“One of the things that sets apart a healthy Sunday School or small group ministry from a struggling one is a commitment to care for every person” (Shepherd: Creating a Caring Community, p.7). Words create worlds, someone has said. Because that is true, we must be careful what we call the members of our Bible study groups.

The lack of caring for people has been the undoing of many groups. When people are absent, and sometimes absent for many weeks in a row, the mindset of the group leader or group members could be, “Well, they’ll be back when they come back…they know when and where we meet.” In this scenario, the group expects the individual to re-assimilate themselves into group life. This kind of group believes it is the absentee person’s obligation to return because the group views the commitment as being from the person to the group.

In a caring community of believers, though, the opposite is true. This kind of group views the obligation as being from the group to the absentee member. And that’s where words create worlds. Let me explain.

In the first example, the group members expect a lot of loyalty from the absentee group member. They expect that person to find their way back to the group. This happens in groups all over the country – big ones, and small ones. Here’s where verbiage matters: in those kinds of groups, the roster of people is often called a class list.

In a caring community, however, the verbiage intentionally changes. It is no longer called a class list, but instead it is referred to as a ministry list. That simple change makes all the difference. Here is what the authors of Shepherd: Creating a Caring Community said about this:

“Perhaps the first step a group must take to signal that it wants to create caring community is to change what it calls the roster of people who are members of the group. If it’s just a Bible study group that meets once a week, the people who have enrolled are put on a Class Roll …In a caring community, they are added to a Ministry List. What’s the difference? A Class Roll connotes that the primary commitment is from Member to Class. That is, the member has made a commitment to attend the class. A Ministry List, on the other hand, connotes that the primary commitment is from Class/Community to the Member” (p.8).

The word “ministry” in front of “list” can make all the difference in mobilizing your group to serve its absentees – every group will have them! Perhaps this week is the right time for you to talk about this with your Bible study group, change the terminology, and watch the group view people differently going forward. People have real needs. People have real issues that prevent them from attending our groups. Let’s commit to see them as people who need ministry, and not just as names on a list. Who should you reach out to before your group meets next?