OK, I’m feeling a little selfish. Is it possible to be a lifegroup glutton?
I’ve blogged/bragged about being part of the world’s best lifegroup before. If it were possible to catch lightning in a bottle once, that’d be something worth noting. But doing it twice–unheard of.
Until tonight.
A new lifegroup met tonight, months later than I expected, in a location that wasn’t ideal. Some of the attendees were friends, but most of us were relative strangers when the evening started.
At some point between obligatory introductions and the goodnight&goodbye something special happened. People got real, took some risks, chose to be vulnerable…and it was good.
I don’t know what your experience has been with small groups in your church. I am sure that there are lots of horror stories out there. But I think we’re on to something here. I’m starting to believe that there’s a movement of God, a waking up, a real-life breakthrough.
We’re creating groups that are medium-sized–20-50 people is what I’m thinking. There are some real practical advantages to a medium-sized group, and we think we get the best of both worlds this way. We’ll break into smaller groups for better discussion, but the larger group will allow us to do some things better than a small group of 8. Ever try to sing in a group of 8? Nowhere to hide, baby! If you can’t sing, it’s one of the most awkward experiences evah. But in a medium-sized group you can make a joyful noise and blend in. “Larger than LifeGroups” can take on service projects, and if a handful of people bail can’t make it the work still gets done. “Larger than LifeGroups” can sponsor more children, adopt more families, serve more people, and offer diverse people a place to belong. We’re undergrads and young professionals and parents of teenagers and empty-nesters, singles and long-time-married and divorcees and newlyweds, conservatives and moderates and liberals, confused and committed…all of us excited by the potential for spiritual life, on the road to recovery, processing what Jesus is doing in our lives.
If you are looking for a group of people to join, you don’t have to look too far. Leave me a comment if you want to jump in!
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