Small groups have been around for decades now and have been adopted at some level by most churches. When you hear a presentation about missional communities, you will usually hear that MCs are not small groups. MCs differ in terms of size (20 -50 for MCs 8 – 15 for small groups) and purpose. MCs are community formed around mission. Small groups can serve a lot of purposes.
Let me start by saying that a lot of the missional critique around small groups is valid. They are typically fellowship driven with a goal of connecting people relationally to the church. That’s not a bad thing, but it doesn’t make disciples. Small groups with this purpose can be used effectively however. They are a low commitment and highly relational structure. This is great in churches that are looking for ways to quickly connect people relationally. The low bar makes entry non-threatening and be a great first step for someone new to the church or new to faith. The spiritual journey just can’t end there. The relational only groups need to be temporary in someone’s spiritual journey.
But small groups are essentially a structure and don’t inherently come with a purpose. One of the best books out there on small groups structure and how to administrate a small groups ministry is Nelson Searcy’s Activate. Many are turned off by Searcy’s endless email marketing, but don’t let that distract you from the great content in this book. The structure of small groups is valid one for discipleship. What is lacking in most small groups is the discipleship component. Read more
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