As the head of the Spiritual Growth Council, as a lay person/volunteer at my home church years ago, I got into trouble. I got into trouble for asking folks to self-impose a 7-year jubilee as well as asking the entire church to study one thing all at the same time. I learned a lot about prayerfully staying the course while surfing pushback and the Lord blessed our socks off.

The 7-year jubilee asked the leaders to properly mentor, coach, then effectively hand-off from year 4 through 6 their area of leadership. Why? (1) to properly apprentice others in leadership, (2) to learn that leadership is stewardship, (3) to grow into other opportunities of service the church will need in the future, (4) to expect and anticipate spiritual growth. One success story came from a great adult class teacher who stepped away from his class in year 7 to begin playing guitar in the modern worship praise band. Another success story was a team of new, trained small group leaders ready to take on the multiple small groups necessary to intentionally offer spaces for new disciples.

The fruit of everyone taking the same study, to the exclusion of every other study for those 40 days, was incredible: (1) common language which became culture language, (2) no silos, (3) blended high school youth with adults in small groups (intentional multigenerational relationships), and (4) opened so many spaces for new folks since everyone was on the same page for the same period of time.

The new church plant I serve is taking the plunge and started the new year with Sunday morning small groups (Sunday school) with Dr. Kevin Watson’s The Class Meeting. As a new Global Methodist Church start, it’s the most Wesleyan thing we can do moving into the new year as a new church plant. I’m beyond excited!

The Class Meeting invites us to intentionally move to transformational small groups which are different from informational or affinity small groups for a season. I believe it’s a gift that will keep on giving to our new clergy leadership team who will begin serving at the same time, the community we serve, and disciples of Jesus jumping into the deep end of commitment to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The resources abound for adults through Seedbed (pdf of the book, the book, DVD of 8-10 minute cliff notes of each chapter by Dr. Kevin Watson, and even a live-streaming option). I had picked up several used copies from Thriftbooks.com to pass around early last summer. I had no idea how the Lord would use those copies to begin setting the table with leadership for this new adventure.

Other good YouTubes about The Class Meeting include https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcC2xzA3JGA and a conversation specific to youth ministry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39J8Ls-pufs 

The first wave of Class Meetings began the first Sunday in January and will finish the last weekend in February. Come the end of February, some groups may continue as class meetings at other times and other locations throughout the week opening the tables to even more new disciples outside the walls of the church and in the community as folks meet in homes (more intimate settings; deeper relationships) and businesses (witness boldly; be a good neighbor). Come that time our congregation will have learned common language with the new pastoral team leading the way. Come that time our high schoolers will have bravely stepped into the awkward of sharing their voices and questions in spaces and places which align with their heritage as they build a plane while it’s flying. Come that time the high school youth can choose to continue in the merged/multigenerational class, return to youth Sunday school, or begin a new high school youth class meeting with spaces to invite friends. Class meetings, affinity groups, study small groups, Sunday school. All-and.

We started last week. Two adult classes were already large, so invited their friends. Three adult classes graciously agreed to take any new adults looking for a small group while three other adult classes enthusiastically agreed to merge with three groups of high schoolers. Sunday small group attendance more than doubled in size among the eight resulting groups. Lots of questions yet a great deal of trust while stepping into the awkward. But frankly, we’ve already done the most awkward thing ever by following and trusting the leading of the Holy Spirit to do this new thing.

I covet your prayers and I’ll keep you posted. You can follow our journey at Facebook, Instagram, and on my personal Facebook and Instagram. To God be the glory, GREAT things He is doing among His people.

“Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word.” Psalm 119:17