Small groups where Christians study, share, pray, and  ¢â‚¬Ëœmission ¢â‚¬â„¢ together come in many sizes and formats. (It ¢â‚¬â„¢s unlikely that a Pentecostal who  ¢â‚¬Ëœprays in the Spirit ¢â‚¬â„¢ for half an hour will be excited by a Progressive Christians ¢â‚¬â„¢ group-discussion on prayer where they don ¢â‚¬â„¢t pray at all, at least in the accepted sense of the word. Evangelicals want more Bible Study; radical Christians more social justice etc. etc.).

Small groups allow for more intimacy, involvement, accountability, than attendance at formal church services. In our John Mark Ministries ¢â‚¬â„¢ seminars on Small Groups, we opine that, except for unusual factors, 70%+ of regular  ¢â‚¬Ëœworshippers ¢â‚¬â„¢ ought to be in a small group that meets at least fortnightly to participate in intentional personal/group/spiritual growth exercises ¢â‚¬ ¦

What happens in small groups?

[1] First, some contemplative silence, centring-down,  ¢â‚¬Ëœgathering words ¢â‚¬â„¢ etc. Maybe, as God ¢â‚¬â„¢s people have done for millennia, singing in worship/praise together.

[2] We listen to the Word of God, from a teacher/facilitator/ discussion leader – Bible study, exposition of an idea, book-summary about some aspect of being a Christian in our world ¢â‚¬ ¦

[3] We respond by listening to one another  ¢â‚¬“ our joys, sorrows, family issues, work-related problems, personal struggles etc.  ¢â‚¬“ in a confidential context.

[4] We pray together: encouraging empathetic intercession for one another: maybe in smaller sub-groups of three or four. Those who find it difficult to pray aloud in a group can mention ideas, or read a prayer etc. And we commit to praying for one another regularly between meetings ¢â‚¬ ¦

[5] Because we follow Jesus we involve ourselves in mission: serving the lost/last/least in a ministry-project (in our neighbourhood, overseas via a microfinancing agency etc.). A good book on all this: Alan Hirsch, The Forgotten Ways (seehttp://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/21248.htm  ).

More on the theory/practice of small groups:  http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/12835.htm  (small groups and  ¢â‚¬Ëœbelonging ¢â‚¬â„¢)
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/15289.htm
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/15776.htm
(what does a healthy church  ¢â‚¬“ of any size  ¢â‚¬“ look like?)
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/11533.htm  (praying together)
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/9669.htm  (small groups and community)
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/8283.htm  (mentoring)
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/8189.htm  (what does the church of the future look like?)

Rowland Croucher