Malcolm Gladwell, a well known author and journalist, wrote on his blog about Rick Warren and issues facing the modern, evangelical Church in America.
I found the following comments very interesting....
"Churches, like any large voluntary organization, have at their core a contradiction. In order to attract newcomers, they must have low barriers to entry. They must be unintimidating, friendly, and compatible with the culture they are a part of. In order to retain their membership, however, they need to have an identity distinct from that culture. They need to give their followers a sense of community—and community, exclusivity, a distinct identity are all, inevitably, casualties of growth. As an economist would say, the bigger an organization becomes, the greater a free-rider problem it has. If I go to a church with five hundred members, in a magnificent cathedral, with spectacular services and music, why should I volunteer or donate any substantial share of my money? What kind of peer pressure is there in a congregation that large? If the barriers to entry become too low—and the ties among members become increasingly tenuous—then a church as it grows bigger becomes weaker."
I completely agree with Gladwell's assessment of the situation. According to Gladwell, Rick Warren discovered that the key to the above dilemma is for a large church to develop strength through small groups. Small groups have been a key part of every ministry focus at Saddleback. Gladwell pointed out that at least forty million Americans are in a religiously based small group. He went on to say that "the growing ranks of small-group membership have caused a profound shift in the nature of the American religious experience."
Small groups do seem to be the key for churches to maintain connection among members as the numbers start to swell. It's hard to get lost in a small group. These groups provide personal connection and help facilitate growth if done right.
But doing small groups can be hard. Having led a number of small groups through the years, I have seen many problems and issues. Most facilitators feel ill equipped to handle the job. After a while, the momentum can be lost and the group can land in a rut. Small groups can be great. They can also lead to a whole new group of problems. Education, training and synergy for small groups within a particular fellowship appear to be the arising challenges for many churches, especially those trying to use small groups.
Many churches suffer from having too few skilled facilitators and lay pastors. If big churches want to stop the hemorrhaging, church leaders should focus on the few who can reach the many. This starts with more than a three hour orientation course on what it means to be a small group facilitator. Vision casting, prayer and training are critical as churches seek to empower more people to carry on the daily work of tending to the flock.
http://gladwell.typepad.com/
