OVERBURDENED clergy should not allow Lent groups to squat toadlike on their souls, bringing only dread in expectation of the increased workload in the weeks before Easter. The groups can be interesting and challenging, providing something new and unfamiliar, and lasting long enough to offer an in-depth exploration of a theme or subject, but not so long that they become wearisome. Be bold, choose carefully, and aim to enjoy it as much as possible.
Points to consider
Traditional Lent groups start the week after Ash Wednesday, and take place in the evening. This may be best for your community — but don’t be afraid to break out of this mould. Mornings or afternoons are certainly better for an ageing congregation, who may be reluctant to go out in the dark and cold.
Unless your church building is super-warm and cosy, consider a different venue. A chilly atmosphere will certainly not encourage concentration, and it is harder to believe in the generosity and graciousness of God when one’s extremities are freezing than when one is somewhere warm and snug.
As well as general publicity, give personal invitations: these can be very powerful and will encourage the more timid among your community to risk taking part.
There is nothing wrong in hoping that people who are not used to church or those on the fringes will come to your Lent group, but don’t be discouraged if you see the same familiar faces. Regular churchgoers need teaching and encouraging, too. If you are lucky enough to get a good mix, the “old-timers” can offer support and experience, allowing those less familiar with the concept to observe and reflect rather than jump straight in.
Provide the best food and drink that you can afford. Lukewarm instant coffee and bendy biscuits will not send a message of love “’pressed down, shaken together, and running over”. It need not be much, but it should be good. Think carefully before offering alcohol: it can enable more relaxed conversation, but, while discussion is to be encouraged, argument is not.
Set ground rules and repeat them at the beginning of each session. Group dynamics are interesting and challenging. If you have been taught about them, try to put all you have learned into practice; if you haven’t, just remember not to let the noisy ones hog the space.
Usually, there will be at least one person in the group whom you find really tedious, or whose opinions are difficult. This is a fact: get over it. Everyone else will be feeling the same — possibly about you. So be gracious and patient.
Always, always, finish on time. It may seem brutal if the discussion is lively, but no one will thank you for getting to bed later than they bargained for.
Using your material
There is a tendency to treat the chosen Lent study book as a holy artefact, unable to be altered or changed. I remember one particularly chilling Lent that we spent crouched on hard plastic chairs set in a circle around a credence table on which a tape recorder had been solemnly placed, and to which we listened as intently as people awaiting news of rescue or relief from siege. Study guides are simply that: guides. They do not need to be taken too seriously. Sessions can be altered or skipped altogether; questions can be lingered over or dismissed. No writer should be so precious that their work cannot be adapted to suit the local environment; so feel free to change/moderate/discard. After all, you know your own people best.
Create your own course
You know your community best — the gaps in their knowledge; the aspects of faith and Christian living that they find most challenging; their areas of interest and expertise. Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, it can be very worth while to build your own scheme of study. You don’t have to be the only expert, or an expert at all; some of the most powerful learning takes place when all are learning together. Use the diocesan experts; ask cathedral clergy to come and speak; invite Christian writers. You will be surprised by how willing people are to speak to interested groups. There is always Zoom if they live too far away.
You might explore styles of prayer, so that, each week, participants have the chance to practise a way of praying that is unfamiliar to them, reporting back at the group meeting. Or try engaging with the spiritual disciplines, such as fasting, meditation, silence, or simplicity.
Share the task
Rather than always lead, try encouraging joint participation. For example, invite each member to bring a piece of art or music that has helped them in their spiritual journey. Or try holding a Lent book or film group.
The act of gathering might be problematic for some communities, in which case you might try installing Lenten prayer stations in church, so that individuals can engage with a topic or theme in their own time. This might entail a different station each week, or creating a prayer journey around the church.
Or get outside: go for a prayer walk each week, pausing at significant places to pray for your community.
You might give your congregation a small notebook and encourage them to start a gratitude journal, listing three things each day for which they are thankful.
Be kind, to yourself and others
Yes, Lent is a traditional time for reflection and self-examination, but too much harshness simply scars the soul. Forgive yourself, and others, if it is all beyond you: “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
The Revd Dr Sally Welch is the Vicar of the Kington Group in the diocese of Hereford.
Resources