functional isolation

For a couple of weeks now I've been making a big deal about launching Growth Groups in college ministry this Fall. I know some of you are thinking through how this will fit into your already busy schedule and the various activities you're involved in. With a full schedule of classes, involvement in academic and on-campus clubs, a job to pay for school and some attempt at "having a life" besides, where on earth do Growth Groups fit in?

First of all we have to reckon with the Starbuck's Factor. We don’t want Grace College ministry to feel more like a crowd than a community. It’s too easy to come together on Sundays and then head off our separate ways. We need to connect with each other. We need a context where we can build friendships that are authentic and genuine. Even Starbucks, as they recruit employees advocate, "Create Community. Make a difference in someone’s day." Their employment opportunity cards proclaim, "When you work at Starbucks, you can make a difference in someone’s day by creating an environment where neighbors and friends can get together and reconnect while enjoying a great coffee experience." As we reach out to the college-age community here on the Central Coast, shouldn't we make a difference in people's weeks and days by creating environments where classmates and friends can get together and reconnect while enjoying an experience of the Living God through His living and active Word?

We also have to consider the iPod Factor. For Father's day last year I got a new 20-gig iPod. I love it! I listen to my favorite music. I listen to my favorite preachers and sermons. I listen to my favorite podcasts and interviews. You might even find me donning those characteristic white earphones while Matthias watches his favorite Veggies Tales (again!). Here's the thing. Lisa has teased me that she didn't realize my Father's Day gift was going to cut me off from her and those I father. Technology is great and opens up all kinds of doors for us. But it also isolates us from real human contact. For those in our college-age community, who spend hours text-messaging, writing papers on computers, surfing the net, listening to your iPods, instant messaging and the rest, it's essential that you prioritize and fight for time to get real with real people. The point is that our culture's priorities pull us apart from each other, but to live as God has created us ("Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone..." Gen. 2:18) we must pull ourselves together. It’s not a time issue; it's a priority issue.

Finally we have to factor in Borders and the Bible. (Sorry, that's the best I could come up with!) We all look for books about how we should do things. Phillip will be reading lots of home improvement books now that he and Jacquelyn have purchased their first house (Congrats!). I need a book on how to kill the gopher that's attacking my lawn (why do I keep picturing Bill Murray running around my front yard?). If we're going to know the best way to connect and to be a church, we have to look at the Bible. Check this out--did you know that God Himself exists in an eternal, life-giving, self-sufficient small group with Himself? It consists of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (John 17). God built the nation of Israel around a system of small groups (nation, tribe, clan, family, household). Jesus designed His ministry around small groups. He provided safe settings to discuss tough issues (Matt 9:10), he modeled truth to his disciples and they discussed what they saw him do and heard him teach (John 13:12) and He invited questions to explore issues (Matt 17:19). We also see the early church built on a foundation of large and small group settings (e.g., Acts 2:42-47, 5:42). Often, we see the large group and small group settings working in a complementary way in Scripture. That’s why we base our small groups on the sermon of the large group. We all hear the same thing, study the same thing and discuss the same thing.

As Donald Trump says, "that's the real deal." Too many of us, despite living around so many people, live our lives in functional isolation. If we are going to be a healthy community that effectively reaches the college-age community here on the Central Coast, we must have a context to build friendships that connect us like we see in Scripture. That's the goal of Growth Groups. That's the rationale of Growth Groups. Sign-ups begin next Sunday in the courtyard. Take the risk. Carve out the time. Jump in and connect through Growth Groups this Fall!