5 Simple Steps with Big GroupLife Payoffs!
What you do in the next 2 or 3 weeks can change what happens at your church this fall. Although it’s technically not too late to pull the trigger and launch a church-wide campaign, that’s not a simple matter. Here are 5 simple steps you can take that will have big payoffs this fall and beyond:
- Ask some of the existing groups to consider taking a small group vacation and instead of meeting together, help get some new groups going. Choose an appealing topic with a an easy-to-use 6 week curriculum. Develop a bulletin insert that promotes the specific days and times of the new groups. Announce the study 2 or 3 Sundays in a row, having interested people sign up by placing their completed insert in the offering. Even if you got 2 or 3 groups to say “yes” to the vacation idea and launched 9 new opportunities…you could connect another 90 to 100 people. That was easy!
- Plan a Small Group Connection for the end of September or the first weekend in October. Just follow the steps in my four part series. Choose an easy-to-use curriculum (here are several). Promote it several weeks in a row. Hold the event. That was easy!
- Ask all of your groups to add at least one new facilitator. Make it a goal for September. Remember, multiple facilitators is a predictor of groups that can endure the loss of a leader. At the same time, getting all of your groups in the leader development game will enable you to pull off #1 with more groups next year. That was easy!
- Ask your small groups to host Labor Day block parties. Announce the locations for the next 3 weeks, encouraging nearby members to stop by. The relaxed atmosphere could help unconnected members to consider joining a group (especially if you’ve encouraged your group members to be on the lookout for unconnected people!). That was easy!
- Encourage all of your existing groups to “kick off the fall” by hosting an open house. Have them choose a theme, bring food and invite a few unconnected friends. Publish the day, time and location for each open house on a flyer in the bulletin and encourage unconnected members to “drop by.” If your group members have their welcome hat on…they just might pick up a member or too! That was easy!
