Clearing Up what is Unclear…

Part 1 of 7 - Addressing the issues of “The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry”

Sin One: Unclear Ministry Objectives – So, what is the objective? To start, we have built a plan of Christian education and spiritual growth based upon a definition supplied by the Assemblies of God discipleship ministry agency. And second, to be carried out through a community of small groups. Ok, that seems reasonable… but that’s not how we used to do it! And for a while, maybe some did think “who stole my church”.

Until recently, I don’t think we really ever planted the flag and said that our way of doing classical church has changed and that small group’s is how we will help accomplish the goal of spiritual formation. Perhaps a bit of an oversight, but after doing things a certain way for some thirty years, you can’t just rip the band-aid off and say “there now do that”.

The simple fact is; the model of the church has to continually evolve with culture to remain relevant. Someone mentioned that it is easier to plant a church than to revitalize one, but according to the definition of the word revitalize (to give new life, vitality, and vigor); we really must be in a constant revitalization process weather the church is a new plant or has a long rich history.

So with the objective set forth, you still have to decide if it is to be a model of Church with, of, or is… small groups. The general consensus is that we will eventually become a church of small groups. Did we ever clearly communicate that? If not, there it is.

Connecting People to God… People to People… and People to Their Ministry Gifts. That is our vision, and is one that is somewhat easy to accomplish providing the people embrace it and the small group ministry that is set up to accomplish the goal. Just remember, it will continually have to be revitalized to accomplish the goal, so we as leaders and participants alike have to be open to change.

I feel our objective is very good, so what area have we missed the mark when it comes to sin one and the issue of unclear ministry objectives? Communication… We just have to get better at communicating our objectives more clearly.

Addressing the Sins…

When shuffling through my small group library a few weeks back, I came across my copy of “The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry”. When I noticed it on the shelf, I muttered something to the extent of “I’m still not sure why I purchased that book?” You see, when I first looked at it over a year ago, I said “well that was a waste of money… we have all of those issues covered!” I then placed it under a few more trendy titles that appealed to the eye and were not as hard hitting.

Much to my dismay, a year later and I picked the book up for a quick browse and I can easily identify areas that we have slipped, or sinned if you will. In virtually all seven areas that the book has addressed, we have room for improvement to some degree. Of course I don’t feel we have completely missed the mark or failed in any certain area, but sin is sin and sometimes you just need to deal with it.

So here is a running list of the “Seven Deadly Sins” we will address over the next 7 weeks for which you can subscribe for updates on or just tune in Monday’s for the next area to be addressed.

• Unclear Ministry Objectives
• Lack of Point Leadership
• Poor Coaching Structures
• Neglect of Ongoing Leadership Development
• Closed Group Mind-Set
• Narrow Definition of a Small Group
• Neglect of the Assimilation Process

Simple Group...

Ok, so it is May and another one of the busy months is here again. So busy in fact, you may not even get around to reading this blog until June! With such busy schedules taking place in our lives, it is very easy for us to skip out on our small group for various reasons. One that seems common to leaders is the amount of prep time involved with loaded or cumbersome curriculums.

The Twitter Twibes mentioned last week led me to a post by AlanDanielson.tv and he had a great recommendation for “The Simplest Curriculum Ever” on his blog. Basically it is an idea handed down to him from the mission field where curriculum may just not be practical or affordable in certain circumstances. The best part is that all you need for the study is a Bible.

Just read a passage of Scripture together and then ask these questions?

What did you like about the passage?
What did you NOT like about the passage?
What did you not understand in the passage?
What did you learn about God in the passage?
What are you going to do with what you learned?

So if you are looking to keep it simple heading into the summer months this should be a great start that will be easy and rewarding for all involved.