Many believers have been involved in some type of small group gathering that typically meets in homes and that is usually sponsored by a local church. Is it important to have guidelines that govern such a gathering? Or should folks come together and just wing it from one meeting to another? If general guidelines are provided, what would they be? How restrictive should they be? There may not be a clear, detailed biblical blueprint to follow, but how important is it to have a few “best practices” jotted down and published for believers to align with before they meet regularly to study the Bible and encourage one another in their faith?
What follows are some ideas that I’ve used over the years. I’m curious about what you think.
(Note: These guidelines may be applied to any type of group)
The following guidelines are intended to promote growth in Christ and mutual encouragement in our relationships with one another. By joining this group I commit to:
- Getting together regularly at the mutually agreed upon time and place whenever possible
- Being gracious to others by allowing them the necessary space to grow, i.e., no unbiblical demands or ideals imposed upon others
- Reflecting carefully upon God’s activity in my life and others’ lives so I come prepared to administer my spiritual gift(s)
- Intentionally serve others in the group by speaking the truth in love and performing acts of mercy and sacrifice where feasible
- Teaching and admonishing others without displacing our Wonderful Counselor and Paraclete, God’s Holy Spirit
- Being honest and transparent without compromising intimacy or confidentiality before God, my spouse, or others
- Obeying the clear teaching of God’s Word
- Sharing Scriptures that speak to the situation; i.e. minimize my opinions and maximize truth
- Praying daily for others in specific areas
- Being dependent upon other group members for biblical wisdom and accountability, while taking responsibility for my own maturity
Is there anything missing? Anything you would modify or delete? Did one or more stand out to you and, if so, why?
For more information see my Small Group Philosophy of Ministry.
Louis:
Thanks for the correction; I thought that was what you meant.
Good catch and, as usual, keen eye. You’re absolutely correct that it’s self-defeating to say “It’s my opinion that opinions cannot be true.” Check out my post some time ago entitled Mental & Moral Truth Decay.
However, if I say “It’s my opinion that Aristotle learned a great deal from Plato,” that would be a true statement because it’s historically verifiable and not merely a subjective opinion. But I wonder, even if I could not verify historically or otherwise that Aristotle was Plato’s disciple, and I still held the “opinion,” would it be false because it cannot be verified? In Plantinga-style parlance, could opinions be properly basic? Just thinking….
Back to the post…
The spirit in which it was written speaks to the all-too-often times when small groups are merely a pooling of ignorance where everyone puts in their two cents, “Well, I think…” and “That’s interesting, but I think that…” or “I feel that it’s like…” when none of the thoughts are grounded in Scripture but our own subjective experiences. This is not to discount all subjective experiences/opinions, but where members of a small group pretend to live under the teachings of Scripture they should look to Scripture for substantiating their beliefs and ideas, where possible.
At least that’s my opinion! ;-)
“Minimize my opinions and maximize truth”
Does this imply that “opinions” do contain a truth value? Do you remember those review boards in the Air Force? They would often include a question and preface it with a comment like “This is an opinion question. There is no right or wrong answer.” One question asked me was “What was the most important event in Air Force history?” I thought (but didn’t say) the day I joined of course. :) If there is no right or wrong answer then my answer in jest is just as meaningful as the invention of the airplane. Also, I often thought “Is it their opinion that there is no right or wrong answer and if so is that not self defeating?” Am I over thinking this or, for that matter, making any sense at all? Thanks
Oops, I was supposed to write “Does this imply that “opinons” do not contain a truth value? Sorry.