Imagine that your car is at a dead stop and somebody places a 4 inch stone in front of one of the wheels then asks you to push your car over that stone. It is very unlikely to happen. Now imagine that your car is rolling down a hill and there is a 4" stone in the middle of the path. You may feel a bump, but your car is most likely going to roll right over that stone without loosing an ounce of energy.A similar thing happens in your small group or class. If your group is just starting and you encounter an obstacle (a key participant is sick, somebody has issues and tries to dominate the group, somebody forgets to bring the snack, etc.) then that obstacle becomes a Greater Threat to where God wants your group/class to be going. However, if you have already established an expectation of what a healthy group is (good servant/leadership, respectful cooperation from all participants, shared vision and purpose, etc.) then if one of those same obstacles happen during a particular meeting; everyone can acknowledge the situation, deal with it and get on with what God has called your group to be and do.
Some businesses have been totally derailed by the current economy because they had not accumulated reserves. Other stronger businesses have had to make adjustments, but will survive the season and come out fine.
My experience has been that many teachers/small group leaders encounter obstacles early in the life of their group and get discouraged and quit. My encouragement is to keep going in the direction God has called you (you may have to ask others to help you 'get the car rolling') and as your group becomes healthier/experiences success/gains momentum. You will find that the obstacles that once threatened to totally halt momentum, will become pathway 'bumps in the road' that will be more easily overcome.
......and all that good stuff being said, it just goes to show how important it is to help those in our group understand the purpose for which we are meeting
ReplyDeleteto connect people to God
to connect people to each other and
to connect people to the community we find ourselves in :0)
If our group members are not all on the same page with us in this vision - we may have all the momentum in the world but it will be dissipated in a hundred or more directions.
The definition of momentum is "force or speed of movement" (dictionary.com) momentum does not exist if it is dissipated in various directions. Whatever direction and speed your group is going defines its momentum. If INDIVIDUALS are going in various directions, the GROUP has not developed momentum. Often the group develops momentum in one direction, while the leader would like it to go another (just ask any substitute teacher in public schools).
ReplyDeleteto "anonymous" - this blog is directed at ALL those who are leading others toward Christ-likeness. Some other classes or groups may not share the same vision and purpose for which your group meets. As an open forum, some readers are from other communities and other countries and their purpose for meeting may be broader or narrower than the 3 connections you list.