You have heard that in order to grow bigger you need to grow smaller, that you need to build small groups to create community, and that Millennials are looking for small groups more than big churches. So, how do you start small groups?
To start a successful small group, you need to identify whether or not you have a heart for a specific purpose or a specific group of people. Once identified, then you need to purchase or design the curriculum and structure, invite those who are in your target, and then create an environment that is conducive to their engagement, learning, growth.
Building a small group can be an incredible tool when you are growing your faith community. Whether your faith community is small or large is really irrelevant, because small groups can be used for various purposes to accomplish different goals. For the most part, starting a small group is a relatively simple process and just takes a little intentionality, planning, and perseverance.
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Many churches that start small groups default to a couple of different things. One default I have observed is, leadership knows they want to have small groups, and so they just grab a couple of individuals or couples, ask them to host a small group, and then set a time and invite people to it.
The other default has a slightly higher degree of planning where the small group is designed to meet and discuss the sermon from the Sunday before, almost like a supplement to the Sunday experience. Though there is nothing wrong with this approach, many times both of these default approaches have little to no long-term success.
The lack of effectiveness, I believe, is because the people who are part of our faith communities are complex and diverse, and this requires a small group selection that is appealing to that complex and diverse group of people. So, let’s look at how to design a small group that people want to attend.
Serve a Specific Purpose or People
A small group is more than a gathering of people. You can’t simply build it and expect people to come. You have to begin asking intentional questions that help you create a group people are looking for.
Begin with asking, “do I want to serve a specific group of people, or do I want to focus on a specific purpose”. The answer to this question has a profound difference in how to create your small group.
If you are focused on a specific group of people, then you will need to ask questions like, “what problems do they need solved” or “what spiritual obstacles do they face”. For instance, if you want to have a small group that serves stay-at-home moms, then you are probably going to focus on creating a small group that is focused on relationship building, parenting tips, or even how to earn an income as a stay-at-home mom. This way you are designing with your identified people group in mind to ensure you are serving them at the point of their need.
On the other hand, if you are wanting to focus on a specific purpose, then you are going to build a group around that purpose and then draw people who are interested in the same thing. For instance, if you want to create a small group focused on playing recreational basketball, then you will build a group around recreational basketball and the people who are interested are going to be drawn to your group.
When you begin by clarifying whether you want to serve a specific people or purpose, you gain clarity on the type of group you are wanting to create. With this clarity, you are able to communicate your group more effectively to prospective attendees, and your group has an agreed upon focus from the very beginning.
Purchase or Design Curriculum and Determine Structure
The curriculum or program that you use around your small group can make or break your group. With the previous question, you have created a core purpose for the group, but the curriculum or program will create the structure your group operates on each time you get together. Let’s define the difference between a curriculum and the program.
Many small groups use a curriculum of some sort. Whether it is a book everyone is reading through, a devotional that is shared, or a process that teaches a specific skill or ability, this is the most popular way a small group operates.
The program of your group is the structure that your group operates from. It is the schedule of your time together or the rules that everyone adheres to. It is the boundaries that are set for discussion or the posture that is taken when everyone gathers. For instance, if you have a small group focused on addiction relief (such as Celebrate Recovery) then you will have rules directing how the discussion takes place. If you are a knitting group, though, then the program of your group may require everyone to bring their own material and sit around a table to promote discussion and instruction.
Some groups may use a curriculum, but all groups will have a structure. As the small group leader, you can design your own curriculum or you can purchase the curriculum. Regarding structure, you will be the one to create the structure to ensure the experience of those who attend your small group get what they are looking to receive from the experience.
The important thing is that intentionality is given to both the curriculum and the structure. Both should be thought through in a fair amount of detail to ensure the goal of the group is accomplished. Whether the goal is to provide community, develop a skill, impact a cause, study with more depth, or anything else, the curriculum and structure should position you as the leader to accomplish the desired goal.
Invite Your Target Audience
Small groups grow best through personal invitations. As the leader, if you are not inviting people to your group, it will not grow. It is important you are inviting people to be part of your group on a consistent basis. A flyer, banner, or launch event will not be what grows your group, it will be your efforts of invitation. However, you can’t just invite anyone.
An exercise that is vital to your preparation process of starting a small group is identifying your target audience. You do this by creating an avatar of who you are trying to reach. This works the same whether you are focused on a specific people group or a specific purpose. The only real difference is this: if you are serving a specific people group you start by asking questions about that group, but if you are serving a specific purpose you start by asking what do the people interested in this purpose look like. After you move past your first starting point you begin to form your avatar of the ideal attendee to your group.
You ask questions like:
- How old are they?
- What profession are they in?
- What is their education level?
- What is their income level?
- What interests do they have?
- What does their daily life look like?
- What does their family look like?
These are just sample questions. You really ask questions until you can formulate a person in your mind that represents the people who will be interested in attending your small group. In some cases, you may actually need to develop two or three avatars to represent the diverse people who would be interested in attending your group. Once you have identified your target audience by developing an avatar, then you are ready to begin to invite people.
When engaging with people, you don’t just invite anyone. You keep your avatar in mind and look for characteristics or details that people share with your avatar. When you begin to notice similarities, an alarm should go off in your head that this person may be a good fit for your group.
Some small group leaders are concerned with seeming exclusive by not inviting everyone, but this is only true if you are closed off to some people and open only to people represented by your avatar (which in some cases is completely okay: addiction groups, single mom groups, college-age groups, etc.). The reason why you don’t invite everyone is that by inviting people who are not represented by your avatar, you are setting up a situation with a high probability of failure.
If they do attend, they will most likely be out of sync with the rest of the group who is on the same page and they will leave dissatisfied with the experience because the group didn’t have much to offer them because they were not interested, it wasn’t geared towards them, or they didn’t connect with everyone else who seemed to be on the same page together.
By focusing on your avatar and inviting people represented by it, then you are increasing the probability of success for you, the group, and the individual substantially.
Create an Environment
The surroundings you meet in are vital to the effectiveness of your group. If you have a discussion-oriented group and you are meeting in a loud coffeehouse or crowded restaurant, then your discussion may be difficult to accomplish or people may feel as though there isn’t enough privacy to be open and honest with the group.
Think through what you are trying to accomplish and ask yourself whether or not the environment is favorable to that. Be detailed in your assessment, fight the urge to be lazy or dismissive of things that could hinder the experience, and remember it isn’t about the success of your group as much as it is serving the needs of those who attend.
Please don’t misunderstand this to mean you have to have a big house with lots of room that is immaculately clean. That is not the case at all. Life change can happen in all kinds of environments and your small group can be successful. However, if your attendees are sitting on your dirty clothes on the couch, or if there is an unpleasant lingering smell in your apartment or your dog is constantly licking everyone (this happens at my house all the time), then there is enough distraction that will hinder the goal of the group.
Create an environment free from distractions, that provides comfort, ease, and a sense of belonging to those who attend. When this happens, then those who come to your small group will get as much as they can from the experience and they will keep coming back for more.
Well, that is how you design a small group people actually want to attend. What has not been mentioned yet that I want to touch on momentarily is probably the most vital factor in the success of the group. That factor is you.
The Bonus
As the leader of the group, you determine whether or not people keep coming back. People may come to the group once or twice out of interest or curiosity, but they will stay long-term because they connect with you, feel they can trust you, or recognize an ability to learn something valuable from you. If they buy into you, then they will buy into the group.
This doesn’t mean you have to be overly charismatic, an extrovert, or some high capacity leader. What it means is that you need to genuinely have a heart for those who come to your group, you need to be focused on providing a knockout experience for them, and you need to be willing to place them at the center of what is going instead of yourself.
When people sense you are truly trying to serve them and help them out, they will be drawn to you and they also extend you a high degree of grace. If you fumble things a little bit, aren’t the most polished teacher, speaker, or discussion facilitator, that is okay. Since they recognize you are doing your best in an effort to truly serve and add value to them, then they will overlook a lot of blunders.
So, don’t be timid as the leader of your small group. Follow the steps provided here, be confident in your facilitation of the group, and focus on making people’s lives better. You are going to be just fine.
Time to Act
If you are ready to design a small group that makes a difference in people’s lives and keeps them coming back with excitement and expectation, then join our workshop Design Small Groups People Actually Want to Attend.
This is a great step-by-step process that guides you with greater depth through this process. With a workbook that helps you ask the important questions to get you started off on the right foot and eliminate the guesswork. You can check it out here: Design an awesome small group today
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