Small Group Design

Hi Friends,

 

Thanks for your continued leadership and ministry in group ministry at the church.  It is wonderful having praises and good news to share from your groups on a weekly basis.  I love hearing the stories of your groups, so please keep them coming.

 

A thought for you today: Your small group is perfectly designed to get the results it is getting.  It is perfectly designed to be the size it is, to have the conversations it has, to meet where it does, to cover the subjects it covers.  I have talked with some of you who want your group to change--to become bigger, to become more biblically based, to become friendlier to new people, to attract new people...  Your group changes by design.  Here are two suggestions in making changes that come from Frans Johansson.

 

1. Design the group for someone else.  Imagine that someone completely new was attending.  How would your group change?  Johansson says we would design a beach house differently for ourselves than we would for Picasso.  What does Picasso's small group look like?  :)

 

2. Create Constraints.  Create a barrier for your group.  Maybe it's that you have to find a new location; maybe the main speaker can't share for a few weeks; maybe you need to meet at a new time.  Once in constraints, find out what changes just happened to give your group new ideas, leadership, and energy.  Constraints always force us to develop new abilities.

 

Frans is a speaker at this year's Leadercast.  I would love to see some of you here.  Remember: if you are inviting a pre-Christian to attend with you, I will cover the cost of their ticket.  You can just give it to them.  We believe in relational evangelism and want to give you opportunities to broach new conversations with your pre-Christian friends.

 

I continue praying for your groups and your leadership.  Please let me know how I can pray for and serve you.

 

Grace and peace,

 

Aaron