Two weeks ago, we began the fall semester of our Wednesday Small Group Bible Studies. Although teaching and studying God’s Word are central to these groups, our purpose extends beyond that. One of our primary goals is to help build a stronger sense of community within our church family.
The dictionary defines community as “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” As Christians, however, we share something far deeper than common interests. We have been saved by the same Savior, indwelt by the same Spirit, and brought into the same family of faith. We are united by our commitment to follow Christ and participate in His mission. Christian community is not merely a group of people who attend the same services; it is a family of believers who know, encourage, serve, and care for one another.
It is possible to attend the Sunday worship service each week without developing meaningful relationships with many of the people around us. We may recognize familiar faces but never learn their names. We may sit near someone for months without knowing that the person is experiencing a serious trial, celebrating an answer to prayer, or struggling with a spiritual burden. Corporate worship is essential to the life of the church, but it does not provide the time or setting needed for deeper conversations and personal connections.
This is one reason we believe our Wednesday night Small Group Studies are so important. Smaller groups give us more time to learn one another’s names, share prayer requests, celebrate victories, talk honestly about the difficulties of life, and encourage one another in our walk with Christ. They provide a setting in which we can move beyond simply being present in the same room and begin genuinely sharing life with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Often, some of the most meaningful lessons are learned not merely by listening to someone teach in a classroom but through conversations with other believers in a more personal setting. A passage of Scripture may become especially clear when someone explains how the Lord used it during a difficult season. A younger believer may benefit from the wisdom of someone who has walked with Christ for many years. A mature Christian may be encouraged by the enthusiasm and questions of a newer believer. When we are willing to speak honestly about both our victories and our defeats, we help one another see how the truth of God’s Word applies to everyday life.
This kind of fellowship reflects the pattern we see in the New Testament. The early believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, prayer, and sharing life together. Christians are instructed to encourage one another, bear one another’s burdens, pray for one another, and stir one another up to love and good works. These commands cannot be faithfully practiced from a distance. They require relationships in which we know others and allow ourselves to be known.
Our ultimate goal is not to create more programs or create another night that you can’t be at home. Our goal is to make disciples who make disciples. We define a disciple of Christ this way: “A disciple of Christ has been born again and, as a new creation, the Holy Spirit is transforming their thinking, being, doing, and proclaiming to be like their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in their daily life.” Jesus commanded His church to make disciples by sharing the gospel, baptizing believers, and teaching them to observe everything He commanded.
Discipleship therefore includes learning biblical truth, but it is more than the transfer of information. As we study God’s Word and share life together, the Spirit uses other believers to help transform how we think, who we are, how we live, and how we proclaim Christ. As we grow in these areas, we become better equipped to help others follow Christ as well.
This semester, we are offering five main Small Group Studies, along with several micro groups. These different options allow people to participate in settings that vary in size, subject, and style. Not everyone connects or learns in exactly the same way, so we want to provide opportunities for everyone to become involved.
Participation on Wednesday nights is not limited to being in a WSG. Serving in the nursery or in Awana is also a meaningful way to become connected and participate in making disciples. Those who serve our children are not merely providing childcare or filling a volunteer position. They are helping parents participate in a study, building relationships with other volunteers, and investing the truth of God’s Word in the next generation. Service itself often creates opportunities to make disciples because people grow closer as they work together for a common purpose.
Wherever you participate, the important thing is to become involved. Choose a study, join a micro group, serve in the nursery, or help with Awana. Do not wait until you know everyone before joining; participation is how those relationships begin. Learning names, sharing experiences, praying together, studying Scripture, and serving alongside one another are all steps toward becoming the kind of church family God calls us to be.
This semester will end before Christmas, so if you have not yet joined a group or found a place to serve, it is certainly not too late. Everything begins with a commitment. I encourage you to make a commitment now and become part of what God is doing through these opportunities.
Our prayer is that these Small Group Studies will do more than increase our biblical knowledge. We pray that they will deepen our relationships, strengthen our church, help us care for one another more faithfully, and equip each of us to follow Christ more closely in our thinking, being, doing, and proclaiming. Ultimately, we want to see disciples growing together in Christlikeness and helping others become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who are making disciples.
