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BONUS: Answering Your Small Group Questions — Question 4 — Doesn’t the semester-based system keep people from forming meaningful relationships?
Thanks to the great response we received from this week’s small group posts, we decided to give you one more Q&A. Think of it as a Saturday bonus!
Question #4: I like the idea of semester-based small groups that meet for 10-12 weeks and then end. But doesn’t that keep deep and meaningful relationships from forming? Doesn’t the group end just as people are really getting to know each other?
This is one of the most common questions about the semester-based small group system. But it is based on fundamentally flawed information. Here’s the deal:
Most church leaders assume that, if involved in a “standard” 18-24 month small group system, 10-12 people will sign up, love being together and become intimate friends. But that’s not what really happens…
In reality, some people will click and others won’t. If the group extends beyond 12 weeks, those who haven’t really clicked start looking for ways to get out. Their attendance gets spotty. And even those who do form strong friendships begin to get bored before that year and a half to two years is up.
The goal of the semester-based group is not to encourage intimate relationships, but to create a safe, healthy environment through which basic friendships can form. Those meaningful relationships that start during the semester will continue to grow naturally outside the group after it ends.
We would all be much better off if we stopped promising (and then trying to force) intimate relationships within our small groups. It’s a promise we can’t deliver on. What we can and should deliver is a safe, healthy social environment where people can meet other like-minded people so that relationships can develop naturally.
This truth takes a lot of pressure off of small group leaders. Too often, leaders feel like failures when the people in their groups don’t become great friends.
One side note – if you are like us, you are constantly trying to get unchurched men to sign up for small groups. Realize that these guys aren’t consciously looking for “intimate” relationships, But they would like to have a place where they can meet some other cool people, learn something new and explore what it means to know God more deeply. If you stop talking about the amazing, intimate relationships that will form in small groups, you just might stop scaring them off!
To learn more about implementing a Small Groups System that works, read back through this week’s blog posts and check out Activate: An Entirely New Approach To Small Groups.
Enjoy your Saturday!
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Answering Your Small Group Questions — Question 3 — How can we double our number of groups by next semester?
This is Kerrick Thomas with our final small groups question of the week. I hope that what we’ve been discussing has impacted you in a way that will translate into more effective small groups for your church. If you missed any of this week’s blog entries make sure to scroll down and check them out!
Question #3: We need twice as many small groups next semester if we want everyone in our church to be able to join. What’s the best way to double our number of groups?
There’s a common misconception around this question. Many pastors think that the way to increase their number of groups is to split/divide existing groups. It’s not! People hate group splits and they seldom work in the long run.
The key to quickly producing more small groups is to multiply small group leaders. How? By identifying them in current groups and raising them up to take on the responsibility of leadership.
At The Journey, we have learned how to raise up new leaders through lots of experience. New York is a transient city. People are always moving in and out, which poses a leader problem for us. In 2007, we lost over 60 strong small group leaders to moves. Can you imagine losing 60 leaders in a year? Needless to say, we have had to learn how to be continually raising up new leaders.
Here are some of the principles we live by:
1 – Don’t set the leadership bar higher than it should be. Our small group leaders aren’t required to be Bible scholars, counselors or have the gift of teaching. We simply ask that our leaders love God and people, and that they understand how to facilitate discussion. We let the curriculum be the teacher and give every leader the freedom to say “I don’t know.” If you keep your expectations for your small group leaders at a manageable level, you’ll have many more potential leaders to choose from.
2 – Make sure every group has a “Coordinator.” Create an official position within each small group where someone who would make a good leader serves as the current leader’s assistant/apprentice. The coordinator can get experience by leading one or two discussions during the semester and being involved in the details of running a group. By the next semester, he will be ready to lead a group on his own… with a coordinator.
3 – Keep current leaders on the lookout. At the beginning of each semester, let all of your current leaders know that you want them to be on the lookout for those in their groups who may make good leaders in the future.
Just over half way through each semester (6-8 weeks in), contact all of your leaders and coordinators. Ask them directly 1) if they plan on leading the next semester and 2) who in their group would make a good leader.
4 – Make the BIG ASK. When you ask potential small group leaders to lead for the first time, don’t ask apologetically or tentatively. You are giving them the opportunity of a lifetime; you are challenging them to take a bold step of spiritual growth – one that is important for them personally and for your church collectively. Approach potential leaders with confidence!
If this week’s posts have helped you turn some needed attention to your small groups system, let me encourage you to keep the learning going! Check out my and Nelson’s new book, Activate: An Entirely New Approach To Small Groups. I promise that you will find tons of information that will help you create an extremely effective, life-changing, God-honoring small groups system - one that includes every single person in your church!Have a great weekend!
Kerrick
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Answering Your Small Group Questions — Question 2 — What if a group doesn’t get enough sign ups?
Kerrick Thomas here again. Today, I’m continuing to answer the most common questions Nelson and I get about small groups. In addition to being the Executive Pastor of The Journey and co-author of Launch and Activate, I handled small groups at The Journey until not too long ago. Even though we’ve now passed that responsibility on to a Small Groups Pastor, I still take an active interest in making sure that we run and share a Small Groups System that works!
This week’s posts are my attempt to help you take your groups to the next level. If you missed Question #1 (What about childcare?), make sure you look back to Monday’s post. Here’s Question #2…
Question #2: What if a small group doesn’t get enough sign ups? We have a few small groups where just a handful of people signed up and I’m afraid the groups aren’t going to make it. What should we do?
When you do semester-based small groups, where people get to join the group of their choice every semester, you will inevitably have some groups that don’t get a lot of sign ups. But it’s not the end of the world.
The first step you should take is to figure out why the group has not filled up. Then, you’ll have a better idea how to correct the situation.
Here are three of the most common reasons groups get low sign ups and what you can do to turn things around:
Reason 1: Inconvenient Time or Location and/or Poor Topic Choice – Is the time or area of the meeting not convenient to the majority of your people? Is the book to be studied not something that’s resonating with your culture? These concerns pop out about a few groups every semester.
Solution 1: If you catch this issue early enough, you can make some necessary changes. Ask the group leader to move the meeting location to a more convenient place, choose a better time or reconsider the book to be studied. If it’s necessary, you can even postpone the start of that new and improved group for a few weeks to give more people a chance to sign up.
Sometimes if two groups have low sign ups and they are planning to meet on the same day or are geographically close to one another, you can combine the two groups to make one good sized group.
Reason 2: Lack of Leader Promotion – Has the leader been personally inviting people to join? Has she been volunteering to work the groups information table at the weekend service? Sometimes the problem is connected to a leader who hasn’t done a good job of promoting his or her own group.
Solution 2: Encourage the leader to start taking steps to promote the group. He can ask his friends to sign up, reach out to others in the church that he knows, or serve on a Sunday to help get word about his group.
Reason 3: Flawed Sign Up System – Are people having a hard time figuring out how to sign up for a group? If you are seeing low sign ups in several of your groups, there could be a system problem.Solution 3: Take a hard look at the structure and implementation of your Small Groups System. Read Activate: An Entirely New Approach To Small Groups again! We’ve put a system in place that can help ensure the success of your groups.
Unfortunately, sometimes there is no solution when a group’s sign ups are falling short. There are times when you just need to call it off. The most important thing in this scenario is to keep the leader encouraged. Let him know that these things happen and it is not a reflection on him. If you think the leader has potential, encourage him to try again next semester.
Check back tomorrow for the answer to another small groups question! I bet it’s one you have asked yourself…
Kerrick
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Where There’s Slack There’s Lack - Part 4 of 8
SYSTEM #4: THE SMALL GROUPS SYSTEM
Welcome back to our weekly Wednesday blog series, “Where There’s Slack There’s Lack.” If you’ve been keeping up with these posts each week, I trust that your church systems are beginning to undergo positive transformation. Hopefully, you’ve pinpointed some areas that have suffered because of slack and started turning that lack around!
Today, we are going to keep with this week’s small groups theme here on the blog by talking about The Small Groups System. This is the system that asks, “How do we fill and reproduce small groups at our church?”
A lot of pastors I talk with have a hard time believing that it’s possible to get 100% of their attenders involved in a small group. But it is possible! The Journey is a perfect example…
Since we started our small groups system almost five years ago, we have averaged over 100% participation each and every semester. How? By implementing a strong system that specifically answers the question I just mentioned about filling and reproducing groups.
Think about your Small Groups System for a minute. How are things going? Are you doing your part and seeing God’s blessing? Or have you been slacking off and experiencing lack? To take the pulse of this system in your church, ask yourself these questions:
- How many of your regular attenders are actively involved in a small group?
- Are you competing against your own groups by offering too many other activities?
- How many passionate group leaders do you have?
- Are you and your staff all involved in a small group?
If you have a weak Small Groups System, you will see problems in many of your other systems as well. But a strong Groups System will help you solve leadership, pastoral care, volunteer, and hospitality issues across the board.
Can you guess what the challenge is for this week? You got it – to spend some time taking a hard look at your Small Groups System. Be honest about the level of excitement in your church over small groups. Be honest about your participation numbers. Sketch out some ideas about what you can do to improve your system next semester.
To get the ideas flowing and to help you put a strong plan in place if you don’t have one, let me encourage you to take a look at my new book, Activate: An Entirely New Approach To Small Groups.
Make this your mantra for the week: In my Small Groups System, slack = lack, but
Effort = Excellence!
Nelson
P.S. – If you haven’t already, make sure you download the free Church Systems Report, to learn more about the eight church systems and how they work together to keep your church healthy and growing.
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Answering Your Small Group Questions - Question #1 - What About Childcare?
Hi Everyone. Kerrick Thomas here. I’m the Exeuctive Pastor at The Journey Church and Co-Author of Launch and Activate with Nelson. Today, Thursday and Friday, I’m going to be answering some of the most common questions we get about small groups. Tomorrow (Wednesday), Nelson will be back with the weekly Slack = Lack post, which will be centered on the Small Groups System. Lots to learn about small
groups this week! Let’s dive in:Question #1: What do you do about childcare for small groups?
When it comes to small groups, you should stay out of the childcare business, no matter how much pressure you get to take on the responsibility. Believe me when I tell you that, if you don’t make this decision on the front end, childcare will become a growth barrier and logistical nightmare as your number of small groups grows.
The best solution is to empower each small group to be responsible for its own childcare needs. Be prepared to give your groups some creative and workable options:
1 – Have everyone in the group who has children pitch in financially to hire a baby sitter or two every week. When all of the parents give a little the cost is surprisingly minimal.
2 – Set up a rotation where a different couple in the group baby sits the children each week. Make sure no one has to baby sit more that once or twice during the semester.
3 – Challenge every couple with children to find a solution before coming to group (baby sitter, relative, etc.). After all, they have to find childcare when they go out on a date or have a work function. Most parents have several childcare options.
4 – Create a child-friendly group where parents are encouraged to bring their children. This works best with moms’ groups who meet during the day and plan their group around activities for the children.
These are just a few of the many options available to you. The big point is: Don’t get roped into providing the childcare solutions for your groups. Let the groups come up with creative solutions themselves, with some helpful input from you.
Take a few minutes to brainstorm other potential childcare options. What have you seen work? What would you like to try? Get some other people involved in this conversation and see where it leads.
Kerrick
P.S. If you want to dig deeper into what it takes to have successful groups, make sure you check out the new book Nelson and I just released, Activate: An Entirely New Approach To Small Groups.
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Activate Hits Bookstores!
My latest book (co-authored with Kerrick) hits bookstores today! I’m very excited about this new book on small groups. The book has been available on-line for a few weeks and is doing great. In fact, I still think Amazon.com is the best place to purchase the book.
The goal of the book is to help you build a small groups system that motivates 100% Adult
Participation. We’ve been using these principles here in NYC for the last 6 years and regularly see 110% of our adults in small groups. In addition, I’ve seen similar results with several dozen churches that I have coached through the same process.Kerrick and I hope you find this book helpful and beneficial (especially for those of you who have struggled with groups in the past).
And if you’ve already read the book, I hope you’ll post a review on Amazon.com (they really do make a difference).
Your friend,
Nelson
P.S. If you have small group questions, use the Ask Nelson button on the right - I plan to answer a ton of small group questions in the blog shortly.
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Summer Small Groups - Are They Worth It?
This week, our summer growth groups kick-off at The Journey. So far, over 90% of our adults are in a summer group. We should settle in at around 105% participation this summer - a lot of people will wait until this week to join a group. (Our goal is always 100% of our adults in a small group . . . measured against weekend attendance).
For the next few days, you can see an example of how we do online sign-ups for groups by click here (I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t fill out the form, but feel free to steal anything you like).One of the big questions we get about our semester-based small groups system has to do with summer groups. A lot of people question whether summer groups are necessary at all.
I know where this thinking comes from… Summer groups are usually ‘flat’ in attendance compared with the spring and fall semesters. In fact, we’ve thought long and hard about skipping a summer semester but each year we continue to push summer groups.
Here’s why we keep doing summer groups:
- Summer allows for a lot of creative groups that will attract new people (bible studies in the park, fitness groups, bring your kids groups, bbq/cook out groups, etc.)
- Summer is the perfect time for new group leaders to get their feet wet (this summer almost 50% of our group leaders are new!)
- Summer is a great time for returning group leaders to take some time off. We ‘force’ our group leaders to take one semester off a year to prevent burnout. I’d rather them take the summer off since the spring and fall are the times when we need as many groups as possible.
- Summer is a great time for many people to join a group who otherwise have busy fall/spring schedules
- Spiritual growth shouldn’t stop just because it’s hot outside
Hope this helps answer your question about summer groups. If you have more questions just use the Ask Nelson button on the right or post them below. I’ll answer as many as possible.
Nelson
P.S. For more on the complete Groups system we use to attract 100% of our adult attendance to groups, check out my brand new book Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups.
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