David Kennard

David Kennard is a pastor from Riverside Community Church. One of the main ways he serves in the church is running the small groups. Since it is a fairly large church, small groups are important because it keeps people accountable, and also creates fellowship among believers. I did not realize the different kinds of small groups there are and the importance of each kind. 

The traditional small groups meet and have a discussion about what the pastor preached upon. The free market small groups gather and allow people from the community and congregation to choose the group that best describes their interests. 

In this particular church, there are 20 adult groups, 3 ministry groups, a students group, and four children's groups. There are a total of 545 people involved in these groups, and out of the entire congregation, 80% are involved in small groups. 

One of the things he said that caught my attention was that they "do life together." This is a cool concept because it captures the idea of not simply going to church together, but really living together - dealing with all of life's ups and downs with people who really care about you. In a large church, it is easy to feel that you are just one in a crowd, but small groups really help to foster the environment that people truly care about you.