You’re reading this…so you already know that the optimum environment for life-change is a small group.  Right?  After all, that is one of the key axiomatic beliefs of small group ministry enthusiasts everywhere.

The question is, “Is it true that a group is the optimum environment for life-change?”  Or are there some factors that must be in place for that to be true?

I’ve been saying for several years that life on life is how life-change happens and small groups are the best delivery system for that.  Say what you want to about mentoring.  It doesn’t scale.  That is, once you’re beyond 75 to 100 people, you’re going to have a very hard time delivering life on life through a mentoring strategy.  It becomes much more realistic to give the opportunity to a much larger number of people through a small group strategy.  That said, there are a few essential ingredients that must be present in a group for life-change to be likely.  Here’s my list:

• Communication in the group must be two way.  Dialogue.  That means we’re not really talking about it being led by a teacher.  I don’t really change if I’m just listening.  It can be a contributing element.  But, it’s not enough.  I also need to talk.  It is much more likely that someone with gifts of shepherding, encouragement, leadership or mercy will be a more effective leader.  Or a teacher who understands how to start a conversation.
• The small group needs to be a safe place.  I’ve got to able to share what’s really going on.  Not on the first week.  But in time I have to get to the place where I can share life with someone else.
• The meetings must be frequent enough to maintain connection.  Once a month is not enough.  Twice a month is a challenge because if I miss once…it’s been a month.  There’s not a magic number, but more frequent insures better possibilities.
• There needs to be an intentionality about what happens.  A kind of plan.  This is what’s so appealing about the Spiritual Health Assessment and the Spiritual Health Plan that are part of the Purpose Driven approach.  I’ve written about these two tools right here.
• It goes without saying that time in the Bible and prayer together are essentials.  This makes what you study very important.  You’ve got to be providing study materials that are about application.  It’s not enough to learn about the Bible.

These are the essential ingredients.  If you want life-change to happen…it won’t be accidental.  And it won’t be automatic.  It will be because these ingredients are at work.

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

How dry is the cement around what’s possible in your discipleship effort?  Pretty firm?  Room to wiggle?  As we continue to think about how to help more people experience genuine life-change, I find myself drawn again to ideas in Gary Hamel’s The Future of Management.  Here are four questions he uses to maximize the chances for “precedent-breaking” innovation:

• “What’s the ‘tomorrow problem’ that you need to start working on right now?”
• “What’s the frustrating ‘ether/or’ you’d like to turn into an ‘and’?
• “What’s the espoused idea you’d like to turn into an embedded capability?”
• What the ‘can’t do’ that needs to become a ‘can do’?

Just stop for a moment and think about those four questions.  Imagine pulling together a team of folks that are really invested and engaged in the life-change process at your church and spending time on any of these questions.  Think you’d have a great discussion?  Absolutely.  Think getting some answers up on a flip chart might be a great first step?  Definitely.  Not the last step…but certainly the first step.

Hamel makes the point that “what’s lacking is not insightful analysis, but truly bold and imaginative alternatives to the management status quo (p. 40, The Future of Management).”  What’s he saying?  Simply that getting answers to these four questions is only the beginning.  Think though, about what you could do once you had the answer to any one of these questions?  Think about how you could pull your team into a great discussion about how to develop authentic capabilities!  It would give you a whole new way of looking at your ministry.

How limited is your thinking? When you stop long enough to examine how your ministry is designed…particularly the assumptions that it is based on…how limited is your thinking? Need an example? Try these statements on for size:

• “New groups must begin with a qualified leader and an apprentice.” I remember hearing Jim Dethmer talk about how new groups were formed at Willow Creek in 1991 and those were his words. I wonder how many small group ministries operate with this underlying assumption?
• “New leaders have to have already gone through the curriculum in an existing group or attend the special all-day training.” This is the essence of the system in order to use The Truth Project curriculum.
• “Only church members can lead a group. To become a member you have to go through our 15 week schedule of core classes.” Whether yours is a one hour class, a four hour class, or a 15 week class…you need to be sure you understand what you gain (and what you lose) by establishing that hoop.
• “Members of new groups make a 18 to 24 month commitment and the group is closed to new members.” This is one of the basic ideas of North Point’s small group system and has always led me to wonder about missed connection opportunities. Asking your newest attendees to join a closed group seems sure to make it harder for the friends of the newest people to connect.
• “Our groups are semester based. Members make a 13 week commitment to their group and may choose a new group at the beginning of the next semester.”

These are just five of many, many underlying assumptions that drive (or hinder) small group ministries. Sometime in the past a set of assumptions were adopted, many times intentionally, other times they’ve just drifted into place. They remain in place…mostly unexamined…and some of them are absolutely preventing exponential ministry. What if that’s true about your small group ministry? Could it be true?

I know most of us badly want to have the greatest impact, on the largest number of people, for the longest period of time. We’ve committed to the vision of life in community. We believe wholeheartedly that life-change happens in community. We’d never knowingly do things that would prevent a full-scale assault on the schemes of the evil one. And yet, it is a great challenge to slow down long enough to fully examine the assumptions that drive the way we do what we do.

One of the books that has shaped my thinking in the last two years is Gary Hamel’s The Future of Management. Sounds like business…I know. But much like Jim Collins’ Good to Great, The Future of Management is packed with thinking that help you seriously examine why you do what you do. It is the reason Hamel is speaking at Willow Creek’s Leadership Summit this week.

One of the lines from Hamel’s book that grabbed my attention is that “to escape the straitjacket of conventional thinking, you have to be able to distinguish between beliefs that describe the world as it is, and beliefs that describe the world as it is and must forever remain (p. 131, The Future of Management).”

I believe we would all benefit by slowing down long enough to think about our ministries this way. We need to slow down long enough to carefully identify the things that are true about discipleship and must forever remain…and be unafraid to try new possibilities that will help us “escape the straitjacket of conventional thinking.”

Can you think of other assumptions or practices that may be limiting our thinking in small group land?

I’ve written quite a bit about the subject of building a small group ministry in a church with a Sunday School culture.  This is an important topic because it is where so many churches are.  A legacy program in a changing landscape.  And it’s a challenging situation.

That said, I want to talk today about some underlying philosophical assumptions that are shaping decisions around the country.  It may seem a little more rambling than normal.  Just work with me!  And as always, I’d love to hear your take and you can jump in by using the comment section below!

Q: Are there philosophy of ministry questions that help make the case for off-campus vs. on-campus?

A: I think there are at least three.

1. Does the experience make disciples?  I’ve listed this first because I believe it is the first question.  It leads to a deeper question (that we can tackle another time), but at a minimum, making disciples takes observation (someone modeling how to do it), discussion, and participation in a set of practices.  Obviously, that cannot happen in a lecture environment (whether the class is on-campus or off-campus).  I often make the statement that a smaller version of what’s happening in the worship service will not get it done.  Two-way communication is essential.  Doing things together is essential.  Going out to do it on your own is another essential.  Information is not the point.  It is all about transformation.  Is that happening in your on-campus class?  Is it happening in your off-campus small group?  If the experience isn’t making disciples…then there’s something missing.
2. Are we helping our congregation prioritize the activities that make disciples?  Since every member’s available time is limited (again, this leads to a deeper discussion), and since all of us struggle to choose what is best for us, many churches are moving in a simple church direction that limits activities to those that contribute best to the desired goal.  Options are eliminated in order to insure that the right choices are easy, obvious and strategic.
3. Does the on-campus arrangement make service less likely?  My argument is that on-campus tends to provide additional opportunities to consume while making it more difficult to contribute (serve).  This is a little complicated, but if by providing a worship + class arrangement I’ve insured that whole segments of the congregation are unavailable to serve…

Obviously, there are other key questions.  These are three that must be asked when determining your discipleship philosophy of ministry.

Ever slow down long enough to look at whether your discipleship strategy is actually working?  I know…who has time?  Here’s the thing, we better make time!   As I see it, you don’t have to read between the lines to see the link between leadership and accountability for results (See Matthew 25 or Luke 19 if you doubt me).  That said, how can we determine whether our discipleship strategy is working?  Here are a few ideas:

1. Assessments like Willow’s Reveal can play an important role.  Designed to give an indepth analysis of congregational health, Reveal will also give some important help in determining next steps.
2. Taking the time to carefully articulate what it is that you are trying to do.  Taking my lead from The 7 Practices of Effective Ministry, I’ve referred to this step as clarifying what a win will be.
3. Be on the lookout for great diagnostic questions.  If you’re wired this way, it will come easy.  If you’re not, watch for team members who are analytically wired and invite them into the discussion.  Here are a couple of my favorite questions: (a) What 21st-century challenges are testing the design limits of our discipleship strategy? (b) What are the limitations of our model that have failed to keep up with the times?  Let me take a moment to unpack these two questions.

What 21st-century challenges are testing the design limits of our discipleship strategy? Think about this one.  If you’re like many churches, much of what you do is based to a degree on decisions that were made a long, long time ago.  You may no longer have a Sunday night service.  You might have severely trimmed your Wednesday programs.  At the same time, a little digging will probably show that a lot of what you’re doing is based on things that were true in another time.  Work schedules, commuting, family commitments, technology, learning styles  and reduced attention spans are just a few of the dynamic changes that have impacted today’s culture.

What are the limitations of our model that have failed to keep up with the times? This is a great follow up question.  Things like limited time slots, qualified teachers, curriculum expense, facility-based programming are just a few issues that may come to the surface.

These are just two of a whole set of questions that I use to help debug broken systems.  Both of these questions come from Gary Hamel’s fantastic read The Future of Management.  What questions are you asking to diagnose your discipleship system?

We had a great call today with my good friend Kent Odor, this week’s guest on the Small Group Fraternity. Definitely in the small group pioneer category, Kent has a long small group history and has had many great experiences along the way.  In today’s call there were a number of important insights.  Just wanted to share this one with all of you, because it will help you in the development of your small group system.

Kent talked about how every cell in a biological sense needs input, output and connection…and so does every soul.  He went on to explain that every soul needs input (3 types: from the front, in groups, and individual), output (serving), and connection that keeps them safe and growing.

I asked him to drill down a little further and he explained that they think of input as based on the 5 core values of the Cincinnati Vineyard.  Here are their 5 core values:  Servant Community (In community we serve together), Outward Focused (It’s all about someone else), Worship (What you were called for), Empowered Transformation (Redeemed to maturity through the Holy Spirit), Relevant (Just right for every moment).

Now here’s the cool part.  First, they’ve looked through the Serendipity Bible and identified 24 studies for each core value.  And, as Kent told us, “it gets better.”  The second thing they’re doing is, recognizing the four stages identified in Willow’s Reveal study (Exploring Christ, Growing in Christ, Close to Christ, and Christ-Centered), each of the 24 studies for each core value is tagged according to the stage it is ideally suited for.

That’s some really good systems thinking and a great example of the kind of thing we’re getting with the Small Group Fraternity.

When you think about Heaven…what comes to mind?  For most of us, even those of us who have been walking with Christ a long time, Heaven is a only a very vague concept.  Is it a real place?  Will there be clouds?  Will we have wings, play harps and walk on streets of gold?  Will it be boring?  Will we do a lot of singing?  Sound familiar?  Ever wondered what Heaven will really be like?

God has put eternity in our hearts.  This group discussion guide will help bring eternity to light in a way that will surprise you, spark your imagination, and change how you live today.  Randy Alcorn

Based on Randy Alcorn’s best-selling book Heaven, the new Small Group Discussion Guide is designed as a companion to the Heaven DVD, which is currently available in the back of the book itself.   At seven sessions, it is long enough to provide a thorough examination of the topic and yet short enough to encourage every group member to complete it.

If you’ve used Lifetogether’s Doing Life Together or Experiencing Christ Together, you’ll find the basic format very familiar.  Each session begins with a CONNECTING with God’s Family section, designed to prime the pump of conversation and warm up the group.  After watching the DVD segment (featuring Randy Alcorn and interspersed with a steady dose of man-on-the-street comments), you’ll find a well-developed GROWING to Be Like Christ segment as well as PRAYER and SURRENDER.

A great addition to the format is the Reflection segment that provides a daily opportunity to continue to learn about and reflect on the topic.  This makes the Study Guide a really good value and more than a source for the questions.

Finally, you’ll want to take advantage of Leaders Sessions on the DVD and features like the health assessment and health plan, leader’s notes, calendar, and prayer and praise report in the Heaven Small Group Discussion Guide.

One of the challenges in this topic is its someday orientation.   Although it’s an important topic, and one that group members should find engaging, I didn’t expect it to have as much present day application as I found it to have.  In fact, this is a study that will have appeal to the believers in your groups and many of their friends.

Can it be used successfully as a church-wide study?  Absolutely.  Although this is not a great outreach topic, it still is somewhere in the middle on the Easy/Hard Continuum.  As such, it would make a great follow-up study to a more outreach oriented ministry season beginning.

If the greatest fear that people have is public speaking…it only makes sense that many people will be hesitant to pray out loud.  Here are some ideas that I’ve found very helpful:

• Distribute index cards and pens and ask each person to write out a simple one sentence prayer request.  Swap cards and read them aloud.
• Ask each person to fill in the blank and say one thing they’re thankful for:  “God, I’m thankful for my ______________,”
• Pull a chair into the middle of the room and suggest that since Jesus said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:20),” in tonight’s meeting let’s speak to him as if he was right in that chair.
• Sentence prayers with no conjunctions (and).  One idea only.  For example, “God help me with __________.”  “God I’m thankful for _______________.”  “God be with Dean tonight in a way he can sense.”
• Ground rule: You can only pray for a personal concern tonight.  Nothing for your sister’s husband’s co-worker’s daughter.
• Ask your members to pair up or get in groups of three. I’ve written much more about this idea in The Power of a Spiritual Training Partner.

Have you got some ideas that have worked for you?  Use the comments to spread the word!

Q: “What is the best way to close a group meeting in prayer?”

A: Great question!  There are several parts to my answer.  First, the entire meeting structure ought to vary according to the needs of the group’s members.  After all, new groups will be much less willing to share genuine needs.  Long-term groups may spend a much longer portion of their group time praying.

Second, if the intensity of a meeting ought to change over time, it makes sense that the way your group prays together ought to change over time.  The closing prayer at the very first meeting might be more of a blessing than anything else.  As the group begins to get to know each other you may find that what used to take 5 minutes now takes 30.  You may also find that without some intentionality the authenticity of your member’s prayer requests are stuck at a fairly superficial level.  This is the point when it will benefit everyone to take advantage of the idea of a spiritual partner.

Third, if the only person that can close is the official leader…you’ve missed a great opportunity.  As early as possible you’ll want to begin to help your members learn how to pray together.

How do you know you’re succeeding at what you do?  If we were baseball players…it’d be easy.  At the end of the game we’d see who had the most runs on the scoreboard.  Would hits matter?  Yes.  Would RBIs matter?  Yes.  What about our pitcher’s ERA?  Yes.  But would they themselves be a win?  No.  At the end of the game only one thing really matters.  Do you have more runs than the other team.

How does that relate to group life? Well…unless you’ve declared what a win is, you might be measuring (or celebrating) the wrong things.  Need a for instance?  What if you’re calling a certain percentage of your weekend adult attendance a win?  For example, you’ve got 300 adults in your average weekend worship and you’ve got 200 adults in a group of some kind.  Does that feel like a win?  Is that a win?  Might be…but also might be an instance of a high LOB (Left On Base) percentage.  What makes the difference?  What you’re going to call a win.

Here’s what I mean.  If you’re only looking for a certain percentage of adults in groups (which might be where you start), then it could be that you call this a win.  At the same time, you may get to the point where a win is not the number of groups or the percentage of adults in them but is actually something a little tougher to measure.  For example, a win might become a certain percentage of groups that are finding a way to serve together in their group.  Here are some other possibilities:

• In the last 6 months 50 different people took a turn facilitating your 20 groups.
• 40% of our group members are neighbors and friends.
• 25% of our groups members are having lunch on a weekly basis with non-christian friends.
• 30% of our groups are planning to take a six-week vacation during our upcoming church-wide study and instead of meeting host new groups.
• 80% of our groups have taken the Purpose Driven Health Assessment and chosen a curriculum that will help them take a next growth step based on what they discovered.

The key to determining whether you’re winning or losing is to do the hard work of figuring out what really matters.  You may be at the place where you will be thrilled by adding reaching a higher percentage of your adults in groups.  That’s okay.  You may be at a place where you really want to begin looking for more, all in the interest of exposing your congregation to the activities and practices that are most likely to build authentic Christ followers.  Wherever you land the hard work is worth it.  Don’t miss that.  And don’t settle for high on-base percentages when scoring runs is the point.

Need more on the idea?  The 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley and Reggie Joiner is fabulous on this concept.  I highly recommend this book.