Spirituality

Back in May 2013, I was featured on Rick Howerton’s Blog with NavPress for a four day interview on “Small Groups or Mid-Size Communities?”

Rick Howerton is one of the most genuine guys that I’ve met and I’m so grateful for his ministry to me and to the global church! Since then, he has joined the staff at Lifeway, and thus the previous posts have gone away. So I’ve taken the content that I wrote for that interview and put it up on my site in the links below:

I encourage you to read through my answers to the following questions on his site and engage in a conversation with us about this viral concept. Click on the links below to see my answers.

• Day One – What were you trying to accomplish in your small groups that was not being achieved and why do you think the smallness of group life was keeping you from accomplishing that?
• Day Two – When you met with your leadership team, especially your senior pastor to consider the move from small groups to mid-size groups, what questions arose (and/or what conversation took place) that drove your church to move to mid-size groups?
• Day Three – What aspects of group life did you think you would lose by moving from small groups to mid-size groups that you found remained in tact?
• Day Four – What does a mid-size group meeting look like and how often do these groups meet?

Let’s talk!

In part 3, I shared a FAQ list regarding mid-size communities (MSCs). You can get a good feeling as to what an MSC is by reading through the FAQs, or by looking at this infographic, but what’s the theological rationale for them anyway? Are MSCs just a repackaged version of Adult Bible Fellowship? Are they just the new hot thing? Or are they merely a different version of missional communities?

Well, let’s dig in. In order to look at the theological rationale for MSCs, we first need to ask more of a fundamental question: What is the church and what is her mission?

Is the Church, as Hans Kung suggests, the visible church building that people can belong to, as well as the invisible global Church composed of all true believers? Or is the Church better described, in a biblical way, as “God’s household” (Eph 2:19), “the body of Christ” (1 Cor 12:27), and a place where all of the biblical “one another’s” are lived out?

There is nothing wrong with describing the Church in those ways, but perhaps a better way to understand the Church is to begin with the end in mind? What if the Church was defined and understood through the lens of its mission? If it were, then the Church would not fall into the trap of being a loving community for its own sake or be mistaken as a rotary club. Although William Rush states that “the more the Church understands its own nature, the more it gets hold of its own vocation,” I actually believe the opposite is just as true. The more the Church understands its own mission or vocation, the more it will grab hold of its own nature.

So what is the mission that God has given the Church?

[Read more…] about Mid-Size Communities Part 4: The Theological Rationale

The following is not an exhaustive FAQ list, nor does it contain all information regarding mid-size communities (MSC). It is merely a brief snapshot of MSCs. The upcoming posts will reveal more information regarding MSCs. What are Mid-Size Communities?

• Mid-Size Communities are a new way to think about community. They are a group of 20-50 people who journey together to celebrate, to grow, and to be a blessing to those they live, work, and play with.
• A community that is formed around a common affinity, geography, or societal need – and this gathering point becomes the mission focus of the group.
• A community, not just a scheduled meeting. So typically, every other week, there is a large group gathering, but smaller groups for study and get togethers happen in the off weeks.
  • For example, I lead a Young Families MSC and we have formed around a common affinity – young families. This affinity then becomes our mission focus – so my MSC of young families exists to reach out to other young families in our city. So everything we do, from our every other week gathering to the things we do in the off weeks, all relate to young families and reaching other young families.
• A group of people on mission with one another – they are the church.
• A place where you belong before you believe.
• A sign, instrument, and foretaste of the Kingdom of God.
• Not a large small group nor a small weekend gathering.
• Small enough to care, but large enough to dare.
• Big enough that you won’t be the centre of attention when you’re new, but small enough that you’ll find someone you connect with.
• An open, inclusive, and safe environment where friendships are formed and we can discover who we could potentially grow a “deeper” relationship with.

[Read more…] about Mid-Size Communities Part 3: FAQ