What Small Groups Are Really About

Realizing my small group is not about me

Too often we think about small groups from a consumer's perspective. In other words, the reason we join small groups is for what we get out of them (i.e. they help us grow, we enjoy the benefits of these relationships, we get our needs prayed for, we receive the benefits of being encouraged, etc.). Maybe it's our fault as church leaders that so many people think in this way. In our zest to get self-focused Christians to embrace small groups, we told them all the ways small groups would benefit them.

The truth is, being part of a holistic small group does benefit us, but this can't be our reason for being part of a small group. Otherwise, whenever we stop experiencing the personal benefits or the group becomes too much effort (and there will be times like this), we'll simply drop out. When we're too tired from a long workday, we won't bother going. When it takes too much work to serve each other (or it requires more of us than we feel we're getting in return), we'll simply stop attending. After all, our whole reason for being in a small group is for ourselves! To read more, click here.