At a time when many churches arguably shift away from Sunday evening emphases, North Anderson Baptist Church, Anderson, has enjoyed success with a small group focus designed to grow disciples.
“We were having about 60 or 70 people attend our Sunday evening worship, but we were not willing to give up on Sunday evening,” said pastor Bill Rigsby. “In two years, we have gone to more than 150 by focusing on Sunday evening small groups, including those for children and youth. And it’s not just about having classes. It’s about being intense and intentional in our approach to growing disciples.”
The church offers two 12-week semesters each year. Adults may choose from classes focusing on topics such as leadership; being a student of the Bible; finance; Men’s Fraternity; and a study, like those from author Beth Moore, targeted to women. Sanctuary Bible Study, targeted for senior adults, is taught by key lay leaders, and the subject matter typically draws an audience of mixed ages.
“Children’s ministry is the key at every point,” Rigsby said. “When we put a Sunday evening focus on the spiritual growth of children and youth, parents came with them.”
The focus on Sunday evening was a result of the church’s completion of Thy Kingdom Come, a church vision process once offered through the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
Rigsby said, “We still believe that Sunday school is one of our greatest means for growing disciples, but we also realized that we couldn’t be as intense as we wanted to be on Sunday morning. Also, we were not willing to give up the Wednesday evening missions focus for children and students.
“Through our Sunday evening small groups, we have found that we can be down to earth and build deeper relationships,” Rigsby said. “We want to move toward empowering people to grow disciples through one-on-one or even one-on-three mentoring relationships. We aren’t there yet, but we are moving that way with intentionality. The ladies of our church are doing a great job of getting to that point.” Rigsby is working with individual men on their spiritual journey, and “there is amazing change happening within the lives of people.”
“It’s a journey,” Rigsby said. “Some people aren’t ready for the intensity of some small group Bible and spiritual growth discussions. So we ease those people into the idea of small groups by offering classes around cooking, auto repair, or even discussing current events. That helps us build relationships, which leads to invitations to our more spiritually focused groups. Relationships are the key.”
John Dill, director of missions, Saluda Baptist Association, Anderson, and his wife Nancy are members of North Anderson Baptist, and he has a unique perspective on what is happening through the Sunday evening focus.
“Bill Rigsby is a great preacher and a great teacher,” Dill said. “So many pastors would be unwilling to give up their pulpit on a Sunday evening, but Bill has led our church to accept something new. The church has expressed a willingness to be risk-takers and to be creative in its approach to discipleship growth. It’s worked out very well; people are seeing the options, and they are seeing Bill’s excitement for them.” – SCBC