May Decisions Bring Exponential Septembers

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We’ve all heard the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.”  And no one questions that practical, Farmer’s Almanac kind of wisdom.

Did you know that May decisions bring exponential Septembers?  It’s true.  When you have the right conversations and make the right decisions in May, you dramatically increase the exponential power of your fall ministry season.

Here are five conversations you need to be having right now:

  1. How will you leverage the biggest opportunity to launch groups? Will you have a take advantage of a church-wide campaign?  Will you use a group-launching strategy like the Small Group Connection or GroupLink?  Will you implement a system like North Coast’s sermon-based groups or Nelson Searcy’s semester model?  I have my opinion about the best way to launch groups, but now is the time to have that conversation and make that decision.
  2. Who do you hope to connect? This is a huge question that rarely gets asked.  The answer to this question should determine the strategy you use and the topic you choose.  Want to connect beyond the usual suspects?  Better choose a topic that is understandable and relevant to the folks at crowd’s edge.  Want to help your congregation deepen their faith or learn to listen to God?  It will take a different topic to do that.  By the way, the answer to the question “who do you hope to connect” cannot be “everyone.”  A lack of clarity here will derail your best efforts on every other decision.  Need help on this question?  Read Who Are You Trying to Connect?
  3. What does the launch timeline look like? If you’re doing a church-wide campaign, when will you begin the weekend message series that holds it together?  When will you provide training or an orientation for new leaders?  When will you recruit leaders?  When will you recruit members?  How to Develop a Timeline might be a helpful article on this topic.
  4. Can you recruit some new coaches that will help you sustain a larger number of the new groups you will launch in September? Who are they?  When can you begin to talk with them?  When can you begin to train them to do what they’ll need to do?  My Top 10 Articles on Small Group Coaching is a good place to start, particularly How to Build an Effective Coaching Structure.
  5. Is your senior pastor committed to playing the part that only they can play? Do they understand what is required of them?  Diagnosis: Senior Pastor Buy-In provides a good overview of the concept.

Trying to figure it out?  Sometimes the best move you can make is to bring in a strategic outsider with fresh eyes to join the conversation.  I’d love to help you.  Why not Email Me to find out how easy it is to get started?

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