Why A Small Group Forum? Options

[Glen]

Why have a Small Groups Forum when most people worship God in a "church", right? Would it surprise you to know that the vast majority of Christians in the world worship in homes, garages, woods, caves, or riverbanks? Did you know the majority of those active in a commercial "church" also take part in one or more Small Group, called by various names (Bible study, fellowship, Sunday School, etc.)? Easily, 75% of active Christians participate in small groups. The commercial "churches" encourage small group participation because they know...

all ministry is personal

Large groups can't produce the relationship and interaction required for personal ministry. At a group size of 25 or more, communication is top-down and programmed, schedules must be rigid, individual needs go unnoticed, accountability is difficult and unnatural and people feel unattached and alienated. At a group size of 5-15, communication is varied and two-way, schedules can flex, individual needs are easily addressed, accountability is natural and automatic and people feel connected and develop real relationships...not those fake, smiley, Sunday kind.

This is why we strongly encourage you to participate in a small group, whether or not you attend a "church." This is also why it's important to have a Small Group Forum to learn and grow how to do the best small group worship we can and to wean ourselves from the services of professional clergy.

I put "church" in quotes as an aside for those who believe you can't worship God without the "big box". Jesus said He would be wherever 2 or more gathered in His name. The Holy Spirit inhabits our praise, not our building. In fact, every home, every garage, every basement, every restaurant, every field or cave IS a church when they contain people worshiping Jesus.

What do you think?

[Glen]

I see you know exactly why I don't have chatrooms. Having been a pastor in traditional churches for 11 years, though, I really don't see much of a difference between the forums and a church. Every church I've been in has had about 30-50% of the people just floating through, getting a need met and moving on. I think what may look different to most people is the fact you also have a large number...about 20% that are solid servants who have been and will be there for years. I believe when our forums have been here for years, that's what we will have. The forums have been up less than a year. For five years prior to that, we had an email prayer team where some of the first members had been active participants since the first months. Unfortunately, the technological leap to forums was too much for most of them, but a number of them are members here, who quietly pray for people and another group stays in touch with me via email. I'm sure it will never match the face-to-face fellowship for those who are used to that, but the Spiritual aspects are just as real.

A way in which I've noticed Internet ministry is superior to the face-to-face is honesty. Because everyone is remote and anonymous, people feel more free to be open and honest. The Bible says to confess to one another and bear each other's burdens, yet, how often do you see someone admitting in a church fellowship to being a pedophile, theif or a porn addict, for example? In most churches, it just doesn't happen. I didn't see anything like it in 11 years. People just don't feel safe in church with their secret sins. That isn't the case on the Internet. They are using artificial names, which seems to make it safe to be real in other ways. Another example of honesty...everywhere I've served the Lord, people have told me they loved me, I was their brother, yet, when God called me to another church or another ministry, it was as if I dropped off the face of the Earth. Maybe you've experienced the same thing. I suspect from your posts, you have.

Now, I seek genuine fellowship with people who love me for more than weekly visits to the same local building. If that means I fellowship with fewer people, at least the fellowship is genuine. It's my prayer that those who stay here and fellowship with us won't be doing it out of religious compulsion, tradition or habit, but genuine desire. See John 4:21-24