The Two Rules of Small Group

by Bob Lonac, President & C.E.O. of CRISTA Ministries

I have been in small groups since I met the Lord at 16 years of age (a while ago!) I really cannot remember a time when I was not involved with a group of some kind or another. Right now, I chair our C3 group every other Thursday morning and a small group from our church that meets every Wednesday night at our home.

Our C3 forum is on fire!

Our routine is very simple. At the top of our check-in board, we write “Spirit-Led Leaders in Every Marketplace… Changing the Way Leaders Lead; Leaders Encouraging Leaders to Live and Lead Like Jesus.” We use the check-in board to talk about our personal, family, spiritual and work lives and lob an issue to potentially explore together.

We adhere to two strict rules. Confidentiality is a must for trust, and no giving advice. And we always pray together at the end. The same core group is meeting and we add about one new person every six months. To me, one of the marks of small group leadership is – you actually end up leading very little. You set the tone and remind people of the rules. The spirit of the conversation is the most important thing to keep an eye on. We laugh a lot and cry sometimes. The time always flies by no matter how big or small the group is. Mostly everyone shows up. We don’t have a teacher, we are all in together supporting and encouraging one another.

This may seem simplistic as you read it. But over and over the men comment that it is like no other group they have attended. They talk about small groups who try to “teach something” and the dynamic ends up being that the leaders talk and the “learners” listen. Our group is full of leaders and I know that would not fly with them. I pray before every meeting that the Holy Spirit show up and leads us and He always does.

I believe God is at work in the Northwest and is answering our prayers to use the business community to help transform this region into a more vibrant Christ-like community