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Growth Groups Trainee Sessions · Reformed Thinking

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What if the way your church runs its Tuesday night small groups
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is, well, actively hindering spiritual growth?
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Oh, that is a heavy question right out of the gate.
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I mean, we all know the universal setup, right?
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You walk into someone's living room.
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The couch is like a little too soft.
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You sink right in. Yeah, you sink right in and
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there is a plate of slightly stale brownies on the coffee
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table. It is always brownies or maybe
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those little powdered doughnuts. Always.
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You have a cup of lukewarm tea in your hands, and everyone just
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kind of settles for this polite, somewhat meandering conversation
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about a random Bible verse, right?
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And the primary question driving the entire night seems to be.
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So what does this verse mean to you?
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Which is that is the standard model in so many places.
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It feels casual. It functions like a neighborhood
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social club that just happens to have this thin veneer of
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spirituality draped over it. People share their feelings,
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offer a few disconnected thoughts and go home feeling
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vaguely encouraged but largely unchanged.
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Right, because we like comfortable.
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We do. But then you look at the actual
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mandate of the New Testament, and suddenly that living room
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setup feels woefully inadequate. It really does.
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We are looking at a landscape of spiritual growth that requires
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precision. It requires intentionality.
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So welcome to Reformed thinking. Glad to be here.
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Whether you are a pastor, a lay elder, or someone simply looking
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to understand how biblical fellowship functions in a
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practical setting, today's deep dive is for you.
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Absolutely. We are pulling apart a training
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manual for Mathias Media. It is called growth groups.
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How to Lead disciple Making Small groups by Colin Marshall.
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It is a fantastic resource. It really is.
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Our mission today is to unpack the mechanics of creating and
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shepherding a small group, moving far beyond just having
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coffee and chatting into genuine Christ likeness driven by the
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Scriptures. And to set the theological
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baseline right away, this conversation is firmly grounded
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in Reformed theology and the Westminster Confession.
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Yes, let's establish that when. We read this manual.
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It operates on a specific non negotiable premise.
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God alone causes spiritual growth.
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We see that clearly in First Corinthians chapter 3.
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We cannot manufacture conviction in another person's heart, and
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we cannot force sanctification. No matter how good the brownies
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are. Right.
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No matter the snacks or the atmosphere, however, God uses
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ordinary secondary means to accomplish His sovereign will.
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Let's define what we mean by ordinary secondary means for a
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second, because we are not talking about, you know,
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lightning bolts from the sky here.
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We are talking about the normal, everyday tools God has
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instituted for His church. Spot on.
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God uses human agents he uses under shepherds to guide his
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people through the Scriptures. This is the ordinary means of
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grace in action. The Westminster Shorter
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Catechism points out that the Spirit of God makes the reading,
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but especially the preaching and teaching of the Word, an
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effectual means of convincing and converting sinners and
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building them up in holiness. So the Holy Spirit takes the
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Word taught and discussed in a Tuesday night living room and
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applies it to the mind and heart.
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It is a joint effort in a sense. Yes, the human leader does not
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save anyone, but the human leader is the designated
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instrument holding the tool that the spirit uses.
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Which sets the stakes incredibly high.
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It really does. It means the person leading the
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group is not just a glorified schedule coordinator, they have
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a massive spiritual task they do.
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So today we are looking at a rigorous 10 session training
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structure designed to equip those leaders.
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We are going to look at the actual architecture of crafting
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a Bible study from scratch. Which is so needed.
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We will analyze how to diagnose the health of a group using an
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observational tool called the fishbowl, and we will examine
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the biblical mandate for designated leadership.
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It is a very comprehensive system.
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Yeah, it covers a lot of ground. So let's start with the opening
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premise of the manual, the shepherding mandate and defining
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the target. The manual tells trainees they
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are being trained to be shepherds of a flock granted to
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them by God. The gravity of that calling
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cannot be overstated. As a leader, you are handling
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the souls of men and women. In session two of the manual,
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there is this brilliant exercise where trainees are handed a list
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of potential group goals and asked to categorize them.
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I remember this part. They have to mark each aim as
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either essential, a good idea of limited value, or off the
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planet. Off the planet.
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I love that phrasing. It forces the trainee to
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articulate what they're actually trying to achieve in that living
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room. I looked at that list and it is
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revealing because it exposes our hidden assumption.
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Oh totally. For instance, one of the goals
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listed is quote, make Bible study fun.
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Now let me push back a bit, or at least play devil's advocate
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here. I would argue that making a
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group fun feels somewhat essential.
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I mean, if people do not enjoy it, they will just stop showing
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up, right? Why wouldn't we prioritize
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making the gathering highly entertaining so we can keep the
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attendance numbers up? Well, if attendance is your only
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metric, then prioritizing entertainment makes total sense,
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right? But the manual forces us to ask
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what the actual target is. If the goal is spiritual
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maturity, fun might be a pleasant byproduct sometimes,
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but it cannot be the driving engine.
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That makes sense. If we look at the Pastoral
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Epistles, Paul does not command Timothy to make sure the
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Ephesians are having a good time.
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He commands him to teach sound doctrine, to reprove and to
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rebuke with complete patience and teaching.
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I think about it like this. If I treat a growth group like a
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stand up comedy club, my entire metric for success is whether
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people are laughing, relaxed and entertained, right?
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If they are bored or challenged, I failed.
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But what if we treat the group like a specialized fitness
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center? Oh, that is a good comparison.
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In a fitness center, the goal is not amusement.
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The goal is growth, conditioning, and strength.
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The exercises might be strenuous.
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You might sweat. You might even experience some
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discomfort the next day because you worked muscles you usually
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ignore. But you keep coming back because
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the results are highly rewarding.
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You are getting stronger. If the goal is spiritual growth,
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the structure changes entirely. We are not there to be amused.
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We are there to be trained by the Word.
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That analogy clarifies the role of the leader perfectly.
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A personal trainer does not do the push ups for you, but they
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make sure your form is correct and that you are lifting the
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right weight. Yeah, they correct your posture.
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Exactly. Well, spot on.
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If we view the group through a reformed lens, particularly
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regarding the sufficiency of Scripture, our primary target
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becomes crystal clear. Look at another goal on that
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list from Session 2. Which one solve all questions
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and problems raised by the group?
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Oh wow, I imagine a lot of leaders feel the crush of that
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expectation. They do all the time.
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Someone shares a massive financial crisis where a deeply
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entrenched marital issue and all eyes turn to the leader to fix
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it in the next 10 minutes. And the manual implies that
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expecting to solve every temporal problem a person has is
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an off the planet expectation. Yeah, that is definitely off the
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planet. We are finite creatures.
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The goal is not to be a psychological guru or a
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financial advisor. Our primary goal is not solving
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all of a person's temporal issues, but rather pointing them
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to the eternal truths of Scripture.
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So what is the essential goal then?
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The essential goal, as the manual points out, is to
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pinpoint the main themes of the passage.
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We bring the text to bear on the mind and the heart, trusting
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that the Holy Spirit will apply the truth to those specific
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marital or financial crises. The objective is to teach the
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main doctrines of the Bible and let the text dictate the life
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application. That reality takes the pressure
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off the leader in one sense, but increases the responsibility in
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another. How so?
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You do not have to fix their entire life, but you do have to
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correctly handle the word of truth.
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Yes. Very true.
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So what does this actually look like before Tuesday night even
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happens? To hit that target of scriptural
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renewal, a shepherd needs a solid plan.
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You have to prepare the food for the flock.
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You cannot just wing. It no you can't.
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The manual provides a four step preparation sheet in the
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appendix and it operates like a master class and exegesis for
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the layperson. It really does.
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The first step is simply understanding the passage.
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The manual insists on doing an overview looking at the
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historical and literary context. Setting the stage right.
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Then it introduces A concet called Question Bombardment.
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I love that term. You literally write down every
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single question you can think of regarding the text.
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Who is speaking? Why did they use this specific
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verb? What is the logical connection
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between verse 2 and verse 3? Just attacking the text with
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questions. Yes.
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You do this until you can identify the central truth of
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the passage and the supporting truths that hold it up.
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Let's give a concrete example of this so you the listener can see
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how this works. The manual provides a sample
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study on Colossians chapter 1 verses one through 14.
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Let's do a mini question bombardment right now, OK?
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Let's do it. I am looking at verse 3.
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Paul writes. We always thank God the Father
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of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you.
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If I am bombarding this text, I am asking who is we?
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Good question. Why does Paul say always?
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Is he literally praying 24 hours a day or is this a rhetorical
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device? What specific things is he
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thanking God for? Why does he specify God is the
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father of our Lord Jesus Christ instead of just saying God?
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And as you answer those questions through careful study,
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the structure of Paul's thought begins to emerge.
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It starts to take shape. You realize the we includes
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Timothy, You realize the thankfulness is rooted in the
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Colossians faith in Christ Jesus and the love they have for all
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God's people, which springs from the hope stored up in heaven.
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So it is all connected. It is through this analytical
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process you arrive at the central truth.
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In this specific Colossians passage, the manual identifies
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the central truth as God saves and alters people and the
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supporting troops reveal how he does it.
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He does it through prayer, through the proclamation of the
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gospel, and through human agents like Paul and Epiphres.
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That entire theological framework is derived simply from
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asking relentless questions of the text.
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Just reading closely. Once you have that framework,
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you move to Step 2 which is applying the passage.
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And the manual is very specific here.
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You do not just throw out a generic we should all be nicer
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application. Please don't do that.
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Right. You have to apply the central
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truth to the person, to the small group itself, to the local
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church and to the world at large.
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This step guards against selfish individualism.
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Often believers only ask, what does this mean for my personal
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life? But the New Testament was
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written primarily to communities.
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That is a crucial point. Applying Colossians 1 to the
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small group might mean asking are we as a group characterized
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by faith in Christ and love for all the Saints?
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Applying it to the local church means looking at how your
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congregation supports the worldwide proclamation of the
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gospel. It extends the believer's
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vision. After you figure out the
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application, Step 3 involves working out your teaching goals.
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Based on those truths, you decide what you want the group
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to understand and what you want them to do.
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The head in the hands. Yes.
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Finally, Step 4 is packaging the study.
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This is where you actually crashed the questions you will
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ask out loud in the room you're at observation questions,
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interpretation questions, correlation questions, summary
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questions, and application questions.
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The sequence of those questions is vital.
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Observation questions get people looking at the words on the
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page. What does verse 4 say?
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Just the facts. Right interpretation questions
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ask for the meaning. What does it mean to have a hope
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stored up in heaven? Correlation questions bring in
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other parts of Scripture to shed light on the passage.
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Tying it to the rest of the Bible.
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Summary questions pull the threads together, and
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application questions drive it home to the conscience.
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I have to admit, I look at that four step process and it sounds
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intimidating. It is a lot of work.
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It sounds like hours of work, and here is an interesting
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speculative point. Matthias Media, the publisher of
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this manual, also publishes excellent prepackaged Bible
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studies. Yes, they do.
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The manual even lists them like the Interactive Bible Study
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series. Yet the training insists that
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leaders learn to write their own studies from scratch.
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They are adamant about it. Why bother putting leaders
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through this rigorous 4 step architectural process if the
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professionals have already done the heavy lifting and published
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the booklets? The manual explicitly states the
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reasons for this requirement. First, relying solely on
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prepackaged guides creates a dangerous dependency.
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If you never learn to study the text yourself, your own
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spiritual diet is entirely mediated by someone else's study
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habits. You never build the exegetical
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muscle required to interpret the Bible confidently.
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It is the difference between knowing how to microwave a
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frozen dinner and knowing how to cook a meal from raw
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ingredients. That is a great way to put it.
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The frozen dinner will feed you, but you are dependent on the
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factory. If you know how to cook, you can
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feed yourself and your family under any circumstance.
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Precisely the second reason is catering.
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A prepackaged study is written for a generalized audience, but
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when you write the study from scratch, or when you rigorously
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adapt a published guide, you can tailor the material specifically
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to the individual sitting in your living room.
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Because you know them. Yes, you know that John is
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struggling with assurance of salvation.
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You know that Sarah is facing a brutal situation at work.
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You can craft your application questions to intersect directly
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with their specific realities. That makes it so much more
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relevant. Even when using a published
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guide, the manual advises the leader to study the passage
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independently first. Using those four steps.
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You need a clear grasp of the central truths so you are not
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conceitly beholden to another author's emphasis.
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You must own the material. I hear you, but honestly if I am
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preparing a study and mapping out every single correlation
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question and summary question beforehand, it feels stiff.
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They can feel that way. Sure, I would be terrified of
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turning into a lecturer holding a syllabus.
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Let me ask a procedural question.
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Does this intense level of structured packaging quench the
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spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit during the meeting?
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That is a very common objection. Some might argue that over
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preparation leaves no room for the Spirit to move the
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conversation dynamically. They might say we should just
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pray, open the book and see where the wind blows.
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Right. But if we connect this to the
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broader Reformed understanding of how God operates, we reach
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the opposite conclusion. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate
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author of Scripture, and he chose to inspire texts that use
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highly logical, grammatical and historical structures.
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Paul's arguments in his epistles are not random streams of
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consciousness. No, they are very tight.
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They are sequential, tightly reasoned arguments.
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So if the text is structured, our study of it should be
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structured. Right.
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Diligent, logical exegetical preparation honors the spirits
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chosen method of communication. The spirit is not an author of
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confusion. Preparing well means you are
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aligning your mind with the contours of the inspired text.
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That is a huge paradigm shift. A flexible, well prepared plan
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which Step 4 creates actually allows you to guide spontaneous
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discussion back to the solid ground of the text.
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When the conversation drifts into unprofitable speculation,
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your preparation acts as an anchor.
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It frees you to be present with the people because you are not
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panicking about what to say next.
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That. Makes a lot of sense.
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The preparation builds the banks of the river so the water can
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flow forcefully in the right direction, rather than just
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flooding the surrounding fields in a shallow, muddy mess.
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Exactly. Well, that is a perfect picture
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of it. But having a perfectly
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architected study on paper is one thing.
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Delivering it to a room full of unpredictable human beings is a
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completely different challenge. Oh, absolutely.
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Your brilliant notes on Colossians.
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But then Bob starts talking about his cats dietary issues.
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Always a Bob. And Susan confidently
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misinterprets a core doctrine regarding justification.
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How do you handle the live fire exercise of leading?
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It takes practice. This brings our discussion to
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what I consider the manuals most fascinating practical tool, the
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fishbowl. The fishbowl is an observational
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exercise used extensively in sessions 357 and nine of the
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training. It is brilliant because it moves
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the trainees from theory into practice.
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Breakdown how it works. Here's how it works.
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One trainee is assigned to lead a mock Bible study with the rest
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of the group. They might be given a passage
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like Colossians 1.2 through 2.5, but two trainees sit physically
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outside the circle. OK, They're observers.
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Yeah. They do not participate in the
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discussion. They do not answer questions.
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They just watch and take notes on specific clipboards.
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Picture that physical setup for a second.
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You have your circle of chairs for the study, and then these
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two quiet judges sitting against the wall scrutinizing
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everything. It is intense.
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It sounds incredibly nerve racking for the person leading,
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but the division of Labor between the observers is what
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makes it so effective. Let's look at the first
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observer, who we will call Group One.
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Group 1 focuses entirely and exclusively on the teaching
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process. They are tracking the mechanics
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of the leader. The chart they use is incredibly
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detailed. The observers are not writing
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general feedback like good job, they are answering specific
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questions. Did the launching question work
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to grab attention with the leader functioning as a teacher
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lecturing the room or as a facilitator guiding discovery?
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There is one question on that clipboard that I find so
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perceptive. It asks did right answers stop
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the discussion? Oh, that is a big one.
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Let's break down how that actually happens in a room.
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Well, I've been in groups where the leader asks a decent
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interpretation question. Yeah, let's say they ask, what
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does Paul mean by the mystery that has been kept hidden for
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ages? A solid question.
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And the local seminary student, or the guy who reads massive
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systematic theology books for fun, chimes in and gives a 5
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minute airtight textbook definition.
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He quotes three different theologians and wraps it up
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perfectly. What happens to the room?
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The room goes dead silent. The other members feel entirely
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intimidated. They realize they cannot match
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that level of theological precision, so they decide to
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just keep their mouth shut for the rest of the evening.
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The quote UN quote right answer effectively killed the group's
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collective engagement with the text.
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And the Fishbowl observer is watching to see how the leader
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handles that moment. A poor leader will just say
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great answer and move to the next question, turning the night
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into a dialogue between themselves and the theology.
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Student, which leaves everyone else out in the cold.
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Right, a skilled facilitator will pivot.
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They will look at the rest of the room and say OK that is a
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robust definition. Can someone else put what he
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just said into their own words? How would you explain that
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mystery to a Co worker? The leader has to keep the ball
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bouncing around the room. That pivot is crucial.
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Another vital question on the observer's chart is did the
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leader answer their own questions?
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This specific habit is the silent killer of group
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discovery. Why do leaders do it?
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It usually happens because the leader lacks the tolerance for
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silence. Silence in a group setting feels
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like a physical weight. You ask a question and three
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seconds go by. It feels like an hour.
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It really goes. You start sweating.
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You assume your question was terrible or that everyone is
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bored. Right.
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The leader feels the awkwardness, panics, and simply
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supplies the answer to relieve the tension.
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What does this mean? Anyone.
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No. Well, it means this.
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It is exactly like a parent doing a child's homework.
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I have seen parents get so frustrated that their kid is
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taking 10 minutes to figure out a math problem.
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Oh yeah, the parent just wants to get to bedtime, so they take
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the pencil and write down the answer on paper.
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It looks like a total success. The worksheet is full, the math
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is correct, and the task is done.
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But the kid learned nothing. Exactly.
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In the small group, it looks like success because the correct
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doctrine was spoken aloud and you finished the study guide,
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but the actual learning process, the friction of the mind
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wrestling with the text, is completely bypassed.
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A true facilitator guides the group to interact with the texts
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themselves, even if it requires sitting in 15 seconds of awkward
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silence while people think. This touches on the posture of
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the leader. The fishbowl chart asked two
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more revealing questions. Did the leader preach on hobby
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horses and did the leader pretend to know everything?
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Those are tough questions. They are This addresses the
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subtle creep of human pride and the absolute necessity of
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intellectual humility. Let's unpack the hobby horse
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concept. This is the leader who, no
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matter what passage you are studying, always steers the
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conversation back to their favorite theological.
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Topic. We all know someone like this.
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You could be studying the book of Proverbs and somehow the
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leader turns it into a 20 minute monologue about end times
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prophecy or church government models.
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It reveals a desire to hear your oneself speak rather than a
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desire to let the text speak. In a reformed understanding of
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ministry. The text is the authority, not
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the leaders. Encyclopedic knowledge, right?
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And regarding pretending to know everything, if a group member
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asks a highly specific, difficult question about the
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historical background of Colise and you do not know the answer,
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the most faithful, secure response is I do not know.
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Let's look into that and bring the answer back next week.
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There is no shame in that. None.
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Pretending to know everything shifts the group's reliance from
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the scripture to your personal intellect.
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If you play the infallible guru, you've just taught them to trust
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your brain instead of teaching them how to read the Bible.
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That is a dangerous. Shift.
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It undermines the whole process. So Observer 1 is watching these
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teaching mechanics. They're watching the leader.
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But a small group is not just a teacher and a text in a vacuum.
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It is a highly volatile social ecosystem.
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Volatile is a good word for. It this brings us to the second
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part of the fishbowl exercise. While Observer 1 watches the
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leader, Observer 2 is watching the room.
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The Group 2 observation chart shifts the focus entirely to the
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human element. The observer ignores the Lesson
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plan and tracks the participants.
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Who are the high contributors? Who are the low contributors?
22:15
Checking the balance. Of the room, yes.
22:17
Are there subgroups or clicks forming within the circle?
22:21
Was the discussion overly polite and surface level, or was it
22:24
genuinely open and honest? They are tasked with noticing
22:28
which members are focused on completing the tasks and which
22:31
members are highly sensitive to the relationships in the room.
22:34
I find that distinction between task focused and relationship
22:38
focused people fascinating. Every group has the tasked
22:41
person. Oh yes, they view the study
22:43
guide like a checklist. They just want to blast through
22:45
all 10 questions before 9:00, and they get visibly agitated if
22:49
the conversation wanders. They are looking at their watch.
22:51
Constantly. Then you have the relationship
22:53
person. They want to pause the entire
22:56
study because someone across the room sighed heavily, and they
22:58
want to make sure everyone feels emotionally supported before
23:01
moving to question 3. Both types of people are
23:03
necessary, but they constantly create friction.
23:06
In Session 7, the manual covers a topic called Growing the
23:10
Individuals. It highlights the tension
23:12
between God's agenda and the people's agenda.
23:15
OK, it warns against the temptation to cater to the group
23:18
structures rather than the actual individual sitting in
23:21
front of you. But here is the hard scenario,
23:24
the one every leader dreads. What do we do when the pursuit
23:28
of an open and honest group turns into an individual
23:32
hijacking the night? Hijackers.
23:34
How do we handle problem people? We all know the types.
23:37
The person who uses the group as free therapy and cries every
23:40
single week about the same issue but refuses counsel.
23:43
The person who dominates every theological debate and turns it
23:46
into a cage match. Or the person who sits in the
23:48
corner, arms crossed, and refuses to say a single word for
23:52
six solid months. We have to address these
23:55
dynamics through a reformed pastoral lens.
23:57
We understand the doctrine of remaining sin.
24:00
We must define that clearly. Yes, let's define that.
24:03
Remaining sin means that even justified believers still carry
24:06
the residual habits, desires, and corruptions of their pre
24:10
conversion state into that living room every single member
24:13
walks in, bringing their own baggage, their own defense
24:17
mechanisms, and their own relational brokenness.
24:20
They are not blank slates. Not at all.
24:22
True shepherding means we do not just view these dynamics as
24:25
social annoyances. That is a massive paradigm shift
24:28
right there. You are saying we should not
24:30
view the guy dominating the conversation merely as a rude
24:34
person who needs to learn manners.
24:36
Precisely. A dominant talker might be
24:39
driven by deep seated pride, or perhaps intense anxiety that
24:42
makes them fear silence. A perpetually quiet person might
24:46
be struggling with a paralyzing fear of man, terrified of saying
24:49
the wrong thing and facing rejection.
24:51
So there is always something underneath.
24:53
Usually, yes. The person who constantly
24:55
hijacks the group with their emotional crises might be
24:58
dealing with idolatry regarding attention or comfort.
25:01
These are spiritual hurdles requiring patience, grace, and
25:04
sometimes gentle private correction outside the group
25:06
setting. It changes your whole
25:08
perspective as a leader. You stop being annoyed that they
25:11
are ruining your perfectly architected Lesson plan, and you
25:14
start realizing that their difficult behavior is the actual
25:17
ministry opportunity. That is the work.
25:19
Your job is not to get through the worksheet.
25:22
Your job is to shepherd those specific messy people toward
25:25
Christ. The manual highlights the
25:28
necessity of giving constructive feedback after the fishbowl
25:31
exercise to hone these observational skills.
25:34
Which is so helpful. Observers might check their
25:37
interpretations with the members.
25:39
Afterward, they might pull someone aside and ask.
25:41
I noticed you were completely quiet when we discussed the
25:44
concept of forgiveness tonight. Was there a reason for that?
25:47
It trains the leader to read the room theologically, not just
25:50
socially. And managing these complex human
25:53
dynamics relies on a force far outside the leaders own
25:57
relational skills or charm. You cannot sanctify a problem
26:01
person through sheer willpower or by managing the conversation
26:05
perfectly. No, you can't.
26:06
It requires tapping into God's provision.
26:09
You have to rely on the actual engine of growth, which moves us
26:13
to look at prayer and evangelism.
26:15
Session 4 addresses praying in growth groups and session 5
26:19
addresses gospel growth, which is evangelism through those same
26:22
groups. The manual challenges groups to
26:24
do something we rarely do, analyze our prayer times.
26:27
It asks trainees to evaluate their typical group prayer.
26:30
Did we pray about God's concerns or just our own?
26:33
And did we make it easy for everyone to join in?
26:36
Those are convicting questions. Let's unpack that first question
26:39
because it hits close to home for a lot of churches.
26:41
Usually a group prayer time turns into what many call an
26:45
organ recital. An organ recital.
26:46
We go around the room listing failing livers, bad knees,
26:49
upcoming surgeries, and travel mercies for Aunt Martha.
26:53
Now God certainly cares about our physical bodies and our
26:55
daily needs, but if we look at Colossians chapter 1 verses one
26:59
through 14 as our model, Paul's prayers sound vastly different
27:04
from ours. The content of Paul's prayers is
27:06
highly revealing. He begins by expressing deep
27:09
thankfulness for the Colossians, faith, their hope and their
27:12
love. Starting with the spiritual
27:14
realities. Yes.
27:15
Then when he moves to petition, his primary request in verse 9
27:19
is for spiritual wisdom and understanding so that they might
27:23
live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way.
27:27
He prays for them to bear fruit in every good work and to grow
27:30
in the knowledge of God. The contrast between his prayer
27:34
and the typical organ recital is stark.
27:37
If our groups only spend 45 minutes praying for temporal
27:40
medical issues and we never pray for holiness, what are we
27:43
teaching our people? We are inadvertently teaching
27:45
them that the physical realm is more urgent and more real than
27:48
the spiritual realm. We are teaching them that God is
27:51
primarily A cosmic physician whose main job is to keep us
27:54
comfortable. A tree shepherd trains the flock
27:57
to pray for sanctification, for the defeat of sin in their
28:00
lives, for a deeper knowledge of God's will, and for the courage
28:03
to share the gospel. It requires A radical shift in
28:07
how we solicit prayer requests. Instead of just asking, Does
28:10
anyone have any prayer requests a leader might need to say?
28:13
Based on our study of Colossians tonight, what is 1 area of your
28:17
life where you need God to grant you spiritual wisdom this week?
28:21
That changes the whole tone of the room.
28:22
You guide the prayer to align with the text, and that focus on
28:26
the spiritual realm naturally leads into the other engine of
28:30
growth, evangelism. Session 5 asks trainees to
28:33
pinpoint why groups find evangelism so incredibly
28:36
difficult. Why do we resist it so fiercely?
28:39
It a massive struggle. There is a massive internal
28:41
tension. A small group often prefers the
28:44
safety of the huddle. We know each other.
28:46
We know the unspoken rules. We feel secure in our little
28:49
theological bubble. Inviting the outside world in
28:52
brings friction. It brings awkward questions,
28:54
messy lives and discomfort. Theologically, we must
28:57
understand the environment we are operating in when we talk
29:00
about evangelism. Colossians 1.13 speaks of being
29:03
rescued from the dominion of darkness.
29:05
That is strong language. The Reformed view takes this
29:08
language literally. Unbelievers are not just neutral
29:12
observers looking for a good intellectual argument.
29:15
They are spiritually blind and held captive in a domain of
29:18
darkness. Therefore, evangelism is an
29:21
intimidating task because it requires a divine rescue
29:25
mission. We cannot simply argue someone
29:27
into the Kingdom using clever logic.
29:30
We are proclaiming the gospel of Christ into an active domain of
29:33
darkness, trusting that God alone is the agent of change.
29:36
As we saw in the Colossians one study, this heavy reality can
29:40
paralyze a group if they do not have a robust theology of God's
29:43
sovereign grace. If they think it all depends on
29:46
them. Yes, if a group believes that
29:47
saving someone depends entirely on their ability to present the
29:51
perfect apologetic argument, they will freeze.
29:54
But if they understand that God is the one who rescues and
29:57
raises the dead to life, they are free to simply and
30:00
faithfully proclaim the truth. That doctrine is incredibly
30:03
encouraging for a small group. The pressure is office to save
30:06
our neighbors, but the mandate is on us to speak the truth
30:08
clearly and lovingly. It is a liberating truth.
30:11
No. To keep a group from turning
30:13
entirely inward into that holy huddle, or to keep it from
30:16
spiraling into poor habits where the loudest person dominates the
30:20
prayer time, a specific type of biblical structure is required
30:23
at the helm. This transitions our focus to
30:26
the debate over leadership structures, specifically the
30:29
necessity of designated shepherds versus leaderless
30:33
gatherings. Session 6 focuses on leading for
30:37
growth. It explicitly asks trainees to
30:40
list the positive and negative effects of running groups
30:43
without a designated leader. Which is a hot topic, right?
30:46
Now this is a crucial conversation because there is a
30:48
modern trend in many churches, particularly in house church
30:51
movements, to prefer completely egalitarian, facilitator free
30:55
gatherings where no one is officially in charge.
30:58
Let me play devil's advocate again, because the leaderless
31:00
model sounds highly appealing to the modern mind.
31:03
Doesn't the leaderless group feel more organic, more
31:06
authentic? Sure, on the surface.
31:08
Think of it like a potluck dinner where everyone just
31:10
brings whatever dish they want, rather than a rigid catered
31:13
classroom setting where the teacher dictates the menu.
31:16
Everyone contributes, everyone has an equal voice, and we just
31:20
trust the Holy Spirit to lead the night.
31:22
What is functionally wrong with that approach?
31:24
The potluck analogy is helpful to expose the flaw in that
31:27
thinking. If you throw a potluck and
31:30
provide 0 coordination or leadership, everyone just brings
31:33
whatever they want. You might end up with six bags
31:36
of potato chips, 3 desserts, and absolutely no main course.
31:39
Yeah, that is a terrible dinner. It might be an organic
31:42
gathering, but it is not a nutritious meal.
31:45
The manual points to the biblical backing for designated
31:48
leaders, looking at Colossians 1.24 through 2.5 and first Peter
31:52
5.1 through 4, where elders are commanded shepherd the flock of
31:55
God. Cog's design for his church
31:57
involves designated under shepherds.
31:59
Yes, Without a leader, the group does not automatically default
32:03
to the Holy Spirit's guidance. Realistically, it defaults to
32:07
the loudest, most confident, or most emotionally demanding voice
32:10
in the room. That is just human nature.
32:12
Without a designated shepherd to guide the study, manage the
32:15
dynamics, and correct error, there is no deliberate
32:19
trajectory toward Christlikeness.
32:22
A leader ensures the nutritional value of the meal to make sure
32:25
the group is actually digesting the meat of the word, not just
32:28
snacking on theological potato chips.
32:30
But the manual also warns against the opposite extreme.
32:33
We have to discuss the symptoms of a self-serving shepherd, the
32:37
person who abuses that designated role.
32:39
What does a self promoting leader look like?
32:42
Well, it is the leader who talks 80% of the time.
32:45
It is the leader who uses the group as a captive audience for
32:48
their own theological musings, or it is the leader who becomes
32:52
highly defensive and irritable when a group member questions
32:55
their interpretation of a text. So how does a leader properly
32:59
use their personality, their natural gifts, and their
33:01
authority without making the group all about themselves?
33:04
It requires a massive level of self-awareness and a deep
33:08
understanding of your role as a servant.
33:11
You use your personality to put people at ease.
33:13
You use your intellect to ask sharp, illuminating questions.
33:17
You use your authority to protect the vulnerable people in
33:20
the room from being run over by dominant talkers.
33:23
But you are not the center of attention.
33:25
Right. Your overarching goal is to make
33:27
the biblical text the star of the room, not your own charisma.
33:31
The manual also highlights the strategic role of a Co leader to
33:35
help maintain this balance. This is vital.
33:38
Let's analyze the dynamic between a primary leader and a
33:40
Co leader. How should they divide the labor
33:43
on a typical night? While the primary leader is
33:45
focused on running the discussion, asking the
33:48
interpretation questions and tracking the logical flow of the
33:51
text, the Co leader is tracking the relational dynamics in the
33:54
room. Like Observer 2 in the fishbowl.
33:56
Exactly. They are acting like Observer 2
33:58
from the fishbowl exercise. They are the ones noticing that
34:01
John looks unusually upset tonight, or that Sarah has been
34:05
completely silent for three weeks.
34:08
They support the facilitator by managing the human ecosystem,
34:12
perhaps jumping in to ask Sarah a gentle question or redirecting
34:16
A dominant talker so the primary leader does not have to play the
34:19
bad cop constantly. It is a team effort.
34:22
You have the person steering the ship by the map of the text, and
34:26
you have the person checking the health and morale of the crew.
34:29
That's a great way to view it. Having the right leaders in
34:31
place is critical to prevent a shipwreck, but a group also
34:35
needs a clear beginning and surprisingly, a clear end.
34:39
This brings us to the final major concept, group life
34:41
cycles, setting the initial agenda and the concept of the
34:44
expiry date. Sessions 9 and 10 deal with
34:47
starting a growth group and evaluating and ending one.
34:50
When starting, the manual poses a critical diagnostic question.
34:54
What happens when the group's purpose and agenda are not set
34:57
out clearly from the very beginning?
34:58
Chaos happens. Or, more likely, quiet,
35:02
simmering frustration. Frustration is usually the first
35:04
sign. People join small groups for
35:07
wildly varied reasons. Think about a new group forming.
35:10
One person joins because they are desperately lonely.
35:13
They just moved to the city and they want to substitute family
35:16
to hang out with. Another person joins because
35:19
they have a deep academic curiosity about the minor
35:22
profits and want vigorous theological debate.
35:25
Another person joins simply out of social obligation because the
35:29
pastor announced it on Sunday and guilted everyone into
35:32
signing up. We have all seen that happen.
35:34
If the baseline expectations, what we are studying, how much
35:38
preparation is required each week, how we handle prayer
35:40
requests, are not explicitly spelled out on day one, these
35:44
competing expectations will inevitably collide.
35:46
And that collision destroys the fellowship.
35:49
The lonely person will be frustrated that you're spending
35:51
45 minutes analyzing the Greek verbs in Colossians, and the
35:54
theological student will be frustrated that you were
35:56
spending 30 minutes sharing feelings and eating brownies.
36:00
Which is why Session 8 provides a diagnostic tool for checking
36:03
the health of an active group. It requires the leader to make
36:07
accurate observations about the group's current state, determine
36:10
the root causes of any ill health and apply a biblical
36:13
remedy. You have to sit back and assess.
36:15
Often, if a group is unhealthy and filled with friction, it is
36:19
because those initial commitments were either never
36:21
stated or entirely forgotten. But perhaps the most fascinating
36:25
and controversial concept in this entire manual is the phrase
36:29
This is one small group which definitely has an expiry date.
36:33
We need to discuss the factors involved in ending a group.
36:36
In many church cultures, people view ending a small group as a
36:39
failure. Yes, there is this unspoken
36:41
assumption that a good, healthy small group should stay together
36:44
for 20 years until everyone is old and Gray.
36:48
We idolize the permanence of the if you really do.
36:50
But the manual challenges that assumption.
36:53
Groups have natural life cycles. People move away, seasons of
36:56
life change, and sometimes a group just stagnates and loses
36:59
its outward focus. But the theological connection
37:02
the manual makes regarding evaluating and ending a group is
37:05
staggering. Let's look at that.
37:06
In session 10, they asked leaders to read First
37:09
Corinthians 3.5 through 15 in chapter 4.1 through 5.
37:13
Let's look at what Paul writes there.
37:15
He asks, what after all is Apollos and what is Paul?
37:19
Only servants through whom you came to believe, He says.
37:22
I planted the seed, Apollo's watered it, but God has been
37:26
making it grow. That is the key right there.
37:28
Since God is the absolute sovereign source of the growth,
37:31
the manual points out the massive dangers in our human
37:34
evaluation of a group's successor failure.
37:37
When we evaluate a group, we almost always look at the
37:40
external metrics. How many people attended?
37:42
Did they seem happy? Did they learn the doctrine well
37:45
enough to pass a quiz? Did the group multiply?
37:47
The measurable stuff, right? But human evaluation is
37:50
inherently flawed because we cannot see the heart.
37:52
We can assess our own faithfulness to some degree.
37:55
We can assess if we taught the gospel clearly.
37:58
We can assess if we were faithful to prepare the text
38:00
diligently. But God evaluates the hidden
38:03
motives of the Mart. He evaluates the actual
38:05
invisible fruit of sanctification over decades.
38:08
He alone sees the real growth. This realization, and that the
38:12
final assessment belongs to God alone, provides an incredibly
38:15
freeing conclusion to the heavy, intimidating responsibility of
38:19
shepherding we discussed at the very beginning of this deep
38:21
dive. It removes the crushing burden
38:24
of playing the Messiah for your group members.
38:26
Which is a relief. You do the hard work, you
38:28
prepare the study, you manage the difficult personalities in
38:31
the room, you push through the awkward silences, and you pray
38:34
fervently for the lost. But you leave the heavy lifting
38:37
of changing human hearts to the Holy Spirit.
38:40
You are an under shepherd completely reliant on the Chief
38:44
Shepherd. So let's synthesize all of this.
38:46
Leading a growth group, according to Colin Marshall's
38:49
manual is a rigorous, joy filled theological task.
38:53
It requires meticulous preparation of the word,
38:56
understanding the context, employing question bombardment,
38:59
and identifying the central truths.
39:01
It requires a sharp eye for group dynamics.
39:04
Yes, knowing when to facilitate discovery and when to step back.
39:08
Understanding how to manage task oriented versus relationship
39:12
oriented members. It demands a life of God
39:15
centered prayer, moving past the Oregon recital to praying for
39:18
spiritual wisdom and rescue from the dominion of darkness and
39:21
humility. And it requires the humility to
39:24
be a servant, A facilitator, rather than a guru seeking the
39:28
following. As we close, I want to leave you
39:30
with the final thought to Mull over building on that concept of
39:34
the Group's expiry date. OK, let's hear it.
39:36
What if viewing your current ministry role or your current
39:39
small group as a highly temporary seasonal assignment
39:43
actually frees you from the pressure of fixing everyone?
39:47
If you know the group has an expiration date and that God
39:49
alone holds the final scales of evaluation, perhaps you can lay
39:53
down the anxiety of forced results.
39:55
You can stop trying to micromanage the Holy Spirit's
39:58
timeline for sanctification in your members lives and simply
40:01
enjoy the privilege of planting the seeds of the Gospel today.
40:04
The harvest belongs to the Lord. Think back to that living room
40:07
we talked about at the beginning.
40:09
We do not want a social club with stale brownies and shallow
40:12
chatter. We want a surgical room where
40:14
the Word of God is open, where the Spirit goes to work on
40:17
hearts, and where true Christ like growth happens.
40:20
It is hard work, but it is the absolute best work we can do.
40:24
Thank you for joining us on this deep dive on reformed thinking.
40:27
Keep reading, keep studying, and we will see you next time.