“Small groups just don’t work here,” they said.  When I asked them what they meant they described a history of flipping from one small group strategy to another, year after year, caught up in the enthusiasm of this conference or that new book.

Sound familiar?  Can you identify?

The looming challenge for many is that the big issue isn’t resistance to change.  Instead, the biggest issue is chronic inconsistency (flipping from one strategy to another).

“The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change; the signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency.”  Jim Collins, Great by Choice

When I’m asked for help in choosing a small group system or strategy, I’ve always found it important to first wrestle with three guiding questions:

1. What will success look like?
2. Is the win you’ve identified attainable given the current assumptions about things like membership requirements for leaders, attention span of senior leadership, and your congregation’s willingness to prioritize group life?
3. Who will be your customer?

Want do you think?  Want to argue?  You can click here to jump into the conversation.

If you’ve been along for any length of time, you know that there is no problem-free solution, system, or strategy.  Every solution, system or strategy comes with a set of problems.  Wise leaders simply choose the set of problems they’d rather have.

Equally, if you’ve been along for any length of time, you know that I’m a fan of new solutions, believing that the well-worn path never arrives at a new destination and that it will take different, not better, to connect the widening 60% who are unreachable with the attractional model.  This interest in new solutions has drawn me to the Small Group Connection strategy and the HOST strategy…because they do things that other strategies don’t.

What you may not know, regardless of the length of time that you’ve been along here, is that I’m also very much a fan of honest evaluation of results.  In fact, I want to always be sure we’re evaluating the outcomes of every strategy we run.  It’s the only way to learn.  It’s the only way to steward the opportunity we’ve been given.  It’s the only way to discover a better way to operate.

One of the quotes that I’ve got taped to a cabinet door at about eye-level is this one from Sir Winston Churchill:

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

Whichever strategy or system you’re using…you need to be willing to honestly look at the results.

By the way, one of the keys to Jim Collins’ Great by Choice is a commitment to empirical creativity.

Think you have it figured out?  What if it turned out that the very thing you thought was a fact…was actually more or less an old wive’s tale?

I’ve always loved this line by a former Librarian of Congress:

“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge.”  Daniel J. Boorstin

Examples of the illusion of knowledge?

• The world is flat.
• Bloodletting prevents illness and disease.
• It is impossible to run a four minute mile.
• You have to be a member of a group before you can lead one.
• Apprenticing is the key to group multiplication.
• The deepest small groups just use the Bible for curriculum.

Want do you think?  Have one you want to suggest?  You can click here to jump into the conversation.

Next in the line of DVD-driven studies from Gabe Lyons and Q Group Studies is Being Countercultural: Restoring Our Identity in a Changing Society.  I think this is an essential study and series if you’re interested in connecting the widening 60% that will never be reached by the attractional model.

Being Countercultural is a five session DVD-driven study with an accompanying Participant’s Guide.  The DVD segments each feature an opening dialogue between host Gabe Lyons and Laura Waters Hinson (film-maker, director and producer of As We Forgive).  Like the other offerings in the Q Group Studies series, three of the five sessions also include a talk from a recent Q Conference.  Being Countercultural features talks by Gabe Lyons (on being countercultural), Andy Crouch (on Power, Privilege and Risk) and Mike Foster (on the People of a Second Chance).

Like the other studies in the Q Group Studies series two of the five sessions do not include a DVD segment.  Instead, session two includes a Q Short (a 15 page reading) by Jason Locy and Tim Willard (authors of Veneer) and session five guides the group to select a culture shaping project.  Putting the topics from the study into practice is an important aspect of the Q Group Series strategy, so the suggested projects include an anticonsumerism emphasis (spending time and money for the sole benefit of someone else), a creative power effort (using the gifts and talents of the group to create something for the good of the city or community), and a gift of grace extended to a person or group that has been judged or condemned by the church.

This is a powerful study and a powerful series.  If you want the groups in your small group ministry to experience something beyond their own sense of community, Being Countercultural will provide some of the necessary ingredients.  I love the Mike Foster line from his segment.  ”If we’re going to be people of the second chance we need to chase prodigals.”  Chasing them requires developing compassion and developing compassion almost certainly requires understanding.  This study will help you grow in your understanding.

Looking for a fantastic small group leader training opportunity?

I want to invite you to join us for GroupLife Midwest 2012: Staging Ground for the Leadership Expedition!  February 3 & 4, 2012 at Parkview Christian Church in Orland Park, Illinois (southwest Chicago).

We’ve lined up a great speaker (Steve Gladen, Small Group Pastor at Saddleback) and an all-star cast of breakout speakers:

• Bill Donahue
• Rick Howerton
• Mindy Caliguire
• Garry Poole
• Eddie Mosley
• Casey Tygrett
• Jason Anhalt

So many times small group ministry conferences are designed to meet the needs of small group champions (paid and volunteer, small group pastors and directors).  GroupLife Midwest is designed to help you to train and encourage your small group leaders.

Friday night, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  February 3-4, 2012.

Don’t have a budget for leader training?  No worries…it’s FREE!  Can’t afford to put your group leaders up for the night?  Join us on Saturday morning!

Update: Online registration is closed.  Walk-ins are welcome!  You can register and choose breakouts at the door on Friday night or Saturday morning.

Have a question?  Want to let us know you’re coming? Email Me and I’ll get you squared away.  We don’t want anyone to miss the best lineup of small group experts at any conference in 2012.

I’ve still got a couple open spots.  If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow in your ability to connect beyond usual suspects, I want to invite you to join my 2012 Small Group Ministry Coaching Network; an experience designed to give you the tools and strategies you need in order to build a small group ministry that works in the 21st century.

The coaching network program will expose you to a new perspective.  While it makes sense to many that in order to get different results you need to do different things…it’s not always clear what those different things might be.  The coaching network program is designed around the idea that different, not better, leads to the kind of strategy that connects beyond the usual suspects.

I still have a couple openings in my next group.  You can find out all about it right here.  I’m hoping you’ll come along!

My first encounter with Ed Dobson was in 1993 when I read Starting a Seeker Sensitive Service.  Pastor Emeritus of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, you may have run across Dobson in his 2009 book, The Year of Living Like Jesus: My Journey of Discovering What Jesus Would Really Do.

My most recent encounter with Ed Dobson was at The Story conference in Chicago.  As his session began…it was immediately obvious that something had happened.  In the first sentence or two I learned that he had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  For the next ten minutes or so, I heard…and observed…the damage of the disease.  Amazingly, I also heard…and observed…the power of God.

Flannel’s 2011 release of Ed’s Story: A Film Series about Hope (1-3), a mesmerizing example of story-driven visual-media, pulls you steadily into the story.  A series of short films (five of seven are currently finished and separately available as 1-3 and 4-5), each one tells a piece of the story and all of them are very immersive.  Something about the pacing, the intelligent spacing of speech to video (almost like white space) and the camera placement and shot selection itself, create a backdrop against which an irrepressible hope stands firm.  Sometimes all the description in the world fails what a sample will do.   You can watch the first short film right here.

Ed’s Story wrestles with the issues suffering raises: worry, identity, forgiveness, gratitude, and healing.  Accompanied by a personal reflection guide, there is a powerful discussion to be had.  Although deeply biblical, this isn’t your typical set of small group questions complete with directly referenced scripture.  While a leader’s guide would help ensure direction, the video content along with a thought-provoking set of discussion questions will open the door for some very memorable meetings.

This is a powerful experience; one that I want my group to have.  I have a feeling you’ll want your groups to have it, too.

Can’t see the video? You can watch it right here.

December is always a little different than other months.  There’s some planning going on.  There’s an effort to review the latest small group curriculum for first of the year studies.  And then, there’s the Christmas Reading list.  Here are my top 10 posts this month:

1. New from Beth Moore | James: Mercy Triumphs
2. Victory in Spiritual Warfare: A Powerful DVD-Driven Study from Dr. Tony Evans and Lifeway
3. How to Launch Groups Using a Small Group Connection
4. 2011′s Christmas Reading List
5. 5 Things Senior Pastors Need to Know about Small Group Ministry
6. 10 Essential Small Group Leader Skills
7. 3 Common Misconceptions about DVD-Driven Small Group Curriculum
8. Review: Not a Fan
9. 5 Assumptions that Stunt Small Group Ministry Growth
10. Distinctives of the Three Types of Small Group Connecting Events

There are a couple main categories of church-wide campaigns.  Some are designed to be an easy invitation for unconnected people or less-than-fully committed people who really need a next step.  Other campaigns are designed without apology to be a developing experience for everyone who participates.  Just Walk Across the Room, released in 2006, is without question in the second category.  It might even be the leading example of the kind of game-changing campaign that can move an entire congregation in the direction of powerful impact.

This is a fully developed, plug-and-play campaign.  You’ll find everything you need in the curriculum kit.  There are a number of key components to Just Walk Across the Room four week church experience.

First, it’s anchored by a very good four session DVD-driven small group experience.  The DVD content is well done.  Featuring Bill Hybels and a combination of stories and teaching, the video is the right length (about 15 minutes).  The first two sessions allow Hybels to give two great examples of his own journey as a just-walk-across-the-room sort of evangelist.  The third uses a combination of spoof bad examples with Hybels offering counterpoint examples of a more effective approach.  This session also features a clear explanation of “the bridge” illustration and Hybels’ classic ladder illustration.  Session four is a combination of Hybels’ description of his own “Matthew parties” and an intimate look into an his own ongoing opportunity to join in the lives of a regular group gathered by an unchurched friend.  I think you’ll be moved to consider how to do this yourself.  I know I was.

The included Leader’s Guide is fairly basis but does provide some good guidance for each of the sessions.  It will be especially valuable for newer leaders who just need a little extra encouragement.

The companion Participant Guide combines in-session discussion questions and in-between assignments that help take the discussion to application.  While there is work to do in between sessions…it’s pitched at a very inclusive level (Read: it’s not too hard for even the least committed to jump in an complete it).

Another available resource is Hybels’ book by the same title.  Just Walk Across the Room is extremely readable and each of the four group sessions includes a short reading assignment (2 to 3 chapters, about 50 pages).  It’s important to note that while the reading will enhance the experience, it’s not essential.  Participants will get a lot out of the study by attending the weekend service and taking part in the small group study.

As important as these other components are, the CD-ROM is packed with essential ingredients.  Here you’ll find sermon outlines, powerpoint slides (for both Mac and Windows), promotional ideas, web banners, and much more.  It really has everything you need to put together a memorable four week church-wide experience.

If you’re ready for your congregation to take the step that leads to impact…you’ll want to consider Just Walk Across the Room.  This is a powerful study and ought to be on your list to consider.

I review a lot of curriculum every year.  Some DVD-driven.  Some homework intensive.  Some story-driven visual media.  I review everything.

Although my blog is sponsored by several of the larger publishers (much appreciated), it was interesting to see that 2 of the 3 most popular reviews I did were for Not a Fan and Basic: Who Is God; both from publishers that don’t sponsor me (hint).

Why did I rank these reviews separately from yesterday’s top 10 posts of 2011?  I decided that this list may be an indication of sales strength.  8 of 2011′s 10 most popular reviews were written in 2011.

1. Review: Not a Fan (posted in September, 2010)
2. New from Beth Moore | James: Mercy Triumphs
3. Basic: Who Is God (by Francis Chan)
4. The Story: A New Church-Wide Campaign from Zondervan
5. Review: Life’s Toughest Questions (from Lifeway’s Platform Series) (Posted in August, 2010)
6. New Church-Wide Campaign from Bill Hybels: The Power of a Whisper
7. Crave: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (a 7 session study from Lifeway)
8. Review: Walking with God in the Desert
9. Courageous: A New Church-Wide Campaign (based on the movie)
10. Review| Gospel Revolution: A New DVD-Driven Study from J.D. Greear