Sticky Church Blog Tour

This post is the next stop in SMALL GROUPS.COM blog tour for the new book Sticky Church. To read other posts in the series, visit the Tour Hub.

The two quotes that blogger Dave Treat highlights from chapter 5, "Velcroed for Growth," of Sticky Church are gold:

Most spiritual growth doesn’t come as a result of a training program or a set curriculum. It comes as a result of life putting us in what I like to call a need-to-know or need-to grow situation.

The ultimate goal of a sermon-based small group is simply to velcro people to the two things they will need most when faced with a need-to-know or need-to-grow situation: the Bible and other Christians.

The full review of chapter five . . .

Sticky Church: Velcroed for Growth
by Dave Treat on August 17, 2009

I’ve added Larry Osborne’s Sticky Church (Zondervan, 2008) to a list of books that I should have read sooner. His experience with discipleship at North Coast Church may have clarified or changed my thinking and helped my clients with more informed opinions. Even where I was familiar with a particular method or model, Larry often had a unique approach or memorable phrase to describe it. Here are a few examples from chapter five: Velcroed for Growth.

Most spiritual growth doesn’t come as a result of a training program or aset curriculum. It comes as a result of life putting us in what I like to call aneed-to-know or need-to grow situation.

Ain’t that the truth? Osborne describes need-to-know as “…a predicament where we need to know God’s viewpoint…” and need-to-grow as “… a tough trial or a stretching experience.” Well that pretty much covers life on earth, so how do we in ministry equip people for this? Typically, with linear, systematic, programmatic instruction. In Larry’s words: “Take good notes now, because someday you’ll really need this stuff!”

I grew up under the linear model and recognize the defining features: learn it all (in order); store it in your head; apply it later. We argued over what “it all” means, and in what order. Long-term storage is especially tough when the knowledge is academic and not linked to real-world situations. Application may be hardest of all, since it requires wisdom to tie the knowledge to the experience, and usually requires a degree of perspective that cannot be achieved by a single individual.

For some learners there is value in the linear model. For most, though, I love Larry’s alternative:

The ultimate goal of a sermon-based small group is simply to velcro people to the two things they will need most when faced with a need-to-know or need-to-grow situation: the Bible and other Christians.

Sermon-based small groups teach people to rely on scripture and keep them “…close enough to other Christians to benefit from their knowledge and support.” There you go. I really like his point that the “seemingly arbitrary” and “apparent randomness” of topics covered in weekend sermons actually works in your favor by suggesting that God’s word is applicable to all of life.

When I joined the pastoral staff at Willow Creek, a wise mentor said this about ministry to men: “You’ve got to know which guys to hug and which guys to kick in the butt… and you can’t afford to make a mistake.” Osborne points out that (kicks and hugs) are “…rather hard to self-administer” and points out that relationships need to be in place before a crisis hits. I couldn’t agree more.

Over the past 30 years around 80% of North Coast’s “sermon-attenders” have been in small groups. If that’s what Osborne means by “sticky,” pass the velcro.

----------

Blessings
3 John 8
Bill H.