Why the Change in Small Groups?

Josh on June 11th, 2008

Why the change to small groups I mentioned recently? Here’s a couple of (terrible quality, sorry) shots from my Moleskin journal these past couple of weeks that I thought I would unpack on the subject:

img006.jpg
In the first picture - Small groups have total freedom. While the best groups are performing well, there’s just too much ambiguity to know who is meeting, when and what they are covering. The coaching structure has crumbled. Too some degree, small groups are all over the place. Small groups have so much autonomy, which can be their strength, that they’ve developed some problems. Some have grown too big, some have stopped meeting or some are headed in the wrong direction altogether. Honestly, many are doing fine (the drawing is a worst case scenario based on too little information to feel comfortable in anything more positive), but for the sake of the whole a change was in order. 

img007.jpg
In the second picture – Small groups are all headed in the same direction. They are temporarily contained in a box (The Refinery) and will from now on use a unified curriculum. The leaders are cared for and mentored, rookies are given veteran mentors and we “meet and eat” each week together  through the Fall. Ideally, they become a fierce unit in community ready to take on the tough topics and tough student challenges that lay ahead. The only change after Christmas break is the removal of the box around the groups.

JG

Leave a Comment

Kyle Cleveland at 11:31pm June 11

Absolutely genius… behind you 100%!

Karen at 9:19pm June 23

We are doing something similar–we are using the same basic materials, but we’ve divided our small groups into jr high and sr high (and then again into guys and girls groups). The challenge for each of the small group leaders is to make the materials relevant to the age group, and that gives us freedom within the small group, but keeps us all talking about the same basic issues (currently we’re using an “Evan Almighty” devotional, and talking about how to respond to God’s call) We’re using some of our older sr high students to serve as group leaders along with an adult–gives the students the opportunity to develop leadership skills, with adult support (especially important in the jr high groups!)