SMALL GROUP MINISTRY - A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
A) Adotation
A place where students gather to engage with God by experiencing and responding to His greatness and graciousness.
(C) Community
A place where students can engage with God's people and experience genuine Affirmation (to celebrate & be celebrated), Belonging (to know & be known), and Care (to love & be loved).
(T) Truth
A place where students engage with God's Word and move beyond biblical information to experience life transformation through encountering the Bible in a "hands on" way.
(S) Serivce
A place where students are encouraged to engage with God's world through serving the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of others inside and outside of the group.
Each of these can stand alone ... but when they are fused together they can create a powerful environment for ministry impact.
And they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as they had homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47
What were the two contexts of the 1st Century Christ Followers?
Go ahead and note some of the values of the 1st Century Followers
A _________________________________
C _________________________________
T _________________________________
S _________________________________
What was the result of the 1st Century Christ-followers living as they did?
What about us today…in the 21st Century?
(A) Adoration
Engaging students with God by experiencing and responding to His greatness and graciousness. We have the incredible privilege of helping students know their creator! Our small groups need to be places where students experience more than simply a game, a talk about the Bible, and a snack. We get to engage students with our living God!
What can adoration look like in a Small Group context?
Students eager to come to small group because they sense God is at work
Students praying with fervor and authenticity
Sharing how God is currently at work in their lives
Singing together
Students surrendering to God
Praising God with words or pictures using crayons and poster board
Simply using creativity to use other forms to elevate God’s worth-ship
“Only a worshipping community will ever become a connecting community…A group of people who first connect with God and then pour into each other the passions that gush out of that encounter becomes a spiritual community.”
- Larry Crabb, The Safest Place on Earth
(C) Community
Engaging students with God’s people through caring for the relational, physical, and spiritual needs of others inside the group.
Theology of Community
God is community
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26) Throughout the Scriptures, the Trinity- God the Father, Son, and Spirit- is seen expressing a unique, affirming kind of relationship toward one another. They are seen enjoying one another (Gen. 1:26), encouraging one another (MT.3:17), supporting one another (Jn.14:25), loving one another (Mk.9:7), deferring to one another (Jn.14:10), and glorifying one another (Jn.17:1).
God created us for community
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:18).
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:20-21)
Jesus created community
Since God is community and since God created us for community, it should not surprise us that Jesus created community while on earth. His public ministry was not just a “public ministry”, but he spent most of his time with smaller groups of people.
The Biblical Goal of Community
That which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:4)
And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24)
(T) Truth
Stirring up students to engage with God’s Word and move beyond Biblical information to experience life transformation through encountering the Bible in a “hands on” way.
“The Scriptures were not given for our information, but for our transformation.” D.L. Moody
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Informational Teaching
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Transformational Mentoring
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Seeks to get students through the Bible
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Seeks to get the Bible through to students
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Teaches students the Bible
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Trains students to think Biblically
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Explains the Bible
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Explores the Bible
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Ask questions
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Facilitates discussions
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Views Scripture as an object to use
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Views Scripture as an object to shape us
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Looks for answers to questions
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Looks for application to life
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Accomplish curriculum
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Adapt curriculum
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- The Word of God is Authoritative All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness... 2 Timothy 3:16
- The Word of God is Sufficient All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16.
- The Word of God is Effective For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
(S) Service
Stirring up students to engage with God’s world through caring for the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of others outside of the group.
The Acts church is a great example of a community of believers who were engaged with caring for the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of those inside and outside of the body of Christ. As a result the church enjoyed, “the goodwill (favor) of all the people” and “day by day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” When people looked in, they saw this community was different. The house groups were marked by a love for God, for one another, and for those outside the church. Jesus promised that Christians’ love for one another would lead people to himself (see John 13:34-35).
“Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it through our actions.” 1 John 3:18 (NLT)
Through tangible expressions of love, God chooses to use people to help meet the needs of others.
Physical needs…serving others
Relational needs…listening and friendship
Spiritual needs…sharing truth & praying
If students are not routinely encouraged to consider the needs of others, the group will become unhealthy and stagnate.
Encourage Students to Serve Through Various Service Projects
Carol & Ring the Salvation Army Bell at a local Target, WalMart, grocery store, or mall – instead of just having a Small Group Christmas Party
Provide a Thanksgiving meal for a needy family or two. Students bring $5 to go grocery shopping together on the night before Thanksgiving. Students are assigned different menu items (salad & dressing or sweet potatoes & rolls, etc). Students pay for food as they check out. Take the bags of grocery items to the home and greet the family. This event is more memorable and meaningful than the traditional canned food drive.
- Help stock the Salvation Army or local food pantry places.
- Provide Bingo or other games at a local nursing home
- Have a leaf Rake & Run party for an elderly person
- Support a rescue mission or similar organization through volunteering hours
- Adopt a child through Compassion or World Vision
- You can brainstorm many other ways
A Small Group that Serves Together Grows and Bonds Together!
Encourage Students to Serve Peers Outside Your Group
Small groups can provide the perfect opportunity for non-believers to “come and see” (John 1:46). Students can come and experience friendship and community. Surrounded by friends, students can ask questions and get answers. They can be prayed for. They can see Jesus for themselves.
Some non-Christians need to “belong” before they will “believe”. Our small groups provide a wonderful contact for others to belong.
Practical Ideas
Introduce an “empty chair” in your small group (a visible reminder of needing to pray for and reach out to others who should fill that chair, promote HG and LG as opportunities to bring friends, welcome new students and commend the students who bring friends, follow up w/ new students with a postcard, email, or phone call within the week.
The reality is we should be routinely expanding the number of small groups. If our students embraced the call to reach out by caring and sharing, we should be experiencing the goodwill of students and growing.