One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that a lot of great ministry happens around the edges.  For instance, when I was a young minister I thought that small groups were all about the format and the curriculum.  I eventually began to realize that the fellowship, love and sharing of lives that were occurring before and after the meeting were often more important than anything that happened during the “study” portion.  They same thing can be said for church services themselves.  I used to think that the big thing was the worship and the preaching.  Those are certainly important elements to be sure but a lot of priceless ministry happens when people are serving together before the service or hanging out together afterward.

When you finally start to realize that God wants to use every bit of time His people have together, it will change how you look at gatherings AND how you schedule them.  For instance, with small groups, I started intentionally shortening things so that I was sure we’d have more “edge time.”  I guess I’m saying that we should always be sure to give God space to move around our programs as well as through them.