As our theme this month is on Care Groups, I thought I'd pull out this memo on what I see as one of the most serious obstacles to running an effective small groups program...



Small groups are sometimes promoted as a magic bullet for church growth. And they do have great potential. A quick survey of the top 10 fastest growing churches in the world, and the top 10 largest churches in the world show they have one thing in common: they all give heavy emphasis to small groups. Plus, the book of Acts clearly indicates homes were one of the primary places evangelism happened in the early church (Acts 5:42And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ., Acts 20:20And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,). If it worked in New Testament times, and it works today, it will work in my church too--right?

Not necessarily. Not every church that tries small groups has great results. In the church I pastored, we gave small groups a serious, sustained effort, but only had limited success. Most of our growth came through other systems we had built up. Many times it felt like trying to push an impossibly large boulder uphill. It left me wondering, more than once, what makes small groups so hard?

After a fair bit of analysis, I came to the conclusion that the problem, in at least some cases, is the place we give small groups in our church structure.

A Peripheral Program

You see, most churches wanting to introduce small groups already have an established program with lots of active ministries. If someone wants to give small groups a try, they can usually get permission--and then proceed to get a group or two started. This small group ministry then becomes just one more program among many. It is another "extension" added on to the periphery of the existing church structure.

It's tough to make this approach work, however. Our active members are already involved in other ministries--and all the committees and planning sessions that go with it. To add one night a week for small groups, to their already busy church schedule, especially when they have a full-time job and family, can be asking a lot. And because they are already involved in another ministry "option", they may not feel any need to get involved with anything more. And if they do happen to join a small group, it can lead to a situation where there are divided loyalties!

And of course, if you can't get your leaders to buy in, it's not likely to spread through the rest of the congregation!

To create a vibrant small group ministry in an already crowded environment like this, is an extraordinarily difficult challenge...

The Organizing Principle

The other option is to make small groups the "foundation" of church ministry. In churches that run small groups successfully, this is the consistent pattern. And it certainly seems to be the role small groups played in the early church. It wasn't peripheral, it was central.

In other words, small groups need to become the organizing principle around which the entire church is structured. Rather than small groups being one ministry among many, the ministries of the church become projects of one small group or another. Each small group organizes its own outreach activities, events, and programs. Each small group becomes a ministry team. The ministries of the church are funneled through the small groups.

It's a radically different approach.

But it has some surprise benefits. Because each ministry becomes the "project" of some small group, it becomes easier to launch new ministries (or terminate ministries that are no longer working). You simply organize a team around the new ministry idea, and redeploy workers as needed. Gone are the days of running a lecture, or concert, or cooking school with no follow-up in place. Because each event is closely linked to a small group, there are always team members on hand to invite contacts to join their group. Infrequent and often ineffective committees are replaced with small, nimble teams that meet together outside church every week already.

And by encouraging more members to participate in small groups, the church as a whole realizes some additional benefits. A natural communication network forms. Relationships deepen, and fellowship sweetens. And gradually, congregational support transitions from the busy pastor, to the various small groups. Active ministry hubs are established in multiple locations, and a greater percentage of members become involved in frontline evangelistic ministry with real, live seekers.

All this becomes possible when small groups become the foundation for ministry, rather than an extension off to the side.

Doing the Impossible

To transform an established church, however, is not easy. But without this transition from extension to foundation, it will be difficult to realize the full potential of small groups. So how do you do it?

First, lots of education. To persuade a church to make a major change like this, you are going to have to invest a lot of time with key leaders to help them see the biblical case for and benefits of a small group model. I've covered these topics in other places so I won't repeat that information here. But to get a church to shift, you have to convince the leaders first.

Second, restructure existing ministries. Once church leaders are committed to making this change, look for ways to link existing ministries with new or existing small groups. In some cases, a small group may choose to adopt a certain ministry of the church (like a correspondence school, or tract distribution). In other cases, a ministry may wish to organize a connected small group (like a cooking school or foodbank ministry). Aim for seamless connections--so every ministry has a corresponding small group.

Third, make an all out effort to recruit every member to join one small group. The more you can do to channel communication, support, activities, and ministry through the small groups, the more incentives people will have to participate.

Fourth, ensure good leadership training for the various small groups. As more functions are transferred to small groups, structure should be created in the local church to support them. And small group leadership positions should be brought under the purview of the normal officer selection process. The more central your small groups become, the more important organization becomes.

Last, find ways to constantly improve your small groups ministry. You will want to be on the constant lookout to find new ways to streamline your processes, empower your leaders, and involve more members. Because we are talking about a whole new administrative approach, there will doubtless be kinks along the way you need to work out. Just keep moving forward!

As with most things, change requires slow, steady leadership, and a church willing to embrace new possibilities. But having a clear end destination in mind is the first step. To run a small group ministry that truly changes your church--you will need to transition your small groups from being a peripheral extension to your central foundation.

Comments

How important is it to make small groups the organizing principle of a church, rather than a peripheral tangent? How easy is it to make that transition? Share your thoughts in the comment below...

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