The Big Question

Here's the big question we've been wrestling with lately, and I've heard others tackling it as well:

"How much can we rely on Small Groups to produce spiritual growth/discipleship?"

Some churches rely solely on small groups, telling they're congregations that it is the place where spiritual development truly happens. Other churches simply offer small groups as another one of their programs, but also rely heavily on classes they offer, etc.

Here is an interesting post by a pastor (Todd Hiestand, whom I've never heard of before today) on this very topic, along with others' responses. And then here are Todd's answers to his own questions. I have to thank Joe Myers' blog for directing me here (he's a community life guru and one of my favorite authors).

So where do YOU fall on this whole spectrum of Small Group and Discipleship?  (Don't worry, you can be honest, your boss will never see this.)

Comments

[Frank Chiapperino]

I recently found your blog on the web and I look forward to joining the discussion here.

Discipleship (in my opinion) should be a part of every experience in the church. Participating in a children's classrom contributes to the discipleship process. Setting up chairs contributes to the discipleship process. Small groups, classes and one on one mentorships, and self dicipline and study all contribute to the one's personal relationship with Christ. As church leaders we need to explore how all of these thing contribute to the spiritual growth process in our ministry environment and discover ways to help others identify where they need to be and when they need to be there.

[David Herrick]

I gotta say, I kind of agree with Todd. Small groups are great, and I think they're especially good for new believers, but the "church sanctioned" traditional small group is not for everyone, and we have to allow for other ways in churches for people to 1. fall in love with Jesus and 2. experience community. In that respect, I'm starting to have more and more trouble with the phrase "everyone needs to be in a small group."