Many small groups are like Igor in Young Frankenstein. One of my favorite scenes in the movie shows Igor, played by Marty Feldman, and Dr. Frankenstein, played by Gene Wilder, talking. Dr. Frankenstein says, “You know, I’m a brilliant surgeon. I can help you with that hump.” To which Igor responds in perfect deadpan, “What hump?”
This happens so often to people, families, companies, and churches. We get so used to living with some unhealthy condition that we just get used to it. We become oblivious to a huge hump or dysfunction that keeps us from living a healthy, productive lifestyle. After awhile, we become desensitized to its reality and to the negative effect it’s having on our life.
When our church assessed the health of our groups, we discovered that many were unhealthy in certain areas and, until they took the assessment, were completely unaware of, or at least apathetic toward, the debility. In fact, many groups became aware of some of their unhealthy issues just by doing the assessment. I tell several stories of these groups in Small Group Vital Signs, but one story stood out. Gail’s group scored the lowest of all our groups, and yet most people may never had seen it. The group was coasting along, not growing, not making an impact, and yet no alarms were going off. In fact, it was slowly dying, but the death spiral was still pretty incomprehensible. Our assessment, coaching, and training helped Gail’s group to get healthy and it started growing immediately. Now it’s multiplying and making an impact on others.
How is your group doing? Are you healthy? Are you sure? Take our FREE Small Group Health Assessment to gauge your group health. It will take you less than 10 minutes to take the assessment, and you will receive a report that will show you how you’re doing in each of the 7 vital signs of health. If you want, you can forward this report to your coach or small groups point person for accountability and support.
Don’t be like Igor. Get some help with that hump!
