LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
How to Grow a Small Group?
Submitted to Dr. Rodney Dempsey
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 630 – D01
Small Group Ministries
by
Michael Frazier
Dec. 5, 2021
Contents
Summary of Reading.....................................................................................................................1
Importance of Growing a Small Group.......................................................................................2
How to Grow a Small Group........................................................................................................3
Challenges of Growing a Small Group........................................................................................4
Bibliography...................................................................................................................................7
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Summary of Reading
One of the first things you need to know before starting a small group is, how are you
going to Grow your small group. As Early and Dempsey state, “When we are not clear on where
we want to go, we just wander around like Moses in the wilderness.1 The reading this week
covers the “What’s Next” after you answer the calling of starting and leading a small group.
House builds on the foundation he has laid out for community, by focusing on the community
groups and how they would looked if they are inspired and created by the leading of the Holy
Spirit. House states, “When attempting to appreciate art, we often need to look at the piece from
different angles. Understanding the intent of the artist requires not only understanding the piece
itself but also knowing how it exists in history and context”2
House focuses on community, knowing where you are and how to reach those around
you. Earely and Dempsey, their focus in on helping leaders learn the practical steps and how to
implement them so that leaders can increase the size of their groups.
The Verge articles follow the the same line of discussion as House, by giving steps and
guidance on how to be missionaries right here within your own communities. Which allows
leaders to increase the sizes of their small groups.
Within the document by Dempsey, “TRANSITIONING TO SMALL GROUPS?”. he
discusses the different types of small group ministries . They are a church with a small group, a
Church of small groups and a church is small groups.
The first, churches “with” small groups, is like most churches in that there are small
groups that meet and gather within the congregation of the church. Not small groups associated
with the church under t heir leadership, but groups of people from the church who meet.
1 Dempsey, R. and Earley, D., 2018. Leading healthy growing multiplying small groups. (2018). (p. 109)
2 House, Brad. 2011. Community. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway.
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The church “of” small groups is a little more involved, They have someone overseeing
the groups and a supported by the church with funds within the budget. The church is active with
these groups supporting, training and adding more groups as the year goes on.
The last, Church that “is” a small group is a lot more involved than the other two. This is
no longer your normal church set up and functionality. Every service is within the small groups
except Sunday morning where the groups come together and worship God as a whole body. The
structure of the church is simplified into two branches, cells and celebration, when the groups
come together on Sunday morning.
Importance of Growing a Small Group
The question may come up as to why is it important to group a small group. That is
simply answered by going to the great commission, “Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”3 Jesus has set the example with how
he took his 12 disciples and taught them and trained them and then sent them out to grow and
reproduce the small group concept throughout the utter most parts of the word as well as in their
own communities.
So we as Christians, we are called to follow the example that Christ gave us and to live
our life as he did. Teaching and sharing the gospel as he showed the disciples, and by doing this
you never saw him going from church to church preaching and teaching. Christ went where the
3 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version (Nashville: Holman Bible
Pub., 2013.)
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people were, in their community. The disciples meet in homes, growing the church from there.
As they developed these small groups, they developed leaders from within to continue growing
and leading these groups. As Dempsey states, “The most effective and healthy groups maintain
an emphasis on multiplying leaders and forming new groups from the existing group.”4
The real importance of growing small groups is God\s commandment throughout
Genesis, “Go Forth and Multiply.” God spoke this commandment over 100 times throughout the
bible. God is a relational God, not a closed off unwelcoming God. This along with the example
that Christ showed up tells us that we are to grow and multiply small groups. God never intended
his love and home in heaven to be just for the children of Israel, because if so then we are
screwed being gentiles. His grace and mercy and salvation is meant for everyone in the world
and without us growing and multiplying how are we going to bring this message to the
communities around us if we do not grow as small groups?
How to Grow a Small Group
Josh Reeves states, “I have found that it is often helpful to have practical ideas to start
engaging the people around me.”5 This means basically just live your life as you normally do,
because you will interact and come in contact with those within your community. Living our life
with the intention of sharing the gospel with those around us is how Christ meant for us to live.
We do not have to walk around as if we walked on water and are better than everyone else
because we are saved, but to live and work and play right beside our neighbors with the
intentionality of the Gospel living through us. By doing this, it will open doors for us to invite
4 Dempsey, R. and Earley, D., 2018. Leading healthy growing multiplying small groups. (2018). (p. 112)
5 Reeves, josh. 2021. "25 Simple Ways To Be Missional In Your Neighborhood | Verge
Network". Verge Network | Equipping Leaders For Mission. https://vergenetwork.org/2011/08/23/25-simple-
ways-to-be-missional-in-your-neighborhood/.
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those in our community to our small groups. Josh Reeves give us a list of 25 normal everyday
things that we can do to invite others to our small groups. Josh states, “The hope is that we
would do these things with Gospel intentionality.”6 By that he means that to meet and engage
new people, pray that God leads you to the right people and the Holy Spirits guides your words,
and to boldly proclaim Gods guidance in all you do and say. Of the list Reeves gave, they are not
all viable for everyone but there is something for everyone to do. The top three within my
community that is something I can do are as follows:
1. Game Night, yard games and board games. I am a huge have fun and games kind of person
and regularly get together for game night.
2. Summer BBQ every Friday night. Grilling during the summer is something I do often with
friends and neighbor.s
3. Grow a garden. I am not the Garden type, but a ministry my wife and I are starting is
providing eggs to group home for women struggling to get off addiction. And soon we
are wanting to start a farm with cows to give beef to those in need. Meeting these people
where they are hurting and showing them god’s love through us is a great opportunity to
invite them to small groups.
The Greatest Challenges of Growing a Small Group
The leader is the greatest challenge when it comes to growing a small group. Their
spiritual maturity and dedication to the group will depend greatly on if the group grows, or even
survives.
Outside of the leader of a small group, House tells us , “Whether you live in Seattle or in
the Bible Belt, there is resistance to the transforming work of the gospel.”7 The culture of today's
6 iBid.
7 House, Brad. 2011. Community. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway. Chapter 6
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world has moved toward selfish desire and the denial of God. This resistance of Christ in
America use to be underlying and kept hushed to a point, because America and Christianity was
hand in hand in a lot of views. But today, the blatant disregard and hatred of Christ and
Christianity is running rampant and accept by the loudest in society. The medias blatant slants
against the Christian community is no longer hinted at. These perceptions are being accepted by
those within our community as truths and something they should not associate with unless they
want to be canceled. We have to see these barriers and make use this as a bridge as House states,
“Opportunities for people to encounter the truth of the gospel through conversations and
experiences with the people of God.”8
House states, “Our goal is to remove any unnecessary barriers to the gospel so that the
only stumbling block for people is Christ crucified, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians.”9 That means
we have to look at all aspects of what could cause a barrier.
Barrier of Practice is where, when and availability of groups meeting. Meeting in a
church or in an intimate setting of someones home could all be intimidating to some people. Yes
that statement almost seems like there is no where to meet. But, if you look at the ones your are
inviting and look at what would be a barrier you will be able to find bridges over them.
Cultural barriers include language and behaviors. House reminds us, “In some contexts,
the use of “colorful” language is seen, even from the perspective of a nonbeliever, as
disrespectful and inappropriate.”10 Simple phrases and expressions we use could be culturally
offensive to those we are sharing the gospel too. We must be aware of these so we do not create
new barriers.
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Lastly, there are barriers of perception. These are the stereotypes and experiences
t hat people have had with the church or Christians in the past. If the church partners with other
groups within the community this could change those perceptions that people have gotten.
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Bibliography
Dempsey, Rod & Earley, Dave. Leading Healthy Growing Multiplying Small Groups.
Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University Press, 2016.
House, Brad. Community: Taking Your Small Group off Life Support. Wheaton:
Crossway, 2011.
Reeves, Josh. “10 Simple Ways to Be Missional in Your City – (Part 1).” Verge. August
23, 2011. http://www.vergenetwork.org/2011/08/23/25-simple-ways-tobe-missional-in-your-
neighborhood/.
Reeves, Josh. 2021. "25 Simple Ways To Be Missional In Your Neighborhood | Verge
Network". Verge Network | Equipping Leaders For Mission.
https://vergenetwork.org/2011/08/23/25-simple-ways-to-be-missional-in-your-
neighborhood/.
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