Thinking about group
Before our meeting on Wednesday, I need to answer the various questions on the homegroup questionaire. The logistical and organizational ones arent too interesting, so here are sopme from the planning section of the questionaire.
Q: What does one most need to receive from the leaders and members of a small group?
Not to sound like Bill Clinton here, but I have to ask the definition of “one” as it will change the answer dramatically. So lets see:
- One = The Pastor
- The pastor needs to keep a finger on the pulse of group life, so edited feedback will be required. Since we know that a healthy church grows and reproduces all on it’s own, there should be some method of tracking that growth, so statistics on group attendence would also be welcome. Numbers arent everything but a general feel for numeric growth and improvement of the church body’s health can be gained through looking at the statisics.
- One = The Group Leaders
- Group leaders need to be a team, and team requires solid communication and keeping short accounts with one another (not letting the little irritations build up over time). They need training to do the job well, and to allow them to grow in their weaker areas. They need support, as leadership can and will be demanding. Prayer support is vital as they’re stepping out into the spotlight and should expect a certain amount of spiritual attack
- One = Group Members
- Members need to feel accepted and welcomed, to be valued and included in the group. Ideally there should be a lack of “us and them” split of members / leaders, in the sense that members of the group are to play an active role in group life. Members of a group need others to practice their active listening skills, to really be heard in an environment that promotes the idea of being transparent and honest. Members as well as leaders need to be challenged to step up in their faith, to see weaker areas and to bring Christ into these facets of life.
Q: What does one need from leaders/group outside of small group?
A homegroup doesnt stop being a cohesive group of people outside of the (weekly) meetings, so there needs to be a connection that goes beyond the meeting time into real life. This means that a group should respect privacy issues outside of group time and not gossip about what they heard about one another. Similarly, struggles aired during group time should be supported outside of the group meeting - Christian homegroups have something to learn from the standard *A group (AA, GA, NA, SCA, etc) here, where members work their way through a phone list when they’re tempted by their drug/addiction of choise. Prayer should be available through the week, along with social time.
Q: What are the main things you’d like to have people gain after being in a small group?
There’s a proverb that says “give a man a fish and you feed him one day, teach the man to fish and you feed him for life.” I want people to gain in the sense of moving up the Engel scale - to move toward and/or deepen a relationship with the God of the Bible. In doing this, I don’t want people to be dependent on others spoon-feeding them truth but be going to the bible directly and allowing the Holy Spirit to impact their lives with the truth. Someone has said “with life comes growth,” and if there’s no growth, I would like to see people gain freedom from the things that are impeding a deepening relationship with Jesus.