Small Church Communities
Main Article – Part 1 of 4
Intro & Vision
Contents
- Introduction to Small Church Communities
- The Vision for Small Church Communities
- The Nature of Small Church Communities
- Essential Ingredients for Creating a Small Church Community
Introduction to Small Church Communities
Have modern folks forgotten the importance of a supportive community? Have individualism and selfishness convinced us we are self-sufficient and know what’s best for us? That we don’t need God or others to any significant degree?
Since the early 1900s, contemporary small church communities have sprung up in all parts of the globe. Christians are gathering on their own initiative to form these small communities. Often, they are quite unaware they are part of a global phenomenon that many are calling “the spontaneous combustion of the Holy Spirit all over the world” (Ian Fraser, Iona Community, Scotland).
Many point out that what God’s people are doing resembles the form of church that was the only form during the early centuries. They sometimes quote Acts 2:46 to show us how “every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes.” The formal large-group worship which expressed their “corporate unity” took place in the temple, while their more intimate and informal small group meeting took place in the home, most often with their neighbors and families. This clearly reflects what is happening for many Catholics in small church communities; it also hints at what many others are missing.
Others insist that while this may be true, what is happening is more than simply a return to the ancient, that it is an event also unique and germinating to meet the needs of modernized cultures. These folks point out that we no longer live in the same neighborhoods our entire lives or even keep close ties with our relatives. They point out that this movement is the Holy Spirit’s answer to the breakdown of traditional support structures and our ongoing desire for community—our desire to truly belong where we are truly known. We want company for our journey in life, our journey to our common Father, the Lord.
While many Catholics are falling away and becoming less and less involved, those in small church communities are choosing to do significantly more rather than less. And by more, we aren’t simply talking about their small group activities; these folks are also more involved in their parishes than most Catholics, volunteering and leading within the parishes. The small church communities are having a powerful effect on their spiritual lives.
It’s one thing to hear the Word of God; it’s quite another to talk about it and share about it, to reflect on it and apply it to our lives. And to do this with others in a warm and accepting environment—a trusting and nurturing atmosphere of peers—is profoundly powerful. Then truly, Jesus is among us in a special way!
Of course, this concept of small church communities is still germinating, still taking shape before the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is still spontaneous and thoroughly unpredictable. Many are attempting to create guidelines that will help form and strengthen both the groups and the movement. For those of us who have glimpsed the great potential of small church communities, I believe it is best to study what everyone else is saying about the movement and adopt what we discern as most beneficial for our own groups.
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The Vision for Small Church Communities
Community is a broad term, and so is “small church community.” Are we talking Bible studies? Discussion groups? Charismatic prayer groups? Adult education classes? The prayer chain? There are many small groups meeting with a religious theme. Is it merely their small size and religious focus that makes them a small church community?
While a prayer chain could be a small church community as well, typically it is not. Nor is anything categorized as a “class” typically a small church community—though it certainly could be—or it could at least share most of the characteristics of a small church community (SCC). Many prayer groups are certainly small church communities; however, coming together and praying alone does not make them a small church community. Theoretically, such a group could remain largely anonymous—which is not community in this sense. While every small church community includes praying together, it must also include discussing and sharing their faith and its relevance in their lives; it must include encouraging and supporting one another in their personal journey to God. This is what makes it a small church community.
The SCC is small so it can have intimate and fruitful group discussions. These intimate group discussions are oriented around sharing our personal lives to the degree we’re comfortable and supporting each other in our ongoing personal growth as children of God. We can only accomplish this in a small group of trusted and growing friends.
The SCC is a productive level of church meeting people where they are. SCCs are the family of God in a very special way, nurturing one another, witnessing to one another, and challenging one another. The SCC is church on the level we live and grow, the church reaching out to the unbelieving and indifferent, the fallen away and disheartened, the seeker and the disciple.
The SCC is foremost a community where all are welcome and accepted, where all are encouraged and challenged. The SCC is a healthy community of openness and trust, of deep sharing and deep listening, of few demands and great opportunity. “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. You want to be where you can see the troubles are all the same” (Cheers intro song).
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The Nature of Small Church Communities
Folks have varying thoughts on how SCCs are a level of church. Some view SCCs as the Church in miniature, or even “cell” churches—living cells making up the larger body. Some view them as the domestic church expanded to neighbors. Some even view SCCs within the hierarchical structure of the Church. First, we have the Vatican, then the diocese, then the parish, and then the SCCs and then the domestic church. Bible studies and other groups do not typically share this view.
Some pastors encourage and oversee small groups. SCCs are more formally a level of church in such environments. Many pastors have no interest in SCCs at all.
The SCC does one thing better than any other level of Church: they have ordinary people helping each other connect everyday life to their faith. SCCs meet people where they are. The SCC does another thing better than any other level of the Church: it focuses on human relationships—with each other and God. Thomas Merton said that putting the tasks and product before human relationships “is the greatest evil of our time.” Quite often American life and even parish life becomes simply trying to get all the tasks done. SCCs focus on people, on their experiences and relationships.
The SCC calls us to work for the Kingdom, for the new evangelization, for forming new disciples. While many SCCs are not evangelical in nature, not ever expanding and reaching out to others, the healthy, faithful SCCs most certainly are. The vision I seek to share of SCC most certainly is. This evangelical SCC constantly seeks to attract new members, to help form disciples, and to start new groups. For our purposes here, the successful and healthy SCC is synonymous with the evangelical SCC.
The SCC reaches outward to improve society. In addition to evangelization, forming disciples, and contributing to the parish, SCCs work for the Kingdom beyond the parish—they tackle social issues and much more. The SCC may simply encourage this work by forming spirit-filled disciples, or it may become involved in such work as a group.
Of course, SCCs improve society primarily by forming and nurturing disciples. Everything else, no matter how mightily encouraged, is secondary.
Many see SCCs as a new way of being church. Many see SCCs as the Church’s hope for the future. Popes, the Vatican, and the US Conference of Bishops have promoted SCCs. For many, SCCs are the Church’s best kept secret.
SCCs are a movement to join, a vision to share, a spirit to catch. SCCs most certainly are not just another group, just another ministry. They are an essential part of nurturing and promoting Christian families and the new evangelization. Small church communities are the indispensable support groups that Christians need to overcome the influences of our anti-Christian, pleasure-centered, and rebellious culture and to steadily progress in faith, hope, and love—in virtue, detachment, and generosity—on our Journey to God.
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Essential Ingredients for Creating a Small Church Community
1. Unity in Christ through the Church. The SCC is united to Christ through the Roman Catholic Church. The SCC itself is Catholic, its goals are Catholic, it defers to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church, and it is based out of a particular parish. Fallen-away Catholics, non-Catholic Christians, and even non-Christians may belong to a SCC; however, this can never impact the faithful reality of the group overall. Non-Catholics are never a majority within a SCC. Everyone involved views the SCC as a community and outreach belonging wholly to the parish it is based out of and through said parish to the Roman Catholic Church. This remains true and valid even if the pastor is not involved or interest in the SCCs based out of the parish.
2. Trust & Vulnerability. The community must be a warm and safe place of acceptance, confidentiality, and nurturing. There should be many activities early on to allow for self-disclosure in a non-threatening manner. Early on, icebreakers and emphasis of group guidelines (listening skills, sensitivity, etc.) are particularly crucial. Also, it is essential that the leader model openness, as it is rare that others will go deeper than the leader. Confidentiality is always maintained; what one discusses in the group stays in the group.
While involvement in a SCC necessarily involves challenges to better know and love God and each other, the SCC avoids personally judging her members. Some folks feel judged because their conscience and baggage are calling them out. These folks require extra assurance that both Jesus and the group accept them as they are. The group helps them understand that everyone—including the leaders and parish priest—are challenged toward continual growth as a child of God. The ongoing journey is always emphasized for everyone.
3. Accountability & Commitment. A SCC is interconnected and completely interdependent on all members for its health and fruitfulness. Members simply need to make the meetings. The members need to stick to the schedule and make it a priority. If someone misses a meeting, another member needs to call them up and ask how they can help ensure the other is able to make it next time. If people think they might miss the meeting, they should call the leader (or assistant leader) to see what can be done—not simply to inform them they cannot make it! When people miss a meeting, it’s not their “Perfect Attendance” that’s affected; it’s the community and the relationships within the community that are affected.
4. Time Together as Community. Time spent together, allowing bonds to form, is essential. Game nights and other purely social events can nurture the community through shared experience as well. Also, potluck dinners celebrating the conclusion of a study series are important too.
5. Support. The community must support each other. While trust, vulnerability, accountability, and commitment are all elements of support, true support goes far beyond. Support means members can count on one another. They are willing to give of themselves far beyond what is required.
Such support offers to carpool to the group—or to mass. It checks up on folks that miss a meeting or are going through difficulties. Such support seeks to be a friend beyond the group. Members of a supportive community are comfortable asking advice on decision-making or seeking prayers regarding their own struggles.
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