"There once was created a church with two wings. One wing was for large group celebration and the other wing was for small group community. Using both wings the church was able to fly high and nigh into the presence of God and to soar gracefully all over the earth fulfilling the purpose of the Creator One day the jealous wicked serpent, who had no wings, challenged the church to fly with only its large-group-wing. The serpent applauded loudly when the church became airborne (though it was a clumsy effort) and convinced the church that with practice it could fly just as well using only that one wing. Deceived from that day, the two-winged-church began to see itself as having only one wing. (This happened during the earthly reign of Constantine, which was only three hundred years after the Creator had used the two-winged-church to thwart the plans of the wicked serpent who had no wings.) The small-group-wing became weaker and weaker from lack of exercise until it atrophied into a lifeless and useless appendage beside the oversized large-group-wing. The two-winged-church that had glided high in the heavens was now one-winged, little better than the wicked serpent who had no wings. The Creator of the church was very sad. He knew that the two-winged design had allowed the church to soar in the heavens into His presence and do his bidding on earth. With only one wing the church was forced to try even harder to just lift off of the ground. Even if it managed to become airborne it was prone to fly aimlessly in circles, unable to travel any distance from its original point of departure. Spending more and more time in the safety and comfort of its bird house, it grew fat, lazy and contented with an earth bound existence. From time to time the church remembered that it had once flown with two wings and dreamed that it could do so again. But now the strong large-group-wing was so dominate that it would not accept help from the weaker side. It was too late The Creator finally created a new two-winged-church. Once again the Creator had a church that could fly into His presence and soar high over all the earth fulfilling his purposes." Bill Beckham
WHY SHOULD WE HAVE LIFE groups?
A. Historical Reasons for LIFEgroups
1. First 300 Years of the Church
The New Testament Church functioned as the church in the 1st century within a dual context:
- The "Gathered Church" Context
- Met as the "whole church"
- Assembled as the congregation went "to the temple"
- The "Scattered Church" Context
- Met as "home churches"
- Joined together as a cell
- Went "house to house"
2. Last 1700 Years
In 312 A.D. Constantine, the first "Christian" emperor, imposed an institutional CATHEDRAL form upon the church. Since that time theology has changed from church to church, the type of worship has been different, approaches to leadership may have varied, but a constant in church history over the past seventeen centuries has been the cathedral structure.
3. Characteristics of Cathedral Style Church
- "People go to a building (cathedral)
- on a special day of the week (Sunday)
- and someone (a priest or minister)
- does something to them (absolution or healing)
- or for them (a ritual or entertainment)
- for a price (offerings)."
This cathedral way of being the church has dominated Christianity for the past 1700 years.
4. Results of the One-Wing Approach
a. "What changed about the church when it moved from small group to large?"
- Administration Changed: from integrated to compartmental
- The Lord's Supper Changed: from symbolic meal to ritual
- Leadership Style Changed: from gifted to professional
- Discipleship Changed: from apprenticeship to training
- Worship Changed: from participation to observation
- Stewardship Changed: from gift of the heart to dues
- Power Changed: from God's power to man's ability
- Witness Changed: from relationship to salesmanship
- Body Life Changed: from life style to membership
- Use of Gifts Changed: from edifying to impressing
- Membership Changed: from producer to consumer
- Growth Changed: from multiplication to addition
- Fellowship Changed: from in-depth to surface
- Buildings Changed: from functional to sacred
- Confession Changed: from public to private
- Ministry Changed: from personal to social
- Missions Changed: from being to sending
b. Eddie didn't leave no vacancy!"
"Henry G. Bosch tells the interesting story of what happened when customer in a small store discovered that the slow-moving clerk was not around one morning:
"Where's Eddie? Is he sick?"
"Nope," came the reply. "He ain't workin' here no more."
"Do you have anyone in mind for the vacancy?" inquired the customer.
"Nope! Eddied didn't leave no vacancy!"
There are quite a few "Eddies" in most churches today. They leave, no one even notices. Why? First, because there is no real sense of the Body of Christ in which members are involved in a functioning manner. Second, many, by their own decision, have chosen to sit on the church bench on the sidelines of the action.
"Eddies" are not effectively involved in what it means to be the Body of Christ. They don't leave any vacancy because they are not doing anything to effectively add to the life and ministry of the church.
They are parasites rather than producers.
Their contract with the church is to be pampered, ministered to and entertained for the exchange of which they will be counted in the numbers and will give from time to time to support the system.
The "Eddies" of the church are part of the 85% of the members who are supported by and ministered to by the other 15%.
The "Eddies" of the church must be cared for by the committed Christians around them. If you listen carefully when "Eddie" sits down in a pew on Sunday morning, you can hear a sucking sound as he absorbs all of the ministry that sincere church leaders can give.
If they leave, they leave "no vacancy" in the ministry or work of the church. They just leave an empty pew on Sunday morning and a little less change in the offering plate.
Who is at fault? Not Eddie! He is the victim of a system that forces him to be a consumer rather than a producer. There is no context in the traditional church through which Eddie can be effectively trained to produce instead of to consume. The small group context was designed by Christ to train Eddie to be productive. That context no longer exists in most churches. Ordinary Christians find little productive activity that they can do on a Sunday in the large group setting. Therefore, Eddie becomes what the church system says he should be: a statistic, a member of the audience, a pew packer, a contributor to a system, a minor spectator in a game played by the professionals.
We see few Eddies in the New Testament. Jesus' system was designed to turn out producers and not consumers or parasites. In the New Testament small groups, Eddie couldn't hide. The group might be meeting in his home. He had to contribute and be productive. It is the absence of a small group setting that has made the Eddies who fill our church pews. And it is church leaders who are comfortable with that system that dooms Eddie to a non productive and parasitic spiritual existence."
We cannot produce New Testament fruit unless we have a New Testament structure. The large group structure by itself produces consumers. That is why in most churches 80% of the people are consumers, while the other 20% are the producers. The problem is the large group system - it is an information system. And transformation is difficult in a large group system. Small groups, however, offer a transformation system. In small groups people can become contributors, and not just consumers.
Someone has said that, "Every problem in the church can be traced to the 4th century when the church became audience."
©The LIFEhouse Church, 4800 Sierra College Blvd, Rocklin, CA 95677, Phone 916.652.7216 Email
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