Some churches make the mistake of having a one size fits all group mentality. The problem with this is that if you only have one type of small group at your church, you are automatically excluding people from being a part of what you are doing in group ministry. Many people have different learning styles and even different social styles.
Some like large groups(20-40), some like smaller groups (6-15), and some like even smaller accountability/transformation groups (2-3). By offering groups of different sizes you can attract many types of people to get involved. The smaller the group the less anonymous someone can be and the intensity of the spiritual growth increases.
I would also encourage group leaders to define the type of group they are leading. For example, at our church we have the following classifications:
Home Teams - by far the most popular, these are groups that are just as social as they are spiritual. They meet at least twice a month, discuss the Bible and do fun activities together year round.
Explore Groups - These groups are short term groups (6-12 weeks) that meet weekly to study the Bible or a designated topic from a Biblical perspective.
Restore Groups - These are groups that are focused on helping people recover and cope with challenges associated with addictions and co-dependency.
By organizing the focus of what a leader is trying to do we can help them be more effective. Doing this also helps those trying to get connected with others that have similar interests and needs. When that happens we increase the chances for ongoing participation and real life change. I love it when people tell me that their small group feels like home!
Does your small group have a group covenant? If not you may want to consider having this discussion with your group ASAP. Expectations can make or break a group of people in any context. Problems boil to the surface in relationships every single day because of unmet expectations.
This kind of thing happens in marriage, friendships, family, and co-workers. However it can be prevented. Dave Treat recently commented on the topic...
I don't know how many people have told me of a small group experience in which they expected one thing and got another. They wanted a bible study and got a tea party. They wanted social interaction and got a serving project. They wanted to do something tangible to make a difference, and got a mini-course in hermeneutics. Their expectations were not met.
This is where group covenants shine... laying out the expectations for how often and how long a group will meet, how they will spend their time together, how members desire their group life to develop. It doesn't have to be perfect or overly detailed. Usually, simple is better. But if you take the time to lay out your expectations in writing, your small group has a better chance of meeting everyone's expectations.
Does your group have a covenant? What are the things that you think are important to clarify when making a commitment like this?
I continue to love the members of my small group and I have mixed feelings about how to write this post. On Tuesday, I came home from the office early to help my wife get the house ready for our small group meeting while she had taken the kids to an appointment. During that appointment my son, Michael, had a seizure.
He half way closed his eyes, kind of zoned out, and shook just a little bit, all for about a minute or so. Shelli called me immediately and told me an ambulance was on the way. I jumped in the car and called Rose (one of our group members) and she handled the group for us.
Two days later we took Michael in for an EEG at DuPont Hospital and some group members swung into action. When we got home from the testing a package was sitting in the driveway waiting for us. While we were gone some of my Home Team (small group) had put together a small care package! Nothing extravagant but some simple things to show us they cared and that they were thinking about us.
I can't tell you how good it felt to come home and see that package from them waiting there for us. Especially after a long day of testing.
I hesitated writing this post since I am still emotionally in the middle of this thing but I had to let other leaders know how much something small like that makes a difference.
Keep us in your prayers...
