‘BigSmall’

by Phil Stokes
The Japanese have a word  (Ōkina ko) that translates as ‘BigSmall’. It denotes that something that is both small and big at the same time. I love this word as for me it captures the essence of the gospel and of how our churches can practically start to think and function in their calling and mission.

A False Dilemma

So many leaders are wrestling with the challenge of how best to structure their communities; what vehicles to use in order to grow sustainably. Because of resources we are often forced into asking ‘how much should I focus on small groups or should I pour my best time and resources into our larger Sunday gatherings?’ I believe this question is a false dilemma.

The Four Relational Spaces

I’ve  come to understand BigSmall as about growing a holistic understanding of the four relational social spaces in which Jesus operated and in which we all experience our relationships; the intimate, private, social and public spaces that people inhabit. Our challenge as leaders is about discerning the best vehicles, rhythms, frequency and focus of these spaces as we seek to fulfil the mission of Jesus in our context.

It’s about how we integrate these four spaces to service one another as we grow healthy disciples. So often the vocabulary we use reveals where our emphases or bias lie. Small groups that exist simply as a vehicle to serve or ‘prop up’ our need for a larger gathering are undervalued and hamstrung from the start. The vocabulary we use to describe our small groups can give away how they don’t have intrinsic value but are rather being used to build and maintain a Sunday service seen as the ‘real’ measure of health and growth.

Restoring The Place Of The Home And Extended Family on Mission

Many are discovering that if we can avoid the trap of making small groups an optional ‘add on’ but rather to imbue them with intrinsic value as a core vehicle for mission and multiplication, investing personally and wisely into their leaders, then we can experience a harvest and the potential for multiplication. This is BigSmall. I believe that God is restoring the home, the ‘Oikos’ or extended family as the key vehicle of mission and church planting. Alan Hirsch points out that every seed has the potential to become a tree and that every tree has the potential to become a forest. This seed is the movemental potential of the gospel that is carried in every believer.

Have You Got A Church In You?

Are you on a missional journey or wrestling with finding the apropriate vehicles for mission and discipleship for this season?  We invite you to journey with others as we explore the big/small mindset. Come and share your vision of church and hear others explore BigSmall thinking together. Come all you seekers, wrestlers, pioneers and planters and let’s learn together. 

Click here to register for the BigSmall starting 28th April.