Problem Three: We can’t find solid small group leaders.
Solution: When Jana Swenson was hired as pastor of community and equipping at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Marion, Iowa (faith-life.org), the congregation had just completed Rick Warren’s 40 Days of Purpose curriculum, during which 40 small groups were launched. But once the 40 days were over, Swenson found herself managing these small groups with no training or accountability system for leaders.
“We were scrambling to get a training structure into place,” she recalls. But instead of panicking, Swenson started four “turbo groups,” a method introduced by Carl F. George in Prepare Your Church for the Future (Revell). Turbo groups are high-intensity, fast-paced groups purposed with developing future small group leaders. After 18 months of training, St. Mark’s turbo group members were equipped and ready to start their own small groups. Now, five years later, St. Mark’s has 75 flourishing small groups with able leaders at the helm of each.
Donahue agrees that developing leadership rather than simply recruiting people to fill leadership positions is far more effective in the long run. “If you are intentionally building into people, those people become leaders,” Donahue says. He suggests that pastors identify potential leaders who demonstrate integrity and character and gather them into small groups—like St. Mark’s turbo groups—where they learn the biblical values of leadership.
Bottom Line: Recognize potential leaders and mentor them. Provide ongoing leadership training and development for small group leaders.
Problem four: Our small group members are not committed.
Solution: When Scott Christenson entered his role as small groups pastor at PPLC, he made three requests of his senior pastor: be in a small group, use the phrase “in my small group” in sermons, and tell others they need to be in a small group. According to Christenson, the key to getting members committed to their small groups is through the teaching and example of the senior pastor.
“The number one issue for people in our suburban setting is busyness,” he says. “Everyone sees the pastor as a busy person, so if he’s in a group, that takes away their excuse for not being in one.” Additionally, frequent mention of the pastor’s small group from the pulpit normalizes the idea of group life.
After small groups have been reinforced as a valuable part of church culture, Christenson, now PPLC’s senior pastor, suggests using signed covenants (contracts that delineate the expectations of group members) to further reinforce small group commitments.
Dave Enns of North Coast also encourages Growth Group participants to sign covenants, but only after they’ve attended the group for three weeks. “We do all we can to make the commitment reasonable for the average person,” says Enns. “At the end of 10 weeks with a Growth Group, members have the option to stay, change groups or take a quarter off.”
Bottom Line: Church pastors must visibly model commitment to small groups, as people are more likely to be committed to something the church and its leaders value. Use short-term covenants to reinforce member commitment.
Problem Five: Our small groups are inbred and exclusive.
Solution: Thirty years ago, one of Christenson’s relatives began a small group at PPLC. Together, the four couples involved in the group have grown in their knowledge of the scriptures, built meaningful, lasting relationships and supported each other through hard times.
“They still meet regularly today, but they’ve never caught a vision for outreach,” Christenson shares. “While their influence is great, it is limited to just four couples.” Christenson contrasts his relatives’ small group with a group he started nine years ago.
“We had essentially the same vision as my relatives had 30 years ago, with one significant exception—we wanted to stay focused on others,” he says. Today, that single small group has grown to a ministry of 60 small groups with 450 participants.
If a church has small groups without a vision for outreach, Christenson encourages leaders to challenge members at every meeting to think about how many lives they want to touch. Dan Lentz, director of Smallgroups.com—an online network of small group leaders, churches and resource providers—agrees that an ethos of outreach must be established if small group leaders want members to reach out.
He advises churches to specify outreach as one of the primary purposes of small groups. “When a group knows that providing a place for new people to come is its goal,” says Lentz, “reaching out becomes part of the small group’s lifestyle.” He suggests having an open chair at every meeting—an empty chair—as a physical reminder that the group is looking to grow. Leaders can then mention the chair and begin each meeting with prayer that a new person will come to fill it. Once a group grows to be double its original size, split the group in half to allow for more growth to take place.
Bottom Line: State and repeat the expectations of openness and outreach at every small group meeting. Give leaders and members a vision to impact more lives through small groups.
Problem Six: We can’t get new church members plugged into existing small groups.
Solution: According to surveys conducted by Lentz through Smallgroups.com, there is a 10% chance that a church visitor will become a member, but if the visitor is invited to a small group, the likelihood of his becoming a church member increases to 50%. These percentages show that new members need to connect with the church community, or they won’t stay.
“Ideally, you make community the front door of the church,” Lentz explains. “That’s a big paradigm shift for many churches, but it’s a much more effective way of reaching people and assimilating them.”
So when newcomers attend your church for the first time, Enns of North Coast recommends welcoming them with open arms into your small group community. North Coast’s staff makes sure that when newcomers arrive, they hear about Growth Groups from the start. Joining a small group becomes attractive because the church culture is built on them.
In addition, the church limits other opportunities that would compete with groups, such as adult Sunday school or choir. “We created a vacuum,” says Enns, “so people will meet their need for community in Growth Groups.”
