Leverage This January Twist to Launch Groups

Do you know what’s more true in January than any other time of the year?  I know it sounds like a riddle…but the answer to this question is a key to connecting the largest number of unconnected people in January.  Got the answer?

Here’s the answer: January presents the best opportunity to promote the solution to many common problems.

Here’s what I mean: December is the month where the ongoing problems of people become the most evident.  They’ve just maxed out their third credit card.  They’ve spent all month eating too much, drinking too much, and staying out too late.  They’ve put aside their exercise program.  They’ve been extra busy carting their kids all over town so they could go to their activities and events.

In short…their whole routine is out of whack.  Lives that were already somewhat self-centered become  noticeably off track in December.

And then comes January. Which brings me to my point.  Follow me closely here:

You get to choose the curriculum you’ll be promoting for the new groups you’ll be launching in the small group connections you’ll be holding in late January.

Are you smelling what I’m cooking?  Knowing what you know about the people who need to get connected ought to make a difference in the curriculum you choose to promote.  So think about the built-in motivations of people in January:

• I need to get out of debt.
• I need to meet some people who want to become like Jesus.
• I’ve got to get my life under control.
• 2011 can’t be as crazy as 2010, or I’m going to end up even worse off than I am now.

The built-in motivations of people make it easy to promote group-based studies like Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.  Their built-in motivations make it easy to suggest that “if you want to live a balanced life, you need to get connected to some folks that are going the same way, who are learning to live life the way God designed it.”  Or how about this: “If you want to build a solid spiritual foundation for your family, you need join us for the six week study on Parenting: How to Raise Spiritually Healthy Kids.”

January is the one time of year when the natural motivations of people are right at the surface.  You don’t have to probe very deep to get at them.  You only have to promote the studies, the opportunities, that make sense to the people who are wishing life could be different.

Question: Feelin’ the assignment? Does it make sense? Use the comment section to put in your two cents. You can leave a comment by clicking here.