GroupLife Blog

Filling Rows or Forming Circles?

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Bill Donahue) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:32:00 -0600

I have been thinking a lot about Andy Stanley’s comments at the Group Life Conference 2009 and the implications for church ministry. If it is true that more learning, growth, care and ministry takes through transformational group-like circles, why do churches spend an inordinate amount of time, staffing and money on filling rows? Here are some possible reasons for expending so much energy on building a “row”-ing team, and I would be interested in your feedback.

Creating row-mentum: Is it that we believe filling the seats will create a catalytic experience that moves the masses to act?
Tell-a-vision: Is it about getting people aligned with what leadership is trying to do and clarifying church direction?
We-vangelism: Are we trying to create an attractional environment for members to bring people to hear a gospel presentation from an evangelist?
Gotta know when to enfold 'em: Maybe it is the desire to connect the de-churched, re-churched and the “it’s-all-about-me”-churched, hoping they will find a home? (‘cause there are very few “unchurched” in America, and most places have not had such a person in a row for a long time—but they still “row”-manticize about having them there. Sorry, could not resist that!)
I have a truth ache: Is it because people love teaching more than learning? Is it that we enjoy hearing the old, old story more than facing the new, new reality of how far we are from real change?

I know the correct response is the “both-and” approach, large gatherings and smaller groupings. But it is so much more difficult to get people to form circles than it is to sit in rows. Just look at your percentages. So, because it is easier, we figure “let’s leverage the large gathering!” and put tons of resources into the 60-90 minutes of a church service.

Pastors spend 20-30 hours preparing, choirs and vocalists (paid and volunteer) practice for days, musicians rehearse, greeters are recruited, welcome teams and service hosts deployed, parking attendants and programming teams are organized, buildings are built—all culminating in an event. “It’s rowtime!”

I just wonder. I wonder what a church would look like if it re-allocated the staffing, energy, creativity, money, teaching and focus from event-making to disciple-making. If it equipped catalytic shepherd-leaders to connect people to transformational disciple-making environments (like groups and missional gatherings)—what would it look like? What if instead of thousands of people coming to sit and listen we had thousands of missional shepherd-guides moving out to serve and lead…people who make disciples…who make disciples? Maybe we could move from rowtime to growtime.

Just think of $50million invested in church-planting and the creation of hundreds—thousands—of missional groups and hubs throughout the city instead of one single building?

Sadly, many places will never find out. We are stuck in a paradigm lock. Yet I know many of you are experimenting with such expressions of the church. Many of you have been multiplying small communities that break into the culture – and you are less concerned with filling rows than you are with forming circles. And you are counting what counts. (See Reggie McNeal’s book Missional Renaissance for a great chapter on the church scorecard.)

Would love to know what you are discovering and how you are moving from an emphasis on mega-gatherings to many missional-connections. The multi-site movement is a big shift in this direction. But for sure there is a movement taking place—a shift from solitary, inflexible, hierarchical structures to clusters of missional groups, teams and gatherings that are bent on communal renovation. Churches where hundreds of leaders—not just a handful—use their gifts in the spirit of Colossians 3. Just maybe I will see this transformation across the North American church in my lifetime. And we will all be running in circles.

Butterflies

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Greg Bowman) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:28:00 -0600

Speaking in front of a large audience. Taking your driver’s test. Interviewing for a job. Traveling internationally for the first time. Waiting for your first date to arrive. Proposing to your future spouse. The night before prom. The night before your daughter's prom.

There are events in our lives that inevitably cause butterflies. You know what I mean. It’s the not-quite-sick but not-so-great feeling in your stomach as you anticipate what can go wonderfully right or horribly wrong. It’s the point where you start second guessing of all the choices you’ve made that got you to this day. And the second-guessing is just part of what helps get those butterflies whipped into the attack formation.

Less than 48 hours from Group Life Conference 2009, I’d be lying to say there are no butterflies in our team. We feel the weight of the potential. If even a portion of the 8,500 group leaders take the training to heart, lead differently and spiritual formation becomes a more intentional part of their group life…well we could take some serious ground for the kingdom!

So here’s a humble request. Or two.

Pray for the event, even if you cannot attend. Seriously. We’ve taken some hits as a team - the kind of odd, quirky stuff that makes you wonder if it’s coincidence or attack. So we could definitely use your prayers.

And will you join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube? There will be lots of interaction and even free content for everyone - whether you are able to be at the conference or not.

Will you join us in prayer and be part of the conversation? Hope to see you Saturday.

No Brag, Just Fact

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Greg Bowman) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:01:00 -0600

Jesus was pretty clear when he commanded us to “serve the least of these.” He taught about it, modeled it, pointed out when it was not happening, and tied it to our eternal destiny. It seems clear. And, according to Bono at the Summit, the Church has made huge strides in this area in the past few years. The church – collectively and individually – has made an impact on the poorest of the poor in our world.

But let’s be honest – it can be difficult at times to get small groups to serve outside their group on a regular, consistent basis. The exception seems to be if it was a cause or task that brought them together in the first place. Church leaders I interact with are still challenged to get more than 20% of the church involved in serving consistently.

In my time on staff at Willow Creek Church we had a committed core of people who served regularly with their small group at Circle Urban Ministries in Chicago. Groups grew closer to each other and closer to God as the challenges of living in and raising kids in the inner city took on names and faces.

I grew and was blessed. And I was changed. I now watch any news about this Chicago neighborhood differently – I care deeply. Those days are among my best memories of leading that group of people. Yet even with my best efforts, no more than 10% of the groups came together to serve. I know many were serving in other ways in the church. But this was a huge need and we were making a huge impact.

It just seems that when the serving involves coming face-to-face with people who are poor or suffering, two things are true. One, it’s harder to get groups to engage. And two, it’s life-changing for the groups that do.

So let’s talk. If you are having above 20% of your groups involved on a regular basis in serving the poor face to face, how are you doing it? What are you learning? And as they say in Texas, “No brag, just fact.”

And if you want to be part of a live conversation on this, Adam Phillips from ONE, Alvin Bibbs from the Willow Creek Association, Mike Seaton from the C2 Group will join Bill Donahue and me on a live webinar on October 1. Click here to check it out.

Digital Jet Lag

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Bill Donahue) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:46:00 -0600

"How many of our most joyfilled memories have been created in front of a screen?" asks John Freeman in the Wall Street Journal, Aug 21, 2009. Warning of the the dangers of breakneck communication and email addiction Freeman asserts, "The speed at which we do something changes our experience of it." Hmmm. Read this post verrry slowwwly.

"The faster we talk and chat and type over tools such as email and text messages, the more our communication will resemble travelling at great speed...we will live in a constant state of digital jet lag." Wow. I think this is what strikes a chord for me about "online community" and its various expressions. Trust me. I am for online connections. And friends have online groups. But time is the great enemy of community. The richness in the writings of a Henry Nouwen, Brennan Manning or Dietrich Bonhoeffer, communal giants we all love to read and quote, would never have emerged from a chat-room experience with a few college pals. Extended time together in the crucible of suffering and joy, and hours in silence before God evoke a spiritual passion that high-speed chat can never emulate.

And so we live in the new world of bio-textology, part human part robot, racing toward a culture increasingly occupied by technosapiens. We are indeed torn. We seek to leverage technology for enhancing connection, but time spent doing so detracts from the relational intimacy that comes from presence and touch, sound and smell. The senses crave embrace, and we offer them audio-visual stimulation--at faster and faster speeds.

"We need context in order to live, and if the environment of electronic communication has stopped providing it, we shouldn't search online for a solution but turn back to the real world and slow down," prods Freeman. "If we spend our evening online trading short messages over Facebook with friends thousands of miles away rather than going to our local pub or park with a friend, we are effectively withdrawing from the people we could turn to for solace, humor and friendship, not to mention the places we could go to do this. We trade the complicated reality of friendship for its vacuum-packed idea." Ouch. Not sure I am willing to make that trade. But it is so tempting.

In the meantime I will use Twitter, FB and email tools that can foster some communication. But I'll try to follow the advice on some medications: "Use sparingly." And I must never confuse frequent communication with community. I suggest you read the entire WSJ article--if you can spare the time. And yes, it is OK to read it online. And then talk about it with some friends over your favorite beverage. And withdrawal from digital jet lag. Hey, I can see a new recovery group forming now... :)

Bill

The Greatest Threat to the Church

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Bill Donahue) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:26:00 -0600

Been thinking a lot -- and talking -- about the core of the Church. Today's group was filled with comments about -ism's: Calvinism (it is the 500th anniversary of the Scholar-Lawyer's birth), Catholicism, Amish, Reformed, Evangelicalism, Baptist, Charismatic and other traditions/ism's. The remarkable thing was the Grace that was powerfully present at the core in each tradition. But what a mess it has all become. And the Church is under seige.

A CEO in the group described how his family taught and modeled Catholicism. After 2 minutes eveyone sat with jaws open. "I never heard it described that way! Love, intimacy with Christ, the gospel in word and deed, trust in a God who is at work in the world--WOW! Really? You're kidding! Mine was more about guilt and fear and rules and oughts!" Soon around the circle other traditions were described and similar comments made. Doctrine had trumped relationship; con-formation had strangled trans-formation.

Another brother steeped in Calvinist education recalled his upbringing, the pros and cons. And he lamented the drift of his denomination over the centuries into a scholastic, hyper-Reformed, predestination-obsessed faith, and why it seems they only talk about Genesis, Romans, and Galatians. And we all wondered, "Where is Jesus? Why must we keep institutionalizing the faith?" It is so ironic that so many churches and ministries with "Grace" in the name seem to have so little of it. And we remembered that WE are the church and must become a collective contrarian voice to combat the drift. One day, one life at a time. Starting with ours.

I find myself rebelling more and more against the heirarchy and the manipulation that is often disguised as leadership. I am finding a deeper longing for a more communal life and ministry, a Church that cares more about sinners at the margin than marginalizing sinners. A Church that restores the wayward -- members and leaders alike -- instead of throwing them on the streets because of "moral failure." Hey--we do not have moral failures. We ARE moral failures--all of us. Flawed is the new Perfect! (that's a title for one of the sessions at our October 24 GroupLife Event). And it is time for Grace to reign supreme. Which is all the more reason to remove the Church from the tyranny of hierarchy and return it to the level ground of community. A place where we can call one another to holiness and restore one another from the pit of despair, sin and darkness.

It is a beautiful thing to watch a community bring hope to those who long to repent and be renewed and restored. But too often they find little more than guilt and shame at the hands of people who view their own sins as lesser evils, and who create places for "those people" or "that leader" to go to for healing from their "addiction" or problem. Such zealots place the Church in grave danger--as they always have. They want a "pretty" Church not a pure Church. They are obsessed with promoting their "brand" instead of protecting the Bride. But the real Church -- the community characterized as glorious ruins-- is a work in progress, and her servant-leaders are humble failures pointing others to the same GRACE they themselves so desparately need. That is the community I long for; that is the Church we must all become. And each little flock, each little community has the privilege to be a place of restorative Grace to that end.

Law always kills. And the greatest threat to the Church of the 21st Century is not the Gay agenda, or the Republicrats, or the breakdown of the family, or whether we drink wine or how we baptize, or the immigration issue, or Obamacare. The greatest threat is Legalism. It is alive and all too well in every "brand" of the faith. And it is time to put it to death--together. To rise as a community and shout, "ENOUGH!" In the name and power of the One whose Grace has changerd us forever.

Do Your Leaders Have Motion Sickness?

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Bill Donahue) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:43:00 -0600

The closest I ever got to a POW camp experience was three-a-day practices in 95-degree heat and 90% humidity at a New Jersey football camp in 1974. After filing complaints about the dining hall at the camp, the Board of Health arrived and promptly condemned it. Unfortunately we still had several days before returning home. Sleepless nights in mosquito-infested, humidity-drenched cabins, rancid food and scorching days on the field made us desperate for relief. We needed to cancel practice and get the coaches’ attention. But how?

Motion sickness—the perfect illness. Jack was the first to “get it.” It spread faster than the black plague and players were dropping from the practice field like paratroopers on D-Day. Short of an all-out mutiny it was a last ditch effort to prove that we were not just complaining—we were coming apart at the seams. The combined effect of bad food, record heat and sleep deprivation were taking a heavy physical and psychological toll.

It worked. The rapid spread of motion sickness brought everything to a standstill. Someone was sent to buy real food, practices were shortened and we started doing to two-a-days. We made it through, but it took weeks to return to full strength. (The average weight loss was 11 pounds and upon retuning home scores of guys needed treatment maladies involving the digestive system.)

Sometimes I wonder if teams, small groups, and church members suffer from a kind of motion sickness. And I wonder if it is contagious. Whatever the cause, it strikes quickly and soon reaches epidemic proportions. Willing servants—sometimes overworked and undervalued—start heading to the ministry sidelines in droves. Too much change; too much action; too much motion.

They say they are dropping out, sitting down or stepping back because of work commitments, family obligations or personal needs. Perhaps. But maybe it’s a strain of motion sickness. There’s just too much activity; too many events; too many requests. And not much soul care. When this happens momentum is lost, souls shrivel and ministries falter. Scary stuff.

These days I am looking ahead and trying to avoid the overload—for me and the faithful leaders at Willow. Don’t want to see another epidemic of motion sickness. One where everyone just stops and says, “Enough!” One where all the ministry movement comes to a halt. And people start checking out. And soon everyone has it—Motion Sickness.

How are you building rest and space into the coming ministry season—for you and your leaders? Got any plans? I’d love to hear them. I bet your leaders would, too.

Sermon-Based Small Groups

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Greg Bowman) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:37:00 -0600

I still remember the day I realized for the first time what it felt like to be a member – not staff – in a church. I was in my twenties, in my first ministry, and was preparing a message for the weekend. In a moment mixed with clarity, surrender and frustration, I realized the futility of saying anything at all that Sunday. I could have given the message of a lifetime and it would have made no difference.Why?

Because for the average person in my church, my message would be followed that week by a Sunday School class, a Sunday night sermon, a Wednesday night Bible study, and a Small group meeting. We were bombarding our people with at least 5 distinct messages a week and expecting them to make real, lasting life-change on every one of them. And I realized that day that we were asking the impossible and my message was pointless.

That’s why I have always liked North Coast Church’s approach to small groups. It’s outlined in Sticky Church, Larry Osborne’s latest book. The idea that there’s one and only one message communicated to people each week is beautiful in its simplicity. People only need to focus on one message, one life-change this week. And all their church experiences – the sermon and the small group – support that one message.

The sermon-based groups strategy has all the hot buzz-words. It’s organic - no big assimilation strategy or campaign involved. It’s incarnational and attractional – if we will be the kind of people God called us to be and that will open doors to invite people to investigate this life for themselves.But the strategy is deeper than the buzz.

North Coast has been executing this strategy well for a long time. So long that it’s clear and simple to them. While this book doesn’t offer the simple solutions for all your group life problems, you’ll be tempted to believe it DOES as you read. Larry presents some ideas in a fashion that appears overly-simplified. Like in Chapter 9 where he makes it sound as though this sermon-based groups strategy will make recruiting group leaders really easy. It’s not. It seldom is. But it seems simple to Larry because they have been at it so long. And writing the curriculum takes discipline from the pastor to prepare far enough in advance to give the Groups staff time to write the group guides. No part of that is simple. Nor is it simple to change to this strategy overnight – it will mean killing more than a few sacred cows.

What this sermon-based groups strategy will do is give people in your church a real chance to focus their efforts on one next step of growth at a time. And that’s good enough – and simple enough - for me to give it a shot.So these days I am trying to keep it simple. I would love to get as simple as North Coast – but our church is not there yet. How about you? Taking steps in that direction?

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Read more entries in the Sticky Church Blog Tour

Real Transformation for Real People

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Greg Bowman) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:01:00 -0600

When Mindy Caliguire first suggested him as a speaker, my immediate response was, “Who is David Johnson?” Seriously. I had never heard of him.

Part of that is my fault for not walking in some circles I should have been. But another reason I have not heard of him is that unlike many churches of their size, Church of the Open Door has not screamed from the pinnacle of their steeple their strategies, successes, or their story.

So I dug into David’s story. He is the senior pastor at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The church has grown from 150 people in 1980 to a mega church. But that really has not been the goal nor is it the point of David’s ministry and the church’s strategies.

Dig into their story for yourself and you will see – the church is all about helping people grow in Christ. For the past fifteen years spiritual formation has been explicitly in the crosshairs for them - as a staff, as a church body, and as individuals. Not that they have done it perfectly, but they have done it with great intentionality.

Look at their web site. What are their core values? The first value listed is this: We are a church community that seeks to know and love God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–and respond obediently to His leading in healing, serving and growing together in Christ’s love until Christ is formed in us individually and corporately.

Want to get connected? Here’s their philosophy: God has a place for all of us as members of a community. He wants us to belong to a community where we can know, accept and challenge each other to grow.

Looking for a small group? Here’s their vision: Groups offer a way to participate in a relational community of faith to mature and grow as a disciple of Christ.

It has not always been this way at Church of the Open Door. In the early 90’s they realized people were coming in, finding grace, but not really growing. They were not always moving toward maturity. And so they made a radical shift in their focus – at took some huge hits in the process – to become the church they are today.

My eyes are opened to why David should address the topic “Real Transformation for Real People.” I understand now why David and his church have been quietly contributing to national spiritual formation events for the better part of this decade. And I cannot wait to hear him speak at the conference this fall.

And I am thrilled that David will help group leaders with important questions. Is real growth possible? Can we be and live like Jesus in the 21^st century? More importantly, can the people in my small group really grow and change? This session will help us rethink spiritual formation – what it is and what it is not – and show us why this growth is not only possible, it’s necessary.

Everything you always wanted to know about spiritual formation, but were afraid to ask

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Greg Bowman) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:13:00 -0600

Bill Donahue, Mindy Caliguire and I are sitting in Puzzle Dust Cafe, drinking coffee, and answering dozens of questions you asked on the conference call last week! Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/grouplife !!!

Life to Life Resuscitation

gbowman@willowcreek.org (Bill Donahue) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:56:00 -0600

The gospel is on life support, struggling to recover from the self-inflicted wounds of individualism, reductionism and legalism. We have a warped view of self, a narrow view of sin, and a deficient view of grace. The result is a culture of Christians who believe God exists to serve them, Jesus died to fix them, and the Church was created to protect them.

The communal nature of the gospel (I came that they – my sheep – might have life) has been rejected for a more nominal, individual expression of its power. The gospel of “me” is now the filter through which I make decisions, declare commitments and determine participation in the life of the body. We need to get out the paddles and shock the patient back to life. I have great hope that can and is happening, as evidenced by the movements we have seen the last 10 years or so.

Todd Hunter, in his latest book Christianity Beyond Belief, is helping my group reframe the gospel by redefining salvation and discipleship. “We are cooperative friends of Jesus, living in creative goodness, for the sake of others, through the power of the Holy Spirit.” I love that. Hunter calls us to align our story with God’s story, and to do this in community. “Churches don’t need newer or larger buildings…Nor do they need more staff, parking or nursery space. What they need is a clear vision to be the sent people of God.”

We have lost the life-on-life power of the gospel, shielding ourselves behind our Bibles, programs, activities and events from the pain and promise of authentic community with God, His Church and the world. I am hope-filled that as we gather in little communities we can declare a new reality, one that breathes life back into our “presentation” of the gospel. Our groups can become “outposts” for the Kingdom, where people find community, compassion and hope. And then maybe the gospel will begin to have its full impact, and we can take it off life support.