Nor Cal / Nev College Ministries

Introduction

As we have already seen through our study of the Master's Methods, it was the strategy of Jesus to gather a small core of individuals around Himself who He would later leave behind to continue His work. Jesus' discipling strategy was to be with them, to train them, and finally, to impart His mission to them. Jesus' discipling was focused neither in the context of the multitudes, nor only to individuals. For Jesus, the gathering and interacting of a small group of individuals was where discipleship oc-curred-that is where He passed on His life.

We must realize that experience is a key ingredient in the educational process. If people are to experience ministry, then we who are leaders must give ourselves to training them. Having trained them, we must then let them experience the ministry firsthand. Then we can fill the world with eager, trained, experienced leaders whom the multitudes will follow.

Rationales For Discipleship Through Small Groups

A. The Master's method and the New Testament pattern in response to Jesus' command

1. Jesus and his disciples
2. Paul's example of team ministry
3. Paul's directive that elders come from within
4. Paul's directive that elders train others

B. Recurring historical precedent

1. An Old Testament Example-Moses

We find an example of the same principle in Exodus 18.

Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. But select capable men from all the people-men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain-and appoint them as officials over thou-sands, hundreds, fifties and tens. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." (Exodus 18:17, 18,21, 22b, 23)

Here the wisdom of God comes through the father-in-law of Moses (Jethro), that it is impossible for Moses alone to care for the needs of the nation. So they broke down the nation into smaller groupings of people. In these passages we can again see the need for trained leaders who are morally upright. Moses could not shepherd all of Israel, and we cannot effectively disciple a large community of Christian students alone. We must be willing to see others take a greater part of the ministry of discipling of the Church of Christ under the direction of Jesus, the Chief Shepherd.

2. An Early Church Example-Acts 2:46; 5:42; 20:20

Here we find the same patterns. The Church gathered in the large group but also met in small groups.

3. A Church History Example-the Wesleyan Revival

George Whitefield, the great English evangelist, credited the lasting success of John Wesley, as opposed to the dying out of his own ministry, to these very principles we have discussed. We would be wise to follow our Lord's example and the example of brethren who have gone before us.

Small Group Discipleship or One-to-One Discipleship?

Let's look at some of the advantages of each:

We believe that the ideal model of discipleship is a combination of the two methods. We hope to take advantage of the strengths of both methods by fostering a discipleship that is built around small groups as well as One-to-Onetime spent by the leader with the group members outside of the group as needed.

Some folks may take more personalized care than others. Newer Christians require more one-to-one time for additional help in some of the basics than older Christians. Also, those maturing Christians who are beginning to take on ministry responsibilities may require more one-to-one time.

Discipleship should not build an isolated dependency on one person, but it should integrate people into the life of a corporate community of believers by means of committed relationships and service. Any discipleship technique must reflect this goal.

Discipleship is also not a protracted counseling relationship, but rather an equipping, supportive relationship which involves and interacts with the surrounding community of believers in constructive ways.

The Purposes of Small Groups (Why do we have small groups?)

There can be a myriad of purposes and expectations for small groups. Some ministries develop prayer, fellowship, study, recreation, or evangel­ism groups whose purpose is narrowly defined as the name implies.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, it is neces­sary that the leadership has clearly understood the small group's purpose and thus its nature. Often times we fail because we are structuring groups to do things they were never designed to do and the leaders were never trained to carry out.

Following are the four basic purposes of our discipleship small groups. You will notice that we have deliberately avoided overly specialized small groups. Our rationale for doing so is based upon a concern for balance and wholeness in the disciple's training and life experiences.

A. Leadership Development
Our small groups exist to develop mature leadership-quality Christians. Often students know very well what they want, but little about what they need. The discipler will attempt to make the small group member aware of the campus around them and their commissioning by Christ to that campus. They need to be challenged to develop vision (personally and corporately), and they need to be challenged to have the character of Christ more firrnly built within them. They will need to experience leadership opportunities and will need the skills necessary to be a leader and to grow continually in leadership. They must be taught how to study and think for themselves, to hear God's voice and obey Him.

B. Proper Pastoral Care/Spiritual Oversight

The small group experience is intended to provide the student a place where spiritual nurture will occur. In this context, a trained discipler seeks to assist the newer believer in the development of their relationship with and understanding of Jesus. Help should come in making godly choices with regard to morals, resources, relationships and vocation. Besides being a counselor, the discipler will demonstrate, in a safe environment, an experience of spiritual leadership and submission to a caring authority.

C. Loving Relationships

The small group should be a place where confession of sin and forgive­ness should be expressed, where ministry to each other is facilitated by the work of the Holy Spirit through gifts of healing, faith, wisdom, etc. The small group is a place of mutual affirmation and vulnerability and, from this intimacy, a sense of mutual accountability will be fostered by this loving atmosphere. For many, the small group may become a special familv away from home.

D. Mission Life-style

The purpose of a small group is to instill in each member that God declares they have a purpose in His world. The one who loves God will demonstrate it by keeping His commandments. The small group needs to demonstrate acts of caring and loving to Christians and non-Christians. They need to be challenged to put to death their deeply entrenched self­centeredness and be involved in reaching their campus and their world for Christ. Without this outward focus, the good inward focus will eventually begin to sour.

Essential Attitudes for Discipleship Small Groups

A. Loving the Unlovable
A leader must love each and every member of the group. Natural love will not suffice - we must be filled with the Spirit and express agape love. As a leader, you can do everything perfect in regard to structure, and reproduce ineffective disciples if you fail to love. On the other hand, a young leader could stumble and bumble along and yet still leave a lasting impact on his/her group's life because he/she loved them. Love does, in fact, cover a multitude of sins and ineptness.

B. Accepting the Unacceptable
As leaders, we are called on to express Kingdom values as opposed to cultural values. If a group is to be effective, we must accept people where they are and gently, with love, move them forward from there.

C. Forgiving the Unforgivable

We all fail. We fail to meet our own expectations as well as those of others. Most, if not all of us, have our battles of living under the law. If a disciple is to truly grow, he will do so best in an atmosphere of forgiveness and encouragement. In all things, apply a healthy dose of grace. When sin occurs, lead the group through the biblical steps of confession, restitution, forgiveness, and reconciliation, ending with an affirmation of acceptance.

D. Confronting the Unconfronted

We must love with a love that is based on truth and the other person's ultimate well-being in Christ in mind. Effective leaders will not be produced where there is not enough love to "speak the truth in love". But remember, speak it in love.