Creating Community Sample

Frontline Pastors

You know by now that we believe in the power of community and small groups. But small groups need to be put in their proper place. They are simply a tool in the arsenal, a means to a greater end, which is our spiritual development and the spiritual development of the people in our groups. Given this, we believe small-group leaders are the heroes of a church because they are the frontline pastors. They represent Jesus week in and week out as they connect, challenge, encourage, and carry both his truth and his grace into the lives of group members. 

Groups can be very rewarding because we often get to connect with really great people—really open people, really hungry people, really broken people—and many times we get to see them grow and change right in front of us. People like Jason. 

Jason grew up in a single-parent home with no dad around. Besides work and school, there was not a lot to do or look forward to. He wandered until he met his girlfriend. She was different. She was a Christian, and her family attended our church and invited Jason to join them.

After a few months, he wanted to, in his words, “learn about Jesus” for himself, not for his girlfriend, so he joined one of our groups. And in that group, I had a front-row seat as Jason learned, for the first time, about the love God had for him. 

Community is not just a good idea but God’s design for how to live and one of the primary tools to help us grow. As leaders, we have a unique opportunity to meaningfully connect people like Jason with God and with other people. This has huge potential to lead to substantive growth. No small matter. No small opportunity. 

God has a dream for us, and it includes authentic community leading to real spiritual growth. Jesus prayed for it. It’s what we all need and what the unbelieving world longs to see.

When challenges come up, as they inevitably do, we can take great comfort in the fact that community is God’s idea. That means he will assume the lion’s share of responsibility for making his dream come true. Our hope is that his dream will become a reality for you and many, many others.

Would you describe your church as a church with small groups or a church of small groups? What changes need to be made to become a church of small groups?

We hope you enjoy this reading plan. Learn more about Creating Community by Andy Stanley & Bill Willits here .