Small groups are the optimum environment for life change.
For those of us who believe in groups, that’s an easy phrase to repeat. But for group critics it’s a hard pill to swallow. We have no problem acknowledging the value of a large worship service attended by hundreds of people. We are quick to affirm the value of personal devotional habits. The church for two millennia has valued both the large gathering and the private setting for spiritual formation. But, it’s the insistence that a small group is an important – perhaps essential – space for life change that has created some controversy.
Maybe it’s because groups have been around for a mere 500 or so years while public worship services have been around for about 1,700 years. Maybe it’s because it’s easier to hide in large settings and lie to ourselves when we are alone. A group doesn’t usually afford us that luxury. Maybe it’s because in our highly connected world, community seems a harder thing to grasp. Maybe it’s because in the core of each one of us we don’t like to submit to anyone or be told what to do.
Ironically we give up too quickly on the things that will help us. And it’s not just groups. I often ask people about their personal devotional habits. For most it’s a sad admission of defeat prefaced by, “…I should really try harder to…” Yet personal Bible reading and prayer is profoundly helpful. We tend to give up on healthy eating habits and return to french fries. We tend to give up on helpful exercise routines before they become either helpful or routine. And we sometimes give up on groups before we get to the life change.
The writer of Hebrews knew this was a problem. Apparently some of the people he wrote to had abandoned their groups (10:25). He encouraged them to stay committed to their communities and to encourage each other to grow. I think he might write those same words to some of us today.
