There are different factors that may contribute to a church’s growth in both service attendance and the number of disciples, but one important factor that should not be overlooked is the quality of small groups. When a church places emphasis on small groups and organically combines discipleship training with the small group care model, such a church will see a rapid growth in worship service attendance and an increase in the quality of disciples.
The Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, recently interviewed Pastor Y. from southern China, who has nearly 15 years of experience in small groups, has learned from different groups’ pastoral care models and found the model of a dual track of discipleship training and small group suitable for his church, actively putting it into practice. After experiencing success with his model in his own church, he began to help many churches in different provinces to reform their small group fellowships and saw good results in many churches.
The dual-track method: "the organic combination of small groups ministry with discipleship"
Pastor Y. started the small groups in 2007 when he divided nearly 200 church members who used to gather together for worship services in one place into several small groups. The way the pastor leads his small groups ministry was different from the traditional way. Though traditional small groups ministries were led by the group leader who preached the sermon, in Pastor Y.’s gatherings, he and his group leaders would give the participants a topic at each gathering and then invite them to share messages based on the Bible and their own lives. As for the discipleship program, Pastor Y. would teach many Bible studies and additional life-building courses to the thirsty believers; in addition, he would care for their lives and offer practical courses for them.
Pastor Y. confesses that he himself has not received professional training in pastoring a church and he had feared when he tried to apply his own pastoring model in his church in the beginning. He believes that some errors may be repeated again and again in the traditions passed down from generation to generation. He has realized that God has to train a person before God could use him to do his work. He states that the church needs to reflect on why many believers who love the Lord so much as to devote their lives to God have ended up draining their lives and being hurt from ministry and giving up on their ministry in the church. Therefore, he believes that the church needs to emphasize discipleship and a healthy model for church development is the two-track method: "the organic combination of small groups with discipleship."
Pastor Y. remarked, "When a church can provide good discipleship training, it can lead its small groups well accordingly. Small groups are the platform for pastoring all people while discipleship is aimed at leading those who have a heart to serve the Lord and turn them into ministers of the church. Any church devoid of discipleship training is not a good church. Whether or not a church can provide pastoral care for each member is an important indicator to consider in measuring its development."
Three considerations for small groups
Pastor Y. emphasized three areas that needed special attention for churches to practice small groups ministry.
1. Do not change the teaching materials easily
When Pastor Y. was starting to reform the way to lead his church’s small groups ministry, he experienced a great culture shock in the teaching materials, but he kept using the materials for three to four years until he finished practicing other’s educational material. Only after that did they begin to add their own ideas to the original material while keeping its core.
2. Don't pursue rapid growth
Pastor Y. feels that the churches in China have been affected by prosperity theology, saying, "When we look at the Lord Jesus' ministry, he did not transform a person’s life instantly, but he spent his lifetime trying to change a person. Rapid growth also tends to make a church arrogant."
3. Make a good overall design of small groups
"The small groups ministry are open groups designed for unbelievers, and the messages shared in them should not be too difficult. The small group I am leading is called the leadership group, characterized by stratified education. Concerning this group’s discipleship, I divide it into two parts: the part for believers (with mandatory and optional courses) and the part for promising leaders (mandatory and optional courses) part," he added.
Pastors and group leaders need to practice small group courses themselves.
Finally, Pastor Y. lamented, "Some pastors in the church today just habitually dump some courses onto many people, and even though believers strive to finish studying all courses, the results are still not satisfying. What is missing is that pastors and group leaders are not personally taking part in the process of practicing the model demonstrated by the people they are leading. Pastors need to provide opportunities for group leaders to teach on the spot, providing time for group leaders to support and help each other. Then more group leaders and believers can replicate the model afterward, and we may expect the church's small groups ministry to succeed.
- Translated by Alvin Zhou
东南牧者谈小组化牧养三点心得：小组与门训“双轨制”相辅相成
一个教会在聚会人数和门徒人数上的复兴的原因一定是多元化的，但有一个是不能被忽视的重要环节，那就是小组化牧养的质量。当教会重视小组化的牧养，并将门徒训练和小组化的模式有机的结合起来，这样的教会会迎来聚会人数的倍增与门徒质量的提升。
基督时报同工近来与一位来自中南的Y牧者进行了交流与分享，他有着近15年的小组化牧会经验，他从不同的团体牧养模式之中，吸收了适合自己教会的教育模式，并且积极地应用到他所带领的教会，将门训与小组牧养双轨化落实到实处，在自己的教会实践成功后，他开始帮助许多不同省份的教会进行小组化牧养体制的改革，也都见到了不错的成效。
双轨制：“小组化聚会与门训的有机结合。”
Y牧者是从2007年开始做小组化牧养的，他将自己教会里将近200人由一起堂会聚会转型为以小组化聚会的模式来发展。他所带领的小组聚会跟传统教会的小组聚会不一样的是，传统的小组聚会是由组长带领，由组长讲道，但在Y牧者这里的小组聚会，他和他的组长们给参加聚会的人每次一个主题，然后让大家讲，邀请大家一起结合圣经和自己的生活来做分享。对于门徒训练课程来说，Y牧者会带领比较渴慕的信徒做比较多的查经和学习不同的真理课程，他们也会关注生活，开设有生活实践类的课程。
Y牧者坦言到，他自己未受过专业的训练，是摸着石头过河的一代。因此，他认为，在一代一代传承中，也会出现错误的重复。他领悟到，上帝要使用一个人，要先训练他。他才能做好那一份工作，很多教会弟兄姐妹事奉到枯干和受伤的地步，最后他们再不想服事了，这是教会要反省的，教会需要重视门徒训练。因此，他认为教会的发展的一个健康模式就是双轨制：“小组化聚会与门训的有机结合。”
Y牧者体察到：“当一个教会能够把门徒训练做得足够好，教会的小组才能相应做好。小组是牧养所有人的一个平台，而门徒训练是透过牧养有事奉主心志的人，最后使他们成为主的同工。一个教会没有门徒训练，这个教会是没有品质的教会。在牧养轨道上，一个教会能够做到1:1，即一个人照顾到一个人的程度，这是衡量教会发展的重要考量指标。”
小组化牧养的三点注意事项
Y牧者特别提到关于教会做小组化的牧养，需要注意三点：
1.不要随意改动教材
在Y牧者初期做教会小组转型的时候，他的体验是，在教材的文化上有冲击，但他们还是咬着牙，经过三至四年的时间，实践完别人的教育体系，过后，我们在原本的基础上加入创新，但是核心是不改变的。
2.不要追求太快的成长
Y牧者认为，中国教会有成功神学的味道在里面，他说：“看主耶稣事奉的道路的时候，他不是靠瞬间改造一个人的生命，而是用一生的时间去改变一个生命。太快的成长也容易造成很大的骄傲。”
3.做好顶层设计
“在小组牧养的层面上，小组长带的小组叫开放小组，对象是未信的人，分享的内容不能太浓厚。我带的小组叫做领袖小组，是有分层教育的特点，在门徒训练这一个环节，我会把它分为两部分：平信徒（有必修课和选修课）的部分和领袖的（必修课和选修课）部分。” Y牧者补充说到。
三，牧者、组长需要成为小组课程实践的参与者
最后，Y牧者感慨地说到：“今天教会中有一些牧者，只是习惯性地甩给很多人一些课程，即便信徒们把课程最后都学习了，但效果就是不尽如人意。其中所欠缺的部分是，牧者和组长需要与被带领人一起实践，牧者需要提供现场教学的机会，给与小组长彼此扶持和互相帮助的机会。然后让更多的小组长和信徒之后来复制这个模式，教会的小组牧养就能够获得成功。
访谈| 一东南牧者谈小组化牧养三点心得：小组与门训“双轨制”相辅相成
There are different factors that may contribute to a church’s growth in both service attendance and the number of disciples, but one important factor that should not be overlooked is the quality of small groups. When a church places emphasis on small groups and organically combines discipleship training with the small group care model, such a church will see a rapid growth in worship service attendance and an increase in the quality of disciples.
The Christian Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, recently interviewed Pastor Y. from southern China, who has nearly 15 years of experience in small groups, has learned from different groups’ pastoral care models and found the model of a dual track of discipleship training and small group suitable for his church, actively putting it into practice. After experiencing success with his model in his own church, he began to help many churches in different provinces to reform their small group fellowships and saw good results in many churches.
The dual-track method: "the organic combination of small groups ministry with discipleship"
Pastor Y. started the small groups in 2007 when he divided nearly 200 church members who used to gather together for worship services in one place into several small groups. The way the pastor leads his small groups ministry was different from the traditional way. Though traditional small groups ministries were led by the group leader who preached the sermon, in Pastor Y.’s gatherings, he and his group leaders would give the participants a topic at each gathering and then invite them to share messages based on the Bible and their own lives. As for the discipleship program, Pastor Y. would teach many Bible studies and additional life-building courses to the thirsty believers; in addition, he would care for their lives and offer practical courses for them.
Pastor Y. confesses that he himself has not received professional training in pastoring a church and he had feared when he tried to apply his own pastoring model in his church in the beginning. He believes that some errors may be repeated again and again in the traditions passed down from generation to generation. He has realized that God has to train a person before God could use him to do his work. He states that the church needs to reflect on why many believers who love the Lord so much as to devote their lives to God have ended up draining their lives and being hurt from ministry and giving up on their ministry in the church. Therefore, he believes that the church needs to emphasize discipleship and a healthy model for church development is the two-track method: "the organic combination of small groups with discipleship."
Pastor Y. remarked, "When a church can provide good discipleship training, it can lead its small groups well accordingly. Small groups are the platform for pastoring all people while discipleship is aimed at leading those who have a heart to serve the Lord and turn them into ministers of the church. Any church devoid of discipleship training is not a good church. Whether or not a church can provide pastoral care for each member is an important indicator to consider in measuring its development."
Three considerations for small groups
Pastor Y. emphasized three areas that needed special attention for churches to practice small groups ministry.
1. Do not change the teaching materials easily
When Pastor Y. was starting to reform the way to lead his church’s small groups ministry, he experienced a great culture shock in the teaching materials, but he kept using the materials for three to four years until he finished practicing other’s educational material. Only after that did they begin to add their own ideas to the original material while keeping its core.
2. Don't pursue rapid growth
Pastor Y. feels that the churches in China have been affected by prosperity theology, saying, "When we look at the Lord Jesus' ministry, he did not transform a person’s life instantly, but he spent his lifetime trying to change a person. Rapid growth also tends to make a church arrogant."
3. Make a good overall design of small groups
"The small groups ministry are open groups designed for unbelievers, and the messages shared in them should not be too difficult. The small group I am leading is called the leadership group, characterized by stratified education. Concerning this group’s discipleship, I divide it into two parts: the part for believers (with mandatory and optional courses) and the part for promising leaders (mandatory and optional courses) part," he added.
Pastors and group leaders need to practice small group courses themselves.
Finally, Pastor Y. lamented, "Some pastors in the church today just habitually dump some courses onto many people, and even though believers strive to finish studying all courses, the results are still not satisfying. What is missing is that pastors and group leaders are not personally taking part in the process of practicing the model demonstrated by the people they are leading. Pastors need to provide opportunities for group leaders to teach on the spot, providing time for group leaders to support and help each other. Then more group leaders and believers can replicate the model afterward, and we may expect the church's small groups ministry to succeed.
- Translated by Alvin Zhou
Interview: Chinese Pastor Says Small Groups and Discipleship Training Are Complementary
