Hanging out in small groups of people who are spiritually healthy is one of the primary ways we grow as human beings. Growing outside of a small group is almost impossible.
Getting into a group that is filled with grace is step one. After that, the mechanics or logistics aren’t entirely that important, so long as the following are in place: The group shares openly and feels a sense of safety. The group practices the biblical aspects of peacemaking with each other (Matthew 18). The group endorses the personhood of each individual and their decision making. The group has some sort of purpose or direction (what it is isn’t always entirely important).
The main thing is to get into a healthy, grace-filled group. 1 Peter 4 says that when we talk to each other, our words have the potential to be the very life giving words of God to each other. It is like we are connecting with God Himself. This is the power of a small group of healthy Christ followers.* The opposite is isolation, which is the beginning of hell.** Are you in a small group where you feel safe to share and empowered to grow? If not, then personal growth is almost impossible.
*Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
**This idea comes from C.S. Lewis, Tim Keller, and my own experience. Isolation can also raise its ugly head in the middle of an unhealthy small group. Everyone can be meeting together, but totally isolated from one another. This is also the beginning of hell. Lewis shows both types of isolation in "The Great Divorce".
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