In a big old house on embassy row in Washington, D.C., you’ll find the Church of the Saviour, a small Presbyterian church that has been written up in many magazines and several books.

They wouldn’t claim to be perfect, but they sure do a lot of things right. So far, they’ve split off eight new congregations in order to remain small. And aspiring members must wait up to two years before acceptance–including 55 weeks of classes! Before Constantine, converts often had quite a wait before they could join a church, but in this era, Church of the Saviour stands out like a plaid pig.

Their secret of success is that nobody can join without also joining one of their mission groups (of about four to eight people). Even the minister, Gordon Cosby, belongs to one.

Each group has a double focus. First, it has a task. Groups form when someone feels led to undertake a mission (like starting a counseling hotline) or shoulder a responsibility (like maintaining the church facility). He or she issues a call for other members to join in the new task; if enough respond, the group begins. That’s the outward focus.

Second, the group meets once a week to compare notes. Everyone keeps a spiritual journal. They share their personal progress and problems, and support each other. That’s the inward focus.

Laminating the inward and outward is very, very smart. It enables them to avoid extremes: the hollowness of a works-oriented group and the self-centered introspection of a talk group.

Now, any healthy church will eventually help its members find a ministry and achieve inner growth. But Church of the Saviour, by requiring you to find a fellowship-ministry upon joining, has got it down to a fine art. If a layman is someone not in ministry, then it’s fair to say they have no laymen.

(By the way, what does your church require of its members? Anything at all? Or is it content to have many who are just spectators? Think about it.)