Dear Friends,
In our recent survey concerning small faith sharing groups at Cabrini, around two-thirds of you said you were presently involved in some form of a small faith sharing group. Of those who are involved, eighty-six percent said they felt a sense of belonging in their small group. Seventy-five percent of those in small faith sharing groups feel like the group is a place where they can be vulnerable. Ninety percent of you said that the leadership in the small group was effective and trustworthy. And eighty-nine percent of you said your small group would support you during a time of need. Those are incredibly positive numbers indeed. That sense of belonging, a place to be vulnerable and a people who would support you in times of need are obvious signs of the reality of a true community taking place. That experience of community can be enormously powerful and can truly change people’s lives forever.
How do our numbers compare with the national study of churches that have small faith sharing groups in place? In that study, sixty-six percent said it was a place where they feel like they belong, fifty-one percent said their group is a place where they can be vulnerable, sixty-six percent had effective and trustworthy leadership, and sixty-eight percent said they would be supported by the group during a time of need. On the national study they broke it out into two groups of small faith sharing groups, those groups with effective leadership and those without. If the group had effective leadership, then each of those percentages were raised. Either way, our percentages were above the national responses.
When asked why they most recently chose to participate in a small faith sharing group, parishioners listed the following six as their top reasons: 1. To develop a deeper Christian faith, 2. To experience community, 3. To have a place where I could speak openly about my faith and beliefs, 4. To build new friendships, 5. To learn to practically live out my faith better, 6. To learn more about Christ.
Our answers in this area were remarkably like the national study. These were their top six (they came from people of all different church backgrounds): 1. I wanted to learn more about Christ, 2. I wanted to learn more about scripture, 3. I wanted to develop deeper expressions of my faith, 4. I wanted to get more involved with my church, 5. I needed something more than just Sunday worship, 6. I longed for a community where I could speak openly about my spiritual beliefs.
When asked how they have grown as a result of being in a small faith sharing group, parishioners gave the top six answers: 1. My relationship with Jesus is deeper and more meaningful, 2. I feel more committed to my faith, 3. I enjoy church more, 4. I am more equipped to live a faithful life, 5. I am more equipped to share my faith with others, 6. I have experienced powerful prayer.
Small faith sharing groups happen at Cabrini in a number of places: Alpha, Bible Studies, and Cabrini Communities being the most obvious. They are especially important when it comes to helping people grow in their faith life and be better disciples of Jesus. The results of this survey confirm that.
I wish there were some ways we could inspire others to join our parishioners who are already seeing such profound benefits in their lives. We did not ask in our survey why people did not join a small group, but we do have that information from the Barna National survey. Generally, they found that there is warmth toward small groups even among those who do not participate in them. The top two reasons that people do not join is because they choose not to be more involved in their church and they do not feel that they have time to commit to the group. Other reasons were things like fearing not fitting in or not knowing anyone already in a small group.
If you are feeling a nudge about joining a Cabrini Community, then the time to speak is now. We start a new season in March. Let us know soon if you would like to be in a group and we will collaborate with you to make that happen.
Peace,
Fr. Damian