There are at least two questions. What are your groups designed to produce? is one of them. I think the answer right now for many would be, disciples who make disciples. In the 80s, Willow’s mission was to make fully devoted followers (still is). And I’m pretty sure in any conversation they’d say now and would have said then that a fully devoted follower would, by definition, be reproducing.
So that’s one question. What are your groups designed to produce?
The other essential questions is probably, what are your groups designed to do?
What are your groups designed to do? Connect people? Help close your church’s back door? Make disciples? Make disciples who make disciples? Help group members engage in incarnational ministry by meeting at a third place twice a month? Impact your community with externally focused ministry?
What are your groups designed to do?
I had quite a conversation with myself yesterday morning as I jogged the three mile circuit in the desert behind our house here in Las Vegas (brought water, so it was slightly better than Monday). Here’s what kept coming back to my mind as I ran:
I still want our groups to do three things. Love one another, grow in Christ, and further the work of the Kingdom. Not original with me (I got this from Willow in the early 90s). I want our groups to help members belong to a family, become like Jesus, and impact their world.
Will our groups do that naturally? Will they drift into that mode? At best, rarely. Probably almost never. Instead, we’ll have to provide easy ways to connect unconnected people, we’ll have to identify group leaders who are a step or two ahead, and we’ll have to keep refining a skillfully designed pathway. See also, Diagnosing Your Discipleship Strategy and Design Is Almost Everything.
What are your groups designed to do?
If you’ve been along for very much of the journey here, you know that I think almost everything comes back to design. Probably why I love Andy Stanley’s line so much: “Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you’re currently experiencing.”
Don’t like what your groups are producing? Don’t like what your groups are doing? Take a careful look at the design.
