The Value of Large Groups
- Bill Elliff
- Tue, Jul 19, 2005
- Permalink
Small groups abound, and I’m glad. One of the most significant trends in the American church has been the growing value placed upon small groups. There is NO substitute for the house-to-house, life-to-life environment of 10-20 people where “everybody knows your name.” This is the primary (but not the only) place where authentic community occurs in the life of the church. The special kind of honest communication, life application, and accountability that takes place in small groups is hard to replicate in any other setting.
But now, we hear the rumblings of an over-correction. It always seems to happen. When church leaders suddenly awaken to a significant quality or practice that has been lost to the church for a season, it becomes the new wave that is going to solve every problem in the church.
And so, cutting-edge forecasters now tell us that the large-group gatherings of the local assembly are not needed and may actually impede the life of the church. “House churches” are the craze, and some are suggesting that the current structures of the church have missed it completely and that every deficiency of the church can be resolved by a return to this component of New Testament life.
Without question there are times of persecution in church history in which the only means for believers to gather has been in small groups. But it is interesting to notice that when religious freedom is realized, the first response of the church is to gather everyone together. It’s been happening now for 2,000 years. A simple reading of the historical beginnings of the church in the New Testament illustrates this wonderful balance between small and large group gatherings. While every passage below does not necessarily indicate a large setting, all of them indicate that there was some means of establishing the corporate identity of the “whole.”
• Acts 2:44 (NASB) – And all those who had believed were together
• Acts 2:46 – Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and . . . from house to house
• Acts 4:32 – And the congregation [multitude] of those who believed were of one heart and soul
• Acts 5:11 – And great fear came over the whole Church
• Acts 5:16 – also the people [multitude] from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together
• Acts 5:20 – (to Peter as he was released from jail) Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.
• Acts 5:42 – And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching
• Acts 6:2 – So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples
• Acts 6:5 – the statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose [deacons]
• Acts 13:1-4 – Now there were at Antioch , in the church that was there, prophets and teachers.. . . While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul”
• Acts 13:44 – The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. And when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
• Acts 14:27 – ( Antioch ) When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done
• Acts 15:6 – The apostles and the elders
came together
• Acts 15:12 – All the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul
• Acts 15:30-32 – So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch ; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. . . . Judas and Silas . . . strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message
• Acts 18:22-23 – When he had landed at Caesarea , he went up and greeted the church. . . . And having spent some time there . . . strengthening all the disciples
• Acts 20:7 – ( Troas ) On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them . . . and he prolonged his message until midnight
• Acts 20:18-21 – I was with you the whole time . . . I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks
There are at least three arguments for maintaining large-group gatherings alongside of the small. First, the earthly ministry of Christ included both small and large groups. Why would we adopt a less balanced methodology, when His ministry involved groups of 3, 12, 70, 120, 500, 5000, etc.? All were important. All served a purpose.
Second, the ultimate example of the church is realized in heaven. The book of Revelation contains the accounts of myriads of people gathered for corporate worship and communication. The earthly church, as a prototype of this eternal church, should seek to approximate heaven in every way possible.
Third, large groups provide a distinctly different dynamic than small-group gatherings. Each environment plays a vital role because things are accomplished in one that cannot be accomplished as well in the other. Consider the following comparisons:
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The Value of the LARGE Group
2. Teaching can be done by tested pastors and teachers.
3. Doctrine can be maintained by the leaders of the church, which offers greater protection against error.
4. Celebration can be experienced by the whole, and people feel a part of the greater movement of believers.
5. Evangelism occurs as unbelievers see the value of belief to the whole group, which carries credibility and weight.
6. Community can be experienced minimally at the macro level.
7. The spiritual gifts of a few are utilized for specific purposes.
8. Worship can be led by highly gifted leaders, helping us see the prototype of heaven’s corporate celebration.
9.Giving is coordinated with big-picture goals in view.
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The Value of the SMALL Group
1. Communication is personal and intimate.
2. Teaching is conveyed in a more informal, application-oriented manner.
3. Doctrine can be discussed and questions answered.
4. Celebration can be personal and indepth— more stories are heard and all can participate.
5. Evangelism occurs through personal, interactive conversations and shared experiences.
6. Community can be experienced maximally at the micro level.
7. The spiritual gifts of all in the group can be utilized.
8. Worship can be experienced in a more intimate way.
9.Giving is usually directed to more specific needs of the group and those they are ministering to.
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Conclusion
Every successful society has developed a road system. The reason? It’s hard to make much progress in a ditch. Any ditch. A left-hand ditch and a right-hand ditch are equally confining.
Wise Christian leaders will see the value of small groups and incorporate them into the life of the church. However, they will also be aware of the dangers of over-correction. There is no need to pit the value of small groups against the value of large group gatherings. Both are needed in the life of the church. Having served as a church leader for many years, I have learned that it is generally unhealthy to listen exclusively to those who sell their ideas by telling you that everything else is useless. Usually, those people are both right and wrong. Be a Berean Christian who tests every new idea on the whole counsel of our perfectly balanced God.