Spiritual Growth vs. Group Size

Is just meeting together enough, or do we need the right kind of meetings?

by Dan Lentz

I was reviewing some conference content from www.midsizegroups.com, which sponsors the Biannual ABF Conference. At one recent ABF Conference, church consultant Bob Gilliam spoke about his research that shows there is little correlation between the amount of spiritual growth (based on stages Jesus’ disciples went through) and the length of time a person has been attending church worship services.

His point was that if our “main” church activity is not producing changed disciples of Jesus Christ, then we better start putting more emphasis on activities that do produce changed lives. His encouragement to church leaders was to see mid-sized groups and small groups as both being integral to church health and spiritual growth. He defined mid-sized groups (ABF’s, Sunday Schools, Community Groups, etc.) as groups of less than 70 people, and small groups as less than 17 people.

An insight for churches significantly larger than 70-100 adults was to include opportunities for regular mid-size groupings with people of similar affinities (age, life-stage, geography, etc.). In their spiritual journey, people crave the close relational intimacy that small groups can provide, but they also desire to have an identity with a unified group of people that fellowship together regularly. In smaller churches, that affinity group may be the worship service itself (which is why some smaller churches don’t instinctively seem to want to grow beyond their existing affinity—they naturally feel comfortable in their current circle of fellowship).

In medium-sized to large churches, where large, diverse worship services exist, small groups are often seen as the missing component. But it may also be important to recognize that adding a strategy of affinity-based mid-size groups along with small groups (even diverse or intergenerational small groups) may also create a better overall environment for spiritual growth. All these grouping factors in concert with strong leadership and a clear vision seem to have impact on the amount of spiritual growth evidenced in churches.

I’m curious if anyone else has come to a similar conclusion in their situation??

posted by Dan Lentz on March 29, 2010 10:57 AM

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