Small Groups

Jesus Had a Small Group and So Can You. In Mark 3:13-18 we read,  “And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him.  And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.  He appointed the twelve:  Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);  James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.”

When Jesus started His ministry on earth one of the first things He did was to form the group we know as the twelve disciples.  He used His “small group” to train the first leaders of the church.  Small groups are proven by Scripture and other sources as an effective form of ministry in the church today for outreach, teaching, and building community.

We see in the Bible where small groups were important in the church in the form of house churches.  These churches were usually just the family and their servants.  Acts 2:24 says, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”  They had fellowship and community together.  What brought them together was the apostles’ teaching, prayer, and the Lord’s Supper.  The Early Church more than likely got their example from Jesus.  He did most of His teaching to a group of twelve men, and eleven of those men changed the world.

The New Testament has several examples of how small groups are useful in ministry.  Practically speaking small groups have been proven to provide people with a sense of community, assist people with their quest for spirituality. They are an ideal entryway into the church. They provide a safe place for learning, and they are an effective way to mobilize people into ministry. Jesus used His small group to mobilize people into the ministry.  Small groups are a great way to minister to others and build relationships.

Creating a small group requires vision and the first step is choosing a leader. Whether it is you or someone else Hebrews 11 provides a listing of people who accomplished great things for God. Pray about your group so that God will be your guide. Imagine what the group will look like, where the meetings will be held, and what curriculum you want to teach. Ignore the Devil when he tells you it can’t be done, and just go for it. You will learn as your group learns. Most people think I write articles for others to read. This is an eventual blessing, however the subjects I write about are extremely important to me, and writing articles enables me to learn more about God.

  Once you have put together a plan for your group, it’s time to get the word out. If you are connected to a church, share your vision with your church family. If not, post cards, yard signs, even the wed site Next-door can get the word out about your group. Present your small group ministry vision to all who come through your front door. The main vision of any Christian group is to make disciples from group members, who in turn start other groups in different areas. Develop a relationship with your fellow members and stress that when people share personal experiences what they have shared stays in the group.

The Word of God changes lives and it is important that the primary focus of the group is the Bible. We at millennielchristian.com are developing a new website called soulworks-smallgroups.com. It takes the articles from here and other web sites that we operate and places them into a power point format where they can be projected on a screen or shared with portable devices. It combines the articles with powerful and colorful illustrations to help explain the topic. These articles are also available in print form. Soulworks-smallgroups.com is up and running.