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From Miletus [Paul] sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. When they came to him, he said to them:
"You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus."
- Acts 20:17-21 (NRSV)
Then those who gladly received [Peter's] word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
- Acts 2:41-42 (NKJV)
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Acts 2:41-47 of the early Church suggest a kind of small group ministry going on in addition to larger assemblies.
The original Methodist and United Brethren denominations emphasized a class meeting where persons would gather every week, pray together, study the scriptures together, confess their sins to each other, and encourage one another to holy living seven days a week. It was in this context that most evangelism, spiritual growth and significant life change took place.
Within our own congregation, while the adult Sunday School classes were mostly larger than small groups (a small group is roughly 6-12 people), they have been vital to the life of the church. In fact, it is likely that if there had been no Cheerful Gleaners, Christian Homebuilders, or Servants of Christ classes, then the church probably would have disbanded some years ago.
In Korea, there are a few enormous churches (over 10,000 members) where almost all of the members are in small groups. So while the church is large, it feels small. If anyone doesn't make to the worship service, there is a group of people who know what is going on. Members will almost never feel that their church has forgotten them.
In this country, the New Hope Community Church in Portland, Oregon is one of the early models of this kind of church. They say that there are five reasons your church needs a vital small group ministry:
1. Small groups provide multiple points of entry into the church. What if, instead of just a single worship service for a person to enter the church, there are many groups meeting in homes throughout the week?
2. Small groups are more effective for evangelism. Will a person more likely say yes to Christ after hearing an evangelistic sermon or (Continued on page 2)
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It has become clear to me that to grow a church in a community like ours with the kind of resources we have on hand is a difficult task at best. More accurately, it is impossible without the leading of the Holy Spirit. But to be a community open to the leading of the Holy Spirit requires us to be a more disciplined and tightly bound group, and to be growing both in our spiritual life and in caring for other people. As far as organization is concerned, what we have begun to mobilize the CORE/CORPS has led us now to a small group ministry.
Not that this is anything new. Small groups have been vital to Christian growth ever since Jesus chose twelve, and told them "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). The reference in Acts 20:20 to teaching "house to house" and the description in
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