We know what we need to do to see our friends in our small groups: invite them. Sometimes fear gets in the way and we are too scared to invite our friends. I know this feeling. Let me introduce my friend Sophia.
Sophia is the sweetest person with a big heart for people and she is full of curiosity. She is not a Christian but is really interested when I share about my faith and my small group. Two years ago I had coffee with her. By the end of our conversation Sophia looked me in the eyes and said: “I would really love to try going to your small group.” When she said that, something inside me immediately panicked. She can’t come to my small group - she is not a Christian… If she comes I can’t fully engage with God… She won’t be able to understand our christian words, so we would have to change how we are... My small group is MY group, where I recharge - what If she wants to come every single time? … I loved talking about my small group with Sophia but the thought of actually taking her was terrifying. I never ended up taking her to my small group and that is something I regret.
What could have happened if she came to my small group?
The thought of having non-christian Sophia in the small group scared me because I was comfortable in my small group. Having her be a part of it could cause me to feel uncomfortable or a bit awkward. Now let’s try to imagine three different scenarios of what could have happened, if Sophia had come to my small group.
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She could have realised how crazy we were – with our worship and prayers - then run off and never spoken to me again.
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She could have found it an interesting experience, decided it was not for her and continued being friends with me.
- She could have loved it, joined in and maybe given her life to Jesus.
Imagine what could happen if the day we had coffee I had said: “Amazing, come on Monday.” I realise now that my fear of taking a risk and stepping out of my own comfort zone was in the way for Sophia to possibly have a deep life-changing encounter with Jesus.
What I learned
If I could say one thing to my two-year younger self: Take the risk and trust that God is on the move! This is what the Small Group Big Mission training has taught me. I want to encourage you to learn from my mistake and take the risk: invite your friends to your small group. You never know what can happen.
So why don’t you try to take the risk and invite your friends to your small group?
