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Mar 9, 2020Liked by Tony Payne

They are complementary ministries. Each is less effective without the other; neither should one take the form of the other or neglect the other.

Personally I think it is worth making sure that if anything we favour the particular strength of the setting: more preaching focus if at church, and more person focus at growth group.

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Hey Tony,

I really liked this article about small groups and church. I had two thoughts, and I share them as suggestions for things you may like to explore further in future posts? Or you can completely disregard. :-)

1) I’m really on board with the distinction you’re making between these two kinds of word-ministry speech. And I think it’s a very helpful way to describe a key difference between our Sunday gatherings and our small groups (which by the way we call “Home Groups” in our church and I felt very excluded and marginalised by you not including “HG” in your expansive acronym!!!!). But one of the things I’ve always been a bit puzzled by in our circles is the fact that we don’t make more room for the “one another edifying speech” in our Sunday gatherings. You don’t get the impression when you read the New Testament that the early Christians had to create a second kind of gathering in order for these “words” to find their place. I’m all for small group Bible Studies to continue and I think they’re a unique context for this kind of speaking. But I’m also interested in how we can make space in Sunday church services for more voices to be heard, and this is something we’re working on a bit in our church. I’d love to hear you reflect more on that in another post some time?

2) In terms of the distinction you’re making between these two different kinds of speech, I’ve sometimes thought of it as the difference between the kinds of speaking Paul has in mind when he uses the word “teaching” (ie. in 1 Tim 2 etc) and the kinds of speaking Paul has in mind when he uses the word “prophecy” (ie. in 1 Cor 11- cf. 1 Cor 14:26-33). If that way of describing it is productive (although you may disagree?), then it raises the question of the role people are given in 1 Cor 14:29 to ‘weigh’ prophecy. Given that I think the contributions small group members make are at the “prophecy” end of the spectrum, it has always seemed to me that one of the roles the small group leader plays is that of “weighing” the contributions group members make. So whilst I agree with you that group leaders should not be burdened with an expectation of being a “teacher” (ie. pastor/elder responsibility), I wonder what it means for them to carry the authoritative role in the group of being the “weigher”. I’d be fascinated to see that idea explored more some time.

Thanks for reading my rantings!

Simon.

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Thanks Tony.

You're making a case for "two zones", which "overlap". This is helpful.

However, I suggest it is better to think of one spectrum, rather than two zones. Better, because more in line with the various New Testament (NT) evidences, and more in line with the diversity of what happens in Christian gatherings across the world today.

Conceptually, it's a fine line between two zones that overlap, and one spectrum.

(The spectrum I'm thinking of is not about how small groups operate, as you've described in your opening MDMGCGTs paragraphs.)

I'm thinking about the spectrum ...

- from larger gatherings with ‘congregational teaching-and-preaching’ word ministry by recognised pastor-teachers

- to smaller gatherings with ‘one-another edifying speech’ word ministry.

In larger gatherings, it becomes a practical / logistic / social necessity that it's fairly formal and only a very small minority of people address the whole gathering, and they are put up-front, and they are authorised, recognised, qualified.

In smaller gatherings, it makes more sense to allow and encourage a higher percentage of participants to speak. From my 50 years, experience across small 'groups' and small 'churches' and big 'churches', across a significant diversity of cultures, most modern Christians think there's a theological difference between 'church' and a small group, but I have never been convinced by any appeal to the New Testament (NT) that such a theological distinction exists - and I don't see that you have demonstrated one either.

Of course many people appeal to 'worship' as the distinctive for 'church', but that's hogwash (that is to say, the NT never offers 'worship' as a paradigm for Christian gatherings of any size).

Others (including, apparently, you) appeal to when the gathering happen - Sunday versus other days.

So I'd suggest what you've conceptualised as two zones of Christian 'word ministry' can be better conceived of as two ends of a continuous spectrum.

And I suggest "the focus and function of the two ‘zones’ of word ministry" are ultimately the same : to build up each believer to maturity in Christ, and to present the Bride to Christ, "in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."

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Thanks Tony! I'm just wondering where you'd place a para-church organisation like a campus ministry within the two zones?

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