“Small groups just don’t work here,” they said. When I asked them what they meant they described a history of flipping from one small group strategy to another, year after year, caught up in the enthusiasm of this conference or that new book.
Sound familiar? Can you identify?
The looming challenge for many is that the big issue isn’t resistance to change. Instead, the biggest issue is chronic inconsistency (flipping from one strategy to another).
“The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change; the signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency.” Jim Collins, Great by Choice
When I’m asked for help in choosing a small group system or strategy, I’ve always found it important to first wrestle with three guiding questions:
- What will success look like?
- Is the win you’ve identified attainable given the current assumptions about things like membership requirements for leaders, attention span of senior leadership, and your congregation’s willingness to prioritize group life?
- Who will be your customer?
Want do you think? Want to argue? Jump into the conversation.
