13 Comments

  1. Kirk Harper on January 24, 2011 at 11:14 am

    I went through the entire process and it worked like a charm right through to choosing leaders and the leader orientation.

    Now just days before 4 brand new Small groups are about to start. Life changes have happened in the lives of 2 Host/leaders and they have backed out. I have encouraged them celebrated them and challenged them in their faith, given guidance and prayed with them. I have set them up with co-leaders and helpers but life has gotten in the way and the circumstances are so great that they have backed out. Any thoughts on how to navigate through this.

    Kirk



  2. Mark Howell on January 24, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Thanks for the question, Kirk. I guess the first question is how many people were chosen as leaders in each of the two groups where the leader backed out. It is very rare for everyone choosing to point at a single person. There will almost always be more than one person who gets some “votes.” Those additional people are the best source of a next step.

    The second question is how many people were in the groups that you formed and do you know many of them? Sometimes the next move is to simply convene the meeting as planned, explain the situation, and see what happens. Surprisingly, there are often others in the group that are more than happy to help the group meet.

    mark



  3. A Bias Toward What Is Next on February 10, 2012 at 12:21 am

    […] the fall of 2002, Saddleback switched from a very effective small group connection model to an untested small group host strategy (combined with a church-wide campaign).  To fill in […]



  4. Keep Your Eyes On the Edges on March 19, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    […] up with the demand with an old school methodology.  So…we began tinkering with the idea of a small group connection.  We tried it and it worked.  It worked big time!  Over the first 18 months we launched almost […]



  5. […] the date for a Small Group Connection.  There are three very good connection opportunities every year.  Fall is a great time to launch a […]



  6. […] We’ve tried North Point style “Group Link” events, technology assisted assimilation, events on Sundays, midweek classes, and everything in between. We’ve even used a modified Saddleback 40 days of […]



  7. […] Schedule a connecting opportunity in late January or early February.  This will provide several weeks to promote your connecting event.  See also, How to Launch Groups Using a Small Group Connection. […]



  8. 8 Secrets to Finding ENOUGH Small Group Leaders on December 26, 2014 at 12:01 am

    […] Don’t expect the best candidates to volunteer. A widespread trend in America is for people to migrate from smaller churches to larger churches where they will have access to more attractive opportunities. Within the migration are many who were the 20 percent who did everything in their old church. In many cases they are temporarily happy with the opportunity to arrive at 10:55, drop their kids in an excellent children’s program, sit in on a weekend service where they are anonymous, and be pulling out of the parking lot at 12:20 on their way to lunch. They may respond to an opportunity to join a small group, but they will rarely sign up to lead one. This trend makes a small group connection a very effective strategy because the event is designed to identify leader candidates. See also, How to Launch Groups Using a Small Group Connection. […]



  9. […] Easter (April 5th) is quite early in 2015. With over two months left before school is out for summer (at least in the United States), there is plenty of time for a connecting event and enough weeks to allow new groups to have a chance of solidifying. See also, How to Launch New Groups Using a Small Group Connection. […]



  10. […] Easter (April 5th) is quite early in 2015.  With over two months left before school is out for summer (at least in the United States), there is plenty of time for a connecting event and enough weeks to allow new groups to have a chance of solidifying.  See also, How to Launch New Groups Using a Small Group Connection. […]



  11. […] Some of the best leader candidates are unknown by staff members.  As a church grows and attendance slips beyond 200, it becomes more and more difficult for the senior pastor and other staff to actually know everyone. For senior pastors and other staff members who are routinely visible, being recognized by people who look familiar but are unknown becomes more and more common.  If this has already happened in your church, don’t miss the fact that some of the best leader candidates are unknown by staff members.  Note: This is why the small group connection strategy is so important.  It empowers group members to identify leaders.  See also, How to Launch Small Groups Using a Small Group Connection. […]



  12. […] 3. Think through the members of your existing groups. Try to identify 10 to 20 members who really should be leading a group. The fewer groups you have today the easier this assignment is. It’s very common for your largest and most successful small groups to have several potential leaders in them. Often these potential leaders serve in another ministry and view their group as the way they “get fed” or cared for. Once you have your list of members who should be leading groups, ask them if they’d be “willing to help get a new group started, just for a six-week study, then they can go back to their group.” Assure them that you’ll help them identify a leader from the group they gather. This is a slight variation of the Vacation idea. I’ve used this in combination with the small group connection strategy to help jump start new groups. See also, How to Launch New Groups Using a Small Group Connection. […]



  13. Mark Howell - Life Letter Cafe on July 31, 2016 at 2:39 pm

    […] How to Launch Groups Using a Small Group Connection […]