Why Do Sermon-Based Discussions for Small Groups?

Most churches have the admirable desire of making the people more knowledgeable when it comes to the Word of God and its implications. They have countless classes and Bible studies that go through every book in the Bible. In any given week at a typical church, you would learn about Judges in Sunday School, hear a sermon on the Beatitudes, then have a small group Bible study in Philippians. It's like if we can get one more Bible story or lesson into someone's head, then somehow we have accomplished our mission in equipping the people.

Unfortunately, I would argue that this has created a typical Christian that is vaguely knowledgeable about God's Word. How many times within a 30 to 40-minute sermon, does our attention wander? How many times do we spaced out in a Bible study? Studies have shown that with our exposure to media, our attention span have actually grown shorter. This means that for any given sermon or Bible study, you would be lucky to remember even half of all things said and discussed. So what ends up happening is that you have a congregation of people that "kinda know" what Scripture is talking about.

Instead of trying to throw as much Bible content at the people and hope that something sticks, why don't we just really focus on one text or theme and make sure the people really know it well? That's where sermon-based small group discussions come in. The goal of sermon-based small groups is to make sure people explore every nook and cranny—related themes, related texts, points of application, issues for prayer—of the one lesson they just had together in worship. One idea, one theme, one text, contends for people's minds at a given time. 

With everyone discussing and thinking about the same theme, you are essential fostering an environment of unity, which some church may lack. In most churches, everyone listens to the same message, which does create a sense of unity. But when a church uses sermon-based small groups, everyone interacts with the same message, which really sharpens the focus. It pushes people, who were marginally interested in listening to the sermon, to pay closer attention in order to be prepared for their group discussions. Why? Because no one wants to be left out from what everyone else knows.

These are some brief thoughts on this issue. But I would love to hear more from you on:

1) What are some additional benefits for sermon-based small group discussions?

2) What are some disadvantages for sermon-based small group discussions? How do we overcome these disadvantages?

3) Share some experiences that you have with sermon-based small group discussions.

Gathered Together For A Mission

Many churches approach small group ministry as the way to keep the people connected to each other so that they won't leave the church. The philosophy is that if we gather the people together and teach them enough about the Bible, they will become disciples and stay in church, our church. So relationships are built up and knowledge among the believers are increased, but some how thing is missing....

The missing element is what I call the "missional effect." Discipleship requires three important elements. First is relationship. Jesus calls each of his disciples to follow him, to enter into a relationship with Him. Second, is knowledge. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is teaching his disciples through sermons and parables. And the third element is mission. When Jesus called Simon and Andrew, it was so that they will become fisher of men. (Mark 1:7). There was no hiding of this fact.

Unfortunately, as a church, we sometimes forget about this fact. We build up disciples that are full of knowledge but have no experience or opportunity to do anything with their knowledge. However, when we are on Christ's mission together, we have fellowship that can't be explained. When we are on Christ's mission together, the things we've learned from his Word become more meaningful. When we are on Christ's mission together, our actions make a difference.

Therefore if we truly desire life-transforming small groups, we must include mission into very core of the existence of small groups. It is a non-negotiable. It is not something we do if we like it or its convenient. No, we do it because it is the only way to grow, to be transformed, and to participate in Christ' mission.

The Mathematics of Invitation

I had a chance to read up on some research about small groups. According to researchers, both secular and church-based, suggest that small groups are most effective somewhere between 8-12 people. The minimum number is 4 and the maximum is 17. But the consensus hovers around a gathering size of about 10.

Why does the literature suggest a group of about 10 as the optimal amount of people? With this size, the group dynamics make the meeting just big enough to hide a bit if you're too bruised to show it - with just 4 or 5 people, it's too small to hide. Yet with 10, the meeting is small enough to provide adequate time for everyone to share.

So if your target is 10 people, then the next step is to determine the number of contacts you need to cultivate. The general rule of thumb is:

Be in active communication with 20 to 30 prospective participants, and in all likelihood you will end up with 10 at a given meeting.

All 20 to 30 need to be viable as possible members at present or in the not-too-distant future. Generally these will be people who are somewhat interested, but who may decline because of scheduling conflict. It is important to keep talking with these people because you never know when their schedule will change.

By the way, here's a clip of our first MCG Promo videos starring our two MCG leaders, Karen and Suzie:

The Kinds of People In Your Life

Recently, I ran across a great article about the different kinds of people that should be in a leader's life. Here's the link to the article if you want to read it:

The Friends of a Group Leader 

Even though the article is directed to small group leaders, I find the analysis and insight from the article relevant to just about everyone. Basically, the author uses King David's life and relationships as an example of the three types of friends you need in your life:

1) David's relationship with Jonathan
Jonathan stood beside David despite his father's hatred for David. The Scripture also records that Jonathan protects David from King Saul's attempt on David's life. We need people that will love us and are loyal to us regardless of what others say or do. These people truly recognizes our strengths and weaknesses and remain beside us.

2) David's mighty men
David had a group of 30 men that followed him during his time of being chased by King Saul. These men were loyal to David and willing to give their lives for David. What's interesting was that the Scripture says these "men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented." (1 Samuel 22:2) These men were outcast in their society that David befriended and brought into relationship with him. We need to be willing to invest in people in order for them to invest in us.


3) David's relationship with Nathan
The prophet Nathan was one of David's closest confidante. This wasn't because he always said what David wanted to hear. In fact, after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, it was Nathan that confronted David on this issue. We need people in our lives that will challenge us and hold us accountable. We need people who are close to us that are willing to say things that are unpleasant to here. This is only way to stay grounded.

We need all three types of these people in our lives. Without it, we will either become discourage or overly confident and blinded to reality. Do you have friends that are in these categories? Do you give permission to your friends to provide encouragement, ask the tough questions, and keep you accountable?

Coming this Fall....Missional Community Groups

We live in a world that is disconnected. Yet we yearn for connections. Everyone wants to know and to be known by others. Ultimately, we were made for community. People thrive, grow, and mature because of community. At Compass, we recognize that community plays an important role in helping people grow in their spiritual maturity. It is not enough to have people just attend Sunday service each week to be spiritual fed through the Word and participate in praise and worship. People need to be encourage, challenged, and held accountable to live out the teachings of Jesus within an authentic community.

That is why we are working hard to launch Missional Community Groups this Fall 2010. Missional Community Groups (MCGs) are more than just a Bible study group or a prayer group. It also has the aspect of being purposefully missional. This means that those within the group will be challenged to live out the love of God that taught each of his disciples. It means that the groups will be challenged to serve the community around them. To find ways in reaching out and making a presence within their community.

The three main objective of each MCG is to:

1) Connect people to God through His Word
2) Connect people to each other through fellowship
3) Connect people to greater community through service and evangelism

We believe that any group that holds to these three objectives and are able to fulfill them, they will not only survive but also thrive. Each member will grow in their spiritual maturity. The group will be a magnet that draws people, inside and outside of the church, because of how its lives out the love of Christ.

Upcoming MCG events:

All-Church Retreat (Sept. 3-5)
This will be our chance to unveil the church's vision and mission. MCG will play a crucial component in help Compass fulfill its vision and mission.

MCG Open House with Barbeque (Sept. 12)
This will be our chance for the entire church to talk and interact with MCG leaders. You will also have a chance to sign-up for an MCG.