Many people in the small group world have searched for a way to multiply groups without causing a lot of relational trauma and fear. I don’t have a universal answer, of course, but the best way I’ve found to do this is by training up an assistant leader and then giving away the small group to them.
The Idea
My wife and I have done this numerous times as leaders of married couples groups. From our very first meeting, we let our new small group know our belief that, over time (usually six months to a year), God is going to raise one of them up to take over the leadership of the group. We emphasize that we’re not in a hurry to make this change, but we do believe it will happen over time. Because when something is healthy, it naturally grows. After planting this visional seed, we make sure to water it often with prayer, encouragement, and support.
At a recent Vision Night for our church’s small groups ministry, I shared this approach to multiplication with all of our group leaders. It was very well received, and afterward we had all the group leaders in attendance write down the names of any potential leaders from their group on a 3 x 5 card. We directed them to put these cards in their Bibles and begin praying over them. We also had each leader come forward and write the names down on large flip pads so that our coaches and staff could spend some time praying over them, as well.
Since that night, we have had numerous leaders let us know that they are already preparing to give their group away and start something new. And each of our small group coaches are now tracking where their leaders are in the process of giving their groups away and how they can help them do so effectively.
Another positive aspect of the “give away your group” strategy is that it teaches a group to have a missional sense of purpose. Not only do groups meet weekly to do study and fellowship, but they’re to pray weekly over who God is going to raise up next. We also encourage each group to pray for their original leaders as they branch out to start a new group. In fact, many of our groups have a special “sending out” night where they pray for the leaders as they launch out to start their new group. It’s an exciting time of celebration.
I believe the reason this approach is so successful is because group leaders intuitively fear the trauma that traditional multiplication causes—and are relieved to have a less stressful and damaging method of growth. Another reason this strategy works so well is because it’s easy. The new group leader already has relationships with everyone in the group, which means the group can just continue on as normal. When any leader receives the simple steps I’ve listed below, they actually believe it to be something they can do.
