Growing Together in Small Groups

Small groups are not a new idea. One of the earliest examples of a small group was recorded about 2000 years ago. An itinerant teacher chose a dozen men from crazy different walks of life and varying political viewpoints from his group of followers*. In three years, they created a movement that has changed millions of lives.

Dan Brown

Small groups continued to spring up around those chosen 12 wherever they went. Many of the letters in the New Testament were written to encourage those groups or those leading small groups.

Do all small groups effect such great changes? Maybe not for millions of people over thousands of generations, but there is certainly an impact on the members of the small group and the community around them. Let me tell you about some.

I became involved in a small group shortly after joining 1st Pres. I wasn’t looking for a small group when former Pastor Craig asked if I would be interested in a men’s mentoring group. I said, “Sure” and started meeting once a month with nine other men. Soon, we started sharing life together. We grew to trust one another and depend on one another. After just a year, I was not the same person. I was seeing things through the eyes of my new brothers.

Over the years I have become a part of other small groups in our church, developing lifelong friendships as we studied God’s Word together. It has been exciting to see the growth in those around me and myself through these experiences.

Several years ago, I was asked to lead our Adult Discipleship Team (ADT). At that time, our Christ Care, Women’s Circles, and two Men’s groups were the predominant study groups. Members of these groups were and are very active in service to the church. With a desire to offer more opportunities for others in our community to experience the fellowship and closeness of a small group, Pastor Neal Nybo proposed that the Adult Discipleship Team develop the Sermon-based Small Group program. This idea began in other churches around the country with the simple idea of delving deeper into the previous Sunday’s message. With no content to create, the service’s message was there to discuss further with others, exploring how it might pertain to and be applied in our lives today. What a great concept!

After sharing the idea with our congregation we began placing interested parties in groups. This resulted in well over 150 people involved in small groups. Some meet weekly, others monthly, some are women’s groups, others are men’s, and the rest are mixed. It has been a success and the ADT continues to encourage people to consider participating.

We are working on an opportunity for those with children to meet and have childcare available so they can enjoy the company of other adults. Meeting times vary, so there is a good chance everyone can participate on a day and time of the week that fits their schedule.

In August, we’re organizing additional small groups. If interested, please sign up. These groups are open to all who attend 1st Pres. The investment in time is small, but the potential rewards can be huge!
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In His Name, Dan 
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* Luke explains that the 12 were a subset of Jesus’s disciples. After a night of prayer, Jesus “called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles” (Luke 6:13). So, what about the larger group of disciples who traveled with Jesus? Luke makes it clear that this larger group included many women.