Why Small Groups May Be the Wave of the Future: Simplicity

Pastor Pete Beck III • Jul 04, 2020

Here is a very important question for you the reader. What could be stripped away from your church experience, and you would continue to attend?

The great preaching? The worship experience? The children’s programs? The facilities? The air conditioning? What if all we had were a few people meeting in homes, who depended on the Holy Spirit each week to provide what they needed? That is how it is in some places, and the believers do just fine, maybe even better than in the USA, where we have everything we could ever want, except perhaps what we need the most.

The church is being tested in many ways in the West as a result of the coronavirus restrictions. Some estimate that church attendance will permanently drop 35% due to the changes and interruptions we have been experiencing. For some, church attendance was spotty before the virus. Once uncommitted people build a habit of non-attendance, it will be quite a challenge to undo that. Some have discovered that the scaled down Zoom and parking lot meeting leave a lot to be desired and are missing all the “bells and whistles” to which they have grown accustomed. Some have decided that they are not interested.

We have to ask ourselves, exactly why do we attend church meetings?

We live in a consumer culture that trains people to think in terms of “what’s in it for me?” We have created a spectator environment in which we have taught people to expect to be entertained at church by an accomplished worship team, smooth programming, a dynamic preacher, and professional quality programs. We expect to be properly and cheerfully greeted, comfortably seated, appropriately cooled or heated, to experience the “anointing” or presence of God, and hear a life-changing and challenging message, all while the kids are receiving ministry from a professional children’s pastor in another room. Everything is done to make us want to come back again. We measure success by how many regularly attend our Sunday meetings, how big is the offering, and how wonderful was the experience. Does this sound like the church in Acts? No, it is completely alien to it. It is the product of slick American marketing and is doomed to collapse when persecution arrives.

The proper reason to attend gatherings of the church is found in Acts. In order to mutually strengthen and encourage one another…

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. Acts 2:42 (NLT)

What if that was all we had? Would that be enough? The early church met in the Temple for worship, until persecution made that impossible. They also gathered and shared meals in homes, which became to the go to venue when things got tough. What if we had to meet in small groups in homes? What if we had to produce our own music and worship? What if we had to search out the Scriptures on our own? What if we shared meals and the Lord’s Supper together in our homes on a regular basis? What if we spent more time praying? Would that be enough? Not for some, but for others that would be heaven, because they have discovered the joys of simplicity.

Small groups by definition require simplicity.

Simple is easier to pull off. Simple is easier to duplicate. Simple is more stress free. When we at LifeNet jettisoned our building, life got much simpler. Now we have what I call “church in a box.” We have narrowed down what we need to “pull off” a meeting, and it’s not very much – Bible, discussion guides, offering basket and envelopes, guitar, song books, portable percussion instruments, and food and utensils for feasting before the meeting. No buildings to maintain and pay for, no lawns to mow, no bathrooms to clean, no floors to vacuum, and no trash to empty. Simple provides more time for people and ministry. It de-clutters, focuses, and purifies, but it also sifts out those who are not willing to forego the extras to which we have grown all too accustomed.