Pastor’s Note
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
—Matthew 22:36-40
In this passage Jesus has given us a concise summary of what a fully devoted follower (disciple) is: Someone who is growing in their love of God, and love of others. Southwood’s mission could be restated: Lead everyone you meet into further intimacy with God and with others.
Our three environments of Sunday, Small Groups, and Serving have been designed to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus and other people. One element of Sunday is the worship service. In worship, we point members, regular attenders and visitors to Jesus in such a way that they can grow in their love for Him. Members and regular attenders love others by serving as ushers, greeters and various other ways on Sunday to make Southwood a welcoming environment for all, especially visitors—we hope they feel like our guests. We want people to walk away with their hearts and minds changed about the role of Jesus and the church in their lives.
Affinity groups (a.k.a. Sunday School) are designed as an element of Sunday which keeps people moving forward in increasing intimacy with God and others. From the large gathering of corporate worship, people are able to take a step into a medium gathering where they can make relational connections with people and engage in interactive teaching in a casual setting. We want people to leave this gathering feeling as if they are friends with someone and their priorities are changing as they interact with God’s Word and God’s people. But this environment will have ultimately missed the mark if the experience over time doesn’t lead them to consider participating in a Small Group.
If the large gathering makes visitors feel like guests, and the medium gathering like they have made friends, our Small Groups are designed to be a place where people begin to feel like family. The Small Group environment is where people can study God’s Word together and discuss the issues and challenges of their lives. They can pray and care for one another in a way large and medium gatherings can’t accommodate.
From children to adults we want those who attend worship and sit in rows to eventually be in Small Groups sitting in circles. Now may be the time to take a step into a Small Group. Take our online survey and take a step in that direction:
http://www.southwood.org/growingsmall
Bill Nash
Associate Pastor, Small Groups