by Pastor Patrick Cho

Back in October, I wrote on the benefits of small group ministries and some possible reasons small groups might not have been as helpful as they could have been for you. Especially in a growing church, small groups can provide valuable opportunities for members to cultivate strong relationships with others. But there are other benefits as well. In an age where it seems there is a greater insistence upon “organic” relationships, a strong case can be made for small groups as a beneficial program of church ministry.

How can we make the most of those times together? How can we ensure that it will be time well spent? I have heard of some small group meetings running over four hours! While I’m sure the time together was enjoyable, most people cannot realistically commit that much time to it. Below are some ways you can help make the most of your small group’s time together and some principles of how you ought to be committed to them.

1. Show up on time. This is not only a common courtesy but also a demonstration of spiritual character. Be considerate of others by coming on time. Consider it a healthy application of the Philippians 2 principle of looking after others’ interests before your own (Phil. 2:3-4). Additionally, the Bible calls Christians to be faithful to their word (cf. James 5:12). If you and your group have agreed to meet at a particular time, it is a matter of faithfulness to not make a habit of arriving late. Your small group wants to make the most of their time together, and waiting for you to show up doesn’t help the group achieve this goal.
2. Finish your assignments. It is a general truth that you will benefit from small groups proportionate to the measure that you invest in them. If you are not taking time to work on assignments or complete reading with excellence (i.e., not rushing to finish assignments 30 minutes before the group begins), you are impeding the quality of the meeting. Not only will you not benefit much from the group, but the others also will not benefit from any thoughtful and prepared contributions from you.
3. Pray for One Another. Sometimes so much time is given to sharing about each other’s lives that very little time is actually devoted to prayer. One way to correct this is to limit the time each person has to get the rest of the group caught up on their life. Try to focus the time on how the group can be praying for each other and then reserve adequate time to lift up these prayers to the Lord. Prayer is not only worship offered to God but can also be a great encouragement and blessing to each other. To further make times of prayer helpful, think through the Scriptures that apply to the things that have been shared and practice praying the Bible and echoing its principles and teaching.
4. Study God’s Word Together. While the general purpose of small groups is usually accountability and prayer, they also provide a wonderful opportunity to study God’s Word together. There are various ways to do this including walking through a verse by verse study, watching good teaching videos together, listening to helpful sermons, or reading a trustworthy Christian book. As Christians we are called to speak truth to one another in love for the benefit of the body (Eph. 4:15). There may be no better way to do this than studying God’s truth together. An added benefit of studying together in a group is getting others’ perspectives and observations from the text that you yourself may have missed. The profit comes from drawing as much as you can from God’s Word.
5. Provide Spiritual Support and Accountability. Most people become members of the church seeking greater accountability for their spiritual lives. I often tell our members that this accountability is most consistently provided through small group ministries. This is because small groups usually provide planned and periodic meeting times where members can look forward to gathering together. As various struggles and trials are shared or sins are confessed, the group can help the weaker brother by praying for him and offering helpful counsel and encouragement (cf. 1 Thess. 5:14). Since the group plans to meet regularly, follow up to any issues can be built into the small group program.
6. Enjoy Each Other’s Company. Some of the strongest relationships in the church are built through small group. One of the reasons for this is that the expressed purpose of small groups is quality spiritual fellowship and not just “hanging out.” While time together talking about nothing in particular can be relaxing and enjoyable, true Christians benefit greatly from interaction over God’s Word and spiritual conversation. Hopefully in small groups you find a band of brothers or sisters that love you and genuinely care for your soul. Hopefully you find a group of true friends who will be there for you especially when you need support and help. Have fun with one another and seek to cultivate these relationships. Oftentimes the lifelong friendships that are enjoyed in the church originate in small groups. There have been many testimonies from people who were ultimately surprised at whom in the church they became close with because of small group ministry.

Because of these benefits and more, I generally encouraged people to be involved in small groups at Lighthouse. As often as our affinity groups offer them, I would suggest being part of them and not allowing work or school to crowd out time for them, if possible. I understand that there still may be some who don’t find small groups helpful for one reason or another, but small groups really can be wonderful contexts for discipleship and relationship building in the church.