I’ve always loved this line from the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Here are 7 small group ministry truths that I hold to be self-evident:
- Unconnected people are always one tough thing away from never being at your church again. Unconnected people aren’t lining up for counseling appointments. When a tough thing comes their way, they Once you determine your true percentage connected, it should never stop bothering you. See also, What’s Your Urgency Level for Connecting People?
- Whatever you want to happen at the member level, will have to happen to the leader first. Want group members to feel cared for? Want them to know what it’s like to have someone praying for them personally? Want them to have a sense of family? You cannot expect members to experience anything their leader has not already experienced. See also, Life-Change at the Member Level.
- If you want to build a thriving small group ministry your senior pastor must be the small group champion. The small group champion role cannot be delegated. The most influential person in almost every congregation must play the part…if you want to build a thriving small group ministry. See also, Small Group Ministry Roadblock #1: A Doubtful or Conflicted Senior Pastor and Your Senior Pastor as Small Group Champion Leads to a Church OF Groups.
- Only the right people are legitimate candidates for the coaching role. Warm and wiling candidates will not get the job done. Hold out for hot and qualified. Hold out for high capacity. Hold out for fruitful and fulfilled. Anything less is a waste of time and energy. See also, 5 Assumptions that Set Up Small Group Coaching to #FAIL and How to Build an Effective Coaching Structure.
- There are no problem-free small group systems, models or strategies. And yet, the pursuit of problem-free delays more ministry than anything else! Every small group system, model or strategy comes with a set of problems. Wise leaders simply choose the set of problems they’d rather have. See also, The Pursuit of Problem Free.
- Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing. You may want to explain away your results as a fluke. “We did not reach our goal because of the weather.” “It was closing weekend at the county fair.” “Easter was late that year.” Don’t fall for it. Acknowledge that results are directly determined by design. If you want different results, you must change the design. See also, 5 GroupLife Dots You May Not Be Connecting.
- Pitting connecting people against making disciples is a false dichotomy. You do not have to choose. In fact, your small group strategy should be designed to make it easy to connect unconnected people and make fully devoted followers. Anything less is an insufficient strategy. See also, Would You Rather: Connect More People or Make More Disciples? and 5 Essential Ingredients of Groups that Make Disciples.
