60 Seconds of Pastoral Ponderings

It had been a typical week. It began with two Sunday morning worship services, a bit of fellowship with friends in the afternoon, then time in a small prayer group in the evening.

Monday morning found me in another prayer group of eight to twelve people followed by a one-on-one discipling time with another man. Tuesday mornings were spent with eight staff members, then with nine leadership team members at night.

Wednesday evening my wife and I hosted a small Bible study in our home. There were thirteen fellow-learners seated around our family room with Bibles and hearts open to God’s Word.

Watching this pattern over the course of several months, it became clear to me that the majority of growing and moving and ‘digging in spiritually’ and coming to grips with eternal matters … was going on, not with the Sunday morning crowd, but with just one to a handful of people at a time.

On Thursday morning I was at my favorite coffee enclave and the evidence of the ‘small group thing’ surrounded me. I saw two small meeting rooms where men were together studying God’s Word and praying with each other. Next to me was a table of three men who were going through a study together as they grew in God’s knowledge and grace. And right across from me were two more men in earnest discussion about spiritual matters.

I once read that God’s Kingdom does not grow ‘city by city,’ or ‘church by church’ or ‘meeting by meeting,’ but ‘person by person’. And I believe that. I don’t minimize what happens when we gather in large groups (what pastor ever would?). But I believe we put way too much expectation on those events and too little value in what happens when we grow through smaller units.

And how about you, pastor? Is most of your ministry aimed at the masses? Are you making time for discipling responsibilities or using all your resources of time and energy in only congregational sized meetings?

God took Philip from the crowds to minister to one Ethiopian searcher. Jesus invested heavily in ‘small group’ ministry and was so successful that He trusted that group with the propagation of his Kingdom plans. Don’t get lost in the crowds!

Paul Walterman

 

Fresh Heart Ministries

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