Saddleback outgrew me a long time ago. If Saddleback were limited to the number of people I could personally care for, we would be stuck at 300. Early in the life of Saddleback, I realized that my role was to equip the congregation for ministry, not do all the ministry myself.
I simply can’t minister to everyone’s needs at the church. It’s impossible in a church the size of Saddleback. I can’t counsel all the people who come to our church for counseling. I can’t pray specifically for every prayer request that comes into the church. I can’t. But I’ve learned that God never meant for me to meet everyone’s needs. And He didn’t mean for you to do that either. We’re not Atlas holding our churches up! I found that when I resigned as general manager of the universe, my ministry was a lot more effective.
While there are lots of reasons to involve your congregation in small groups, sharing the shepherding duties was one of the original reasons we started small groups at Saddleback. In the 32 years of Saddleback’s history, the church has grown larger by growing smaller.
We have four different types of small groups that people can be a part of at our church. Each has its own strengths. Some involve group members for ministry. Some help church members develop a relationship with non-Christians – and others try to help believers deal with the overwhelming crises of life. Yet all of them have one thing in common – they connect people with others at the church. Each is connected to a different purpose of the church. Read more
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