Are you in a Small Group? What are the advantages and disadvantages? 547-1-03-2.

I much prefer being in a small group to attending church:
· Members of a small group seems to me to bond with each other
· The group can get into a very in depth Bible study
· Members of small groups can be very supportive of each other
· There doesn't seem to be the clicks in a small group that I too often find in church
· No church politics
· Everyone is involved in the discussion unlike in a church setting
I’m not currently in a small group as I moved in with my mother the first of the year to help care for her. Living in Southern California is a radical change from my winner church family in Arizona and my summer church family in Michigan so KI is helping to fill this void in my life.

To me characteristics of a successful Bible study include:

· Staying small or splitting into more than one group

· An informal setting

· Staying on topic

· Leaders who are well prepared and gently controls the flow of the meeting

The disadvantages of a small group include:

· One person monopolizing the discussion

· The discussion can “fall into a rabbit hole”

· Differences of opinions can get out of control and cause hard feelings

· Some participants seem to be there mostly to find fault with Christianity

· Some participants seem to be there mostly to bloviate

· City ordinance such as parking can be used against the group

Before my move to Southern California I would spend summers in a RV park in Michigan in an area called “The Bible Belt of Michigan.” We had a wonderful Bible study where we start out with praise reports and prayer requests. Then we would view a 20-25 minute DVD from the Faith Lessons by Ray Vander Laan and then spend the balance of the hour discussing it.

Winters in Arizona I attended a Bible study held in a private home. It was a fairly small group of about 14 to 18 people. We sat around the room facing each other. Perhaps it was too successful as it was moved to the church and now everyone sits in pews facing the front. In my opinion it lost the closeness of a Bible study group. My favorite Bible study is a small group meeting winters at a camping site in the desert in a 10’ x 20’ tent. Arizona gets a lot of “winter visitors” so the group starts out small in the fall and grows through the winter. There is something about the desert that makes me feel even closer to Jesus