often have reasons for choosing to sit where they do.

5. Create a climate of acceptance: People are often afraid to express their views in groups because of the fear of rejection or ridicule. They need to feel secure before they will share their thoughts and feelings. The small group must thus be a safe area for them, free of put-downs, sarcasm and judgemental comments. This applies especially to ideas that may appear ‘wild’ or ‘off the point’. Careful discussion can often draw people back onto the issues at the right time. The group should thus be seeking to create relationship and trust.

6. Be enthusiastic and excited about what the group is studying: If the leaders aren’t excited, then how can they expect anyone else to be excited! If none in the group are enthused about what the group is studying, then they may need to choose some other material. Discuss this with the group.

7. Don’t stretch any study material beyond its ‘use-by date’: A set of six to eight studies is often enough for most people on one particular topic. Discuss this with the group. Once the group agrees on a topic of study, then seek to follow through with what has been chosen. Often the first few studies of a new topic may not flow but then further discussion leads to productive learning.

8. Be aware of the group’s expectations of the meeting: If the leader would like to do things differently, let the group know and get their permission to make the changes. People don’t like surprises! This includes the length of the meeting, the venue, etc. However don’t be afraid to be creative! Lack of change can also kill a group.

9. Affirm all legitimate expressions of opinion from the group. Have no favourites in the group. Everyone’s opinion is to be appreciated and is important. This is especially so for the quieter members when they do make a contribution. Keep in mind that affirmation does not necessarily mean approval of what has been said. People are often afraid to share because they feel they don’t know a lot.

10. Use Questions effectively: Jesus made effective use of questions on at least 100 ocassions. Some of the purposes of his questions were to secure information, recall the known, awaken conscience, to elicit faith and to express emotion. Avoid close-ended questions that only require a yes/no response. Don’t be afraid of difficult questions that lead to “I don’t know” responses. This can provoke the group to study during the week and thus be ready next week to discuss.

11. Encourage active listening from each person: Good leaders know how to listen and how to encourage others to listen. People should be allowed to express their point of view without interruption.

12. Do not force anyone to talk: Any member should have the right to be silent if they so desire. Invite people to speak, but don’t attempt to force them to talk.

13. Don’t allow anyone to monopolise the discussion: This also includes the leader! It is not to be a lecture. Individuals must not be allowed to ‘hog the floor’. Watch out for aggressive responses where people want to dominate with their views and for non-assertive responses where people allow others to run over them. Seek instead to encourage assertive responses. Everyone has the right to his or her own opinion.

14. Avoid taking sides during a discussion: When the group is divided on an issue, the leader should try to act as the arbitrator. Encourage both sides to think through their positions. By asking relevant questions, the leader can stimulate wider thinking. If an issue can’t be resolved at the time, leave it for another time.

15. Allow for humour when appropriate: This can be a safety value when discussion has been long and intense. Humour however should be handled with care as some people (men in particular) can go on with it for too long!

16. Don’t be afraid of silence: Such times can be very important as people think through issues and try to understand their thoughts and feelings. Perhaps the silence is because the question needs to be reworded. Ask the group if they have understood the question. Perhaps the issue is too sensitive at this time for the group to consider. Ask if that is the case. Sometimes however people do want to discuss the issue but need some one else to ‘break the ice’. You may need to be that person.

17. Seek to keep the discussion under control: If the leader feels a discussion point is no longer of interest to most of the group, draw people back to the central issue. Sometimes however the side issue may be the most important matter for the group at that time. Pray for great wisdom at such times!

18. Be creative and flexible: Don’t follow slavishly a booklet or set of questions if they aren’t relevant to the group. Change the format, introduce new material and adjust where necessary.

19. The discussion leader is not ‘the authoritative last word’: Encourage others to answer and ask questions. The leader needs to be honest if a mistake is made or if they don’t know something. We are all learning!

20. Confidentiality is vitally important: ‘What is said in this room stays in this room’ is an important guide, unless people give permission to share wider.

21. Draw the discussion together at the end: Restate the key points that have come out. Keep it brief. Focus on the positives. Encourage the group to pray about what they have learnt.

As we prayerfully focus in these ways, we will gain great value out of meeting together in small groups!

DEVELOPING DYNAMIC SMALL GROUPS AT RIVERTON BAPTIST COMMUNITY CHURCH

Further Reading