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And Now, for Something Completely Different …
How finding 'Purpose' helped one pastor transform his church and small group ministry
So how do you connect your entire congregation into small groups? Jimmie Davidson, said, "God showed me. I didn't have a clue!"
Pastors everywhere are always trying to figure out the most effective way to present the gospel. Some stick with the traditional approach, and it works just fine. Others find that reaching their congregation means doing something completely different.
Just ask Jimmie Davidson.
The pastor of Highlands Fellowship in Abingdon, Virginia, had the desire to build an effective ministry when he completed seminary. Coming from a traditional Baptist background, he thought he knew all the methods and techniques needed to fulfill his passion for reaching the world for Christ. But soon he found that his standard methods weren't working—a frustrating realization.
"God was trying to get my attention," Davidson says. "He wanted me to know there was another way to 'do' church."
That "other way" was the Purpose Driven model introduced by Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in Southern California. "I really didn't know how to do things differently, but once I saw the five purposes (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism), it transformed everything we were doing. God showed me that I really didn't have a clue, but through the Purpose Driven model, he opened my eyes to how he wanted us to reach out to our community."
Davidson says this is a biblical approach for a new generation, and it's effective. He started Highlands Fellowship seven years ago using the Purpose Driven model. Although the town has a population of just 7,000, more than 2,000 people regularly attend the church. Some come from miles around, but most are locals who have discovered a new way to worship and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"People who may not have gone to church for years come, and when they leave they often say, 'I don't know what it is, but if I was to 'do' church, this is how I'd do it," Davidson says. "This new approach worked for Saddleback, and it's working for us here."
A key element of the Purpose Driven church model is the ability to adapt and change. Long a believer in the effectiveness of small groups to a church's health and growth, Davidson and his team were preparing "the mother of all connections" for the recent 40 Days of Purpose campaign (for more information, click here). Then he received a call from Pastor Brett Eastman, who had served as the champion of small groups at Saddleback Church. Eastman asked him to consider changing his plans to try a new approach—the concept of 'host homes.'"
Davidson explains that for many, the title "small group leader" was a bit scary and intimidating. Because of this, Saddleback was inviting people to become "host homes" for the campaign, and Eastman was asking other churches to do the same.
"We were overwhelmed by the response," he says enthusiastically. "Our dream was to have 1,400 sign up for the program, and we ended up with more than 1,600 people in 160 small groups. The sheer number of people who experienced life change during the 40 Days campaign was incredible. It was 1,000 times greater than we ever could have expected."
The de-centralized nature of the host-home model allowed everyone in the group to contribute and participate. This kind of involvement, in which everyone has a role, is not unlike the church body described in the New Testament, Davidson points out.
Davidson excitedly shares about one woman in the congregation who had never been in a small group before. She stepped out and took a risk by joining a group. God worked within her and helped turn her into a leader in the group. "People who thought they couldn't be used are being used by God in our church every day. It's amazing," Davidson says.
Now the entire church is going through the Doing Lifetogether series and building a deeper understanding of the five purposes for life. "The best way I know our people can experience the Purpose Driven Life is by doing Lifetogether," Davidson says.
He concludes by explaining, "We needed to be in smaller groups as a church. The Purpose Driven approach was a good fit for us. It worked beautifully, and our small group ministry is healthier than ever. Every success we've had has helped us to build and grow."
Check out Building Lifetogether, a six session series on the vision and "how to" of launching a healthy small group ministry in your church.
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