Just a quick reply based on my experience.

Making decisions that effect the congregation as a whole is very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very...... well you get the picture..... difficult.

My first question I guess would be.... how do we decide when and where we worship together?

My second question would be, how do we make decisions that effect everyone?

My third question is, what type of authority is established with each individual congregational member before they join the church?

These are just some of the questions you really need to ask before you start to get frustrated by peoples lack of participation.

I can speak for myself when I say that I'm a father with three girls. My oldest girl and myself are involved with a travel softball team. I also have other serious commitments as well as my wife. So to be perfectly honest, I would not join a church that required myself and my family to attend worship Sunday morning, night and Wed night and then expect me to be apart of a small group on top of that. But that is just my opinion, but what I'm trying to get at here is I'm sure that your church might have members who might have busy schedules as well.


But.... before I go.... let me try to give my thoughts on the original concern.

I for one support small groups.... I don't know the size of your church, but mine is pretty big. There are a lot of reason that I support small groups and why I'm a small group leader.

The main reason is that I believe people who belong to a small group that is really trying to obey the Word of God will be loved, administered too, helped, prayed for and cared about a lot more then they would be in the general assembly. But again, I go to a large church... smaller churches might not need small groups.

Dave

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. - Galatians 2:16