5 Incontrovertible Takeaways from Our Recent Small Group Connection

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Last week was a great reminder about the power of a small group connection.  We had over 1100 people sign up to attend.  Over 600 people attended one of five connection events and we launched 45 new groups.  The connection process identified over 100 new leaders.  Many, many people said on their way out that they felt more connected at Canyon Ridge than they ever had.  There was a lot of laughter.  There were tears.  It was very fun watching new groups linger to keep talking after the event was over.  Very, very cool.

Let me say right at the top, I don’t see this as a large church strategy.  I know that’s a lot of people.  Think of it on a percentage basis and you’ll see how it can help you, too.

Exhausting and exhilarating, it was a great week.  It was also an important reminder.  Here are 5 incontrovertible takeaways:

  1. Your senior pastor’s support and engagement is absolutely essential.  I’ve said this many times, but I want to say it again so that it’s clear.  Our pastor took a couple minutes during his message on the three weekends leading up to the connecting events.  Embedded in his message was a very clear call to sign up and attend a connection.  He took out the sign-up form.  There was no hedging and no waffling.
  2. Connecting is a team sport!  We recruited and engaged a large team in order to pull it off.  Over 25 of our existing small group leaders and community leaders made phone calls to remind those who signed up about the upcoming connection events.  Our facilities team made sure the room was set up and ready to go every night.  Our database and check-in staff member was at each event to make sure check-in took place without a hitch.  Our child-care team was in place and ready to help children get settled so their parents could get connected.  Many of our community leaders attended more than one of the events so that the new leaders would feel supported right from the start.  Several staff members were at every event, helping to greet and make attendees feel welcomed and comfortable.
  3. New groups provide the easiest point of entry for unconnected people.  One of the most compelling aspects of the small group connection is that everyone is new.  That is a big, big factor and very important.  No one is trying to fit into a preexisting circle of friends.  Executed skillfully, everyone gets a chance to start fresh.
  4. The connection process identifies undiscovered leaders in a way that nothing else does.  Although it does happen that a few people attend hoping to lead a group, they are distinctly in the minority; a nearly invisible percentage.  The vast majority of leaders discovered admit later that they were surprised to be chosen, felt absolutely unqualified, were humbled by the selection, and only reluctantly said “yes.”  Sound like any biblical characters you know?
  5. Connecting people is a spiritual battle.  I’ve said many times that the easiest thing to do is put off doing the hard work necessary to connect people.  Looking for an easy way to take names versus slogging through multiple connecting events can look very appealing.  It is worth it to work hard to connect because unconnected people are always one tough thing away from being knocked out of the crowd.

Want do you think?  Have a question?  Need clarification?  You can click here to jump into the conversation.

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