NOTE: The content below expresses the views of the individual named as the author and does not necessarily reflect the position of the WRF as a whole.
The Role of Small Group Ministry in Church Revitalization
The Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPB) is the third largest Presbyterian denomination in all of the Americas and the attached document deals with the important question: Why were some churches in this denomination challenged by a significant loss of members while others were experiencing ‘times of refreshing’ (Acts 3:20)?
Four specific growing congregations were chosen for analysis. They were situated in four different cities, one in the northern part of Brazil, three in the southwest, and they were using the same method, with their own adaptations. Each of them has experienced significant recent growth and the common thread among these churches was their implementation of strong programs of small group ministry.
Through their ministries, ordinary people were doing ordinary things with extraordinary results of radiating the universal priesthood of all believers, exercising a missional witness, and reaching out to a world in need.
The attached article examines the motives and the challenges these congregations experienced during the implementation of small group ministries, the positive and negative aspects of the process, the lessons learned and possible application for the revitalization of The Presbyterian Church of Brazil as a whole AND OTHER CONGREGATIONS AND DENOMINATIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
The WRF thanks Dr. Flip Buys, one of the authors of this paper, for making it available to us in pdf format.