The Wikipedia definition of a Team :

A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.

A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team. Teams normally have members with complementary skills and generate synergy through a coordinated effort which allows each member to maximize his or her strengths and minimize his or her weaknesses.

If you leave out the part about the animals, that’s a great definition of a small group!  A healthy small group is not just a collection of people, it has a vision and a purpose!  The purpose of every healthy small group will in some way be related to the Great Commission and the two Great Commandments, but the details will differ from group to group.  And, because God has designed the Body of Christ so that we all need each other, a small group can only fulfil its purpose as each person plays his or her part.

For small group leaders – here are some really good questions to ask your small group :

• What is our vision and purpose?
• Are we a team?
• If we aren’t currently functioning as a team, what can we do about it?
• If we are already functioning as a team to some extent, how can we improve?