This is the first
time that I have given this space to a testimonial by one of the people I
coach. The following paragraphs point to the power of good DNA
in the life of a congregation. This is from Matt Meisenhelter, a church
planter south of DC. I am proud of Matt and celebrate what God is doing
at his church. - Paul Nixon
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I
am increasingly convinced, like John Wesley before me, that small
groups are the indispensible backbone of the Church. Seems Jesus thought
so, too (Matthew 10:1-4, 18:20,
Mark 6:7, and more). So when we planted Spirit & Life Church in
Woodbridge, Virginia about five years ago, I knew we had to be extremely
intentional about making small group ministries at least as important to our vision and newly forming church DNA as the Sunday worship service.
Ad
nauseum, I would explain in large and small gatherings how I couldn't
possibly take care of everyone personally in a growing church, but that
"small groups are THE way we take care of people here." Likewise, I
couldn't personally disciple nor mentor everyone myself, but that "small
groups with great lay leaders are THE way we help people take their
relationships with God and other believers to the next level." Active
participation in a small group was not just a suggestion if you were a
committed part of Spirit & Life. It was the church-wide cultural
expectation. Soon, more people engaged in our variety of small groups
than we had in average weekly worship attendance.
So
when we began working on the second campus of Spirit & Life last
year, I was concerned about how to replicate our success in small groups
that took half a decade of hard work in the first location. With all
the work of interpersonal networking, community engagement, logistical
problem solving, and extensive planning for worship launch, I had no
time in the first six months of work on the new campus to devote to
small groups at all.
This got me worried. (I'm
good at worry.) Was I now building a new faith community where I would
be the lynch pin of congregational care and discipleship? Or worse, was I
building a culture of personality surrounding me, and my own
unsustainable work practices? And would that unhealthy culture be all my
fault for not prioritizing lay-driven small groups sooner!?
That's
why I was astonished a few Sundays ago in a casual conversation with
several leaders, when they commented off hand about this Bible Study and
that affinity group and that mission team that were already formed and
meeting on this and that day of the week at this and that person's home.
WHAT!? Small groups had already formed organically without my "help!" The DNA
of the few missionary members from the first campus came with them to
the new site! And even more surprisingly, the overall vision and culture
of what we were all about in the first location was readily clear and
apparent even to satellite campus newcomers whom we'd even never met
previously! So much so that small groups just sort of happened at the
new site! In fact, I wonder that if I had done a more institutionalized
or mandated approach to launching small groups in the new campus if they
would have happened as quickly and would have been as healthy as they
are now without my direct intervention.
Of course,
we will formalize our small group policies and procedures with healthy
accountability and oversight at the new location. But the fact that
they started in such a grass-roots and nearly effortless way (at least
on my own part) means that the importance of Christian small groups is
more a deeply-ingrained part of who we are than anything I might have
been able to force or mandate top-down. And, thank God, I have a whole
lot more time to do all the other sorts of ministry work that I am
gifted, called, and needed to do as a new church planter and pastor!
God is good.
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