"Today people don't drop out of Church as much as drop in-occasionally! My hope is that little faith-sharing groups will continue to emerge, connected to parishes. The 'base community' and the institutional parish need one another. The parish needs the small fervent group to keep it hones, to allow and encourage those who want to ask the deeper questions, those who want to go further, those who want to learn to pray, to minister, to study, advocate and lay down their lives for the poor. And the small group needs the parish to avoid becoming sectarian, narrow, or lost in personality and trendiness. They must regulate, balance and challenge one another."(R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p.213)
I think I've always gravitated towards small groups. I went to a small liberal arts college with small class sizes. I've primarily pastored in a small church. I enjoy the banter and camaraderie of small reading and thinking groups. And yet I also know the need for the larger picture that those smaller groups make up.
At my current parish we don't have any intentional small groups, but they do exist in non-formal ways. There is always room for groups to form here, and when they do, they function for a time and run their course.
I have seen where small groups turn into factions, which of course is not healthy. They lose their original focus and become little fiefdoms vying for power in the church. Silly really. And of course they usually bring out a negative reaction from the establishment who feels something menacing, real or imagined.
I think most of life needs this kind of check and balance system to keep us from going to far afield or stagnating. Whether it be the church, our government, or sometimes even ourselves, it is always good to be striving for a counter balance in life.
Blessings,
Ed
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