It is extremely important for God's people to meet together.

These groups do not need to be very big, in fact, smaller groups are much more effective at enabling people to encourage each other. In a large group, it is far too easy to become a spectator, contributing nothing and receiving little.

In a small group, you can get to know everyone and become like an extended family. Everything you do can be specific to the needs of those within the group, whether study, discussion, having meals together or anything else the group agrees to do. In a small group, specific needs of individuals can be addressed. You can know where everyone is up to and how they are going. You can encourage each other in hard times. You can celebrate successes.

The Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation. We were created by God to have fellowship with Him and also with each other. God wants to relate to us like a loving father with his children. If we grew up in a loving family we will be able to relate to this. If we grew up in a non loving family, then this will be a foreign concept. God wants our own families to be loving so our children can understand how God wants to treat us.

Traditional Small Groups

Traditionally, small groups within the context of the church have been Bible Study groups, Connect Groups, Cell Groups and lots of other things. These groups have usually been associated with churches. There have also been people separating form the traditional churches to form micro churches. Many of these micro churches have failed because they have been based on rebellion against the church.

If you are already in a traditional small group that is working well, it may be a good idea to stay in that group. If you feel led to contribute to a newly formed small group, do that as well.

Awakening Small Groups

In a period of awakening, where there are not enough existing churches to cater for all the new believers, small groups in the form of micro churches will need to spring up everywhere to support all these new believers. If such small groups have had a history of failure in the past, why would they work in an awakening?

Creating a Small Group

A group should have a leader who has been a believer for some time. See I Timothy 3:1-7 for some qualifications for overseers. The most important qualification must be humility. The leader must direct people to follow Jesus, not himself or herself. The leader must also not condemn the churches and realise the reason for this group is that there are insufficient churches to support all the new believers of the awakening. If the leader can do all this, then the group will not fail as many micro churches in the past have failed.

What Does a Small Group Look Like

A small group is a small group, obviously. It should have 8 to 15 people who meet together regularly to help each other grow in their faith. It should involve interactive activities. It should NOT be a teaching session, like a miniature church, except for a limited time if a special need arises. It does not need to follow a fixed format. Possible activities are:

• having meals together
• interactive Bible study
• sharing of testimonies
• prayer time
• helping with specific problems of group members

At the moment, 15 is a good maximum size, but when awakening hits, this limit may need to be revised.

Types of Small Group

During an awakening where people are coming to Jesus regularly, there needs to be two types of group:

Beginners Group

A group or groups where new believers can learn the basics of their new life. These groups should take the form of interactive Bible studies where the new believers not only learn about this new life but discuss their own experiences, successes and failures.

In some circumstances, these groups may need to be teaching sessions. If so, then these sessions should be as interactive as possible, like tutorial groups.

Leaders Group

Outside an awakening, this would just be an advanced group but during an awakening, most people who are not beginners will need to be leaders. In these groups, people who have learned the basics and are living them can meet with other followers of Jesus to encourage each other and keep each other on track. These groups can also spend time in strategic prayer, study the Bible, share testimonies. Like the beginners, they should also share successes and failures.

The leader of this group is a leader of leaders. It is important the leader of this group meets the requirements of I Timothy 3:1-7. He must not only lead the members of this group to follow Jesus rather than himself or herself but must also encourage those in the group who are leading beginner groups to do the same.

Jesus' Example

The Last Supper was a final meal Jesus had with His disciples before He was crucified. That meeting is presumably used as a model for communion services held in many churches now. There was a lot more to that meeting than just communion. It was an intimate meeting with twelve people He had spent three years with. He knew each one of them personally. They were His leaders of leaders. When He returned to Heaven, these were the people He left in charge. This is a great model for a small group.

In Luke 10:1-12, Jesus commissioned seventy two people as apostles and sent them out ahead of Him. They were all apostles, sent ones or leaders, but they were not leaders of leaders, at that time, like His own twelve. Many, like the apostle Paul went on to become leaders of leaders. Many now, who have no intention of ever becoming a leader may grow up to become a leader of leaders in the time ahead.

At the Last Supper, Peter said three times he would never leave Jesus. Later that night, Peter did desert Jesus. After Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus dealt lovingly with Peter's betrayal. Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. This is an example of the sort of help that can be given to individuals in a small group where everyone knows each other well. Peter did the wrong thing. Jesus did not condemn him, He just helped him to get back on track. Peter did not come to Jesus for counseling. Jesus took the initiative. This kind of help will needs the intimacy of a small group.