Small Group Leader's Meeting

A big thanks goes out to all of you who were able to attend the leader's meeting yesterday. Personally, I think our first meeting went very well. There is a lot more we need to discuss, but I didn't want to overload my leaders with too much information at once. If you attended the meeting yesterday, post a comment below to let me know one or two take-aways from our conversations.

For those of you that weren't able to make it, here is a summary of what we discussed...

TEAM-BUILDING
We utilized our Jimmy John's boxed-lunches to build devices that would hold a raw egg and keep it from being broken when dropped from the balcony in the auditorium. The take-away was that we are to create small group environments where people are cared for and protected as they grow in their faith and knowledge.

WITH or OF...
I shared that we need to become a church OF small groups rather than a church WITH small groups. In the latter, small groups are simply one of many options for people to get involved in. In the former, small groups become the foundation for spiritual growth and connection within the church. The goal of the church is to move people from our weekend worship services (foyer) to medium-sized gatherings such as MarriedLife Live and Starting Point (living room) and eventually to small groups (kitchen).

However, small groups are not the end. They are simply a means to the desired end which is helping people become fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. This is critical to understand because we don't want our success to be defined by the number of people in small groups. We want our success to be defined by how much people are growing and how healthy the church is becoming because of doing life together in small groups. (Read Acts 2:42-47)

DUAL OBJECTIVES
We reviewed the two primary objectives of small groups - spiritual growth and authentic community. As leaders, we need to establish groups where people experience a high level of discipleship and caring. If we lean too far one direction or the other, we miss the mark. (Read Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-16)

PURPOSE DRIVEN
Another important part of our structure for small groups at Great Oaks is to balance the five purposes within the context of small group life. We discussed the idea of identifying individuals within each group who would champion one of the purposes. We also highlighted the fact that you will not experience all five purposes in a single gathering, but they should all be evident and balanced over the life-span of the group. (Read Matthew 22:37-40; 28:19-20)