The sixth characteristic of a healthy church: HOLISTIC SMALL GROUPS. I was consulting with a church one time that told me they didn’t have small groups. Almost every church has some type of small group, sunday school, small groups in homes, ladies bible studies, men’s groups, youth groups, children’s groups, etc, etc.

Holistic Small Groups are structured for: worship, service, care, spiritual growth, releasing of gifts, raising up new leaders, application of spiritual truth, and to accomplish assigned tasks. Small groups can come in many forms but need to be tied to your core values. Don’t waste your time developing and maintaining groups that aren’t meeting the mission and vision that God has given you.

I think that small groups are a great proving grounds for future leaders. Small group leaders need to be in agreement with your vision and mission, agree with the philosophy and theology of the church, and a positive influence over others. Train leaders to handle difficult people, group dynamics, how to reach out to others, and basic teaching technics. Constantly encourage and exhort them. People in small groups will stick around and help build a church. Engage people!

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