Meeting Together

So we are in the beginning stages of launching a new small group ministry at Mt Oak. The question is, what makes it new? What is it that will distinguish this year's small group ministry from previous years? How will we overcome the issues that were faced in the past? How will we overcome any inertia in people that makes them resistant to meeting in a small group?

A while ago I wrote about the McDonaldization for church and how some pastors my try to reproduce exactly what another church does with their congregation - the problem with this is that God may not have called them to be that other church - they need to do what God has called them to do. How does this apply to small groups you may ask, well, we would like to create a model for small groups at Mt Oak that will be followed by all groups even though the subject matter that each group is discussing/studying may be different.

So what is the model? It is a simple one and consists of 4 things to do each week as well as an outward focus where the group reaches out to their friends or community.

Worship - each week every small group will have some form of worship. Worship is not just about singing, it is about taking time to focus on God and tell Him how much we love Him. Worship can accomplished with singing, with meditation, through art or painting (always fun to do in small group) or just reading a passage aloud. Whatever way each group does it, they must do worship - worship connects us to God. It is important.

Word - there should be some form of bible study or devotional study. Some groups may use a book they are corporately reading, some may study a book of the bible, others may do topical studies and prepare them each week. There are loads of resources available - DVD series, video podcasts that can be shown on the TV, access to teaching material is not a difficult. Let's make disciples by studying the Word.

Prayer - each group will be encouraged to keep a prayer journal and to record the things they pray for and also the ways in which God answers their prayers. How encouraging is it to hear that God has met a need or fixed a situation? Shouldnt we be celebrating those things? Small group is a place where personal prayer can easily occur and celebration of God's power can also be done.

Witness - each group should be looking for ways to grow - numerically and not just educationally. Personal invitation to a small group is a key way to bring people into a church and introduce them to Jesus. Each of our groups needs to develop an outward focus - and each focus can be different - as long as it forces us out into our community.

We can do this, we just need to stop saying stuff like, "We have never done it that way before" and "I dont know if I like that" and just get on with it and do it. It has been my experience that even though some people may not have used this model before, once they do try it they will find their groups come to life.

Let's make it happen