Our churches need to focus on developing solid lessons for trained teachers to facilitate in small groups, but we need something more. We need people to walk alongside us to apply biblical truths in our lives.
I will never forget the night that a stranger interrupted our small group. My guys gathered weekly in the church lobby in front of a window, and he decided to turn around when he saw us seated there.
In a moment of desperation, this non-religious guy had just offered a prayer to an unfamiliar God. His simple request? “God, I need somebody to help me!”
As he immediately spotted us, he u-turned, screeched into the parking lot, approached our circle, and asked for our help. I didn’t finish my prepared lesson that night, but we covered a lot regardless.
His life was falling apart, and he desperately needed God and some godly people. From that night forward, we saw him respond to the gospel, reconcile with his family, and walk with new habits.
No matter how good of counsel we could have provided that Sunday night, he needed friends to check on him Monday morning. No matter our current situations, we need more than solid biblical instruction; we need reliable godly companions.
Please keep working on making sure your lessons are biblical and understandable. But if your time together is only an impressive lecture time, you are missing something. Make sure that your group gatherings are catalysts for discipleship relationships for the other 167 hours during your week.
People need a lesson, but they need people to help them keep that lesson all week long.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
