Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Community Groups...

Several years ago our church decided that we would do something dramatically different (for us at least) and move from a Sunday School model to a Community Group model for adults. There were several reasons. For anyone who wasn't there, or who have forgotten- here they are.
  • Sunday School wasn't working- only a fairly small percentage of adults were in a Sunday School class
  • Adults who were in service with children and students didn't have the opportunity to participate
  • We didn't have adequate classroom space and no desire to spend a great deal of money to build space that would be used a couple hours a week
  • We believed the more relaxed and intimate setting of a home would lead to deeper relationships
  • It offered more flexibility and more choices for both time and curriculum
Several years into the experiment we have discovered some things.
  • People who experience group life love it and would never go back
  • Not everyone really wants to form deeper relationships within the body of the church or to grow spiritually- they are content with an hour or two on Sunday morning
  • Not many people are willing to step forward and host or lead a group- there are a lot more people who want to participate than we can accommodate with leaders
We would love to hear some feedback from you- tell us your experience and your opinions.