{"id":1227,"date":"2019-09-08T17:27:15","date_gmt":"2019-09-08T23:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drbobewell.com\/?p=1227"},"modified":"2019-09-07T15:50:26","modified_gmt":"2019-09-07T21:50:26","slug":"small-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drbobewell.com\/?p=1227","title":{"rendered":"Small Groups?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[To follow The Ewellogy<\/em><\/strong>, please click on Leave a Comment<\/em><\/strong> above, fill in your name and email, and check the box: Notify me of new posts by email<\/em><\/strong>. If your comment is, “Notify me,” it won’t post publicly. If you don’t start to receive the blog by email right away, please write to me at bob@ewell.com, and I will see that you get on the list.] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re talking about how\u00a0churches can transform members into disciples, and yesterday <\/a>we mentioned the analogy by Ron Bennett about golf clubs. It takes a variety of clubs to get the ball in the hole. The driver (compare the Sunday morning large gathering) is only one. Then we have the long irons (mid-sized groups such as Sunday School classes), short irons (small groups), and the putter (one-to-one).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, let’s talk about small groups. Most churches have some kind of small group program available with varying degrees of success, both in getting folks to participate and in what happens when they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A content-rich definition of effective small groups was shared with me years ago by one of my Navigator mentors, the late Dick Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe in small groups in which people can grow into Christ-likeness and spiritual maturity through time and exposure to the Word of God and the people of God in a grace-filled environment of accountability, transparency, and vulnerability.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I said it was content-rich! According to Dick, growth in Christ-likeness and spiritual maturity (can we say \u201cdiscipleship\u201d?) occurs through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n