Develop a Discipleship System
Reconnecting Through Technology: The New Era of Small-Group Ministry
By Steve Wilke
As a preacher’s kid, I’ve been involved in every kind of church activity. I cherish the worship experiences, the leadership and guidance I’ve received from clergy and teachers, and the opportunities I’ve had for mission and volunteer work. When I think about what made the greatest impact on me, one thing comes to mind: the small-group experience. Nothing has brought me more joy than my faith growth in this setting.
That’s fitting because the small group is where the church began. Jesus created the blueprint when he brought together the twelve disciples. Acts describes the early Christians meeting in homes for teaching, fellowship, prayer, and worship — activities that offered opportunities to build relationships with one another and God. Centuries later, Methodist founder John Wesley built his Christian revival movement on class meetings.
I grew up in Sunday school, but I didn’t experience the full power of the small group until I participated in Disciple Bible Study. My parents were blessed to be its authors, so I probably had one more incentive than most when I joined one of the original groups in 1987. As I made my way through the entire Bible over thirty-four weeks of study, what I discovered wasn’t different from what millions of other participants discovered: the fellowship, the shared learning, and the sense of belonging to one another and God can transform faith and lives. Truly, the Holy Spirit is at work “where two or more are gathered.”
When I think about what made the greatest impact on me, one thing comes to mind: the small-group experience. ... That’s fitting because the small group is where the church began.
The Disciple series helped ignite a small-group study movement in United Methodism for many years, and the denomination reaped the benefits. Small groups organized around Bible study became incubators for church leaders, outreach ministries, and congregational growth. I was a leader and participant in many studies at my church. As the executive director of the Institute for Discipleship, I’ve been proud to be a part of the wider movement by offering programming and coursework that support Christian education.
In recent years, I’ve seen powerful forces that have stepped in to disrupt this good work. The all-pervasive consumer culture has lured far too many churches into thinking people will fill the pews because of inviting and well-planned Sunday worship. As small-group offerings have waned, congregations have turned from participants to spectators, and outside activities have competed for their time and attention. Inevitably, our congregational numbers have dwindled; in 2020, U.S. membership in houses of worship dropped below fifty percent for the first time.[1]
We all know something else happened that year that worsened the decline: the COVID-19 pandemic. Churches, of course, were among tens of thousands of institutions that suffered through the isolation of the quarantine. But we also know that out of that crisis, resourcefulness grew. People learned to find new ways to connect through technology. Churches began to offer worship experiences on the web. “Zoom” became both a noun and a verb. Even as the health danger diminished, these new habits stuck with us and became part of our daily lives.
This widening embrace of technology certainly caught our attention at the Institute for Discipleship since we’re no strangers to the tech world. Eighteen years ago, we began online courses at BeADisciple.com to benefit clergy and laity in their ministries, and we now offer 250 distance-learning classes a year. From that vantage point, we recognized a new opportunity emerging from the pandemic: What if technology was introduced to the small-group study experience? Then we felt the call to make it happen.
After two years of development and testing, we introduced the BeADisciple study app earlier this year. This sophisticated software meets our users where they are countless times a day: on their smartphones, tablets, and computers. All study material is accessible in text, video, or audio, and weekly meetings can be in person or on Zoom. The app also offers 24/7 connectivity with a group-discussion thread and message and prayer boards.
Since we began beta-testing the app, I’ve been convinced that the virtual experience can be a crucial tool to reignite the small-group study movement in churches, and I want to tell you why.
Virtual small-group study offers unprecedented convenience.
We know from national studies that inconvenience is the main obstacle to small-group study participation. One recent survey of churchgoers identified “lack of time” as the most common barrier to participation. Yet, eight of the ten survey respondents said they were open to joining a small-group study! The desire is there, if only they can find a way. Virtual study opens up new possibilities by removing the need for participants to be together in one physical space for meetings.
We know from early feedback that this feature is making a huge difference in participation. One class member told us, “Because of the app, I was able to participate each week, even though I am out of town about every other week.” We heard from another participant who is housebound because of health issues: “Joining my group each week from home was such a blessing.”
We’ve found other ways to build convenience into the virtual experience. Electronic study material eliminates the need to lug around hard-copy material. When curriculum is offered in audio form, participants can multitask while completing their assignments. As one participant told us, “The option of listening to my lesson every day while walking gave me a way to fit the study into my life.”
Small Groups that meet on virtual platforms offer new outreach opportunities.
When people can join a meeting from anywhere in the world, then geographic, economic, and cultural barriers disappear.
In my first study experience on the app, a pastor from England was a member of our group. My brother and his wife, who have supported an orphanage in Tanzania for years, were able to include orphanage staff members in their study group. Last year, my wife and I formed a group with friends from high school, college, and a Sunday school class from forty years ago. Together, we stretched across four different states and two time zones.
There are so many more opportunities to build previously unimagined bridges. Churches can form study groups with their far-flung mission partners. Meeting virtually also holds the potential for more racial and generational diversity. Youth and young adults already have robust virtual lives: Why wouldn’t they feel completely at home with this format?
Virtual small-group study offers rich opportunities for intimacy.
It may seem counterintuitive, but feedback has shown that participants easily form strong bonds in virtual settings. When people meet in the comfort of their homes, it often can encourage more openness and vulnerability.
We’ve heard from participants who have been able to discuss such sensitive topics as substance abuse, sexual trauma, and grief in the context of their study. I’m not surprised by this, considering how online therapy has boomed since the pandemic. When people can experience one another’s facial reactions and other nonverbal cues, they can form connections quickly.
My invitation to you.
I’m proud that the Institute for Discipleship has taken the lead in offering this new way of experiencing small-group study, and I expect more initiatives will follow. God has always worked in wondrous and mysterious ways, so why wouldn’t that include technology? I invite you to let the Holy Spirit seep into your heart and open yourself up to these new possibilities.
To learn more about the app, please visit www.BeADiscipleApp.com. Currently, Disciple Fast Tracks 1 and 2 are available, and more short-term studies are on their way in the coming days.
Here are resources about Discipleship Ministries’ resources for small groups if you want to continue exploring how to build a culture of discipleship:
- “Essential Elements of a Small Group”
- How to Start Small Groups: Growing Larger by Acting Smaller (booklet)
- Online Discipleship (booklet)
- “United Methodist/Wesleyan Small-Group Resources”
Dr. Stephen K. Wilke is the executive director of the Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. He founded the institute in 2001 with his parents, Bishop Richard Wilke and Julia Wilke. To learn more, visit www.institutefordiscipleship.org. Dr. Wilke is committed to the global accessibility of Christian studies and courses; he can be reached by email at [email protected].
[1] Jeffrey M. Jones, “U.S. Church Membership Falls Below the Majority for the First Time,” Gallup (March 29, 2021), https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx.
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