I awoke this morning to a light RSS reading list in my GooReader.
A few tidbits of worthless information accented by the return of one of the greats, and then this: An argument by Craig Groeschel on the value of Small Groups.
A most excellent read.
But here’s the thing: As you read over his listing of why he still believes small groups are valuable and effective, look at it through the lens of online. I think you’ll come to some interesting conclusions.
For starters, I think that most if not all of his points have validity in the online segment. It’s not a question of “why” but “how” and “what” now. How are we going to do Small Groups “online?” What will be the tools to help facilitate this model?
2009 is going to be a very interesting year.
ChrisW (Churchpunk) says
I often think about how online small groups could work and have seen some people have success in that arena. I think that one of the most important factors that will make an online small group successful is the people participating need to be dedicated to making the online community work. They need to agree to make an effort to participate and contribute. I have tried to introduce online community to my already existing church small group and I have had little success because many members are unable to make the time to really engage the online community. It was more about the culture of the group being a little older and less inclined to try new technology. They think that it makes their lives more complicated and would rather not make changes to the current established group.
But I think that starting a group with people who are willing to really embrace the opportunity of an online community can be successful. There is still something missing without the physical interaction because there will be missed or hidden communication. But with the progression of video conferencing, the communication is improving all of the time.
Phillip Gibb says
I believe that you cannot get past connecting with people in the real world – physically as apposed to online. There is just something more tangible about it, something more real – you cannot help but be authentic in a small group.
However there are so many benefits to an online small group,
The physical restraints of the meeting place are rendered restraintless.
You can connect and engage with your small group at any time.
Some people will just express themselves so much better in the online forum.
But I still think that the online small group would have to be a closed group that serves a purpose for a defined and agreed to time.
Hey, can a buzzable group be by invite only?
Adam_S says
I think that there are benefits to both real life and online groups. A benefit to online groups is that with twitter, email, facebook, etc. a person can participate in the life of a person while online throughout the day and week in a way that just can’t be done in an Real Life only group.
A benefit of a real life group is the ability to look someone in the eye and feel their touch. Now if an online group also includes regular video meeting, then some of that difference is lessened.
I think what is required for an online group to work is an agreement of what you want out of it, what you want to put into it and how you are going to do it. If the group is made up of people that are online oriented and they all agree to the purpose and methods I think it could work well.
Nathan Phelps says
I have always found small groups to be the core of any church. That is where existing social networking tools, I think, fall short. They always seemed focused on individual relationships instead of corporate relationships which exist in small groups. That is why I’m excited to see church-specific tools like OneBody, The City, and MemberHub being made available to church communities in a SaaS model. Unlike Facebook, or Twitter, they’re specifically focused on the church network and the corporate group relationships which exists within.
Aaron says
It all depends on the people.
Take both my small groups, for instance. We're great at communicating with each other in person (or over the phone) and staying involved in each others lives accordingly. Online, not so much. So first-and-foremost, the people have to embrace whatever technology you're going to use to connect people. Without that, you're spinning your wheels.
Amanda_Sims says
I am part of two online small groups. Both use mogulus tools, but I have also seen TokBox used, or even Google Chat. My husband and I enjoy online small groups because we don't have to worry about child care or leaving the house or whatever. Regardless of what folks say about it not being "real", we have found authentic community in these bodies of believers.
Phillip Gibb says
Nice. Mogulus – interesting.
Phillip Gibb says
Small groups is definitely the core. Authentic Community (sorry for the buzzword) is not something that can be effective in a church of 5000, 20000 or even 500. But about a dozen people looking out for each other and growing together can really authentic. And more importantly grow in their relationship with Christ. Online tools used in isolation will probably fall short but I think that they can be used in conjunction with the typical small group to provide a perfect means to keep people accountable during the week.
Sunday Church warriors, even those that meet during the week can find themselves forgetting God and the message they are supposed to be applying – yet online social networking tool can be leveraged to facilitate a re-inforcement of that on a daily basis.
ChrisW (Churchpunk) says
I get excited about online small groups because it is an opportunity to connect with people I wouldn't otherwise run into at my church. This also brings an outside perspective to my church and ministry. Having the ability to talk to people from other churches, cultures, and experiences is the greatest benefit to online communities. And the flexibility rocks!!!
Phillip Gibb says
Yip – that's a big one. I meet all sorts of strange people on Twitter, he he he.
Here's a shout out from South Africa Cape Town at 10pm, to the informal ChurchCrunch Community Group – stay close to Christ. Night
Matt Harrell says
The need for online small groups is completely independent on each group and church. Bottom line is that some groups need 'em, others don't. However, I do think that an online group can help enhance the experience. For example if I need to easily reach my group but don't have everyone's email handy I can use tools to make sure that I can easily connect with those folks via a mailing list. Online tools can help facilitate the logistics of a group like planning and communicating and sharing resources…privately. Of course some folks are trying to use tools to *create* community. That's cool too, but that's a whole 'nother challenge.
Matt Harrell says
Thanks for that Nathan. I think your point echos my comments below that online tools can be used to enhance the members of a small group. Small groups are already together…they don't need social networking, they need a tool that can just connect the existing groups in a way that facilitates increased communication in a private environment. Thanks.
Jim says
How about an online car wash? Everyone just settle down…
Nathan Ketsdever says
I think Craig left of authenticity (or at least increased transparency), relationships, and fellowship. I think all three are critical reasons which aren't to be overlooked. (along with Craig's first reason: it fits the Biblical model)
I think the online small groups works best for folks interested in the same issue (ie reading the same book, reading a similar circle of blogs).
I think the face-to-face is ideal, although video can help create that a bit. I have to say that the person to person aspect of small groups in "meet space" is just amazing. I just did my second Podcamp Nashville and the experience of seeing someone eyeball to eyeball is something that tech can re-create.
I should note, however, that I have attended a digital small group, but not in the way you might think. Journey Ecclessia in nearby Franklin, TN has a weekly monday podcast thats quite good and I've attended the live taping a couple times. They run it on this platform: http://www.mogulus.com/conduit