Philosophy of Small Groups

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Written Assignment 5: Philosophy of Small Groups

Submitted to Dr. Rodney Dempsey, in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the completion of the course

DSMN 500 – D01

Discipleship Ministries

by

Robert Ortiz Jr.

Submitted: August 20, 2014

Philosophy of Small Groups

            One of the wonderful things Jesus teaches us throughout his ministry is the importance of intimacy. Jesus was intimate with his Father, and he was intimate with his disciples, he loved them. Jesus very specifically chose twelve men to walk with him on a journey, for only a season, which would forever change their lives. Jesus led these men and together they worked, played, traveled, ate, laughed, cried, shared, witnessed miracles, ministered, fought demons, healed the sick, and most importantly they learned to love. “How wonderful, then, it is that Jesus – who is “Lord of all” – should choose this as the tie to bind us to himself, this tender, submissive and humbling bond of love.”[1] And let us not forget, these men (as we are) Jesus chose were far from perfect; in fact one of them betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, another denied him three times, and yet another doubted he truly rose from death to life. Nonetheless, these men experienced things together no one else ever will. And it was in the context of their small group that all of this was possible.

            Small groups in the church today, done well, can lead to experiences no one else will ever have. Small groups are unique because individuals are unique. By bringing in ten – twelve unique individuals for the purpose of discipleship that leads to disciple making, the church can then begin to experience things it has not since the early church described in the book of Acts. Of course for a small group to work effectively there has to be in place certain pieces of the puzzle, these pieces make for an experience that, prayerfully, leads to the birth of other small groups that replicate the first and so on. Steve Gladen of Saddleback Church has a different view on small groups multiplying, he writes, “Small groups need a simple mission. Too often small group "theory" dictates that groups should be constantly multiplying. These strategies often place too much pressure on an average leader to be a "church strategist" instead of a relationship builder. We help small group leaders relax and use their natural desire to serve in ways that help their group grow closer.”[2] While I understand Mr. Gladen’s point of view, I believe that a leader of a small group should have a little pressure put on him to dig deeper in to God’s presence and help his group identify their unique gifting and guide each of them toward ministry to that end.

Small groups work if there is a clear purpose for them and if there are clear parameters. The purpose of any small group should be to build a framework where people are being discipled and that eventually those people will go on to disciple others. For this to effectively happen there needs to be a clear goal of discipleship, an intentional leader who makes disciples, a biblically relational environment, a reproducible process, and a supporting organization.[3] There also needs to be in place a system of checks and balance to ensure the small group is operating biblically. Professor Rod Dempsey, in Lecture Notes: What is a G.R.O.U.P.?, outlines that an effectively led group is guided by a leader and overseen by a coach, has regular meeting times, opens God’s word, is united in serving, and the members pray for one another.[4] 

So then, a small group ministry should be led by a mature Christian who along with a disciple focused church is focused on helping a definite number of Christians, ten –twelve but no more than twenty, meet regularly to be developed and nurtured in an interdependent relational environment predicated on sound biblical principles. It should be a place where the group really fellowships, worships together, prays together, and does ministry together. It should be a group that matures together and where new group leaders are identified so that other groups may be formed. This group should be together for a definite time frame, twelve to eighteen months.

The Relational Group

            “Making disciples is the main reason why a church exists, so everything in a corporate body needs to funnel people toward a relational small group in which discipleship can best happen.”[5] Going back to intimacy, small groups allow for just that. Discipleship in small groups is so much more than just someone teaching and other learning, it is about building relationships and trust that allow for true growth as the group shares their lives with each other. It is about being honest with sin in one’s life and relying on the group to pray, to offer help, to be a shoulder to lean on or cry on, and to keep things in strict confidence. It is a group that one can trust with even the deepest and darkest of issues. It is a group where if one wanders away someone will come looking. It is a group where one will be missed and the others will find you. It is a group that is not fearful of discipline but does so “for the purpose of restoring, not punishing.”[6] It is a community that cares for each other and would tear down a roof for one of their own, “There’s something about community that draws people into a relationship with Jesus. One man on his own couldn’t have brought this man to Jesus. Two men probably couldn’t have carried him all the way. It took a community, a brotherhood, a small group.”[7]

One of the hardest things to do in a church is make friends that are true. It is often quite challenging to find people that you can confess your sins to without feeling like you will be judged. And it is especially disconcerting to think that whatever you share may get back to leadership and they in turn think of you differently, perhaps even preventing your mobility in ministry. So the best thing to do is just keep things to yourself; just be a lone ranger. But that of course is not the best course of action for any Christian, growth will be nearly impossible. The small group allows for relationship built upon and centered on the Word of God which is practically applied to each life. Done well, the small group can build relationships that last a lifetime even if the group dismantles based on an end time.

When asked which of all the commandments is most important, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”[8] Jesus is telling us that nothing is more important than love. It was love that moved his heart to leave his throne in heaven and sacrifice himself for the sake of mankind. And Jesus knew that the best method of learning to love was in the confines of a small and intimate group.

A small group spending time together, praying, worshipping, confessing, learning to live according to the Word and building trust is a recipe for learning absolute love and acceptance. Acceptance is a key to small group success. Jesus choose men from very different backgrounds, he was not concerned with what they looked like, spoke like, their social or economic status, he accepted them for who they were, warts and all. “Personal acceptance occurs when there is unconditional personal regard. It happens when you treat another as an equal no matter how the person looks, feels, or acts…Acceptance is another word for grace or unmerited favor. It is given as a gift. As leader, you need to offer acceptance to each person and seek to have members of the group offer it to each other.”[9]

The Missional Group

            The group that is functioning properly in the context of discipleship and relationship is acutely aware of the need to “go and make disciples.”[10] But a group, or church for that matter, cannot make disciples if there is no one to disciple. Win, grow, and send, that is one of the main focuses in outreach which should be an integral part of the small group agenda. The missional group then is focused on reaching their community with the love of Jesus. This can be accomplished by the group working together to sponsor events such as a block party, or a thrift sale, or a bake sale, perhaps a movie night with free refreshments. This allows the community, usually family, friends, and co-workers first, and eventually the community at large to engage the church and see that it’s not so bad. The opportunity then arises for questions and answers, and then an invitation to a weekend service and prayerfully an invitation to meet Jesus.

            The small group should always be other focused. Jesus trained his disciples to go into the entire world in the midst of its ugliness to gather in the harvest because it is plentiful. As disciples we should be ready to share our faith and the prayer is that the group environment and dynamic is preparing for that very thing. In the group one learns to live out the life of a true disciple but is also aware that Jesus came to save the lost. In learning to love, and trust, and learn biblically sound principles of living life in full surrender to Jesus, his disciples are filled with compassion for the poor, the orphan, and the widow. There are millions of people that will die each year without receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior. The small group dynamic fills a gap that the church today is simply not meeting.

My Current Status

            At this time I am not involved in any ministry as my family and I are in transition praying for God to lead us to a church. We are visiting with a large church in our area but have not made any significant contacts. This church does have what it calls “life groups.” They have the philosophy that small groups help to build relationships and help keep followers connected. They claim that once in a group it is a place where “you will be missed.” My wife and I are taking things slowly. We left an environment that has affected us quite deeply in a negative way. But we press on believing and trusting that the Lord will restore us and allow us to again be part of the ministries we love, serving people, and doing what our heart desires.

            Sadly, there are too many churches like the one we left; churches without vision or a desire to reach the community, let alone grow its saints. I do not know if it is fear or pride or wickedness that prevents the church and its leaders from doing things that make spiritual sense, only God truly knows. What I do know is that the people of the world are hurting and true disciples of Christ need to get out there and reap the harvest Jesus said was plentiful. Through small groups we can build up laborers ready to reap that harvest.

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[1] R. F. Horton, “The Love of Jesus.” The Sunday at Home : A Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading, no. 1826 (Apr 27, 1889): 261-4, http://search.proquest.com/docview/4025069?accountid=12085, accessed August 20, 2014.

[2] Steve Gladen, The Saddleback Small Group Difference, http://www.smallgroups.net/, 2014, accessed August 20, 2014.

[3] Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman, Discipleshift: Five Steps that Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013), 177-8.

[4] Rod Dempsey, Lecture Notes: What is a G.R.O.U.P.? DSMN500.

[5] Putman, et al., 184.

[6] Ibid., 188.

[7] Heather Zempel, Community Is Messy : The Perils and Promise of Small Group Ministry, (Westmont, IL:  InterVarsity Press, 2012), 15.

[8] Mark 12:28-31, NIV.

[9] Palmer Becker, Called to Care: A Training Maual for Small Group Leaders, (Scottdale, PA.:Herald Press, 1993), 63.

[10] Matthew 28:19.

Bibliography

Becker, Palmer. Called to Care: A Training Maual for Small Group Leaders. Scottdale, PA.:Herald Press, 1993.

Dempsey, Rod. Lecture Notes: What is a G.R.O.U.P.? DSMN500.

Gladen, Steve. The Saddleback Small Group Difference. http://www.smallgroups.net/, 2014. Accessed August 20, 2014.

Horton,R. F. “The Love of Jesus.” The Sunday at Home : A Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading, no. 1826 (Apr 27, 1889): 261-4. http://search.proquest.com/docview/4025069?accountid=12085. Accessed August 20, 2014.

Putman, Jim, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. Discipleshift: Five Steps that Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.

Zempel, Heather. Community Is Messy : The Perils and Promise of Small Group Ministry. Westmont, IL:  InterVarsity Press, 2012.