8/8/2019 Tom Albin Finding God in Small Groups

1/4

FindingGod in S doctoral res ear ch reveals why t he Wesleys

1

sys

SM A L L G RO U PS in whi ch 6 to 12 people regularly gather to talk about their spiritual journeys, study the Bible,and prayhave become an integral and dynamic part of modern American church life. They have helped transform thousands of churches and millions of individuals.

Though many think they were invented in the last couple of decades, they've been a round in one form or ano ther since theearly 1700s, with the ministry of Methodist founders John andCharles Wesley.

June marked the 300th anniversary of John Wesley's birth, and CHRISTIANITY TODAY took the occasion to look at one of Wesley's most enduring legacies. Toexplore the Wesleys' small-group innovationsand what they might teac h us todaywe asked sen ior writer Tim Stafford to talk

with Tom Albin, dean of The Uppe r Room in Nashville. Albin diddoctoral research at Cambridge University on the small groups of early Met hodi sm, and he helps lead one of the most significantrenewal groups in Methodism.

Whydo

historians often call the Wesley brothers organi-zational geniuses?They often say that the secret of the Methodist movement was itssmall groups. But when I began my research, I found that nobody ha d gone deeply into what made those small group structures

work. In the 18th century, the Wesleys were remarkably effective within the oral tradition of a working class, almost semiliterateculture. There were no manual s for class leaders produced duringth e lifetime of the Wesleys. To answer the question, you had tolook to letters and diaries for clues.

So what wer e the early groups like?

There was a rich diversity of groups th at emerged within the firstfive years. The trial band, for example, distinguished a sincereseeker for God from somebody who was just casually curious. You

were on trial to see if you really wanted to know and love God. A group of four to six people met weekly with a leader. They

prayed, they sang and worshiped, and there was always an element of spiritu al accou ntability. If they could do tha t faithfully over the course of two to three months, they were recommendedto be a member of th e United Society and the class meeting.

In the trial band, you find exactly th e grace and power of thesincere seeker that one finds today in the 12-step groups. Whatdoes it take to be a part of AA? YOU have to say, I've got a problemand I need help from on high. And I'm sincere enough that I'll dothe 12 steps.

8/8/2019 Tom Albin Finding God in Small Groups

2/4

Groupswe iL IMTERWI EW l TI M S TA F F O R D

What were the requirements for get-ting into a trial band?You just had to be sincere. You didn't haveto say you believe in Jesus Christ as youronly Savior and Lord, that you accept theOld and New Testaments as the inspiredWord of God. You just had to say, "I wantGod in my life."

The whole Wesley system was set up tohelp the people who really wanted more of God. If you missed more tha n thr ee meetings in a quarter, you were out. They madeit really easy for people toget out, and significantlychallenging for people toget in and stay in.

They created a systemwhere sincere seekerscould receive guidance

and instruction. In factyou could say that thewhole Wesley revival was really a revival of pastoral care and spiritual guidance. Thediaries are what clued me in to this. Overand over the perso n says, "I went to th ispastor and they weren't interested, and Iwent to this person and they couldn't helpme, and I read this book, but I had no one toguide me in the divine life." The phrase noone to guide me opened my eyes.

What happened then in the classmeeting, when one became a memberof the society?Each one of the Wesleys' small groupsrelated to one of their major theologicalconcepts of grace. The trial band exploredand experienced prevenient grace, thegrace tha t goes before belief. The classmeeting was for convincing grace. Notonly are you responding to the wooing of the Spirit, but you also have made a commitment to pursue a personal relationship

with Jesus. You're absolutely convincedthat you want and need Jesus Christ in

your life. Between the time a person joins the United Society (andgets assigned to a class meeting) and when they experience converting grace, justification, or new birth is about two years.

So what's going on during those two years?Well, every week you're getting together, every week you 're talking about how things are going with your soul, and you're hearingother people talk about it. You could call it small-group spiritualdirection. You're praying, you're singing, you're getting spiritualadvice, and you bring your questions. You're getting a clearer viewof who God is and what the life of faith is, and somewhere in theprocess the Holy Spirit enabled you to give your life to God. When

you've experienced justifying grace, then you'reready for a band meeting.

What distinguishes theband meeting?In the band meeting, all

the members are bornagain. The issue thenbecomes, how do I grow in grace, how do I live as a disciple, andthere 's anot her the me verse: confess your faults to one ano therand pray for one another, and you will be healed (James 5:16). Inthe band meeting, the level of confidentiality is much higher.

The band meeting is also separated, men and women , and evenby marital status. New Christians could answer the question,How do I live faithfully as a disciple, now that I've been justifiedby grace through faith? Gender and marital status become significant. Where before I knew as a single man what the culture toldme were appropriate relations for men and women, now that I'm

a member of the kingdom of God, how do I relate as a single man?In a class meeting there could be 12 to 36 people; a band meet

ing was four to eight. Everybody is my same gender and my samemarital status, so they are the ones who can best help me figureout how to live a faithful Chris tian life in this cul ture . After thiscomes the final step, the select band.

How did one get there?You have to desire with all your heart t hat God give you sanctifyinggrace, or else to have already experienced the love of God pouredout by the Holy Spirit, as in Romans 5:5. Interestin gly, th e selectband is not separated by gender or marital status. It's as though

once you have been filled with the love of God you're living Gala-tians 3:28, so that in Christ there is no male or female, Jew or

8/8/2019 Tom Albin Finding God in Small Groups

3/4

W H E R E G R A C E A N D C O M M I T M E N T M E E T

Greek, slave or free.The focus of the class meeting is on the

mind, the band mee tin g focuses on the will, but th e formational focus of the selectsociety is the heart. The early Methodis ts

would see the select society as spiritualadulthood. You've given all of yoursel f at adifferent level.

It seems that all these small groupsdemanded a high commitment level.The Methodis t movement was all about creating a channel for people who had thedesire and commitment to experienc e Godand live the life of a disciple. It presses us toask ourselves, Where are the sincere seekersfinding a welcome? Where are they findinga com mun ity? And where do they findsomeone to guide them in the spiritual life?

You could argue th at any given congregation today probably has 10 to 15 percentof the people who are ready for this typeof Methodist movement within the congregation. The trouble is, very few congregations have one available. So people haveto go elsewhere if they are really keen to

learn and grow.

How long did this kind of small groupstructure last?It continued through the Wesleys' lifetime.

When the movement began to become adenomination, the small groups shrank

into a single category, the class meeting.

Why did they shrink?The Methodist movement demanded ahigh degree of commitment. Every year they would rewrite the society book witht he l is t of members. I sat in Wesley ' schapel, looking at the society lists in John

Wesley's handwrit ing. He wrote every single name, every year, all 2,000 mem

bers. If someone dropped out of somesmall group, he knew t hat their name wascoming off. He would ask why.

When Bri t ish Method ism becam e adenomination in the late 18th century, the

whole thing changed. The high requirements for membership of a movement hadto be adjusted: Are you going to kick meout of the Uni ted Methodis t Church

because I don 't show up every Wedne sday? Would you deny me the sacraments?

Would you excommunicate me over notgiving my penny a week for th e poor?

What difference has learning all thmade fo r your ow n ministry?

When I was a pastor, if you had come to meand said, I'm having trouble with my prayerlife, I would have asked you what books youha d read, and I would the n have recommended the two best books t hat you hadn'tread yet. The basis of my ministry was thknowledge leads to transformation.

Now, I would still ask what books yoha d read, but I woul d also ask, Wha t are

your prayer practices, and who are thepeople who taught you to pray, and howdid they pray? And then, based on whalearn about your personality and your formative influences, I would seek to get youinto the sphere of influence that matches

your personality type, and into prayerpractices that suit that personality type.

I would try to help you into the sphereof influence of living hum an guides, spirtual friends who can help you developne w ways to pray that suit the kind of person you are. I now understand Christianspiritual formation and discipleship to

involve three interrelated dimensions :knowledge, experience, and a small groupthat can support me as I grow in grace adiscover my place in the body of Christ.

Do we need structures that demandaccountability?No, I think we need structures that allowmore voluntary accountability. Voluntaryaccountability is very imp orta nt to m

because the difference betwe en a cult and what I'm describing is exactly the issue

voluntary. It's not the chu rch telling me Ihave to do this or else. As a seeker, I respondto the call of God when I am ready.

There are people who long to go deep with God, and they don't have anybody toguide them . They can't find a group that'sclear enough about the spiritual journey tosay, "If you really want to connect withGod, here's how you do it." In AA you hato have a mentor, but you also have to hava meeting. So whe re are the ment ors, and

where are the meetings? That's the key

question for those who desire more of Gmore of the life of the Spirit.

Baylor University

Doctoral Program in Sociology Welcomes

Dr Rodnev Stark to its faculty

Baylor's sociology program strengthens its 40-year tradition of excellence with new ventures, including:

a doctoral specialization in the sociology of religion increasing faculty and research resources

full-tuition waivers and generous graduate stipendsDiscover more about the university's commitmentto advance graduat e education , faculty, lea rningenvironment, and more within a Christian context,as outlined in its Baylor 2012 Vision.

For more information aboutBaylor, sociology doctoral studies

and Vision 2012, go to: www.baylor.edu/sociology/graduate

or call (254) 710-3811.

BAYLOR

Baylor University

Doctoral Program in Sociology Welcomes

Dr Rodnev Stark to its faculty

Baylor's sociology program strengthens its 40-year tradition of excellence with new ventures, including:

a doctoral specialization in the sociology of religion increasing faculty and research resources

full-tuition waivers and generous graduate stipendsDiscover more about the university's commitmentto advance graduat e education , faculty, lea rningenvironment, and more within a Christian context,as outlined in its Baylor 2012 Vision.

For more information aboutBaylor, sociology doctoral studies

and Vision 2012, go to: www.baylor.edu/sociology/graduate

or call (254) 710-3811.

http://www.baylor.edu/sociology/graduatehttp://www.baylor.edu/sociology/graduatehttp://www.baylor.edu/sociology/graduatehttp://www.baylor.edu/sociology/graduate

8/8/2019 Tom Albin Finding God in Small Groups

4/4

^ s

Copyright and Use:

As an ATLAS user, you may print, download, or send articles for individual useaccording to fair use as defined by U.S. and international copyright law and asotherwise authorized under your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement.

No content may be copied or emailed to multiple sites or publicly posted without thecopyright holder(s)' express written permission. Any use, decompiling,reproduction, or distribution of this journal in excess of fair use provisions may be aviolation of copyright law.

This journal is made available to you through the ATLAS collection with permissionfrom the copyright holder(s). The copyright holder for an entire issue of a journaltypically is the journal owner, who also may own the copyright in each article. However,for certain articles, the author of the article may maintain the copyright in the article.Please contact the copyright holder(s) to request permission to use an article or specificwork for any use not covered by the fair use provisions of the copyright laws or coveredby your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement. For information regarding thecopyright holder(s), please refer to the copyright information in the journal, if available,or contact ATLA to request contact information for the copyright holder(s).

About ATLAS:

The ATLA Serials (ATLAS) collection contains electronic versions of previouslypublished religion and theology journals reproduced with permission. The ATLAScollection is owned and managed by the American Theological Library Association(ATLA) and received initial funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

The design and final form of this electronic document is the property of the AmericanTheological Library Association.