I recently surveyed more than 1,000 small-group leaders and Sunday-school teachers, asking them what helps their groups to grow. In my first two articles (http://www.smallgroupministry.com/dbUpdate.asp?Type=Article&ID=755 and http://www.smallgroupministry.com/dbUpdate.asp?Type=Article&ID=787), we discussed factors that mattered very little (less than 10% difference between groups that were growing and those that weren’t) and factors that mattered some (between 11% and 100% difference).

In my last entry (http://www.smallgroupministry.com/dbUpdate.asp?Type=Article&ID=795) we looked at three of the four factors that really do matter – factors that increase the likelihood of growth 2-3 times. Today we’re going to look at the fourth factor, and the most important one so far.

So, what’s the one quality that trumps everything we’ve talked about so far? What’s more important than teaching skill, how many people are involved, visitation, giving Friday nights to Jesus, organizational ability, or anything else?

Spiritual vibrancy.

As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Spiritual vibrancy trumps just about everything else.

What I mean by spiritual vibrancy is captured pretty early on in the Bible: “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). People who are spiritually vibrant are passionate. They’re on fire. They’re literally on a mission from God, and it shows.

Jesus said this would be true. A verse I’ve been meditating on and re-memorizing lately (because you have to re-memorize after 50!) is: "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NIV)

If you remain in Christ you will bear much fruit. You can take it to the bank. That is God's promise.

What causes what?

One of the issues with statistics is that they can’t prove cause, they can only prove that two things occur together. You can never be sure which one caused the other. Does spiritual vibrancy cause growth, or does growth cause spiritual vibrancy? We can't be sure. We do know they occur together. Spiritually vibrant people are far more likely to grow groups and people who in growing groups are far more likely to be spiritually vibrant.

It is a loop, what some have called a self-reinforcing cycle. Spiritually vibrant people attract people. They joy of the Lord is their strength. People who have great joy in God have great energy for God and accomplish great things for God. There is a certain winsomeness about spiritually vibrant people.

Spiritually vibrant people have the blessing of God on them. It’s not about practical strategies and methods, it’s about the blessing and power of God. Ultimately, it’s about caring about God's work. And although there’s no indication that God blesses lousy methods, there’s plenty of indication that God is less likely to bless the spiritually lukewarm.

Spiritually vibrant people love living the Christian life. They love prayer and Bible reading and study and memorization and meditation. They love serving the Lord. They know their spiritual gifts and are ministering near the sweet spot of their giftedness. They normally start the day with the Bible on the laps.

For all these reasons, spiritual vibrancy produces growth.

The reverse is also true.

Growth causes spiritual vibrancy

Jesus promised a special sense of His presence to those who engage with him in the Great Commission. There is nothing like the thrill of the work. There is nothing like getting involved in the work of the ministry near the sweet spot of your giftedness.

This perspective is very different from the perspective of some that seem to think that the ultimate in life at its best is leisure, pleasure, or relaxation.

John Piper quotes a Reader's Digest article that begins something like this: Bob and Penny took early retirement from their jobs in the North East five years ago. She was 59 and he was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, Where they cruise on their 30-foot trawler, play softball and collect shells.

Is anyone besides me bored just reading about this? Give me a mountain to climb (metaphorically speaking!), a race to run, a task to accomplish! That is exactly what God gives us. Paul admonished us to live such a life, and set an example for us to follow: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly, I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NIV). Sounds like spiritual vibrancy to me.

But just as physical vibrancy is not achieved through diet alone, spiritual vibrancy is not obtained only through proper spiritual nutrition. You also need to exercise. Serving God isn’t just a necessary part of the Christian life because God needs servants. It’s necessary because we need to serve. Serving is part of how we live a spiritually vibrant life.

Spiritual vibrancy and effective service go together. They reinforce each other in a wonderful cycle. Spiritual vibrant people have great energy from God. And the thrill of the work feeds the vibrancy of their relationship with God.

This puts to rest a common myth. You sometimes here people say, "We are not growing numerically, but we are growing spiritually. We are going deep with God." This is rarely the case. People who go deep with God are following God what God is doing. God is moving, and he promises to be with us in a special way as we engage in the Great Commission with Him.

I want to be in that number.

Next time: What matters most of all.

Josh Hunt is passionate about small groups. He encourages small-group leaders through online lessons, books, and live conferences. He is the author of You Can Double Your Group in Two Years or Less (Group) and Disciple-Making Teachers (with Larry Mays, also Group).