Healthy
groups grow and multiply. Unhealthy groups are a strain on you as a leader and your whole
ministry. I wrote Small Group Vital Signs
out of my own experience as a small group minister assessing the health of our
groups and then implementing a process for developing the health of our groups.
This process helped our groups grow spiritually, numerically, and in their likelihood
to be missional and to multiply. Today I am working to help other churches
assess and then improve the health of their groups as well. Whether you lead a small group or the groups ministry in your church, it is vital to know the condition of your flock (Proverbs 27:23). If you want your group or groups to be healthy and effective in carrying out Christ's commission, you must start by "confronting the brutal facts," as Jim Collins puts it. I developed a Small Group Health Assessment that is available FREE on the TOUCH Outreach Ministry website. A hard copy version is also available in Appendix E of Small Group Vital Signs.
Here
is a 10-step process you can implement that will help your groups become
healthier and grow:
1. If you have not done so
already, read Small Group Vital Signs
yourself and make notes about important aspects you want to utilize. Click on the book link to purchase your own copy.
2. Have every member of your Small
Group Leadership Team (and coaches) read the book and think through
implications for your ministry.
3. Personally take the FREE Small Group Health Assessment for the group you lead and have your team
do the same for theirs.
4. Meet with your leadership
team to discuss plans for improving the health of your groups.
5. Have your group leaders take
the free online assessment. Send them this link via email or put it on your
website: http://www.touchusa.org/free-small-group-health-assessment. This survey
is absolutely free, no strings attached. I’ve found that a couple reminder
emails and/or calls/texts really help to increase the percentage of
participation. Provide incentives for taking the assessment (like free coffee!),
and utilize your coaches to make follow-up calls.
6. Ask your leaders to email
you (and/or their coaches if in place) their scores/responses. This will help
you determine how your groups are doing as a whole and will help you coach
leaders individually. Put all this in a spreadsheet to gather total scores in
each area and as a whole. (This is a great job for your assistant or an
administrative volunteer in your ministry!)
7. Buy a copy of Small Group Vital Signs for each leader
and their core teams/apprentices. As you’ll see, very good quantity discounts
are available from the TOUCH website.
8. I can consult with you and
your leadership team to help you implement a Healthy Groups Process, and I can
also be available for coaching calls with you and your team. To go along with
this consultation and/or coaching, I will make downloadable documents available
to you for implementing the Healthy Group Process. Email me to discuss this in more detail.
9. Bring me to your church to
lead a Healthy Groups Training Seminar (weekend retreat or Saturday seminar) to
equip your leaders to lead healthy groups. Email me to discuss training.
10. I can also train your
coaches, either in person or via Skype, how to coach leaders toward health and
growth. This is a vital part of the plan!
Please
let me know how I can help! I’m excited about what this simple process can do
for groups, group ministries, and churches!
