Growing Groups Strong

There are so many things that compete for people’s time in our culture – most people have too much to do and too much to manage. One of the most important things you can do as a group leader is to establish a common purpose.

Here is some practical guidance on how to lead through the effects that our busy culture has on groups. First, have a heart-to-heart meeting where you…

• Review your group’s journey so far and re-cast the vision of biblical community for the group
• Ask each person to share what they want to get out of the group: What would continue to make involvement in the group something that’s “valuable” to them?
• Identify the common denominator with what each person shared so that you can create a common purpose
• Decide with the group on how you can arrive at this common purpose even if it means changing what you’re doing now
• Involve each person in fulfilling this common purpose – give each person a way to contribute
• Follow-up with participants who don’t show for a gathering. This shows care and tells them they were missed. It also encourages their future return.

Summary

1. Clarification: What does each person hope for?
2. Consolidation: Bring together people’s dreams & desires into an all-encompassing statement. (Remember to facilitate the process and invite the group to help – don’t try to do it alone.)
3. Consensus: Agree on how you’ll pursue your newly-fashioned “group mission statement.” Everyone is a stakeholder and should let their voice be heard in the design of your group’s plan for growing together.

Food is the best ice-breaker. It seems to have the same effects that we like to get from ice-breakers like helping people engage in conversation, feel more at ease, and bonus…it fills tummies, which makes everyone feel more content! I think that’s why it’s been said that the quickest way to a person’s spirit is through their stomach!

Eating together is a vital part of your group life. There is something about gathering around a meal that knits the hearts of people together. In fact, sharing a meal is one of the most profound physical expressions of our life together in Jesus Christ. Some of the most significant events in the Bible center around food (1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Mark 14:22-25; John 13:1; Acts 2:42-47). Repeatedly, we see the early believers making food an integral part of their worship and community life together (Acts 2:42, 46, 20:7, 11). For example, the Lord’s Supper was meant to be just that…a supper!

The way that Communion (or Eucharist, meaning “Thanksgiving”) was celebrated in the Early Church was by sharing a meal together, usually in the evening (Luke 14:12; John 13:4, 21:20). The setting of the Lord’s Supper, even in the larger gatherings, was always the home (cf. Romans 16:23; Acts 20:7). Similarly, we ought to give thanks and remember our Lord Jesus Christ when we gather and share a meal with one another.

Make it a goal with your group to celebrate the Lord’s Supper once a season / semester. There are many creative ways to do this in your group and you can look to Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-20, John 13-17, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 for guidance on what to say and do during this time together so choose the one below that resonates the most with you and run with it!

• Have everyone stand in a circle. Take a whole loaf of bread, break off a piece, and hand it to the person on your right. As you hand it to them, say a prayer for them, bless them, and/or give thanks to God for them. Then that person does the same for the person standing to their right, and so on, until it comes back to you. Then take a drink together in remembrance of the Lord. Afterwards, pray or worship the Lord Jesus giving thanks for His birth, life, death and resurrection.
• Celebrate the Lord’s Supper in a public place (like a nearby park or outdoor eating area) because it is a way of sharing the Good News about Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:26).
• Invite group members to facilitate the celebration of the Lord’s Supper as a way to empower them in using their gifts to build up the Body of Christ.
• Set aside a meeting to talk about the Lord’s Supper and what it means. Talk about how your group could express the meaning of the Lord’s Supper in acts of love for one another and those outside the group (1 John 3:16). Then celebrate the meal together.
• Have a potluck meal and convert it into a celebration of the Lord’s Supper. At some point during the meal, ask everyone to pause for a short devotion and listen to a scripture reading that focuses on Jesus’ death and resurrection. Afterwards, say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for His sacrifice and love (John 3:16).

Now if you’re like me, steps on what to do and say might be just the help you need to get started so here’s a suggested order:

1. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and choose to read one of the Gospel accounts: Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25 or Luke 22:14-20. You can use this as your own personal devotion or draw from these passages for what you share on the front or tail end of this time together.
2. Thank God in prayer for His love, sacrifice and forgiveness.
3. Pass the bread and remind everyone how it represents Jesus’ body broken on their behalf and say, “Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ Let’s eat together.”
4. Pass the cup reminding everyone how it represents Jesus’ blood shed for them and say, “In the same way, after supper Jesus took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ Let’s drink together.”
5. Finish with a prayer of thanks to the Lord or listen to a song where you all reflect on Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice.

Don’t miss out on this transformational experience that God will use to build the bond between your group members, deepen your relationship with Him, and share His selfless love with others!

You can share the following tips with Group Hosts or new Group Leaders who can use them every week to generate conversation and build community:

Include fellowship time on the front and tail end of your meeting time and when possible have food. Start and end on time. All these elements encourage conversation and build relationships.

Open your time in a brief word of prayer and help make participants aware of Jesus’ Presence in your midst (Mt 18:20).

Share 1-2 brief insights of your own to jump-start the conversation.

Relate what you’re discussing to Jesus by asking two questions:

• What does this teach us about Christ?
• How does God want me to respond to what I’ve just learned?

Be prepared to ask “open-ended” questions that will stimulate reflection and help move people toward action. These are questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” and often start with the words “what” or “how.” For example:

• What do the rest of you think? How do others feel?
• What did you find noteworthy about this passage?
• How can we move forward?
• What led you to that conclusion?

Questions you can use in EVERY bible study discussion:

• What stands out to you in this passage? What impacted you during the reading?
• Was there something read that’s new for you, reaffirming, confusing or challenging?
• How can we apply this to our lives today?
• How could this be shared with people who do not yet know Christ?

Be real. Be yourself. Authenticity is the key to helping others open up. Develop a dynamic where people feel safe to share and free to be themselves. For example, be the first to respond to a question and do so humbly and honestly.

Try to involve every person – acknowledge and affirm each person who speaks.

Turn people’s attention beyond your immediate circle by praying for the lost and encouraging them to invite friends to join you.

There is wisdom woven throughout the Scriptures on how to deal with conflict in ways that are healthy for individuals and groups. In the table below, you will find a selection of passages on how group leaders can “leverage” conflict to create an environment where biblical community can continue to grow:

Conflict is not something to rush into or to avoid. It can threaten to be a separator, but the Bible shows us how we can use it as a connector. It can be a “blessing in disguise” when we handle it with biblical wisdom. God, in His grace, gives us ways we can “use” conflict so that relationships grow in ways they would not have without it. In fact, conflict can be the very thing God uses to ‘draw-out’ authenticity and empower people to be more real with each other. It can be the key that allows us to experience the wholeness and life that comes with biblical community (Acts 2:42-47).

There are barriers we will invariably encounter as we grow in relationships with others. Sometimes conflict can be the “mountain pass” we are looking for to get on the other side of the ‘thing’ that seems to be blocking open and honest communication. Trying to go ‘around’ it only makes the journey more difficult even treacherous. Instead, we need to work through it. We need to use it as a pathway to something better for the whole group.

Conflict is not pleasant. Most people would rather do without it. But if it is life-changing Christian community that we want then we need to deal with conflict in love-filled and biblically-informed ways. Christian community is not a destination…it is a journey and conflict comes as we travel together. As a community-building leader, you can tell your group(s) that your goal is not to “keep the peace” but to travel with them through the occasional discord that comes with the transformational adventure of building biblical relationships.

Conflict happens. You cannot always anticipate it, but you know it when you have stepped in it. The temptation is to avoid conflict, but that is a mistake! The key to handling most conflict most of the time is to deal with it head-on and right-away in love. Attempting to avoid conflict only invites more of it into a situation; unaddressed tension festers into the kind of conflict that is harmful to group-life. “Better is open rebuke than hidden love” (Proverbs 27:5). When group leaders address tension in its brewing stage, it can enrich everyone’s sense of belonging and togetherness.

The most violated principle in handling conflict is probably Matthew 18:15, which says, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.” The first thing believers are instructed to do when they have a problem with another person is to directly and privately address the matter with that person. People tumble into trouble, and disagreements escalate into tragic relational fractures and fissures when they skip this first step and gossip or stew in their feelings.

We must examine our own hearts before we go to deal with conflict. For example, our motivation is off if what we really want deep down is for the other person to see that we are right and apologize to us for the trouble they have caused. Rather, we want to ‘win over’ our brother or sister for the sake of the relationship…not to ‘win’ an argument for our ego’s sake. We will be better prepared to deal with conflict in healthy and productive ways if we ask ourselves these questions before speaking into tense situations:

• Why am I upset?
• Is there anything I need to apologize for or let go of? What can I learn from this?
• Why do I want to go to this person? What is my goal? What do I hope to see accomplished?
• Do the outcomes I desire benefit me and the person I have a problem with? Would Jesus hope for the same outcome I desire?
• How can both of us not just move on but grow together as a result of the conflict?

Make it your goal to understand where the other person is coming from and what they are really saying. Begin by asking questions to clarify their perspective: “When you say _____, does that mean _____? Am I understanding you correctly?” If you are frustrated or offended, non-defensively share how you are feeling: “I feel _____ when you _____.”

Next, evaluate whether your disagreement is about something essential to your life and faith. In Romans 14, Paul reminds us that there few things that should create division between Christians (vv. 17-19). He also shares what believers should do after identifying differing opinions: Acknowledge the most important areas of agreement and shared goals. This allows people in a dispute to discuss possible solutions, which might entail compromising on negotiable items for the sake of fulfilling God’s purposes for the group (Acts 15:10-11, 19-21, 28-31).

When you feel like you have arrived at a solution, say so. Make sure the other person sees the solution the same way you do and feels that a resolution has been made. Finally, look for an opportunity to seal your conversation and decision through prayer.