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“We over-estimate what we can do in one year and we under-estimate what we can do in 20 years.”  I remember hearing Rick Warren say this when Saddleback was about 10 years old and beginning to gather steam at their annual church growth seminar.  He said it to contradict one of the most deadly fantasies of church planting: “That it will happen overnight.”

When you’re talking about building a church of groups…it really is that.  It’s a building process.  It’s a building campaign.  It happens over the course of seasons and years.  It will happen in waves if you’re doing things right.  But it won’t happen in one fell swoop.  It just won’t.

When you talk to Bill Donahue or any of the team that began to drive the initiative at Willow Creek in the early 90s, you’ll hear that it really took 10 years to go from a church with groups to a church of groups.  10 years.  They’ll also tell you that it happened as a result of persistently staying the course.  It wasn’t 5 easy steps.  It was start here, build the foundation, build the infrastructure that would support the structure, try this, try that, reassess and evaluate, make adjustments to a less-than-effective strategy and try again.

As you know, I’m an advocate of the Saddleback style church-wide campaign as the best way to launch groups.  The Host Strategy and the Small Group Connection are the fastest ways to go from a standing start to momentum.  But it won’t happen in a season.  It happens over multiple seasons.  It happens over years.

Granted, there are some starting points that are more challenging.  Trying to build a church of groups in a church with a Sunday School culture is a tough nut to crack.  But it can happen.

The reason that this is one of the top 10 fantasies of churches with groups is that it’s so tempting to think that it can happen overnight.  It can’t.  It doesn’t.  It happens over seasons.  It happens over years.

The temptation, the fantasy, is that it will all come together flawlessly and there will be so much momentum immediately that 100% buy-in will happen right out of the gate.  It won’t.  It happens over multiple seasons.  It happens over years.  It’s worth it.  Staying the course.  Holding to your convictions that the optimum environment for  life-change is in a group and that the church ought to be a place where nobody stands alone…is worth it.

It’s hard…but it’s worth it.  It takes endurance and persistence…but it’s worth it.  It’s worth staying the course.

You can read about the other top fantasies of churches with small groups right here.

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You know what they say.  “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.”  If that’s true it makes a lot of sense to help your new groups have a great first meeting.  Here are some key steps:

Preparing for Your First Meeting

1. Call your group members early in the week at a time when they’ll likely be home.  Don’t just leave a voice mail message.  At this stage, personal contact is critical.
2. Enlist someone to help you make the calls.  Increased buy-in is important.
3. Ask each person to bring something (cokes, chips, etc.).  This cements their attendance.  They’re much more likely to show if you’re depending on them.
4. When you call them your enthusiasm is very important.  Get yourself ready to call.
5. Make a map to your house and send this out a week ahead of time.

First Meeting

1. Recruit another member of two to be there early and help greet people at the door.
2. Have name tags and markers ready at the door.
3. Start your group off with an informal “meet and greet” session.  The agenda for this meeting is all about helping people feel relaxed and comfortable with the other members of their new group.
4. Arrange for an uninterrupted session (i.e., childcare needs, food prepared in advance, etc.).
5. Discuss the group agreement.  This is an important step.  Don’t miss it.  This can be done at the “meet and greet” or at the next meeting (when anyone new joins the group later the covenant should be reviewed).
6. Set a date and place for the next meeting before you dismiss.

Meeting Follow-up

1. Call or touch base with each person who attended the meeting to encourage them.  This extra step helps them to continue to forge a relationship with you.  Look for them at church.  Any contact in between meetings will help cement them to their new group.
2. Call all of your new group members a couple days before your next meeting.  Don’t assume that they’ll remember.  They need your encouragement.

By the way, I’ve made this form available at Small Group Connections and Host Orientations for years.  It’s a helpful reminder to include in new leader packets.  You can download a copy right here.

Looking for other skill training ideas?  Take a look at my article, the Top 10 Essential Small Group Leader Skills

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One of the greatest challenges facing a church that desires to become a church of groups is the notion that trying harder or simply tweaking what they’re doing is all that’s missing.  In fact, that’s probably the #1 fantasy of church with groups.  Why?  Because trying harder or tweaking what you’re doing still leads to the same place.  Only different leads to a new destination.

Different Leads to a New Destination

Here’s the whiteboard drawing that I freehand whenever I’m explaining the concept that only different leads to a new destination.  Let me explain the parts of the drawing.

First, notice the spot near the bottom of the drawing called “Present.”  That represents where you are now.  That circle represents all that is true about your current situation (i.e., how frequently small groups are talked about, whether you offer a full buffet or a plated meal, if your senior pastor is the champion of small groups or delegates that away, etc.).

The Probable Future in the diagram is where you’ll end up if nothing changes.  In other words, if we come back in 10 years and take a look at your congregation we can count on one thing.  Things will pretty much be the same.  If you’re a church with groups, you’ll still be a church with groups.  Because, in order to get to a different destination…you’ve got to do more than try harder or tweak what you’re doing.  If you want to get to a church of groups, you’ll have to be significantly different.

The Possible Future is what it sounds like.  It represents all of the possibilities.  It represents building a massive new building with tons of available space to hold on-campus Bible studies.  It represents creating an online group concept that can connect people with a web-based strategy that allows real community without leaving home.  It represents the possibility of connecting everyone in your congregation (even your crowd) in a group where they can be loved and held accountable; where they can be cared for and challenged to grow in Christ.

The Preferred Future is where you dream of ending up.  It is the specific destination to which you dream of arriving.  There’s nothing in the preferred future that isn’t intended.  Everything has turned out as designed.  There’s not a week that goes by when your senior pastor doesn’t mention grouplife.  Not only is it easy for unconnected adults to find a group that fits them, it’s where ministry happens.  Every group naturally identifies a way to serve together…in the community.  Every member of your congregation is learning how to connect with their neighbor in such a way that it’s commonplace for new groups to begin on the cul de sac.

Why Won’t Trying Harder or a Simple Tweak Work?

There are two main reasons that trying harder or tweaking what you’re doing never lead to a new destination.  First, only a radically different trajectory leads to a different place.  That’s easy to see in the drawing.  If you want to end up in your preferred future…you’ve got to move off of the trajectory that leads to probable.  Second, and a little less obvious, is that the present (where you are right now) is actually the probable future of decisions that you made in the past.

If you want to arrive at a destination that includes being a church of groups…you’ll need to move to a different trajectory, you’ll need to move to a new path…because the well-worn path never arrives at a new destination.

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I’ve talked about this concept before (here and here), but it is so powerful I wanted to come back to it one more time.  Whether you’re recruiting hosts or members there is almost nothing more powerful that personal testimony.  In fact, it probably should have been one of the Top 10 Reasons Saddleback Has Connected Over 130% in Small Groups.  They are masterful at using the power of personal testimony in their services.

You can film it in advance (like the ones I’ve linked to below) or you can do it live.

Personal testimony is a powerful element.  The reason it is so popular with product marketers is it is effective.

The very best place to add video is during the message.  There are two main reasons for this:

• The time during your service when you have the best chance of having everyone’s attention is during the message.  You’re only kidding yourself if you think that people are paying attention during the announcements…no matter when they’re place.  But if your pastor says “Just watch this video” or “please welcome Bob and Sue”…people are more likely to be paying attention.
• Video or live testimony often adds an emotional element that is missing in many sermons.  Although there are some speakers that can deliver the full range of emotion in their messages (John Ortberg comes to mind), this is not true of everyone.  Many are much more adept at using humor to spice up their sermon delivery.  You need to know that humor will not work as a recruiting device.

When I’m producing a host testimony video, you’ll notice that I’m not in the video.  I’m off camera and I’ve instructed the folks I’m interviewing to answer in a way that lets the audience know what the question was.  I routinely ask 3 main questions when I am producing a video to recruit hosts:

1. When you were thinking about hosting a group, what were you afraid of?  Or why were you hesitant?
2. What do you sense God did in your group?
3. What would you say to the people who are thinking about hosting?
4. I sometimes add in a 4th question if it feels right: Can you imagine not having the group?

Listen for these three questions as you watch this year’s videos:

40 Days of Purpose #1 from Mark Howell on Vimeo.

40 Days of Purpose #2 from Mark Howell on Vimeo.

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I had lunch yesterday with Gary Poole, the author of Seeker Small Groups, and re-familiarized myself with a neat little book I’d forgotten about.  The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion is a pretty cool resource that’s great to have in your library.

The 1001 conversation starters (questions) are broken down into 10 different layers, grouped according to degree of difficulty and running from light and easy to extreme spiritual matters.  If you know anything about the kind of conversation that makes for a really engaging small group experience, you know that it’s way more about questions than answers.

Beginning with questions like “Do you squeeze the toothpaste tube or roll it?  What’s the advantage of your method?” and continuing all the way to “How would you describe your moral condition?”, this little book came in handy for me many times when I was just learning to lead a discussion.  I’m sure it’s influenced me over the years as I’ve learned to write small group curriculum.

If you don’t have a copy of The Complete Book of Questions, it’s a resource you need to add to your stockpile of ammunition.

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Some fantasies are just doggedly persistent.  You know the kind.  They don’t go away on their own and they are really hard to shake!  One of the most persistent fantasies of churches with small groups is that the small group champion role can be delegated.

What makes it a fantasy?  Because it can’t be delegated!  At least, not if you really desire to become a church of groups, where nobody stands alone.  Why?  Why can’t the role of small group champion be delegated?  Say to the highly paid and super qualified small group pastor?  There are two main reasons:

First, the senior pastor almost always has the most clout in the organization.  While there are a few exceptions (i.e., an interim pastor, a brand new senior pastor that just joined the staff, etc.), there are very few.  Most of the time, the senior pastor has the most clout.  They are the most influential person.  If anyone is going to be able to persuade everyone to take a baby step and join a six-week 40 Days of Purpose small group…it’s going to be the senior pastor.  They are the most trusted person in the room.  They are the person everyone watches to see what is worth doing if you want to be like Christ.

Second, the most effective moment in the service to make the ask is during the message.  The optimum moment to challenge everyone to be part of a group as we begin this journey together is smack dab in the middle of the one time when everyone is paying attention to the same thing!  And that is during the message.  It is not during the announcements.  After all, doesn’t everyone know that just like when we watch TV, when the commercials come on we’re all thinking about what’s next or lunch or why anyone would come outside in that outfit!  If there’s one time when that is less likely to happen it is during the message.  And it goes without saying that the senior pastor is most often the person who is preaching when you’re preparing for a church-wide campaign or a small group connection.

Why Do Senior Pastors Resist Being the Small Group Champion?

It’s a fair question.  Having worked on a number of staffs, in my experience the main reason they’re resistant is that delegating the role just seems like the natural thing to do.  After all, the small group pastor or director usually knows more about it and is more passionate about community.  Another pretty common motivation is that they’re focused on preaching, they’ve got a biblical truth they’re trying to get across, and while they usually believe that being in a group is important, it’s just not their main message.  And last, they’re almost always very reluctant to steal the thunder from a teammate.

But…if they really want to become a church of groups…they’ve got to begin to see it another way.

The Senior Pastor as Small Group Champion

This is so important that I’ve written on this a number of times.  Here are some additional articles that will help you:

• An Open Letter to Senior Pastors
• The Role of the Senior Pastor (this is a four part series)
• Diagnosis: Senior Pastor Buy-In
• What Part Does Your Senior Pastor Play?
• Top 10 Reasons Church-Wide Campaigns Miss The Mark
• Lessons from Saddleback: How to Launch Your Church-Wide Campaign

The bottom line?  If your senior pastor really values biblical community and really wants everyone to experience it for themselves…they need to champion the value.  That means living it out (values are caught not taught).  But it also means being the champion.

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One of the most important strategic decisions a church can make is to narrow the focus, a concept that is explained very well in the 7 Practices of an Effective Church.  Essentially, to narrow the focus is to concentrate on one thing (or a very few things) in an effort to conceive, develop and promote the opportunity that will have the greatest impact.

Narrowing the focus is an easy concept to understand…and a great challenge for churches to pull off.  What makes it so hard is that one of the Top 10 Fantasies of Churches with Groups is that “it is enough to promote small groups once a year, annually every fall, along with everything else that’s starting up with the new ministry season.” As you can see, there are two parts to this fantasy.  First, that promoting small groups once a year will actually get the job done and second, that you can promote small groups along with everything else that’s starting up for the new ministry year.

In this article I want to concentrate on the second part of the fantasy and suggest that if you want to become a church of groups…you must narrow the focus to only promote the opportunity to host a group (for the weeks that you are recruiting hosts) or joining a group (for the weeks that you are encouraging everyone to be in a group.  And to clarify, I’m really only talking about what you’re highlighting.  You might have other opportunities mentioned in the bulletin or on the website…but even there it would be clear what the big thing is.

Only Promote One Thing at a Time

I want you to be sure and catch what I just pointed out.  In fact, go back and read the previous paragraph.  Notice that you start by only promoting the opportunity to host.  You’re not talking about hosting (or leading) OR joining a group.  Once you begin talking about joining, you’ve recruited your last host.  Few, if any, sign up to host a group if you give them the chance to simply be a member.  Now back to the point.

The Real World

I want you to stop there and think about your church.  How likely is it that on the weeks you’re doing those things (recruiting hosts or recruiting members) that those are the only things you’re doing?  That those are the only things you’re promoting?

See the problem?  If you’re launching a church-wide campaign or ramping up for a small group connection, you will have the greatest impact if you are narrowing the focus to only promote those opportunities.  If you are also promoting the Beth Moore Bible study and the Men’s Fraternity along with the season opener of DivorceCare, GriefShare, Celebrate Recovery, Bible Study Fellowship and Community Bible Study…you’re going to have real trouble getting traction in any of those efforts.  Most importantly, you’re not setting up a scenario that leads to a church of groups.  By promoting everything, by promoting a buffet, you’re making it more difficult for your congregation to say “yes” to a group.

If you want to become a church of groups, you’ll need to narrow the focus (at least when you’re in launch mode) and really highlight grouplife opportunities.  Once the launch is secure you can begin to promote other opportunities.

Developing an Annual GroupLife Calendar

While we’re on the subject, let me add an important clarification.  You really can’t become a church of groups if you’re only working on it once a year.  Understanding the ebb and flow of seasons and taking a longer view is very important.  Developing an Annual GroupLife Calender is essential.

Getting to There

Are you already there?  Are you promoting the one thing that matters most when you come into a strategic season?  Or are you still living in fantasyland?  If you’re already on the way to a church of groups…good for you.  If you’re stuck in fantasyland, maybe scheduling an exploratory conversation about narrowing the focus for impact is the best next step.  It might be that bringing in (by phone or in person) a strategic outsider with fresh eyes is the ticket.  This is a role I play all the time.  You can find out more or schedule an opportunity right here.

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Sometimes what keeps us from moving forward is something that just feels right (but really isn’t).  For example, a commitment to old friends, even when they’re involved in behaviors that are destructive to themselves and others, just seems like the right thing to do.  Sticking with friends through thick and thin.  Just seems like the right thing to do.

On the other hand…we know that “bad company corrupts good behavior (1 Corinthians 15:33).”  But still, there’s something in the human spirit that makes it tough to move on.

And it is complicated.  It depends on the situation.  It’s hard to know what to do.  There’s the temptation that maybe you can help them change.  And on and on.  It’s complicated.  But there are times that sticking with old friends really does keep a person from changing themselves.

New Groups Lead to a Church OF Groups

One of the greatest challenges in grouplife is overcoming the idea that we need to fill the groups the don’t have enough people before we start new groups.  After all…the Smiths have room in their group for a few new folks, and so do the Howells and the Whites.  And come to think of it, we’ve got about 8 or 9 groups that need people.  We ought to be helping them fill their groups before we launch new ones!  That’s one of the top 10 fantasies of church with groups.

Seems the right thing to do, doesn’t it?  Just feels right.

Can I tell you something?  It’s killing you.  Making your old groups the priority is keeping you from becoming a church of groups.  The truth is that new groups lead to a church of groups.

If you want to become a church of groups, you need to become a master of launching new groups.  I’m not saying it’s easy or seems right.  I’m just telling you that launching new groups makes it easier to identify new leaders, helps unconnected people feel like they fit in faster, and creates a buzz that is totally unlike simply adding new members to old groups.  My article Top 5 Ways to Multiply Small Groups is a good place to start as you become a master of launching new groups.

I know it’s not easy.  You will have the conversations that I do.  You’ll have the phone calls I do and you’ll get the emails that I do.  But you need to become convinced that your first priority is to start new groups because that is the path that leads to a church of groups.

It’s not the easiest path.  In many ways it is much harder.  But it really is the right thing to do.

By the way, that’s the main reason I wrote Skill Training: 10 Ways to Find New Group Members.  I want to keep leaders and members of existing groups on the lookout for folks that would be a great match for their group.  Because that’s the right thing for them to do.

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You’ve probably begun hearing about Transformational Church by Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer.  If you haven’t picked up a copy yet…you need to.  This is a book that will help you think carefully about what you’re doing in ministry, why you’re doing it, and if it really is making the kind of difference you want.  I think it’s also a book that is packed with insights that will help you sharpen your approach to small group ministry.

Transformational Church is the result of an intensive study of 7,000 churches.  Developed and conducted by Lifeway Research, the study looked carefully at a set of churches that met certain criteria (i.e., must have grown by at least 10 percent in worship attendance when 2003 and 2008 were compared, must have a predetermined percentage of worship attendees in a small group, Sunday school class or other similar group, etc.).  This aspect of the study was conducted by telephone.  A smaller set, 250 of the pastors representing the top 10 percent of churches, were personally interviewed by a Lifeway Research consultant in a visit to the church.

Their findings led to the identification of 7 elements in three categories (discern, embrace, and engage) that formed what they now recognize as a transformational loop. There is a chapter on each of the 7 elements of a transformational church, which were found to be:

• Missionary Mentality
• Vibrant Leadership
• Relational Intentionality
• Prayerful Dependence
• Worship: Actively Embrace Jesus
• Community: Connect People with People
• Mission: Show Jesus through Word and Action

Stetzer and Rainer are careful to point out that what the study uncovered wasn’t a 7 step process to becoming a transformational church.  Rather, the churches that were found to be transformational were practicing these elements.  In addition, the study found that although the elements do stand on their own as an idea, they are “dependent on the other elements in order to take effect in the church (p. 33).”

Transformational Church is well written and packed with stories that illustrate principles.  As a result of the hours of interviews that form the basis of the study, there is plenty of qualitative data to go along with a very quantitative approach.  In other words, this is a book that’s about more than numbers.  It really does share the real life evidence of transformation and that’s very helpful when we’re trying to break it down and transfer learning to action.

I noticed the two chapters that most obviously concerned small group ministry right away.  Relational Intentionality and Community: Connect People with People are both filled with takeaways and insights that will make a lot of sense and will no doubt have a lot of light bulbs going off.  I’m sure I’ll be coming back to Transformational Church again and again, just like I have to Simple Church and the 7 Practices of Effective Ministry.  It will have an impact on my ministry and I bet it will on yours as well.

Transformational Church is written in such a way that you’ll be able to diagnose and very quickly begin prescribing some new practices.  If you want more or want help, you can check out TransformationalChurch.com where you’ll find information about other available products, upcoming seminars and retreats, as well as an assessment tool that will help you evaluate the transformational potency of your congregation.

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From the creators of Liquid comes the new motion picture “I Am.”

You’re already a fan of Liquid’s small group curriculum.  Take advantage of a free opportunity to be 1 of a 1000 churches that will host the world premier of “I Am,” a new feature film developed using the backstory of The Ten (Liquid’s dynamic study of the Ten Commandments).

I recently previewed part 2 of The Ten and it is a very good study.  I can honestly say that Liquid’s studies provide an experience that is different from every other curriculum line.  I have to believe this premier will be a great experience for your church.  Click here for more information or to sign up to be a premier site.

I’m hearing from one of the producers that they’ve already distributed about 3/4 of the 1,000 licenses.  I’m also hearing that if you tell them Mark Howell sent you they’ll still set you up through the end of the month!

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