Better at Growing When I'm With Others

The theological foundations of Community Groups

Whether called Bible Studies, Small Groups, Growth Groups, Community Groups, Missional Communities, or some other name, mid-week gatherings with other Christians in groups of around 10-20 people are a staple of late 20th—and early 21st-century suburban Christianity.

Last week on The Shock Absorber podcast, I sat down with Joel McMaster and Joey Cheng (pastor at Soul Revival Church Ryde and responsible for Community Groups across Soul Revival Church) to begin a new mini-series about the theology, strategy and practice of Community Groups.

We chat about how the names of these smaller-than-church-services-but-bigger-than-1-on-1-groups can emphasise different aspects of a church’s vision and values. We also talk about the influence of the seeker-sensitive movement from the 1980s and 1990s and how churches like Willow Creek and Saddleback distinguished between the intended audience and outcomes of weekend and mid-week ministries.

The key question emerges: What are small groups forming? Is it about the act…