I sometimes talk to pastors who are frustrated because small group ministry just isn’t working at their church. They tell me about all the great models and strategies that they’ve adapted from other churches but feel like nothing seems to work. The mistake that most pastors make is that they assume the problem is rooted in a model, system, or strategy. Even worse, they may think the problem is small group ministry itself! I believe the problem is actually a DNA problem: the reason groups aren’t working in their church is that their approach to small groups doesn’t match the DNA of the church’s senior leader.
Church leaders have a tendency to cut and paste a model they see working somewhere else. I believe that this approach could work if the church were simply an organization. But a church isn’t an organization; it’s an organism. A pack of hyenas might see a cheetah successfully kill its prey, but will a hyena try to cut and paste the cheetah’s approach to hunting? No. The cheetah uses that hunting method because he’s a cheetah, not because the method works.
One of the best things you can do to build a strong small group ministry is understand the heart and mind of your church. Nine times out of 10, that can be done by understanding the heart and mind of your senior pastor. Ask why people connect the way they do at your church. Ask why certain ministries thrive in your church and why certain ministries don’t. Spend time with your senior pastor. Figure out what makes aspects of Biblical community really make his eyes light up. Discover his heartbeat for community. Figure out if your ministry is a cheetah, hyena, wolf, spider, or eagle, then hunt the way your ministry was made to hunt!
