In 2005, Cornerstone students were required to attend 40 chapels per semester. The number was reduced to 25 the next year, with 14 of those 25 credits available through small group attendance. This semester the chapel credit structure was changed again. Now, small group attendance can account for five of the 25 required chapel credits, and those five must be earned by attending 10 small group sessions.

Was it a good change? It depends on what you mean by good.

If your goal each semester is to go to the fewest chapels possible without getting fined, you probably don’t think it’s a good change. Now all of a sudden you can’t just go to small group and Evensong and call it a semester.

But is that really your goal? What if everyone’s goal was to meet with God in chapel together as a community? What if most people also were looking for intimate, meaningful, SMALL, small groups? Then wouldn’t this change encourage those two goals? Wouldn’t you count it a good thing?

Christine Mutch, dean of discipleship, was a major part of the discussion leading to the structure change. She said the intent behind it was twofold. The first reason centered on increasing attendance at morning chapels.

“Dr. Stowell’s vision is very much, as you’ve been aware, for the community to come together around the Word and worship of God,” Mutch said. “It’s been pretty feasible in the past if a person has been a part of a small group to go to that small group and Evensong and never go to a morning chapel at all.”

So in the group discussion between Mutch, Ed Dobson, senior vice president for Spiritual Formation, Chuck Swanson, dean of community life, and President Joe Stowell, the thought was that the students who only go to small group for chapel credit would have to start going to large community chapels instead.

The second objective, Mutch said, was to encourage the right kind of goals to be met in small group settings, instead of having them become a place to rack up points.

“You can imagine that [attitude] doesn’t really benefit the group dynamics and the goals and intent of even being in a small group together, which generally center around community building, and learning more about oneself and God,” said Mutch. “So if a person is just there as a warm body … or even just there a part of the time, they’re not really walking through life together.”

But what do the discipleship coordinators think about the change?

“The initial reactions have been very positive,” Mutch said. “No one went through the whole interview process to say, ‘I really want to lead a group so they can get chapel credit.’ That’s not really a high vision.”

Lauren Bronkema, a CU senior and third time discipleship coordinator, said she sees strengths in the new policy similar to the ones Mutch mentioned, but sees another side, too.

“It weeds out those people who aren’t as serious, but some of those people who aren’t as serious need small group the most,” Bronkema said. “They might need small group accountability or one-on-one time and might not go if it isn’t as readily available.”

Emma Rosauer, also a senior and returning DC, said she hopes the change will encourage people to join small groups because they want to grow together in the Lord, without thinking about chapel credit.

She also said a weakness might be that fewer people will join the groups.

“I would encourage all students to participate in a small group of some sort because it’s beneficial, not only to their spiritual walk but also to their involvement with a tight-knit fellowship community,” Rosauer said.

If you agree with that, you probably won’t mind the changes this year. If you don’t like it, maybe it’s time to reevaluate what you’re looking for out of small groups.