In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
As a small group facilitator you have selected good curriculum, you have called and emailed and sent text messages to people telling them about your group, you have cleaned your home, and you have provided good snacks. Then, only three of the nine people that said they would be there actually show up. It can be discouraging!
In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
I have never met a person that has refused allowing me to pray for him. As you meet a new person and work to develop a connection with him, offer to pray for him.
Your first point of contact with a person is probably going to be by phone or in person. (You always want to connect in a personal way such as a phone call or in person; not just via text message, email, or Facebook message.) When you talk to the person, ask if there is anything you can pray for him about. But, be sure that you have set aside a little time for this phone call with the person.
Offering to pray for someone might mean that he wants to talk with you about it, and it could take a while. Be sure that you have at least ten minutes set aside to have this conversation. If you feel comfortable, pray for the person on the phone together. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, then it is okay to tell him that you will be praying for him during your personal quiet time each week.
Then, before you end the call, ask if you have his permission to share those prayer requests with your small group. What a comforting assurance it gives someone visiting a small group to know that the group has been praying for him and his prayer requests before he even visits the group!
In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
While at our church we say that groups “start in February” and “start in September,” as you talk to people interested in joining your group, remind them that they can join at any time.
In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
Each time you start a new study and think you might have some new people come into your group, do a “meet and greet” night. Doing a “meet and greet” night might sound weird for some people. In the New Testament Christians we often described as meeting together for fellowship and community. Here’s a brief list of passages I found that describe New Testament believers meeting together: Acts 2:1; 4:31; 5:12; 6:2; 15:7, 30; 16:13; Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 5:4; 14:19, 23-24, 28, 33-35; 16:19; Col 4:15; Phlm 2; Heb 10:24-25; James 2:2; 2 John 1:10.
In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
If you think about it, a person who expresses interest in joining your LIFEGroup has lived 30, 50, or 70 years doing the same thing week after week. Then, he expresses interest in joining your small group. After decades and decades of doing the same thing week after week, he now has to remember that he is going to be part of a small group on Wednesday nights. This person will need several reminders about the change to his life and routine! Furthermore, he won’t just need a reminder once via text or email. He is going to need phone calls, emails, and text messages about the group.
In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
Going to the home of someone you have never met is scary and intimidating for a lot of people.
In my early years of serving as a small groups pastor I often would talk to a person interested in joining a small group, refer him to the small group facilitator, then would find out that no one showed up for the group. Thus, I developed these ten tips because several of our groups had ten people sign up to be part of a group, then when the group was ready to start only two people showed up the first night.
Following these ten tips will increase the amount of people that show up for your small group.
“Do your planning and prepare your fields before
building your house.” ~ Prov 24:27
There are many different elements to a healthy small group. While you might select solid curriculum and provide tasty snacks, if you are a poor facilitator people will visit and not come back to your group. Here are a few basic tips to sharpen your facilitation skills.
One of the ministries I ask our small groups to do is to visit people in the hospital or nursing homes. However, if someone has not done a visit like this before, it can be intimidating. Here is a simple teaching I created for our small group members to use when they visit people in the hospital.
“I was sick and you visited me”
Matthew 25:36
One of the signs of a healthy small group is a group that serves. What do I mean by “serves”? I mean that the group members all have an active role in serving the needs of the group, the group members serve at their church, and they serve in the community. In this post I explain how a small group facilitator can equip the people in his group for service and ministry.
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I. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE SMALL GROUPS PHILOSOPHY AT OUR CHURCH[ref]This material is based on David Ward Miller’s material that he has provided to me and to use to lead our LIFEGroups ministry. Material under this section is a copyright of David Ward Miller.[/ref]
A. Quick Review of our “LIFE” LIFEGroup Culture