Small Group Fails
Small Group Fails.
Now, don’t turn me off. I’m sure if you have read my blog for very long, heard me speak about modern youth ministry, or read my previous book on ythology: The Study of Youth, you will have heard me talk about Small Groups.
I truly believe that we lost personal discipleship in youth ministry the last 20 years. We went to small groups in the Orange model of youth ministry in the early part of the millennium but forgot to bring discipleship and theology into the small group setting. And the statistics have proven that under the format of small groups the last two decades, the theology of a generation has plummeted.
And what did this get us? A dramatic spiraling drop of the biblical worldview in the Gen Z set that hit rock bottom at 4%. Down from 19% in the Millennial generation before them.
Sure, the blame for this lies squarely on unhealthy homes also. But, youth ministry cannot escape this responsibility of the plummeting biblical worldview in Gen Z.
Here are some more statistics:
•The oldest Americans are 84% Christian and Gen Z is 34% Christian
•Of the oldest Americans, only 9% were UN-affiliated with a religion, while 48% of Gen Z is UN-affiliated with a religion.
•Gen Z is the first generation in history in which the none’s clearly outnumber the Christians
•They have also the highest percentage of Atheists recorded in American history
Now, hear me, I am not blaming Orange Conference for this loss. Nor am I blaming small group ministry. I am blaming poorly done small group ministry. And of course, the symbiotic relationship and responsibility of the home, the church, and Next Gen ministry for the discipleship of a generation.
Heathy Small Groups
I love healthy Small Groups. Our youth ministry in the 80’s existed of dozens of small groups. But we had a move of God in those living rooms that students will never forget.
I remember students all over our city in small group host homes after hearing a lesson from the word of God, lying on their face before God in front rooms or worshipping with an acoustic guitar in the back meeting room of a cafe, and prophesying and praying over each other, and even inviting their friends into these small groups.
Looking at small groups ministry today, we need some change. We cannot replace discipleship and the presence of God. Small groups should assist discipleship and bring our students into the presence of God.
We do not make a move to small groups because we don’t want to put the time in producing an effective youth service. We do not make a move to small groups because we don’t have the time to study and create sermons.
Our students need a dynamic spirit-filled youth setting on a regular basis. And Small groups can be an assist to the youth service, and our preaching/teaching. Because the more teenagers SEEK God, the more teenagers will SEE Him. And if they SEE Him they will SERVE Him. You see, a healthy small group setting will be one of the great assists to a healthy Next Gen ministry and not a distraction or a subtraction to it.
Okay, let me stop preaching and give you some Small Group Fails and Solutions!
Small Group Fails:
I’ve been in these small groups across the nation and witnessed this first hand. Youth ministries all over the country that stopped doing a youth service/rally type large crowd event, and, move to small group-based programming. Kind of like what our teenagers are doing 7 hours a day at school. That’s a thought we have addressed in other posts if you would like to search that topic specifically.
Here are five small group fails…
1. Lack of theology
Where are our students going to learn the Scriptures? We have many formats to teach students theology. Preaching, teaching, worship, counseling, and mentoring. We cannot lose the value of small group spiritual formation and discipleship.
Solution: Make sure that the Scriptures are read in the small group setting, make sure that the content matches the current series, and create healthy space for questions and answers to help students shape a biblical worldview
2. Leader take-over
When small groups are done well they are a great assist to a healthy youth ministry. But we must train our small group leaders in the art of conversation. We will get into this in much more detail on the next blog.
Solution: Too often there is little discussion and conversation in the small group on the scriptures or theology and what ends up happening in most small groups is a leader take over (80% leader and 20% student dialogue).
The solution should be a ratio that looks more like 40% leader and 60% student dialogue. This could be done when leaders learn how to ask good questions, wait in silence for a response, and are prepared for follow up responses to student answers.
3. No response or tarrying/waiting
Week after week small groups take place and there is never any room for students responding in worship or to the presence of God. Where are our students going to learn how to worship? Where will they learn the gifts of the Spirit? When is the last time you prayed for healing or for the supernatural in your small group?
Solution: Give students an opportunity to pray for each other, give students an opportunity to use the gifts, and give students an opportunity to have extended worship in the small group. If they’re not learning the gifts of the Spirit in the small group, then the small group is replacing a very important element of Christianity – responding to the presence of God.
4. When the Small Group becomes a chat session
In too many places, the small groups today have become hangouts. Chat sessions about life. Organic places of conversation, food, games, and very little theology and accountability. Small groups cannot become all play.
Solution: We need to train leaders in the art of transitional statements. Phrases that help leaders take conversation to a spiritual application. That’s what Rabbi’s do. The rabbi is a lost role in the life of modern-day disciples. If we lose the rabbi, we lose discipleship. Fortunately, well trained Rabbi’s are many of the youth leaders across our country who have the opportunity to develop the personal discipleship of a generation.
Finally
We have an opportunity to get better at this.
Discipleship and following is one of the most critical needs among young people in the 21st century. If we do not get teenagers to allow someone into their life who is allowed to practice spiritual discipline and correction in their life, we place a lid over Gen Z and their spiritual formation and growth. All of us need someone in our life that we are spiritually afraid of. We need small group leaders, who are spiritually mature, and know how to be rabbis.
Solid spiritual mothers and fathers who lead healthy Small Groups will leave a huge impact on the outcomes of spiritual formation and discipleship in Gen Z and Alpha Gen coming up right behind them.
If we fail to take seriously the command of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples” and “teach the commands to our children“ (Matthew 28 & Psalm 78), we fail the important mission of the church to pass the faith on to our children, and their children, and their children.
The small group setting is the perfect place to shape the biblical worldview of a generation.