Do Community Groups Work for Families?

[brightlights]

I think that Community Groups/Small Groups/Home Groups/Connect Groups/Missional Communities (whatever terminology we want to use) are very useful for young people, single people, young married people, and even empty nesters or widows. They provide a great sense of community, opportunity to build relationships, and other things.

But I'm less and less convinced that they really work for families. By "families" I mean married folks with kids living in their house.

If you're in a family like this, do Community Groups work for you? Do you agree or disagree? Please explain.

**I'm not exactly sure where to put this. I've opted to place it in GT so that it gets more traffic than an obscure sub-forum like "Ecclesiology". I think it is appropriate here because this is a theological issue in the sense of practical theology and there isn't really a forum for discussing how we do church. If mods see a need to move this then so be it.**

 

[~Anastasia~]

It depends a lot on the dynamics.

The simplest one I was involved in, that did work well, was a large group of women, most with children, who met weekly during the day. There was always a place for the children to play (on the level of a protected playground, because of the numbers) with several teens to assist and at least one adult volunteering to oversee them.


If you mean families with all members, then you have more scheduling to work around. In the evening it's pretty much sure to disrupt the meal, so everyone usually needs to bring a prepared dish so everyone can eat. And if you want to be educational for both children AND adults, you need to separate them, usually, or else have good plans and meet less often, because there's less that can usually benefit all on the same level.

I guess that brings up the question, are we talking educational in some sense? Community/fellowship only?

Community/fellowship can work too, within certain limits. Again, you have to separate ages or else have something that appeals to all, which means better planning and less frequent opportunities.

Or I've also been to one that had varying kinds of things in about 2-4 hour blocks, from potlucks to ice cream socials, to crafts, to sing alongs, games, movies, horeseback riding, swimming, sports, or some combination (especially around holidays), and a weekend camp a few times a year that allowed for a variety of activities.

It depends on what you are looking for?

It can work, but there are challenges.