Table of Contents

Ask the Superintendent

The landscape in which the church chooses to carry out its mission in the world should be characterized by three key elements: (1) The church is to be a nurturing agency where believers grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ. (2) It should provide avenues of ministry where unbelievers are invited to come into the presence of the living Savior. (3) It is characterized by a system that develops and reproduces new leaders.

The concept of small group ministry is as old as the day of creation. A small group approach to ministry provides the church with the basic pattern it needs for the spiritual formation of its members, the winning of lost souls to Christ, and the development of new leadership.

In this quarterly interview, General Superintendent Thomas E. Trask reflects on his years of pastoring and the important place small groups had in the life of the church.

WHY SHOULD PASTORS CONSIDER DEVELOPING A SMALL GROUP MINISTRY IN THEIR CHURCH?

I want to speak from the perspective of a pastor, not the general superintendent. When I was pastoring, we had a care group ministry in our church, and it was a valuable tool.

Through small group ministry, pastors can multiply their abilities by training the leadership of the care groups to become an extension of the pastor. Small group ministry is an excellent way to disciple people, particularly new converts and those who are new to the congregation.

One of the major difficulties in any church is for people to feel a part of the Body, particularly if they have a tendency to be somewhat reserved or withdrawn. All those who attend church need fellowship and a sense of belonging. The small group setting provides that opportunity. It is a marvelous tool for pastors, and they need not be afraid of small group ministry if it is conducted and handled properly. I recommend that our pastors consider this avenue of ministry in their churches.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE SMALL GROUP LEADERSHIP?

I selected leaders who were faithful to the church. You can't have somebody leading a care group who is not faithful to church services. You can't have somebody who is not in submission to the pastor. You can't have somebody who is not supportive of the pastoral staff and the church's vision. It is incumbent that lay leadership be accountable to the pastor.

HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR CARE GROUP MINISTRY? WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE?

I began by looking for people with leadership qualities and the qualities I just mentioned. Then I formed a pastor's group with lay leaders where I could pour myself into them. I directed their training as to what would be permitted in the small group setting. After the training period, they in turn started new groups.

Our care groups were guided by material I furnished. Leaders usually taught from outlines taken from the previous Sunday's messages so they could review and discuss how the messages were applicable to the group members' lives.

These new group leaders were under pastoral leadership and trained directly by the pastor. I not only spent time with our care group leaders training and mentoring them, but we had gatherings just for fellowship and affirmation.

IN VIEW OF THE VARIOUS SIZES OF CHURCHES, DO YOU THINK PASTORS NEED TO SET UP A FORMAL SMALL GROUP MINISTRY OR JUST ASSIMILATE EXISTING GROUPS?

Both methods should work. Every church can make that determination. What really needs to happen as the church grows is for pastors to continually break the congregation down into groups so that everyone is cared for-whether it's choir members, ushers, prayer intercessors, or Sunday school workers.

The No. 1 goal in the local congregation is that everyone is given opportunity for ministry. God gives gifts and ministry to every member of the body of Christ, not just to leadership. So we must help individuals find their place of ministry. In their ministry setting, they are with others of similar interests, and natural fellowship is the outgrowth.

Churches in large metropolitan areas need to also consider having neighborhood small groups. Even though they may commute to church, people should be able to meet in their neighborhoods or in a neighboring community for fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and testimony.

HAVE SMALL GROUPS CREATED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST FOR CHURCHES?

Years ago we used to have home prayer meetings. Many pastors had unwholesome experiences as a result of those group meetings. The reason for this is that many times someone would come to those home prayer meetings and take over. There wasn't any designated leadership. There wasn't any structure. There wasn't anybody in charge. Consequently, some things might have been said or some things took place that were not in order. People and leadership were soured on home prayer meetings. That's unfortunate.

We've learned from those experiences so that today we can have a prayer meeting; we can have a Bible study; we can have a time of testimony; we can have a fellowship group. The key is that the group is in a controlled setting, not in an uncontrolled setting.

DON'T MANY PASTORS FEAR THAT SMALL GROUP MINISTRY WILL SPLIT THEIR CHURCHES?

It's true that pastors are afraid some leader will take control and divide the church, cause a church split, or at least take some members away from the church.

That's why the pastor needs to choose carefully the leadership for small groups.

HOW DO SMALL GROUPS CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROWTH AND STABILITY OF A CHURCH?

We have to close the "back door" and keep people from leaving the church. Church growth experts emphasize the necessity of assimilating converts and visitors into the church. One way is to get people involved in a small group. Then they will be "plugged" into the local church body.

People must have a sense of belonging. Accountability brings that about. Let me explain. When care group leaders are given the names of new converts or visitors, it becomes their responsibility to follow up on them, before another Sunday rolls by, and invite them to become part of a care group. The assimilation begins taking place immediately. The group leaders and members demonstrate their responsibility to love, care for, and disciple new converts and those new to the congregation. That's most meaningful to people as they become part of the Body.

Small group ministry is a New Testament principle. If it is structured and organized properly and the pastoral staff is careful, I believe small group ministry can be a tremendous blessing to the church and the pastor. It was to me.