This year Vineyard Columbus is engaged in an all-church campaign called The Good Life during the season of Lent. Our goal was to double the number of small groups here at Vineyard Columbus. By God’s grace, we were able to do that! Over 400 people signed up to host new groups designed for those who are in our church, but not presently attending a small group, and those who are outside our church, whether they are Christian or non-Christian.
Why did we want to so radically increase the number of small groups at Vineyard Columbus? It cannot be said too often in individualistic America that we Christians need each other! Our community together is not a nice option like leather seats or a moon roof. Deep fellowship with other Christians is like the blood that flows through our veins. It carries to us the very life of Jesus Christ.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the dear German pastor who was murdered by the direct order of Heinrich Himmler in the closing days of WWII, said this in his marvelous book, “Life Together”:
It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end, all of his disciples deserted him. On the cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. Between the death of Christ and the last day, it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians. It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world. Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the proclaimers of the gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing.
I attended my first small group meeting several days after I came to Christ more than 40 years ago. Marlene and I have almost always been part of a small group ever since. I know as a result of personal experience that Christianity is not a solo performance. I need fellowship to fully experience Christ.
Why small groups? In giving us his Son, Jesus Christ, who reconciled us to God and to each other, God created a new family of love. Part of what it means to be the people of God is that we experience life together as a family. Church is not meant to be a meeting of colleagues or merely fellow worshipers. We are a family. We may all have different earthly fathers, but we all have the same heavenly Father. We are not a perfect family by any means, but then again, what family is? We are a beautiful and wonderful family made up of sinners, each one of us a work in progress.
But experiencing life together as a family cannot happen at a huge gathering like our weekend services. We experience family in small, intimate settings where you know everyone and everyone knows you. That’s why we believe that being a part of a small group is absolutely vital. As Andy Stanley, a nationally known pastor, has put it, true community happens when we move from sitting in rows to sitting in a circle. That is what our small groups offer. It is in the context of an intimate community of six to 12 people that we pray for one another, encourage one another, support one another and speak into one another’s lives. There is no such thing as a Christian without a church family.
If you are part of one of our HOST groups, continue on! Allow the group to develop into a spiritual family! It takes time to build family, so please don’t quit after six weeks! Allow the group to become the kind of supportive community that we all need.
If you don’t have a spiritual family yet, please join a small group. Find your circle. We are all super-busy. We all have lots of excuses for not being a part of a small group, but your need for a family is infinitely greater than any excuse that you can come up with. You can find a small group by emailing smallgroups@vineyardcolumbus.org or visiting us at the Small Groups area in the lobby at any of our campuses.
There are few things that we need more than fellowship. We can always record our favorite TV show. Netflix will always be on TV the next day (but I bet Netflix won’t help you if you’re in the hospital, comfort you when you lose a loved one or pray for you when you have a need).
Christian community is the vehicle that Jesus uses to offer us The Good Life that he came to bring. Get into a small group community! Stay in a small group community!