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

Pastor Pete Beck III • July 4, 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.

Simplicity is a two-edged sword that cuts to the heart of our motivation for serving God, and that is a good thing.

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How Can I Transition from Spectating at Church to Being a Player?

By Pete Beck III • December 3, 2024
Christianity is not a spectator sport. The Reformation renewed some very important truths of the faith that had been lost over time, one of which is the priesthood of the believer . This doctrine means that in the New Covenant there is no clergy-laity distinction. Everyone is called to ministry. All followers of Christ are called, equipped, and expected to partner with the Holy Spirit in the adventure of using their spiritual gifts, time, energy, finances – everything – to fish for people and encourage them to become followers of Christ and fishers of men in their own right. Every football and basketball season an interesting phenomenon takes place. People personally identify with their favorite teams. When their team is doing well, they feel good about themselves and become enthusiastic, vocal, and visible fans. What is so intriguing is that many of us think that we somehow acquire greater worth and prestige, if our team excels and does better than the other teams. It is almost as if we were the ones who are competing. All big sporting events are filled with such fans who get satisfaction out of watching others play the game. So it is with many people who attend churches. We all know that playing and spectating are vastly different. When we spectate, we can imagine ourselves making better decisions and better plays than the players on the court or the field, but the reality is that we are not playing. Jesus has invited his followers actually to participate in the greatest adventure of being his Spirit-filled and empowered representatives. Unfortunately most of us who call ourselves Christians are merely spectating fans. We may agree with the concept of being involved in the Great Commission, but we have fallen into the trap of being passive, sitting on the sidelines, hoping that someone else will lead our family member, neighbor, or friend to Christ and teach them how to follow him fully. Many Christians think that evangelism is inviting someone to church, where they will hear the preacher talk about Christ. We do not see ourselves as the one who can best share the gospel with them. However, the truth of the matter is that we cannot transfer our responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission to someone else. God does not give us the option of merely being fans or spectators. God asks us to be players – disciples and disciple makers. Not everyone is equally gifted in this area, but we are all asked to participate. Some may win thousands to Christ, while others may help only a few become followers of the Master over a lifetime. Sadly, a great number of those who call themselves Christians have never led even one person to faith in Christ. In some cases they have given up trying. This ought not be. Could this be because we do not even talk about Jesus in a serious way with anyone outside of church meetings? Suggestions Ask God to forgive us for succumbing to laziness, fear, and the spirit of the age that tells us to keep our faith to ourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir in us the fire of enthusiasm for Jesus and the Gospel. Ask him to give us a love for those who live around you who do not yet know Christ. Familiarize ourselves with the Gospel. (I recommend The King Jesus Gospel by McKnight. You can read my summary by clicking here or you may wish to read my articles on the subject .) Pray for opportunities to speak meaningfully to people. Make it a priority to get to know the people in your neighborhood, at work, at the gym, at school, and wherever you have the opportunity to connect. As we spend time in conversation, we will begin to see how Jesus and the Gospel can help them. Our care for them may give us a platform from which to speak about Jesus to them. Visit people and have them over to our homes. The more time we spend with people, the greater the opportunity we provide for the Holy Spirit to work in the relationships. Offer to pray for people on the spot when a genuine need for God’s help surfaces. Join a group (or start one) whose focus is fishing for people and making disciples. In many cases this will be what some call a “missional” church, as opposed to an event-oriented spectator church. We need to be encouraged in the work of the Great Commission because, although it is rewarding, it can be difficult and discouraging at times. Never, never, never, never give up. Our heavenly reward will be great!
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