There is no way I would survive an expedition to explore the South Pole. But for some reason I am a sucker for books about the men and women who risked their lives to join these adventures in the 1800s and early 1900s.
My favorite is the famous story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew that attempted to be the first to cross Antarctica. Their ship, The Endurance, got caught in the ice and eventually sank, forcing the crew to live for over a year on ice floes. Two years after they first set sail the entire crew was rescued from a tiny island located between Antarctica and the southern tip of South America.
As I read the story I thought, These people signed up for this … they were crazy.
There’s even a likely apocryphal, but nevertheless persistent, story that Shackleton placed a recruitment ad in London newspapers that read:
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”
Again, why would anybody sign up for this?
But as I reflect, I can imagine the kind of community that is formed as you travel in close quarters, work tirelessly toward a common mission, and depend on each other for survival. In church we often use the phrase “doing life together” when we talk about the benefit of being in a small group. We aren’t asking our small groups to explore the South Pole, and physical survival is not typically at stake, but we do want them to be a vehicle for community, discipleship, and the pursuit of kingdom glory. The practice of “doing life together” can inspire people to endeavor great things and to live in ways that can transform individuals and culture.
So, are small groups fulfilling that purpose?
Our team at RightNow Media partnered with Barna Group to research what is happening with small groups in our churches. The stats that I will share are part of the Discipleship in Community report that Barna created based on their research with pastors and churchgoers.
One of the things that the research clearly indicates is that churches place a high value on small groups: 77% of churches in the U.S. offer small groups and 85% of pastors say that small groups are very important at their church.
We all know that simply having small groups does not mean that effective discipleship is happening, so how can you make the most out of groups for the sake of discipleship?
Based on the research, I want to highlight three simple questions to help you think about your church’s small groups.
Is the Pastor Enough?
Pastors play a vital role in the spiritual health of the church and its members. Sermons are an amazing opportunity to proclaim God’s Word. But it isn’t enough
When small group attenders were asked about why it’s important to them, 50% of men and 43% of women indicated that they want to learn from someone in addition to their pastor.
When asked who is discipling you …
• 26% say my pastor
• 29% say a personal mentor
• 25% say my small group
• 14% say my Sunday school
This reminds us that the value of a true community is that we can learn and grow together with a variety of voices and experiences around us. The world is longing for community and the church is poised to provide it.
What if we put as much effort into developing groups and training leaders as we do preparing for the sermon?
What Makes a Good Small Group?
Of the people who attend small groups, 73% say they are being discipled, whereas only 37% of those who aren’t attending small groups say they are being discipled.
This doesn’t mean that having small groups will automatically disciple people, but it’s clear that being a part of a group leads to a greater opportunity for discipleship compared to those who aren’t in a group. And what makes those groups effective at making disciples?
There are two things that group members say are the most meaningful thing you can do in a small group and—this shouldn’t be shocking to us—the top two most meaningful small group activities were praying together and reading the Bible together. More than the curriculum or the games or the food, praying together and getting into the Bible together are what people want and what makes a difference in their spiritual growth.
For small groups, two defining characteristics stand out among those who are being discipled: They say, “My small group is a place I feel like I belong” and “My small group feels like family.” People who define their group with those two qualities rate themselves much higher when it comes to claiming their faith as important in their life, that their relationship with Jesus brings them joy, that they want to see Jesus reflected in their words and actions. In fact, people in groups where they belong and feel like family rate their holistic faith expression higher in every single area compared to people in groups that don’t have those qualities.
Your group leaders need to feel confident in leading the group in prayer and in opening the Bible together, and your group leaders need to know how to create an environment where people in the group feel like family and feel like they belong.
Is it easy for people in your church to find and connect to a group, and are the groups focused on prayer and the Bible?
Are You Training Your Leaders?
The most surprising discovery from the research is that only 34% of churches offer training for their small group leaders.
The men and women who have stepped up to lead small groups don’t need to be super-Christians. Your church can provide some basic training to group leaders to help them facilitate prayer as a group and to build their confidence in reading the Bible as a group. Your church can also provide some basic training in how to create an environment where the group can build and strengthen relationships. You are ultimately asking these group leaders to be a facilitator and friend.
To turn a group from a Christian dinner club into a disciple-making experience will take intentionality on the part of the leader. And the good news is that training is not hard to find. There are many terrific books and workshops including a new course on RightNow Pastors+ called Discipleship Framework that helps your church train, equip and support your small group leaders.
What can you do in the next 60 days to provide some basic training for your group leaders?
Invite People to Join the Expedition.
If discipleship is central to your church (and it should be), then make small groups a top priority ministry. Make sure people know your groups exist, and create an easy on-ramp for joining one. Provide basic training for your group leaders so that they are effective at cultivating community and intentionally focusing on discipleship.
Small groups can be an amazing way to connect people to community and put them in disciple-making relationships. Shackleton and his crew had no choice but to be a small group that worked together to survive. A good small group in your church can surround people with their “crew” to give them a sense of purpose as they navigate life. The expedition might not be as dangerous as traversing the South Pole, but following Jesus isn’t always safe either.