Originally posted 09-04-2009. Reposted 10-07-2010
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Online Small Groups Part 4
All week I’ve posted about online small groups and today I’ll share some concluding thoughts for the series.
- Online Groups Aren’t All That Different. vPeople seem to think there’s a huge difference between online groups and face-to-face groups. Really, thanks to technology, there’s very little difference at all. As my favorite philosopher, Yoda, once said: “No different. Only different in your mind.”
- Utilize Online Groups Locally. One mistake I think many churches make is to pigeon hole online groups by thinking of them only in terms of “long-distance groups.” Online groups can take place locally. I have some friends who have a child with a weak immune system. Their child can NEVER leave the home except to go to the doctor. This can only leave the home together when they have a baby sitter. An online group could be a great solution for them! The couple could attend a group together and never have to worry about special care for their son. People who work in the busy corporate world can benefit from online groups. People living in a bedroom community can benefit from online groups. Stay-at-home-moms can benefit from them. The only thing limiting online groups is our thinking and our imagination!!!
- Online Groups Will Be Mainstream. Talk about online groups all the time just like you do typical groups. Remember, Sunday School? During its hay day, small groups outside the walls of the church building were thought of as dangerous and different. Video projectors in the worship service were considered wild and cutting edge. Rock and roll, television and the internet were all thought to be pure evil. Now these things are mainstream in our approach to ministry. Online groups are new and strange today, but tomorrow they’ll be considered normal. Truth be told, online community already is normal outside the church…it’s time for us to catch up!
Don’t be afraid. Don’t wait for a committee to approve it. Don’t worry about needing help, just contact me and I’ll be glad to walk you through some first steps at no charge! BOTTOM LINE: Stop thinking about it and get started! Online Small Groups Are Now!
Loved the online groups series! In fact, I think they have huge power in a couple of other ways:
1. To connect leaders that have their own groups too. This can give leaders a time to get together and share ideas, solutions, problems and prayers.
2. To connect people that just don’t have the time to drive to a group. My wife and I live about 30 min. away from our church. Another couple in my online group is also 30-40 min. from church. Since we started our online group, we are able to connect ‘locally’ despite living so far from each other and our church. We can also have community after our children are in bed. And when any of us travel, we don’t have to stop meeting!
There is so much power to what God can accomplish through the online format—and how the church can release radical follower’s of Christ to connect at all hours of the day and night all around the world!