I have always found summer to be an interesting component of group life. Some of our groups experience a dip in attendance while others continue to thrive. I have heard all sorts of advice from other small group pastors and breakout sessions at conferences but I am of the opinion that the group leader can make the best decision for his or her group.
They know their summer schedules, vacation times, children's activities, church events, etc. I've always been a part of churches that have had very volunteer intensive summers. Summer is some of the best opportunities for outreach events for kids and teens, and these events often need the volunteers that attend our groups! Not only will church events impact our groups but so will summer vacation. I have often found that my own group experiences about a 50% drop in attendance during the summer.
Some leaders may decide that it's best to just break for the summer and meet once per month for a social to stay in touch. What I have found that typically works for my own leadership style and summer schedule is to meet twice per month over the summer, instead of meeting weekly.
In general I think scaling back for the summer is helpful. When it comes to group ministry I like to generate a buzz for a big fall launch with new curriculum, or sometimes an all church alignment campaign. I find people are looking for something when school starts to create a routine and stabilize after their hectic vacations. Hopefully your summer is refreshing and your group stays in touch.
Posted by: Frank Chiapperino in group health on
Mar 03, 2010
Whether your group has been together a long time or just a few months it can be challenging for a leader to decide what to do next with their small group. This article can help you gain some perspective by guiding you through some key questions to evaluate your small group.
When trying to figure out where to take your smallgroup (bible study or whatever you want to call it) one of the best things you can do is figure out where you are. There are four major relationship areas to consider:
- God - Your personal relationship with God and your group's relationship with God.
- Each other - The depth of your relationships with your group members and their relationships with each other.
- Leadership - The number of future leaders your group is producing and you are personally investing in.
- Evangelism - The relationships your group has with unchurched people and the passion they tap into to connect those people to God.
Evaluation Questions
God:
How often do you pray for your group each week?
Do you and your group members discuss personal time spent with God?
How much time do you spend in prayer and bible study each day?
Does your group spend time talking about prayers that God has answered?
Each other
- How many times does your group meet in an average month?
- How many parties, socials, or fun group activities has your group had in the past 3 months?
- How many times have you invited someone from your group over for a meal in the past two months?
- Do you ever participate in church activities as a group by going together?
- How often do you communicate with group members by phone, email, cards, or letters to encourage them?
Leadership:
- Does your group have an assistant-leader or an apprentice?
- How many of your group members expect to lead a group sometime in the future?
- How many people in your group participate by leading different components of the meeting? (For example: prayer time, ice breaker, bible reading, etc.)
- How often does your group pray about developing new group leaders?
- Who in your group would you like to see become a leader?
Evangelism:
- How often does your group pray for people far from God?
- How many parties or gatherings have you had, not spiritual in nature, that your group members could invite their non-Christian friends to.
- When a visitor attends your group for the first time, how often do you follow up with a phone call, card, or an invite to breakfast or lunch?
- Does your group have a goal to grow or start another group?
These questions help me figure out if I am on target with leading my group. Hopefully, you find them useful. You may even want to bring them to your next meeting and discuss them as a group!
For other great articles on small groups visit our article section by clicking here.
Posted by: Frank Chiapperino in training on
Jan 24, 2010
If you can be near a PC on February 18th you wont want to miss this event. It is not often that you can participate in something like this with group leaders around the country and the best part is that its FREE.
Greg Bowman (co-author of Coaching Life-Changing Small Group Leaders), Lyman Coleman (the father of the small group movement as we know it today and founder of Serendipity House Resources), Bill Donahue (small groups pastor at Willow Creek Community Church and author of multiple small group books including Leading Life Changing Small Groups and Building a Church of Small Groups), Carl George (church consultant and author of Prepare Your Church for the Future and The Coming Church Revolution), Eddie Mosley (church consultant and small group pastor at Lifepoint Church, Smyrna, TN), Randall Neighbour (President of TOUCH Ministries and author of multiple small group books including The Naked Truth About Small Groups), Bill Search (Small Group Pastor at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY and author of Simple Small Groups), Reid Smith (Community Pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach, Florida and Founder of 2orMore), and Rick Howerton (Author of Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual, and LifeWay Small Group Specialist), will make up the panel.
You will be able to interact with other church leaders as the event is taking place as well as presenting questions to the panel for consideration.
Join three generations of small group minds for an unprecedented experience. To find out more and to register for this free event just click on this link http://www.lifeway.com/sgsummit
