I hope you are beginning to see the contrasts in these three recent small group models:
• Castellanos’ G12 model rejected geographically based small groups for homogenous based groups—businessmen, women, youth, couples, etc.
• Haggard’s Free Market model rejected geographically based groups for affinity groups gathered around common interests.
• Frazee rejected groups based on affinity or homogeneity for geographically based groups experiencing deeper community.
The contrast between Haggard’s model and philosophy and those of Frazee are particularly intriguing. Haggard contends that geographically based groups do not work well in North America because relationship is formed best around common interests. In his book, he goes into extensive philosophical discussion of this. Basically, Haggard is arguing that we need a model that fits 21st century North American culture. He reads and speaks as if he is doing a master’s thesis on this.
Frazee, on the other hand, contends that the problem with our groups is that they are a reflection of our culture, and what people need to experience is Biblical community—something that will stand in contrast to our culture and meet the deep needs of people to experience genuine relationships. Like Haggard, Frazee goes into philosophy and theology and gives you the impression that he might be working on a doctoral degree on community.
I am oversimplifying their perspectives somewhat, but I think I essentially understand them. Here is Jim Egli’s totally biased opinion on all of this: I tend to side more with Frazee, but he does overstate the importance of geography. For example, a couple years ago I interacted extensively with a church that had been thoroughly influenced by Randy Frazee. At one point, a couple of the small group pastors of this church visited our church to see how we do certain aspects of our small group support ministry. We tend to emphasize relationship more than affinity or geography, and as a result we have a lot of geographically based groups as well as a lot of young adult groups and a few women’s and men’s groups. These pastors were struck by how vibrant our young adult groups are. They told me that they had mistakenly disbanded their own young adult groups because they did not fit the geographic model that they had wholeheartedly embraced. Looking back, they concluded that they made a significant mistake and have now shifted to a more blended model.
We need to listen to what Frazee says about how geography impacts small groups, but he overemphasizes it. I myself like geographic groups—I rode my bike three blocks to go to small group last night! Interestingly the last small group I led, however, began as a neighborhood small group but, much to my surprise, it morphed into a group made up largely of international students and scholars—mostly Chinese. We need to stay flexible.
Frazee’s most helpful insights, I believe, relate to his emphasis on teaching people to slow down. His more recent book is appropriately titled, Making Room for Life: Turning Chaotic Lifestyles into Connected Relationships. Frazee declares something that a lot of secular researchers are also now stating: American lives are so busy that they are out of control! Basically, he is saying that Christians today won’t experience real relationship with God or others if they don’t learn how to balance their lives and create space for genuine community. In his book, he offers some profound insights and practical suggestions.
In past centuries, it is interesting to see how when people came to Christ, they often needed very elemental instruction on life issues. In the first century Paul told thieves to quit stealing. In the 18th century, John Wesley encouraged employees to show up to work every day. Today, Christians need basic teaching on how to make time for family, God and friendship.
The North Point Model
One of most recent voices to champion small groups is Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Like Haggard and Frazee, his model was born out of frustration. In 1993, he was the youth pastor at his father’s—Charles Stanley’s—large Baptist church, a church with no small group ministry. Even though Andy was in ministry, had good friends and was surrounded by Christians, he and his wife Sandra felt disconnected and wanted meaningful relationships. Together with four other couples, they formed a small group to share life together. Their experience was so rich and meaningful that he made small groups the foundation of North Point, the church he launched in November 1995.
His strategy is helpfully outlined in the book he co-authored with Bill Willits, Creating Community: 5 Keys to Building a Small Group Culture. North Point has a clear strategy for guiding visitors who come to their worship services into belonging in their small groups. They liken it to moving a guest from the foyer to the living room to the kitchen table.
In the foyer—their worship services—their goal is to change peoples’ minds about church. In the living room—affinity groups for marrieds and for singles—they aim to change peoples’ minds about community. And at the kitchen table—their small groups—they aim to change people’s minds about priorities.
One unique aspect of North Point’s strategy is how they methodicaly guide people into groups. Four times a year, the church hosts “GroupLink” meetings, where people are invited to meet with other people in their geographic area who are also in the same phase of life. The 2-hour meet is carefully orchestrated to introduce people to the church’s small group ministry and what it offers them, then people are introduced to people who are launching new small groups near them. Two weeks later, “Starter Groups” are launched which last eight weeks and allow people to try out group life. If these groups go well, they are continued and people are invited to join them by signing a group covenant.
The church uses a strategy that has “closed groups that multiply.” When people join a group, they are committing to be together for one and a half to two years. People can’t invite their friends to their small group, but they are encouraged to invite their friends to the worship services of the church. The groups are expected to multiply into several groups at the end of their life cycle.
