GroshLink

I could use your input on small groups as I prepare for a workshop on the “A,B,C’s of Small Groups” for college age to seniors as part of a Christian Educators Training workshop at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.  Below is the description which I finished yesterday and emailed to the workshop director:

A,B,C’s of Small Groups” for college age to seniors

How does one sort through all the tools and fads to discern a Biblical purpose, structure and direction for a small group ministry which can be developed, launched, expanded, sustained, and reinvigorated over time?  While outlining a framework and recommending various resources to address the above question, the presenter will weave in personal reflections regarding: 1.  InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's small group ministry, 2.  Elizabethtown Brethren-in-Christ's age range fellowship groups which meet every Sunday morning, 3. Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) [note to groshlink readers:  this will be from Theresa's recollections], 4. how a young couples small group incorporated singles and later children, lots of them.

To provide some data for the workshop attendees to compare with the current state of affairs at their local assembly, I've asked a few local assemblies with which I'm connected to let me know the following:

1. stats as to how many 'traditional' small groups exist in their local assembly and about how many Sunday morning attendees these include.
2.  stats as to how many 'nontraditional' small groups exist in their local assembly, e.g., women's ministry, men's ministry, and about how many Sunday morning attendees these include.
3.  a brief overview of the manner in which small groups do or do not connect with the discipleship ministry of their local assembly -- 1-2 paragraphs or an already developed document for annual meeting/church board are fine.
4.  1-2 resources which they've found most helpful for their assembly's small group ministry

I let them know that if exact numbers for the above categories are not available, rough estimates would suffice.  I am not sure what the response rate will be. I hope to hear from at least 3-4 local assemblies. 

Could you let me know your thoughts on the value of small groups and how they may or may not have functioned in your past/current experience with ministry on campus, in the neighborhood, in the workplace, as part of your local congregation?  Also, if your local assembly has recently launched and/or reinvigorated a small group ministry of which it would be helpful for me to share as a model, please pass along the assembly's web address/contact info so I can include it in my materials. Thank-you.

By-the-way, some helpful resources I've already uncovered for the presentation include:

1. IVP's small group idea center -- way to go InterVarsity Press!
2. Small group participation stats from Barna
3. Small Groups from a Lay Leader's Perspective -- marked as How to start a small group
4. Small Groups: How One Church Does It
5. What's The Big Deal About Small Groups?
6. Interview: Starting A Small Group Ministry In Your Church
7. Getting Started with Small Group Ministry -- even the Unitarian Universalists are part of the movement and here are some of the books they recommend, including The Connecting Church by Randy Frazee and I Come Away Stronger: How Small Groups Are Shaping American Religion by Robert Wuthnow
8. now back to InterVarsity Press small group Bible studies, which include: LifeGuides for walking through books of the Bible and various topical studies, Spiritual Disciplines Bible Studies, Christian Basics Bible Studies.

I must confess that I really appreciate the Christian Classics Bible Studies.  Each study begins with a quote from a significant figure in church history which leads into a Bible study, delving deeper into the topic raised. The small group of which Theresa and I are participants just completed Teresa of Ávila and will be turning to Dietrich Bonhoeffer in early August. We'll begin by watching Hanged on a Twisted Cross. We meet every other week and split the studies in half. Pray for us to draw closer to the Father through the work of the Spirit as we open the Word and received insight into the Word's application in the midst of daily life as members of the Kingdom of God.