Keep in mind that at Network Fellowship, we don’t focus so much on the location of the meeting as on its context and purpose. So, what can we expect from these gatherings, whether in a house or somewhere else?

• They provide the CONTEXT for more intimate interactions, but people can still feel alone and unseen.
• They broaden the OPPORTUNITY for people to serve each other, but you could still end up with just a few people doing everything.
• They don’t stop conflict, in fact there may be more tension because they ALLOW a higher level of accountability.
• They don’t keep people from straying from the faith but they can EMPOWER individual believers to dig deep into God’s Word and dialogue with others about it.

The capitalized words all have a similar theme. They all indicate POSSIBILITY, but what they don’t do is guarantee anything. Moving someone into a smaller group context makes some things more possible, but whether those things occur comes down to the heart, attitudes, and actions of the group members.

This brings us to the key difference between large and small group gatherings. As an individual, you have a much more significant impact within a smaller group than a large one. This is true both in the positive and negative. If you are in a group of 10 people and you are acting selfishly then that can change the whole tone of that gathering. Likewise, if you act in a way that epitomizes Ephesians 5:21, serving and caring about others, then you get to see God at work in your life and the others in that group.

It means that you matter, that without you, that group lacks something important. YOU!

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 makes it clear that if you are a believer in Christ’s resurrection, then you are part of something much bigger than yourself. Don’t discount the positive contribution you can make and the encouragement you can be to others as you allow God to use you. Ultimately, the form that our gatherings take provides no guarantees that we are accurately representing the body of Christ. Rather it is when we choose to play the part that God has for us in that body.