How Are You Evaluating Your Small Group Ministry?

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How are you evaluating the effectiveness of your small group ministry? Are you simply comparing the current number of groups and the current number of members with some previous snapshot? Or maybe against a goal? Are you maybe comparing your percentage adults connected with some preferred future goal? See also, Start with the End in Mind.

How are you evaluating the effectiveness of your small group ministry?

The Key Question

Your evaluation of your your small group ministry actually depends on what you have predetermined you will call success. What you have decided in advance will be called success or a win ought to shape the questions you ask to evaluate your ministry.

What you have decided in advance will be called success or a win ought to shape the questions you ask to evaluate your ministry. Share on X

See also, Clarifying the Win for Your Small Group Ministry and 5 Non-Negotiables that Define True Small Group Ministry Success.

Need a few examples?

3 Examples:

If you've decided that success for your small group ministry is to make disciples, you should be asking questions like:

  • As a result of being in your current small group, are you becoming (a) more like Jesus, (b) less like Jesus, (c) staying the same, or (d) other?
  • How have you become more like Jesus this year?
  • Who are you discipling?
  • Where are you serving?
  • How have you become more generous this year?

If you've decided that success for your small group ministry is to create natural connecting opportunities for friends, neighbors, co-workers and family to join a group, you should be asking questions like:

  • Who have you invited to join your small group this year?
  • Who are you building a relationship with and will soon invite to your group?
  • How could your group have a more inviting atmosphere?
  • What might be happening in your gatherings that is an unnecessary barrier to inviting friends?

If you've decided that success for your small group ministry is to connect unconnected people in your congregation (and crowd) so they can make friends, you should be asking questions like:

  • Do you feel more connected now that you are in a group?
  • Have you made friends that you connect with outside of your group meeting?
  • Would you recommend joining a group as a way to make friends?

Takeaway: How you are evaluating the effectiveness of your small group ministry must be determined by what you've decided in advance to call a win. See also, 3 Questions You Should Be Asking about Your Small Group Ministry.

Image by Kenny Louie