Is Your Small Group Vision Big Enough?

 Last week, I wrote a post about five reasons or motivations for small groups that I've observed in various churches (See post here). Here's a quick summary:

1. Small groups as one of the systems required to make the church work well. 
2. Small groups as a way to close the back door.
3. Small groups as a way of producing the fruit of discipleship, evangelism, and developing leaders.
4. Church is organized with systems to make the groups work. 
5. Church is organized with systems to mobilize community that is equipped to live for the sake of the world. 

The more I reflected on this over the last few days, the more I realized that there is a progression in breadth of vision.  As you move down the list, the previous are included.  If you shoot for #1, you will only get #1. But if you shoot for #2, you get #1 thrown in. And #5 gets all of the other four as a part of the package.

If you think in terms of #1, the vision is small and the potential limited. But if you think in terms of #5, the vision will be wide, grand and possess room for all of these motivations.