That’s a fair question, and probably the next one that needs to be asked once a problem is named.
The key thing is not to rush into program replacement. If we rush to answer with a new system, we accidentally reinforce the very thing being critiqued: the idea that formation is solved with programs. Small groups themselves aren’t the problem. The issue is when we expect a structure to produce formation that really comes from mature, clear, and responsible discipleship shaped by patience and endurance over time.
So the first step isn’t launching a new program or “doing” something different. It’s learning to think differently about discipleship itself: changing what we measure, what we celebrate, and what we consider success. If depth, faithfulness, and long-term growth matter more than speed and scale, our existing structures will eventually reflect that.
In practical terms, that means asking whether we are actually forming and supporting disciples who are equipped to carry others spiritually, rather than assuming peers can carry one another by default. When people are well-formed and present with one another, small environments can be incredibly life-giving. When that depth isn’t there, no structure fixes it.
In other words, the solution is slower and less exciting than a rollout plan. It looks like investing in depth before multiplication, clarity before numerical growth, and responsibility before organization.
That’s a longer, slower road, but in my experience, it’s the only one that lasts. Quick fixes are just the church’s version of get-rich-quick schemes. Easy come, easy go.
One final note: We need to be honest about something simple: discipleship requires being present. People cannot be formed in relationships they inconsistently inhabit. There is no strategy that solves that. The only thing we can do is model faithfulness, consistency, and durability ourselves, and create environments where those things are normal rather than pressured. Anxiety-motivated solutions solve nothing and create more problems.
Ok, I agree. We’ve identified the problem. Now how do we implement a solution?
That’s a fair question, and probably the next one that needs to be asked once a problem is named.
The key thing is not to rush into program replacement. If we rush to answer with a new system, we accidentally reinforce the very thing being critiqued: the idea that formation is solved with programs. Small groups themselves aren’t the problem. The issue is when we expect a structure to produce formation that really comes from mature, clear, and responsible discipleship shaped by patience and endurance over time.
So the first step isn’t launching a new program or “doing” something different. It’s learning to think differently about discipleship itself: changing what we measure, what we celebrate, and what we consider success. If depth, faithfulness, and long-term growth matter more than speed and scale, our existing structures will eventually reflect that.
In practical terms, that means asking whether we are actually forming and supporting disciples who are equipped to carry others spiritually, rather than assuming peers can carry one another by default. When people are well-formed and present with one another, small environments can be incredibly life-giving. When that depth isn’t there, no structure fixes it.
In other words, the solution is slower and less exciting than a rollout plan. It looks like investing in depth before multiplication, clarity before numerical growth, and responsibility before organization.
That’s a longer, slower road, but in my experience, it’s the only one that lasts. Quick fixes are just the church’s version of get-rich-quick schemes. Easy come, easy go.
One final note: We need to be honest about something simple: discipleship requires being present. People cannot be formed in relationships they inconsistently inhabit. There is no strategy that solves that. The only thing we can do is model faithfulness, consistency, and durability ourselves, and create environments where those things are normal rather than pressured. Anxiety-motivated solutions solve nothing and create more problems.
I need to have this expanded conversation with you real soon!
For sure! We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater.