How to change an established group

How do you feel about change? Do you like new and different things, or do you prefer stability? Personally, I’m way down the stability end of the spectrum. If the packaging changes on my cereal box I have a bad week. I like things to be steady and predictable.

This is how many of us feel about growth groups/Bible studies: stability is good, change is bad (or at least very hard to deal with). Stability does mean a whole lot of good things. We meet with a group of people we know in a familiar location with a predictable format. It’s an environment where we feel safe and genuine Christian growth and encouragement happens. This is where groups can be in the ‘norming’ and ‘performing’ stages of group development (terms used by group theorist Bruce Tuckman).

Yet the gospel equals change even for the most established and highly functional groups. This is because the gospel and change go hand in hand. Paul wrote in Colossians how the gospel has gone into the whole world and “is bearing fruit and increasing” (Col 1:6). For the Colossians, this meant more people believing and more believers growing in maturity. For Paul, this gospel growth meant a life of almost constant change as he travelled from place to place and sent away dear friends such as Titus and Tychicus for gospel ministry (2 Tim 4:10-12). The gospel and change go hand in hand.

For us today this means that gospel-driven change will sometimes or often be necessary for our established groups. It could be because the regular leader has gone to Bible college or on overseas mission, or because new people have joined church and new groups are needed, or because a new ministry has started and people are keen to be involved. There’s all sorts of ways the gospel compels us to change our groups.

So how can we make changes well, especially with an established group? How can we overcome the obstacles and make it a positive experience? Here are four practical tips.

First of all, respect and work closely with the pastor or leader who wants to change things. He or she is doing the hard work of shepherding God’s people and encouraging gospel growth. They’re not making these changes just to be difficult! Talk with them about their reasons for change, and work with them about any potential problems. As Hebrews 13:17 says:

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Secondly, preach the gospel to your group. Remind them that Jesus has risen, he is Lord over all the earth, and is calling more and more people to himself. Remind them that the gospel is not about comfort in this life but about losing our lives for the sake of Jesus and the gospel (Mark 8:35). Explaining that change is something the gospel brings about helps people see why change is necessary.

Thirdly, grieve the losses and celebrate the opportunities. Colin Marshall talks about this more in chapter 15 of Growth Groups under the heading of ‘When to end a growth group’. You can do things in your group like giving thanks for the growth that you’ve experienced, acknowledging the things you’ll miss, and sharing with enthusiasm some of the new opportunities that the change will bring.

Fourthly, work with your pastor to manage the change as best you can. This might mean things like keeping a few key people together in the new group (or groups), or giving people new ministries and responsibilities. Craig Hamilton has a very thorough chapter in Wisdom in Leadership called ‘Red Queen syndrome: a nine-step process for implementing change’. If you like the idea of being meticulous, this could be a good resource! When change is done well, by God’s grace and in answer to prayer, it can often be the stimulus to exciting gospel growth.

So even if you’re like me and prefer stability over change, hopefully you can see that the gospel compels us to change things. With these four tips I think change can be an achievable and positive experience even with our established groups.

Photo credit: Salvatore Gerace