Four Strategies for Growing Your Small Group

1. Four Strategies for Growing Your Small Group Dr. Randy Wollf

2. What Makes Small Groups Grow? • Many Churches have Small Groups • Inspired by a Biblical model or principles • Motivated by practical reasons • Church health and growth • Improved outreach, discipleship, assimilation • What’s Going On? • Some had seen wonderful results • Many have struggled

3. What Makes Small Groups Grow? • How have you seen your small group grow or not grow numerically?

4. The Research • 3000 Small Group Leaders Surveyed • In over 200 churches • Scientific Statistical Methodology • Factor Analysis • Beyond Correlations to Path Analysis • Some results were expected. Some were surprising! • What characteristics & behaviors of leaders matter? Note: This presentation is based on the research in the book, Small Groups, Big Impact by Jim Egli & Dwight Marable. The PowerPoint is a modified version of the one found at http://smallgroupsbigimpact.com.

5. Conversion Growth Assimilation Multiplication The Research • Underlying assumption • If groups want to be successful long-term, they must draw people to Christ, successfully assimilate those people into group life, and launch or create new groups.

6. Small group leaders whose groups grow most rapidly are

7. What does NOT matter • Marital Status • Age • Educational Level • Personality • Spiritual Gifts • Time devoted to lesson prep.

8. Growing Groups have Leaders who... • Spend More Time with God • Pray Consistently for Members • Pray More for their Meetings • Pray for Non-Christian Friends • Model Relational Outreach • Encourage Relationships • Spend Time with Others • Encourage the Gifts of Others • Mobilize Potential Leaders

9. The Difference • “The differences between successful leaders and unsuccessful ones all relate to controllable behaviors, not to predetermined traits” (p. 17).

10. Growing Groups and Their Leaders... • Pray • Reach • Care • Empower

11. Conversion Growth Assimilation Multiplication Three Growth Outcomes

12. Which Groups Bring Others? Conversion Growth Pray Reach

13. How important is Prayer? Percent that Saw People Brought to Christ in Past 9 Months: 83% vs. 19% Strong vs. Weak Prayer Life

14. A Praying Leader Pray • Consistent Time with God • Prayer for Friends that Need God • More Time with God • Prayer for Members • Prayer for Small Group Meetings

15. Why Does Prayer Make Such a Difference? • People experience God’s presence in God-soaked groups • People sense that praying leaders care for them • People see the fruit of the Spirit in praying leaders • Praying leaders hear from God about their groups

16. Which Groups Bring Others? Conversion Growth Pray Reach

17. How important is an Outward Focus? Percent that Saw at Least One Person Brought to Christ in the Past 6 Months: 90% vs. 11% Strong vs. Weak Outreach

18. Reaching Out Reach • Investment - Members Spend Time with Friends in Order to Share Christ • Invitation - Encourage Members to Invite Others • Intention - Outreach is a Stated Purpose of the Group • Intercession - Prayer in Meetings for Friends • Imitation - Leader who Models Relational Outreach

19. Assimilation Which Groups Assimilate Others? Conversion Growth Pray Reach Care

20. How Important are Caring Relationships? Percent of Groups that had Added 4 or More Members Since Starting: 44% vs. 18% Strong vs. Weak Caring Relationships

21. Caring Group Care • Are like Family to One Another • Pray for One Another Through the Week • Support each Other in Times of Need • Have Fun Together • Spend Time with One another Between Meetings

22. Caring Through the Stages of Group Life Care • Forming • Storming • Norming • Performing • Reforming

23. Building Intimacy in Your Small Group and Facilitating Excellent Discussions with Dr. Randy Wollf

24. Outward Focused Groups Experience More Care! & • Caring Groups Enfold More People!

25. Will We Sacrifice Group Intimacy if We Reach Out? Reach • According Egli and Marable’s (2011) research, “If you want to experience deeper community in your small group, you should make it an open group that actively reaches out to others” (p. 37).

26. Can Outreach and Care go together? Not only can they.They must!

27. Multiplication Which Groups Multiply? Conversion Growth Assimilation Pray Reach Care Empower

28. How important is Empowering Leadership? Percent of Groups that had Multiplied or Sent Out New Leaders: 62% vs. 27% Strong vs. Weak Empowering

29. Empowering Others Empower • Talk to members about their potential • Encourage members to take risks and try new things • Encourage others to get trained • Meet with leaders-in-training to plan • Constantly look for potential leaders

30. Empowering Others Empower Not sure where to start? • List the people in your group and write down one idea beside each name as to how you could help them develop as leaders

31. Ways to Multiply Empower • Internal multiplication • Birthing • Small group planting • Shotgun approach • Launching

32. 3 For Long-term Growth All 3 OutcomesAnd All 4 Health Factors are Essential 4

33. Multiplication Conclusion Conversion Growth Assimilation Pray Reach Care Empower “Growing groups have leaders that are connected to God and empowering others. Their members are giving themselves to one another and to those who don’t yet know Jesus” (p. 79).

34. Four Strategies for Growing Your Small Group Dr. Randy Wollf