Joe and Lil's story could be repeated many times, just different names and details. In less than three years the Landmark congregation has more than doubled and now averages over 700 people each Sunday morning. A key ingredient in this growth has been our small group ministry. In fact, not only have these groups been a big part of causing this growth, they have been the only way we could have effectively handled such growth. I can look back over a list of new members over the last three years and 90% of them are active in Life Group.

This effectiveness should not surprise us. What happened in the first century when the church grew overnight from a small group band of disciples into the thousands? They met all over Jerusalem in house churches, took care of each other, and reached out to their lost friends. I believe the Acts 5:42 model is still effective today -- "day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching, and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ." For a people who claim to be restorationist this truly serves as a great pattern for the church to follow today!

I am convinced that there may be a greater need for small groups today than in any time in history. Many of us have witnessed the break down of the family. Only a couple of generations ago most American family members all lived close to one another on the family farm. Children were raised in an environment with the support of two parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. That day doesn't exist for most of us any longer. My generation grew up in what I call the day of the great neighborhood. All of my friend's mothers and my mother worked in the home and would meet for coffee almost every morning. We celebrated most major holidays as a neighborhood. Most of us today don't even know the names of our neighbors. In fact, one in five Americans move each year. We can yearn for the good ole' days and bemoan what has happened or we can see this as the greatest opportunity in generations for the church to grow. If the church can once again be the place where relationships can be formed and support can be found, I believe we could once again see an explosion of growth like in the first century. Let me share with you four keys to having an evangelistic small group ministry:

The key to small group ministry is leadership. Some groups will fail while others will succeed all depending on leadership. At Landmark we train our leaders to start their groups with the goal for the group to multiply (you notice I didn't use the word split!) into two groups. This must be said at the very first group meeting, "We look forward to being together and growing closer to each other, but we must always keep our mission in mind to reach people for Christ. Our goal is to grow to the point where we can have two groups and do it all over again." It is a thrill each time I can announce to the church about another group multiplying and making room for more lost people. Your leaders must share this vision.

Most of the people we lead to the Lord first come to our assembly and then to our Life Groups. In today's culture it seems they prefer to first enjoy the anonymity of a large assembly. That is, if it is enjoyable. Our assemblies must have an atmosphere of a positive celebration of God's grace in our lives, not a funeral procession. I believe the assembly must be positive, practical, and powerful. It must touch people and give them something to hold on to during the coming week. Our people love to bring their friends, and our Life Group leaders love to invite those friends to a group that night. We train our Life Group leaders to look at Sunday morning as their "fishing time." Our groups are what is called pulpit-based groups. In other words, whatever I preach about Sunday morning is what they will discuss (not critique!) and apply Sunday night. This allows us to invite all of our guests during the assembly to attend a Life Group that night. At the beginning or end of the sermon I will say, "If you would like to discuss this further and see what it would mean to your life, attend one of our Life Groups listed on the back side of your sermon outline." When I call our guests on Sunday afternoon, it is not unusual for them to share with me that they were invited to four or five Life Groups that morning! I don't have to tell you the kind of impact that has on a visitor.

When our guests come to a Life Group, we want them to experience the love of Christ in action. We want them to see how Christians rejoice together and weep together. I have found if they can see real Christians with real problems confessing and supporting each other, their hearts will begin to open up to the gospel. They have seen enough of superficial, fake Christianity. When they see that we too have problems they begin to think, "I could be a part of a church like this." Our lessons are not directed primarily toward a non-Christian as in what we used to call evangelistic Bible studies. Jesus said that love was our greatest evangelistic tool. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

As our guest experience the love of God's people, see that God's word works in their life, and find a place where they can be open about their struggles, their hearts become open to the gospel. Often they simply say, "I love this church. I've never been anywhere like this. How do I become a member?" That opens the door for us to sit down with them and share the simple gospel story of Jesus's death, burial, and resurection and how we accept it in our lives. A trusting relationship has already been built and the sharing of the gospel is just an outgrowth of that friendship. I have witnessed dozens come to Christ this way over the past few years. After they become Christians, they automatically have a support group of Christian friends to help them grow in the Lord. I believe it worked this way in the first century and it still works the same way in the 20th century.

Just a few years ago Landmark was a typical church will all the normal reservations about small groups. Today we make it plain to all our members and guests that we are a small group church. Not simply a church that does small groups, but a small group church. This is our chosen method of ministry. We believe that small groups are the most effective way to grow a church because they are Biblical and relational. Our Life Groups have been so widely and enthusiastically received that we no longer have to provide an alternative at the building on Sunday nights. Our Sunday night attendance is almost 50% higher in groups than when we periodically meet at the building. One of our members recently said to me, "Life Groups are the lifeline of this church." I would agree and add, "They are also our lifeline to the lost." Just ask Joe and Lil Martin.