Want to have a different kind of fall ministry season?  You have to start now…in the summer.  Here are the keys:

1. Work with your senior pastor to develop the ways you’ll be promoting small groups every week beginning ________.  You pick the date.  It’s a little bit arbitrary.  The idea is that on that date you become a church that talks about small groups every chance you get.  You’ll need to use variety.  Put together a constant flow of video or live testimony, message illustrations and references, and announcements about upcoming events and opportunities that are group related.  This is probably the biggest factor in churches that are connecting beyond 100% of their weekend adult attendance.  They never stop talking about the importance of being part of a small group.
2. Put together a flow-chart view of your fall calendar that shows how you’ll move from the launching series to the follow-up series and then through the holidays.  This can be a very simple document that simply explains when everything happens and how you’re going to help new groups move from one series to the next and then make it through the holidays into the new year.  Much like a sermon, small groups need transition elements.  When you launch a new group, the first three studies they do often determine whether they’ll survive or not.  Helping them get off to a good start, transition to a next curriculum and then navigate the busyness of the Thanksgiving to New Years season is very important.  Time spent now planning those details will make a big difference in the fall.
3. Develop a one-page concept of what you’re trying to produce in the lives of the members of your small groups.  Go beyond getting them connected.  What do you want them to be like at the end of the ministry season.  What do you want them to be like when they’ve been in a group for 3 to 5 years.  This is a good exercise because it helps you become proactive about the curriculum you choose and how you train your leaders.
4. Spend time with your coaches (or prospective coaches).  Your coaches will only deliver what they’re experiencing personally.  In other words, if they’re not receiving personal care and coaching they’re not going to be able to give it away.  This is a pretty big idea.  You should probably read it again:  if your coaches are not receiving personal care and coaching they’re not going to be able to give it away.  It follows that whatever you want to happen at the member level has to be happening here first.  It’s a chain reaction.  If you want your small group leaders to actually do more than convene a meeting…it begins right here.
5. If you want anything to happen in the lives of your members…it’ll be because you are changing and have something to pass on to your coaches.  Nothing happening?  Don’t be surprised if your groups are mostly about connecting and not a lot beyond.  Want real change to happen at the member level?  It starts with you.  What helps me?  Regular time in God’s word, a one-page journal entry (a la Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels), a regular hit of John Ortberg, and a dose of The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard.  It may be different for you.  For me, it does start here.

Want a great fall ministry season?  This is where it starts.  And this is when it starts.

I’ll have more on this later, but I want you to think about the significance of “customized for you.”  Think discipleship.  We are no longer in an “off the rack” world.  As much as “simple” makes sense (and it totally does), the organizations that are winning are making each experience custom to the user.  How does that play in our world?

Brian Jones, Lead Pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley, is asking an interesting question over on his blog.  "Should the small groups in your ministry be euthanized and replaced with another something that actually makes disciples?"  Actually, he’s making the case that they should be euthanized.  I’m just trying to turn it into a question.

And to be fair, he doesn’t have any information in his post about what their groups are doing, only that whatever they’re doing it isn’t producing disciples.  Also to be fair, I’ve seen plenty of evidence around the country that small groups can become just about information or just about a way to get connected with a few others to escape the "face in the crowd" syndrome.  But I’ve also seen a growing number of places that can point clearly to real disciples being made.

Maybe it’s evidence that Andy Stanley’s statement is dead on in many places:

"Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing."

What do you think?  And while you’re at it, head over to Brians’s blog and jump into the conversation for yourself!

If you’re like most churches you’re now convinced that an annual church-wide campaign (an alignment) is a great way to help start new small groups.  That jury is already in.

The question most are asking is what’s the best way to start groups the rest of the year?  The answer?  Any way you can…but there is another little known and way underused strategy that is so simple and yet sooooo effective.

What’s the strategy?  Use special days like Mother’s Day and Fathers Day to jump start small groups.  It’s not even very hard.  Take a little preparation.  Add a decision or two.  Throw in a couple weeks’ of promotion.  Make a quality “ask” and you’ve got the toe-in-the-water experience that many people need to take the first step.  Why wait until September?  Here’s what to do to use this strategy and launch groups on Father’s Day:

First, make a decision.  You can use Father’s Day to launch men’s small groups.  Or you can use the day to launch couples’ or mixed groups.  More on that in a minute.  For now, just figure out which of the two you’d like to start.

Second, choose a plug-and-play curriculum for your new groups.  It’s very helpful to select a DVD-driven study for these toe-in-the-water groups.  There are some really good studies out there.  I’ve got some suggestions right here.  Don’t overcomplicate this step.  The key is to choose a curriculum that is easy to use on a topic that the group you’re targeting will be interested in.

Third, start promoting the opportunity a week before Father’s Day.  This year Father’s Day is on June 15th.  Provide an insert in your bulletin to take sign-ups to come to a connecting event the week after Father’s Day.

Fourth, on Father’s Day continue your promotion of the event but add this detail.  Have your pastor refer to the power of being in a small group in the message.  A simple story or an illustration.  Have the men take out the insert.  “If you’re not in a small group and you’re ready to take this step you can join us at the connection on Sunday, June 22nd.  Just fill out this insert and drop it in the offering at the end of today’s service.”

Fifth, send a reminder letter (and email) to all of the sign-ups on Monday, June 16th. Call all of the sign-ups on Saturday, June 21st.

Last, host a small group connection on Sunday, June 22nd.  This step can be as easy as pre-selecting a few leaders who will help get the groups off to a good start or you can do a real connection and identify new leaders right there on the spot.  Either way, or anywhere in between, you’ll end up with a great opportunity to help a wave of people take first steps in getting connected in a small group!

Regardless of the method you use to launch a small group (Connection, HOST, apprentice or plain old fashioned recruiting), determining who can lead is a prerequisite.   Some churches are uncomfortable allowing non-members to lead a small group.  Some are much less restrictive, allowing anyone to pick up the material and invite friends.  Still others determine to allow anyone to lead a test-drive group but to require membership to be listed on the website.

One of the assumptions that I have about strategy is that there is no problem-free solution to anything.  In fact, I’ve found that the pursuit of problem-free is at the root of most ministry delay.  No matter which strategy you choose, it just comes with a set of problems.  All we can do is choose the set of problems we’d rather have.

When it comes to determining who can lead a group, there is no problem-free solution.  If you require your small group leaders to be members it gives you some control over who leads…but it narrows the field.  There is an advantage to allowing non-members to lead (it widens the field, may have more access to other non-members) but it comes with some risk and less control.  You can mitigate the risk by requiring certain things in order to be listed on the website (membership, connected with a coach, attend the leader orientation and training).

A key question in determining who can lead is where will the group’s members come from?  You may want more control if the members of a group come from a sign-up process or a result of a website list of small groups.  On the other hand, if a group’s members are a result of the personal invitation of the leader…the argument can be made for less control.

The key is that every church must make a decision about who can lead and then design the process accordingly.

While there’s no question that using a church-wide campaign (an alignment) is the most effective way to launch small groups, there are other strategies that can add variety and catch a different group (or interest people at a time in the year when an alignment doesn’t make as much sense).  One of the most effective ways of launching groups is a Small Group Connection.

A small group connection is a powerful strategy that does two very good things.  First, it can help a large number of unconnected people to take the critical first step of trying a group.  Sometimes just taking a “test-drive” is all they need to do.  Second, unlike any other strategy, a small group connection helps identify leaders when you didn’t think you had any.  If you’re like most of us, the toughest part of small group ministry is finding good leaders.  A well planned and executed connection isn’t rocket science, but it will find leaders (sometimes better leaders than you already have).  That is huge!

Pulling off a connection is a three step process (Preparation, Execution, and Follow-Up).  What are the keys to good preparation?  Here they are:

1. Promotion: Be sure and begin promoting the connection 2 to 3 weeks in advance.  Unconnected people are rarely weekly attendees.  If you want to get their attention, you’ll need to promote the event 2 or 3 weeks in a row (in part because they’ll only be there 1 or 2 or the 3 weeks).  The best way to promote the connection is to use the sermon to talk about the power of being connected and then refer to the connection event as an action step.  It’s great to also give an announcement and feature it on the website and newsletter, but the key to great promotion is to do it in the message.  For supercharged promotion, prepare a video of a testimony (or do it live) of someone who has been powerfully impacted by being in a small group.  You’ll find the questions to use in the video right here.
2. Taking sign-ups: This is one of the rare times when I encourage the use of a sign-up form.  Use a distinctive color.  Provide a place for people to fill in their name, address, best phone, best email and the kind of groups they’re looking for (this last one is optional, but if allowing them to check interest in couples, singles, men’s or women’s gives you a little info that can help you prepare).
3. Getting Attendance at the Connection: Although you’ve taken sign-ups for the connection, you’ll get the best response when you send a letter from the senior pastor acknowledging the sign-up with specifics about the event (day and time, room it is in, childcare instructions, etc.).  Following up the letter with an email and then a phone call the day before is not overkill.  Friendly persistence will help the largest number attend.  My experience has always been that a letter, plus an email, followed by a phone call on the day before and a final announcement on the day of the connection leads to attendance equal to the sign-up.   Walk-ins will make up the difference.
4. Day and time for a connection: Part of ensuring the best attendance is choosing the best time for the connection.  When is the best time for a connection?   Right after (or during) a service.  Make it convenient.  Hold the connection when people are already there!  Do it in an easy room to get to.  Be sure and provide childcare.  Train your childcare team to ask everyone, “Are you staying for the connection?”  Use good, clear signage.
5. Choose a small group study that is easy to use: There are plenty of good, just-add-water small group studies.  Preferably a DVD-driven study.  6 weeks is the right length.  Find one on a topic that normal people would like to know more about (You’ll find a listing of potential studies right here).
6. Recruit and train plenty of help: One key to a smooth process is to have plenty of people on hand to greet attendees, help them get started, and help them finish well.  I’ve found it is a great advantage to have a monitor for each table (I’ll be covering the specifics of what happens at the connection in part two of this series).

The idea of a small group connection may seem like way too much detail.  Believe me, I’ve been doing this a long time and I haven’t found anything that does a better job of connecting the people who want to be in a small group and finding leaders when you didn’t know you had any.

Now that you’re prepared you’re ready to learn about executing a small group connection.

When it comes to promoting small group ministry opportunities nothing comes close to the power of personal testimony (live or video).  While that statement might not be a mystery, in practice most of us end up doing the least effective thing instead.  In the great hierarchy of marketing effectiveness the least effective is print (I’ve lumped all print together: bulletins, newsletters, e-newsletters, website).  Only slightly better is verbal announcement supported by a handout.  Still better is for the senior pastor to talk about the opportunity as part of the message.  And the most effective method is for the pastor to refer to a video or introduce a live testimony.

How can you develop video or live testimony that recruits members or leaders? It’s really pretty simple.
Recruit people for the video (or live testimony) with compelling answers to the following questions:

1. What were you afraid of when you were considering joining a small group?
2. What do you sense God has done in your life as a result of being in the small group?
3. What would you say to the people who are still thinking about whether they should join a group?

If you’re making the video to recruit leaders (HOSTs), you can make a very simple tweak:

1. What were you afraid of when you were considering hosting a small group?
2. What do you sense God has done in your group?
3. What would you say to the people who are still thinking about whether they should host a group?

Here are some additional keys:

• The testimony (video or live) should be about 2 1/2 minutes.  If it is video it is best to string together 10 to 12 short clips.  The creative use of a soundtrack and graphics can really be effective.
• Let the video only show the interviewee (not the interviewer).  Have the interviewees answer with a form of the question.  For example, "When I was thinking about hosting a group, I was afraid because I didn’t know much about the Bible."
• Don’t be afraid to yell "Cut!" and ask the question again or ask the interviewee to shorten it up.  It is much more compelling when the the video is tighter.  Long answers are death.  Keep it short.
• If the testimony is written have them practice reading it.  The key is "once more with feeling!"

(This is part 7 of a 7 part series.  You can read part 1 right here)

If I knew then what I know now…I’d take advantage of the central role of the senior pastor.  This is a huge concept and absolutely explains a key difference between churches that with groups and churches of groups (see my series, The Top 10 Fantasies of Church WITH Groups).  If you are the senior pastor, you need to understand this concept.  If you aren’t, you need to understand it and then make sure your senior pastor gets it.  Without this step…groups will never be pervasive.  Why?  Read on…

Senior Pastor as Champion: The Big Idea

For groups to be pervasive in your church (a church “of” as opposed to “with”) your senior pastor needs to become your small group champion.  I’m not saying they need to do the the dirty work.  Organization, planning, training, etc. can all be done by other staff members or even key volunteers.  But if the senior pastor isn’t the lead spokesperson…you’ll have limited success.  Why?  In most churches the senior pastor is the most influential person.  When they speak, people listen.  When anyone else walks up (announcements, etc.) listening and engagement immediately decrease.

The best example right now is the way Saddleback uses Rick Warren as the key spokesperson for group life (all of their teaching pastors play the role very well).  You’ll hear about groups in announcements and in the printed material as well, but it’s a very rare week when you don’t hear about them in the message.

How to Implement the Big Idea?

1. Champion community regularly: Every worship service is an opportunity to talk about the importance of community.  As messages are prepared, take advantage of any illustration that could refer to small groups or the power of community.  Use testimonies (live or video) whenever possible.  Most sermon topics can find application in group life (encouragement, accountability, support, challenge).
2. Cast vision broadly: In addition to the weekend message, take advantage of your website, newsletter, all church e-newsletter, scrolling slides before the service begins, Small Group Table in the lobby with a stand-up poster featuring a short blurb by your senior pastor (“I can’t imagine trying to ‘do life alone.’”).
3. Coordinate messages and themes throughout the year: Although you can insert small group stories and testimonies in most messages, featuring the importance of community at strategic times is important.  Late September/Early October is a key time to think alignment (weekend message series combined with small group curriculum).  Another great time is end of January/early February.
4. Call to action: Using a “call to action” gives an easy way to respond.  Make it easy to find a group (use a web application like Churchteams or Groopik) or even a list of groups at the table in the lobby.  Be sure you’re staffing the table or booth with friendly, knowledgeable people (especially friendly people who are looking for members in their own group!).  E-newsletter articles by your senior pastor with active links into your small group finder are another way to provide a call to action (Constant Contact is an easy-to-use tool that makes it easy to send out an all-church email).

The key to this whole concept is for your senior pastor to use every opportunity to champion group life.  Day to day leadership can be delegated.  Big picture vision and communication cannot be given away.

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Storytelling is one of the most important aspects of building a dynamic small group culture.  Telling the right stories, choosing the right metaphors, makes all the difference in communication.  Buy-in is almost always a direct result of the spot-on selection of the stories you tell.

One of the stories I tell all the time when I’m talking with pastors and leaders is the Titanic.  There is a lesson in it that is so powerful and so memorable.  Your team will never look at the lobby in the same way.  To get the most out of this you have to see how I tell it AND how I use it.

Here’s how I tell it:

There is a scene in the movie Titanic that grips me every time I watch it.  It’s right after the ship has gone down and what you see from a distant camera angle looks like a debris field.  All kinds of stuff bobbing in the water.  As the camera closes in you realize that what’s in the water are people.  Lots of them.  Hundreds of them.  And then you begin to hear them.  They’re screaming and calling out for help.

And then the scene shifts to a group of lifeboats some distance away.  The passengers who were fortunate enough to get into a boat can hear the screams and the calls for help…but they’re not rowing back.  And no one seems to care except for one passenger (Molly Brown, played by Kathy Bates in the movie).  She says, “We have to go back!”

Here’s the thing…that night, in the 28° water, you really couldn’t live that long.  Leonardo DiCaprio aside, if you were in the water for long…you were not going to make it.  That night, in the 28° water, 20 lifeboats were launched.  19 rowed away.  Only lifeboat 14 came back to help anyone.  The reason we know the name of Fifth Officer Harold Lowe is that he was at the tiller of the only boat that returned. Only four survivors were pulled alive from the water.  Four.  Everyone else died.

Here’s how I use the story:

Here’s the general idea: When you’re in a small group…you’re in a lifeboat.  If you’re not in a lifeboat…you’re not going to make it very long.

Here’s the application for small group leaders and leadership: Next Sunday, as you’re walking through the lobby, you need to realize that three out of every four people you bump into are in the water.  They’re not in a small group.  And they can’t make it very long.  They’re one tough thing away from not being here anymore.  A divorce.  The loss of a job.  Problems with children.  Illness.  One tough thing is often all it takes to cause someone to stop coming.  To be in the water is not a good thing.  To be alone is not a good thing.  God didn’t make us to be alone.  We need to become a “lifeboat-making factory.”

Here’s the application for the congregation: You need to know that we’re concerned for you.  We believe that you were made for community and connection with other people.  We need each other.  We’re really not made to make it on our own.  If you’re ready to get out of the water…

(This is part 6 of a 7 part series.  You can read part 1 right here)

If I knew then what I know now…I’d work harder to make heroes out of the right people.  That is, I’d carefully select the stories I’d make a big deal out of…and I’d make a big deal out of them all the time.

How does that apply to the small group scene?  Think about your church and the constant flow of people who are recognized (from the platform, on your website or newsletter, and in one-on-one conversations).  How closely do those people who are recognized match your vision?  Ever done a case by case assessment and kept score?  At first glance, you might think that’d be overkill.  But I really believe if you slow down long enough to think through the last 3 or 4 Sundays (or watch the next 3 or 4) you’ll begin to see a pattern.  And you won’t necessarily like the pattern.

Need an example?  Here you go: Let’s say that you dream of being a church “of” groups, where nobody stands alone, and you really believe that life-change happens best in a small group context.  With me?  Beyond that, let’s say that you’ve committed to the idea that every program ought to lead to an opportunity to move in the direction of connecting people together in life-changing relationships.  Still with me?  Two things ought to happen if that’s you.  First, success in every program ought to be measured by how effectively it produced those kinds of connections.  Second, you should only be talking about the leaders of those programs that are winning on that measurement.

What would change if you committed to that idea?  When you think back for the last 3 or 4 weeks would it change who you made a big deal out of publicly or privately?  If you entered a season where you consistently determined who you held up as heroes by how effectively they were living out the specifics of your vision…do you think it would influence behavior?

Want to act on the idea?  Get serious and go back over the last 3 or 4 weeks.  Then, begin to carefully monitor who you’re talking about and how you’re talking about them.  While you’re at it, check out Paul’s language in Romans 16.  That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

This is part 6 in a 7 part series from 2008.  You can read part 7 right here.  Want the freshest content?  You can sign up to get my updates right here.