twenty-three

A small group, a micro-community of students or friends, functions as a support network, a social connection, and a spiritual development arena for many of the students who become involved at the INN. As I look at how we approach directly "evangelizing" within our community, I have to wonder how the small group fits into that. What role does the small group play in evangelism?

We don’t spend much time, if any, talking about creating conversions. For as long as I’ve been involved with the INN, I have not felt there was a strong pull towards creating "faith decisions" in our students, but rather there is a strong emphasis on experiencing community and a sense of belonging that therefore drives deeper spiritual reflection and commitment. The focus of our programs, activities, and even the speaking on Tuesday nights is more centered on helping students understand what it looks like to live a life as a Christian, as a Christ-follower, rather than leading them towards a single-moment decision. I think we tend to agree that faith is more of a process than that style of thinking allows.

"Author and spiritual director Evan Howard suggests that spiritual conversion, rather than being a singular event, is more accurately described as a series of distinctive epiphanies (for example, conversion to the role of the Spirit, a conversion to social justice, a conversion to contemplative practices, and so on). These are not conversions from one system to another; they make up the gradual complementary and holistic renewal of the soul."
- Mark Scandrette, from An Emergent Manifesto of Hope

So what function, if any, do our small groups serve in a community that does not seek to necessarily create a single conversion experience? Simply, they are a place for these "distinctive epiphanies" to be happened upon and developed. A small group is a perfect place to experience a realization of the power of group prayer. It is a wonderful place for learning how to serve alongside others. It’s a place to be confronted by the demands of salvation in practical ways, by people you know and trust. I’ve spent this last year working with small group leaders, trying to encourage them to develop communities within their groups, to be challenging and be challenged by the way God has created their group. One piece I think I’ve not emphasized enough in my own thinking, though, is the simple relationship aspect. Conversations, rather than conversions, are driving our community at the INN. It’s the simple "holy moments" that help students discover who they are in Christ. It’s the cups of coffee or even a good pint together with a close friend that help them find their connection to the greater story God is developing in Bellingham, at Western, at the INN.

What if our small group leaders were not encouraged so much to have the right answers or to plan the best weekly studies? What if instead, they were pushed to simply spend time with those God has placed in their care? Are there ways to help encourage purposeful connections that seek to help direct and encourage that kind of community? Some of my most significant interactions this year have been stirred up out of nothing. A sit-down with a student/friend/both that turned into a drawn out, deep conversation. It’s not been the times that I’ve planned out what I’m going to say or had a motive behind my meetings that I’ve learned the most about the person or learned what God is doing in their lives. It’s the serendipitous moments, where nothing is planned but a conversation.

Could it be possible that small group leaders need to learn how to have better conversations with their groups instead of stressing out about reading a chapter from whatever book? I think the greatest conversion stories we will hear will be those that come out of groups the found commitment to each other. They will come from small cohorts who invested time in each other. They will come from places where leaders encouraged openness, rawness, and messiness, in place of point-by-point topical studies. Conversions or life changes will come from honest conversations about what students heard at the INN on Tuesday night or from their pastor on Sunday morning. They will come out of disagreements over the message or out of disappointments from life.

Let us choose to be real with each other and the people we are called to serve. Let us be relieved of a burden to prove an idea or argue doctrine and instead be freed to be honest about our garbage and seek a community that breeds forgiveness. Let all things be done in the name of faith that bleeds into everything we do, every word we speak, every breath we take.

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