Church Planting that Starts w/ Small Groups (Part 7): Connect the Dots
This Planting w/ Small Groups “series” has kinda faltered, due mostly to a preaching class that drained my time and energy like a Christian vampire. The class is over (and I’m officially a graduate now, ha!), so my plan is to wrap up this series in short order. Look for Part 8 in the next day or so–that’ll be the final installment.
_See also Intro, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 & Part 6_
Keep small groups relationally connected so that corporate services can happen.
When fast growth is concerned, small groups (35 percent) are a better strategy for planting churches than preview services (10 percent)-but when both are used together, the likelihood of growing fast rises to 55 percent.[1] Healthy small groups multiply, and three or four groups (roughly 50 people) will likely be necessary before the church plant has the personnel to develop a preview service.
However, such services wnot be possible unless the groups are convinced of the legitimacy of the “church gathered,” aware of each other, and prepared to pool time and resources to make the service a reality. Such cooperation would be aided by steady visioneering by the planter and regular “mixer” events where cross-pollination between groups would occur.
If the various independent small groups will eventually act as a united corporate body, the expectation will need to be built in while they are meeting separately. When the church grows, this strategy will also pay dividends in the relational health of members, as the stage will be set for the plant to become healthy, networked, “church of small groups” rather than a “church with small groups.”[2]
[1] Stephen Gray.
[2] Donald D. Owens, “Building a Church of Small Groups,” Missiology 32, no. 1 (January 2004): 106-107.
