4 Lines That Shape My Convictions about the Future of Small Group Ministry
My thinking about small group ministry has always been influenced by the thinking of people a lot smarter than me. While there are definitely other quotes from really smart people that have helped shape my philosophy of ministry, there are four thoughts are forever nearby.
My suggestion? These four lines are worth reflecting on. They are worth reading thoughtfully, asking the question of each, “What do I need to hear in this?”
All four of these lines also beg the question, “How might our small group ministry need to change in light of this?”
Here are the 4 lines that shape my convictions about the future of small group ministry:
"The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them." Albert Einstein
I take this line by Albert Einstein to indicate that the solutions (systems, models and strategies) that worked in the past will almost certainly not be the solutions that propel us into the next era.
"Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing." Andy Stanley
I hope to always be quick to recognize that the results I am currently experiencing are directly connected to the design we are using. There are no flukes. If we want a different results we must change the design.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Albert Einstein
I have learned it is easy to point to others doing the same thing and expecting different results and difficult to see this in myself. This truth must be recognized at the planning stage. We must ask, "Are we expecting different results while using the same plan?"
"To reach people no one else is reaching, you've got to do things no one else is doing." Craig Groeschel
Connecting the unconnected people in the crowd (and even the community), will not happen if we keep using yesterday's playbook. To connect people no one else is connecting, we must try things no one else is trying.
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Image by Ben Rea
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