Why small groups work

Bob Whitesel Aug. 23, 2016

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The most familiar small group in the Bible is Jesus’ twelve disciples.¹⁰ Jesus drew twelve followers closely to himself, training them for a mission that would one day surge across the Roman Empire and beyond (Matt. 4:18–22; Mark 3:13–19; Luke 6:13). 

In fact, in Jesus’ time synagogues were often small, and it was permissible to launch them with a few as ten men.¹¹ Jesus also utilized groups of seventy-two (Luke 10:1), and it was in his ongoing small fellowship of twelve disciples where Jesus addressed their most intimate and personal questions, problems, and needs. In this small group setting Jesus: 

1. Answered their questions about theology, history, and the future (Matt. 24:1–3); 

2. Modeled for his disciples healing and prayer; then gave them the power to go out and do likewise (Matt. 10:5–10); and 

3. Rebuked his disciples’ wayward attitudes and ideas (Luke 16:13). 

Finally, Hebrews 10:24–25 reminds us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

Many people use this verse to urge attendance at weekend church services, and this could certainly be one application. But the admonition here is to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds . . . encouraging one another,” which canhappen at weekend church services, but in my observations is not likely. This verse applies even better to small group settings where spurring “one another on toward love and good deeds . . . encouraging one another” can more readily be accomplished. 

John Wesley’s use of small groups¹²
One of history’s most remarkable spiritual renewals took place when an unassuming Anglican pastor named John Wesley took his message outside the stately confines of English churches and into the streets. The message was so widely received that the teeming throngs of new converts began to overload the system.

In response, Wesley designed a system of small groups he called “class meetings” to help new converts begin the discipleship process. Not only did he require attendance in these small groups, but he also did not allow followers to attend the larger “society meetings” (similar to our weekend worship services) if they had not already attended their weekly small group. This would be akin to requiring congregants today to attend a small group during the week or they would not be allowed to attend weekend worship service. Think of how that might drive up small group attendance! One Cambridge University researcher declared, “The secret of the Methodist movement was its small groups.”¹³ 

Today’s small group renaissance

Beginning in the early 1970s the discipleship power of small groups led some Christians to make small groups their rallying cry. America started to notice the impact of small groups when the largest church in the world, a congregation in Seoul, South Korea, credited its phenomenal growth to its emphasis upon small groups.¹⁴  In North America, one of the first books to describe the power of small groups in a mainline church was by Presbyterian pastor Ray Stedman, who emphasized small groups as the discipleship hub of a “body life” church. Many mainline churches where highly influenced by Stedman’s approach, and small groups became a fashionable program within mainline congregations.

Soon after were the Vineyard Churches, which combined an emphasis upon small groups with charismatic expressions, ushering many Pentecostal and Charismatic congregations into the small group movement.¹⁷ Some churches called this small group emphasis “cell churches” because small groups should grow and divide like the human cell.¹⁸ Other churches have used varied names for these small groups, including: 

• Face-to-FaceGroups (Lyle Schaller¹⁹)
• Heart-to-HeartGroups (Kent Hunter²⁰)                
• Kinship Circles (Wagner and Wimber²¹) 
• Life Cells (Eddie Gibbs ²²)
• Growth Groups (Larry Osborne 23,Nelson Searcy, and Kerrick Thomas ²⁴)
• Community Groups (Andy Stanley and Bill Willits ²⁵) 

Such small groups have been shown to be the glue that helps people stick with a Christian community. In his book Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, Thom Rainer declared, “New Christians who immediately became active in a small group are five times more likely to remain in the church five years later than those who were active in worship services alone.”²⁶ And writer/pastor Larry Osborne calls a church with a healthy small group network a “sticky church,” because congregants stick together and to the congregation.²⁷ 

Excerpted from Cure For The Common Church: God’s Plan to Restore Church Health, by Bob Whitesel (Wesleyan Publishing House 2012)

For notations: See Chapter 3 Complete Notes.

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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More »

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