Small groups are unbiblical.

Over the past eight years my wife and I have done group life with 54 adults in our church. We meet every week for study and fellowship, ten months out of the year. We have had as few as 8 people in the group and as many as 28. When the group has been larger we sub-grouped further for care and prayer. But some would say I have “violated” the rules that govern small group ministry…

I served as a “minister of education” for three years at a church, overseeing a 200 year-old church program – Sunday School. It has been derided as being archaic, institutional, rigid in its structure and frigid in its fellowship. The classroom assembly line that produces biblically obese Christians.

I served as small groups pastor for six years. Small groups, the biblical plan for following Christ - fresh, organic, fostering true intimacy and community. At least that’s what all the conferences and websites told me.

But early on as I studied and observed, I had questions…

• What scriptures dictate that optimum groups are no more than 12 people?
• What scriptures dictate that optimum groups have a life cycle of one to two years, then they must multiply or birth new groups?
• What scriptures dictate that people must sub-group within a church for spiritual growth?

I understand that there are true group dynamic principles, that the larger a group grows the more the participation can diminish – the loss of “being heard”, of “being known”. But why “12”? That’s the number of Jewish tribes? Jesus’ disciples? Gates of the New Jerusalem?

I see that the longer a group is together the greater the chance they may become socially incestuous, recycling the same opinions/discussions, never reaching out, cocooning in their spiritual La-Z-Boys. But can’t a group continue to grow, to reach out? And if its healthier to switch groups every year or two, doesn’t it make sense to change churches every couple of years also? And how intimate will I become with people in 12 months? How can I “do life” with people for 50 weeks or so, then restart the fellowship with other people, “just because its time.” I’m in decent company – this last thought was expressed to me in a conversation with Andy Stanley [shameless name drop #1] and a couple other small group pastors.

And what of groups at all? The average church in America still averages about 90 people. Many churches are much smaller – their whole congregation qualifies as a small group! For every one Jerusalem mega church in the New Testament there were probably several smaller Philippi congregations. Obviously, the larger the church the greater the need for more accessible community connections. But is there a MANDATE for groups? Acts 2 describes Christ followers meeting house to house – does that prescribe small group ministry?

Is Sunday School better for spiritual growing than groups, or are groups better? That’s not my point.

Small groups are not unbiblical – the structure of groups is unbiblical, or, non-biblical.

The principles of life and growth in the local Body of Christ are biblical and critical. But the structure is man-made for each generation, for each church, and needs to be held lightly. The natural lifecycle that took many Sunday Schools from innovative ministry to empty machine can and will affect small group ministry in my church – if I hold too tightly to the controls. LifeTogether’s Brett Eastman [shameless name drop #2] got a kick out of my name for small group “experts” that dictate the rules about this ministry:  “group-nazis”.

I think every ministry leader needs to get a feel from scripture, the Holy Spirit, and a scan of their church, to determine what group life will look like in their church.