By Michael C. Mack
The best college football game ever (in my humble opinion) was the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. It pitted the favored Oklahoma Sooners (the winningest football program in the nation since World War II) against my favorite team, the Boise State Broncos. It was touted as David versus Goliath. The game was full of spectacular plays and trick plays, an 18-point comeback by Oklahoma, many dramatic game-on-the-line moments, several unbelievable fourth-down conversions, and a sensational overtime. Boise State won when Ian Johnson ran in a two-point conversion on a Statue of Liberty play. Then, if that wasn”t enough, Johnson proposed marriage to his cheerleader girlfriend on national television.
As I watched the end of the game, I wish I could have been in the Boise State huddle as they gathered to call one last-ditch play after another. I can imagine the smiles of confidence on the player”s faces, the nervous energy, and the “we-can-do-it!” attitude.
What does all this have to do with small groups? Plenty. A healthy, life-changing small group is like a football team that huddles to plan, encourage each other, and rest for a few seconds before running the next play. Huddles have a vital purpose, but nobody has ever won a game in the huddle.
The meeting time does not alone define your group. It”s just the huddle. It is a safe place to encourage one another, build each other up, and minister to one another. It is a time to plan and prepare for your next play, but the real action happens when you break the huddle as a team to make an impact.
Count Your Cost
The lives of one Bible personality after another challenge us to move out of our holy huddles. Abraham was blessed to be a blessing to others, but first he had to leave his comfort zone and go to the place God would show him (Genesis 12:1-3). The apostle Peter had to get out of the comfort zone of his boat to walk on water (Matthew 14:29). The apostles left “everything” (their comfort zones) to follow Jesus (Luke 5:11, 28). Moses, Samuel, David, Matthew, and Paul all became passionately involved in God”s kingdom work after they encountered the living God that forever changed the direction of their lives. Notice that passion is not enough on its own. People in your small group are passionate about many things, but God wants more than our passion. He wants us to be willing to count the cost and actually move out of our comfort zones to live for him.
Years ago when I worked in a downtown area, a newspaper called The Downtowner interviewed people for a feature it called Miss or Mr. Downtowner. One question for a particular Miss Downtowner was, “What is one thing you”d most like to see?”
“More homeless shelters,” responded Miss Downtowner.
Later in the interview she was asked, “What would you do if you won the lottery?”
She said, “I”d buy an island and throw a huge party for all my friends.”
Miss Downtowner said she had a passion for the poor, but she wasn”t willing to count the cost herself. Miss Downtowner is a sad illustration of many small groups. Whom does your group exist for? Every group must decide whether it exists to care only for its own members or whether it will trust God and break the holy huddle to engage with Jesus in his mission. Be sure to talk about this as a group. What does counting the cost mean for you?
Embrace Interdependence
As group members get out of their comfort zones to serve, they will grow spiritually, and they will also bond together in stronger relationships. I”ve grown to know people in my group better and bonded with them more by painting a wall or taking a mission trip together. Something about working on a common task together develops real relationships””and memories. Also, it”s just fun to serve together! Squirting one another with hoses as we”re (supposed to be) washing cars, laughing with each other as we”re serving together, eating together off makeshift tables constructed out of sawhorses and lumber, taking a break on a mission trip to go swimming in a cold lake””these are all fun memories I have of serving with my friends.
Develop a Culture of Serving Together
The groups at our church have adopted a culture of serving together. For many group members it”s where they first learn to serve and develop a passion for ministering. One of our groups started a ministry that makes and delivers sack lunches to homeless people downtown on Sundays. Now, a number of other groups serve in this way once a month. Another group started taking roses to widows on Valentine”s Day. When this ministry outgrew the group, other groups joined them. Several years ago, one of our couples groups organized a medical clinic that served nearly 400 people and involved 375 volunteers. This group of five young couples with preschool kids has helped lead this clinic for three years now, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger! These are just a few examples of ways our groups serve together. We”ve found that healthy groups serve, and that serving helps groups become healthier!
Break the Huddle to Make a Lasting Impact
Groups that minister to others can make a lasting impact on their own families, their church, and the community around them. One of the most significant forms of ministry is when group members team up to support, encourage, and pray for one another as they reach out to their friends with the gospel, perhaps eventually inviting them into their group.
One of my favorite scenes is of small-group members who have helped a friend come to Christ, celebrating together as their friend is baptized. Sometimes it happens in a swimming pool or hot tub of a member”s home. Sometimes it happens at the church building, with one of the group members baptizing a friend. I”ve seen groups giving high fives and pumping their fists in the air as they celebrate their friend”s changed life. You”d think someone had just scored a game-winning touchdown. Of course, none of that would have happened if the group had stayed in the huddle!
Adapted from Small Group Vital Signs (TOUCH Publications, www.touchusa.org). Michael Mack is the author of 13 small group books and discussion guides, including I”m a Leader . . . Now What? (Standard Publishing, www.standardpub.com). E-mail questions to [email protected].
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