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Externally Focused Small Groups

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 - 10:07 AM CST

How do churches effectively increase the level of community service and heighten this spiritual value without detracting from the internal strength of the church or competing with other programs? Re-engineering their existing small group ministry is one of the more popular answers to this dilemma of staying internally strong while being externally focused.

At Fellowship Bible Church North, Plano, TX, (http://www.fbcnorth.org/) small groups are an integral part of church life. Out of the 4,000 in attendance each weekend, over 1,800 are also involved in a small group during the week. "Our small groups, called LifeGroups, are the primary place where life happens at Fellowship. It is where three of the five core functions of our church take place: connect, grow, and share," says Glen Brechner, adult ministries pastor. The church had a strong small group ministry for a number of years, so when leadership decided to greatly expand serving in the community, the discussion eventually came around to integrating the small group ministry with community service—but not at first.

Internally Strong and Externally Focused Groups
According to Glen, the church actually tried a number of strategies first, not seeing the synergy between service and the small group dynamic. Fellowship Bible planned and participated in all-church community service events—where hundreds of members served schools and community agencies on a weekend. They also preached an on-going externally focused vision from the pulpit, but the church's leadership admits they repeatedly lost traction when it came to living into the vision for long-term success until they looked at their small groups. "While we thought our groups were healthy, we soon realized that truly healthy groups have a purpose beyond themselves. Getting a group healthy means getting groups to look out instead of in; to serve instead of consume. While most of our groups had the heart to make a difference, few did," says Glen.

The church developed a strategy for each of their groups to be internally healthy and externally focused. . "Outreach is always the hardest rock to push up the hill for any church, but we've learned that if you get your small groups involved it will not only make a difference in the community, it will develop deeper community within the small groups at your church," says Glen.

Fellowship Bible Church North believes serving the community in the context of a small group encourages greater spiritual maturity. "In many cases, serving together produces better opportunities to grow because our character and attitudes are exposed and tested."

How does hands-on ministry enrich discipleship? In Churches that Make a Difference, authors Sider, Olson and Unruh outline multiple connections between holistic outreach and personal spiritual growth.[1]
§ It allows people to mourn over sin and brokenness as God does. "We realize in greater depth the deadly power of evil and the even mightier power of the cross."
§ It confronts people with areas is their own lives—like materialism, prejudice, or laziness.
§ It yields new insights into Scripture, as they see it brought to life in the course of ministry. "We can study about God's compassion and love, but until we encounter the man wounded on the road to Jericho, bathe his wounds, and pay for his care, we can't know fully what it means to be a good neighbor."
§ It brings people closer to God's passion for justice. "When we minister to people who lack access to quality, affordable healthcare, housing, or education, we join with Jesus and the prophets in the cry to release the oppressed (Luke 4:18)."
§ It strengthens faith by giving evidence of God at work, leads to greater dependence on God's grace and wisdom, and a greater appreciation for salvation.
§ It helps people discover and develop spiritual gifts.

Glen Brechner concludes that Fellowship's small group service engagements have helped the Scriptures come alive as the writer of Hebrews 10:23-24 says: "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."


[1] Sider, Ronald, Olson, Philip, and Unruh, Heidi. Churches that Make a Difference, Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2002. p. 173

Krista Petty is a resource developer and writer for The Externally Focused Network (www.externallyfocusednetwork.com) and Leadership Network (www.leadnet.org). This article is an excerpt of her more extensive paper "Externally Focused Small Groups" by Leadership Network, 2007. The entire paper is available for free download at http://www.leadnet.org/Resources_Downloads.asp. Readers may connect with the author through her blog at www.kristapetty.blogspot.com.