This week I had the opportunity to be at one of Leadership Networks Innovation Labs.  This particular Lab focused on The Radical Future of Small Groups.  During these two days eight churches (Seacoast Church, Cross Point CommunityChurch, Calvary Chapel Ft Lauderdale, Ada Bible Church, North Coast Church, Christian Community Church, National Community Church, North Ridge Church) gathered to discussed what cultural factors are influencing groups, look at what small groups might look like in the next ten years and develop plans that will help our churches make necessary adjustments.

The Innovation Labs aren’t designed to teach or tell you what to do, it’s more of a collaborative effort to think, dream, discuss and innovate.  Several of you on Twitter asked me to share notes from this two day experience.  Because it was such an interactive and creative process I didn’t take a lot of notes but here’s my late night effort to provide something for those who asked…

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  • The eight churches in the room brainstormed what they felt where the most significant societal changes over the past 20 years that are greatly impacting the future of groups…  There was a long list but here are some of the top answers.
    • Multisite
    • Instant Global communication
    • Social Networking – Technology
    • Missional idea is in vogue
    • Options for everything…more and more choices every where you go
    • Our third place is no longer the front porch…it’s now Starbucks  (home, work, third place is the other place you meet people)  For some the third place is Facebook.
    • Culture is desensitized, over-sexualized and more tolerant
    • Social justice movement (Bono One Campaign)
    • Explosion of addiction and Recovery as a result of that
    • Desire for personalized/customized spiritual journey
• We have to make adjustments in small groups that help people stop compartmentalizing life and faith. 
• There is a huge buzz around mid-sized missional communties that gather groups around a particular mission. 
• Something needs to be done to engage the 20-30 year olds, they are black hole in the church.  Churches are struggling to engage them.
• Small groups are the vehicle to make mission happen
• When www.smallgrouptrader asked over 100 small group directors what their biggest issues where the top three were…  Recruiting, training and resources.
• With the further development of technology churches are trending toward providing leadership training online.
• Some church leaders are afraid to go the missional route because they’re afraid they’ll lose community and care but community and care actually skyrockets.
• We used to think once people are discipled we need to get them to serve.  Today we get people to serve in order to experience discipleship. 
• If you want small groups to be a priority in your church then make the gutsy move to eliminate the ministries that compete with groups.
• De-centralize your missional efforts by empowering small groups to make a difference in the community.
• The church has to pay attention to the social networking movement.  It’s not going away and while we still need face to face as our primary way of relating social networking can help sustain and enhance those relationships.
• You can’t ignore the corporate culture of your church as you design and change your small group ministry.  Understand the values of your senior leader because you cant violate their culture.

What adjustments is your church considering with groups ministry?

It’s that time of year again when small group leaders are starting to think about next semester of groups and ask that old familar question: What’s a good curriculum I can use?  Now the funny thing is there have been times I’ve shared my top curriculum choice with someone only to have them say, “Yea, I tried that one and it didn’t work for me.”

Everyone is looking for that “perfect” curriculum. But the truth is it’s not about the curriculum, its about the conversation. In small groups the leaders objective is to engage group members in meaningful conversation about their spiritual walk.  Admittedly some curriculums are better than others, but a great small group leader can take a bad curriculum and still generate great conversation. 

Here are a few keys to remember regardless of the curriculum you use…

• Prepare in advance.  This doesn’t mean an hour or two in advance.  Begin 4-5 days before your next group session to look at the passage or topic that will be discussed during your next group meeting. By looking at the study early it allows you to get the key thought in your mind so the Holy Spirit can begin to speak to you about that subject over a period of days rather than in the last hour.
• Learn to ask good questions.  I’ve never found a curriculum where I used every  single question exactly as it was written.  It’s okay to rewrite some of the questions to fit your style and to fit the personality of your group.  Here are four questions I ask about questions to see if they are usable.
  • Is it clear?
  • Is it conversational?
  • Is it challenging?
  • Is it concise? (Only one question rather than 2-3 questions in one)
• Make sure you are growing.  As the leader if you share how God has spoken to you on the subject or through the passage others will tend to open up and share from their lives as well.  I like to remind new group leaders, “Growing people grow people.”
• Help group members put the lesson into action.  If we help our small group members simply fill their heads with theory and truths but never challenge them to put the lessons into action then life change will not take place.  Challenge your small group members to come up with specific application from each session.  Or perhaps, choose a project that will help the entire group put the lesson into practice.

What are other keys to generating engaging spiritual conversations in small groups?

On Wednesday November 4, I posted Session One of Seacoast Church new online Small Group Training.  As we are preparing to launch this new training we thought we would get your input.  We had a great response so we decided to put session two our there as well.  Please take a few minutes to work your way through this session then send me an email with your feedback.  See something that you would change…let me know.  Working together we can make each module better.

Planning and Organizing Your Small Group

Introduction

Welcome to Session 2, Planning and Organizing Your Small Group. During this session you will learn what truly matters while preparing for your small group meeting.  An online journal has been provided for you to record your notes and thoughts, or feel free to use a notebook of your own.  Be sure to bring your notes when you meet with your mentor.

Part 1

Watch Part 2 of the video series, “Our Group” where Doug and Michelle ask Chris to lead the group for his first time.   When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the questions below:Edutainment Video – “Flying Solo”

Episode 2: “Flying Solo” from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from this episode of Our Group?
• List the mistakes that were made in this episode of “Our Group”.  Which could you relate to the most? 
• What are the common mistakes a small group leader makes in setting an atmosphere for a comfortable group experience? 
• Reflect on a time you had an uncomfortable or awkward small group experience.  What did you learn from that experience?  If you had been leading the group what would you have done differently?

Part 2

Video Teaching - Planning and Organizing Your Small Group with Josh Surratt

During this session, Josh discusses the four essential elements of planning for a small group meeting. When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the questions below:

Teaching Video

Planning and Organizing Your Small Group from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from Josh’s video teaching?
• How did Josh’s teaching change your perspective on preparing for your small group meeting? 
• What is most important to you when setting the group atmosphere?  Why is setting a comfortable group atmosphere so important? 
• How can you share some of the responsibility of preparing for group time with your group members?  What roles can they play?

Part 3

Explore the Word – Read the following Bible passage and reflect on the questions below:

Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
  
Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
 
Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
  
Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

• Which of these Proverbs about planning stood out to you the most?  Why?
• Do you tend to underplan or overplan?  Why?
• How can a lack of planning impact the small group experience?
• How can overplanning impact the small group experience?
• What steps do you need to take to have a balanced approach to planning your small group?

 Part 4

The Challenge
During this session you have learned the importance of planning and preparing for your small group meeting.  Since you are preparing to lead here are a few assignments you can do that will help you be better prepared when it’s time to lead your own group.

1. Meet with your current small group leader/mentor and discuss what they are doing to prepare for their next group meeting.  How do they prepare for study time?  How do they set the group atmosphere?   How do they help their group members make new people feel welcome?
2. Serve as the host of small group.  Ask your current leader/mentor to let you host the next small group meeting in your home.  If that isn’t possible then arrive early to the group meeting next time and assist the leader in hosting wherever the group meets.
3. Using the following questions below, think through the details of preparing to start your own small group.   Discuss your plan with your mentor.

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  • Who will you invite to your small group?
  • When are you planning on meeting?  How often? 
  • What are you planning on studying?
  • What roles in the group will you delegate?
  • Where will you meet?  Describe the atmosphere you hope to create. 
  • What do you plan on doing the first time you meet as a group?

Part 5

Meet with Your Mentor

Schedule a time to meet with your mentor and discuss what you learned from the various aspects of this session.

(For Blog readers – The mentor is typically the learners small group leader and is provided with a Mentor Guide that summarizes this lesson and provides questions for them to ask during the mentoring session)

Okay now it is time to give us some feedback…what can we do to make this session better?

I had the opportunity recently to sit down with Eric Metalf and talk about Small Group Coaching.  Eric is the Small Groups Director at Christian Community Church, a multisite church with eleven different campuses.  Eric was also recently named the director of the New Thing Network.  CCC is an amazing church where Lead Pastor Dave Ferguson has built a rich leadership development culture where multiplication has become a part of their DNA. In this video Eric shares some of the things he has learned about making small group coaching work.

For three years now at Seacoast Church we have been using a Hi-tech, Hi-Touch online approach for our small group leader training.  However, we noticed some deficiencies in our old training we weren’t happy with, so we did a revision. Our old training sessions consisted of short talking head videos along with some interactive journals, etc.  We felt it was missing an emotional element.  So our Creative Team got together and wrote what you might call a 5 part Small Group Sitcom.  The sitcom element is intended to add some humor and examples (sometimes very bad examples) of small group leadership.  As you watch the episodes it causes you to consider your own past small group experiences and creates a foundation for discussion with a mentor.

We are still editing the written portion of this training and thought, ”Hey, why not throw it out on the blog for others to experience and give feedback.”  So here is session one, we would love your input and ideas to make it better.  Enjoy. 

 The Heart of a Small Group Leader

Welcome to Session 1, The Heart of a Small Group Leader.  During this session we will discover the essential characteristics of a small group leader.   An online journal has been provided for you to record your notes and thoughts or feel free to use a notebook of your own.  Be sure to bring your notes when you meet with your mentor.

Part 1

Video – “The Invitation”

Watch Part I of the video series, “Our Group” where Chris is asked by Doug and Michelle to take over their small group once they move away.  When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the following questions:

• What was your reaction when you were asked to be a small group leader?
• In what ways did you identify with Chris?
• What would you consider to be five (5) characteristics of a great small group leader?
• What doubts or fears do you have about being a small group leader?
• What excites you the most about being a small group leader?

Small Group Leader Edu-tainment 1 from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

Part 2

Video Teaching – The Heart of a Leader with Josh Surratt

During this session, Josh discusses the characteristics of a leader. When you have finished watching the video, reflect on the questions below:

The Heart of A Leader from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

• What stood out to you the most from Josh’s video teaching?
• Which of the following myths describes your thoughts about leading a small group?
  • Spending hours in preparation
  • Being a super-shepherd
  • Being a biblical scholar
• In what way did the truths Josh shared change your perspective on leading a small group?  Which of these do you need to focus on the most as a new leader?
  • Be Available
  • Help people connect
  • Be a learner

Part 3

Explore the Word – Read the following Bible passage and reflect on the questions below:

Shepherds and Sheep
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

11 ” ‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

• Underline the positive characteristics of spiritual leadership in Ezekiel 34:11-16
• What happens when people don’t have good spiritual leadership?
• In your own words, what are the positive characteristics of a spiritual leader?

Part 4

The Challenge

Now that you’ve thought through some key characteristics of small group leadership, now it’s time to put what you’ve learned into  practice.  Take time over the next few days and practice the following:

• Have a meaningful spiritual conversation with someone in your small group, someone at work or at school. 
• Pray with someone in your small group individually about a concern in their life.
• When you meet with your mentor be prepared to discuss the following questions regarding your experience:
  • Overall how did you feel as you practiced these two challenges (ie…Uncomfortable, Timid, Energized)
  • What difficulties did you experience? 
  • What would you do differently next time? 
  • What did you learn from these experiences?

Part 5

Meet with Your Mentor

Schedule a time to meet with your mentor and discuss what you learned from the various aspects of this session.

(For Blog readers – The mentor is typically the learners small group leader and is provided with a Mentor Guide that summarizes this lesson and provides questions for them to ask during the mentoring session) 

Okay now it is time to give us some feedback…what can we do to make this session better?

Do you need some help with the small group ministry at your church?  Are you looking for tips and training for your leaders?  Then you have to check out www.smallgrouptrader.com.  This new website is actually an extreme makeover of the old Small Group Exchange  website. 

Nearly a year ago the guys at Bluefish.tv asked me to serve on their advisory board for The Small Group Exchange.  During this time I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Scott Mosely, Director of Operations, and Mark McCartney, Director of Events and have discovered these guys have a huge heart for the Kingdom and an unmatched desire to help the local church.  They also display a passion for excellence  by always evaluating what they are doing.  So check out the new version of this site and let us know what you think.  What do you like?  What do you not like?  What do we need to add to better serve your needs as a small group pastor, coach or leader?  We really do want to hear from you.

You’ll love this site, it features training sessions, articles, videos, resources and Case studies. (Make sure you check out the Seacoast Church Small Group Case Study)

I had the opportunity to hang out with Bill Donahue in a recent trip to Chicago.  Bill has worked with Small groups at Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association since 1992.  He is the author of several books including Leading Life Changing Small Groups and Coaching Life Changing Small Group Leaders.  More than anyone else Bill has shaped my thinking and philosophy of small group ministry. In this video Bill gives some key principles for making small group coaching work. 

I had the chance recently to connect with Mark Howell a leading thinker in small group ministry and founder of www.smallgroupresources.net. In this video he shares three movements he is seeing in small group ministry.  Make sure you check out Mark’s blog at www.markhowelllive.com. and follow him on Twitter @markchowell  

I’ve spent this weeks posts expressing the importance of the role of the Small Group Coach.  While it’s an extremely important position there seems to be a shortage of resources for coaches.  That’s why I teamed up with Doug Franklin and Leadertreks to create a tool for small group coaches. Growing Small Group Leaders not only provides tools for small group coaches but also provides a system for coaches to follow.  In this very practical manual you will find a Style Assessment that help coaches discover their leadership style so they can lead with their strengths and be aware of their weaknesses.  This resource, which emphasizes the coaches role in caring for the souls of small group leaders, instructs coaches how to conduct one on ones, leader huddles and group visits.  

This manual also includes six coaches huddles with topics such as:

• Characteristics of a healthy small group
• Building spiritual friendships
• Developing your leadership confidence
• And more.

All of the worksheets, handouts, and assessment are provided not only in the manual but also on a CD so you can make reproducible copies for your leaders.  We hope this resource will be a useful tool in your small group tool box and help you develop more effective small group leaders for your church.   We’re excited about the response to this resource, Doug informed me that it’s the #1 selling resource in this months Leadertreks catalog.  If you’re interested in Growing Small Group Leaders Leadertreks is offering my blog readers a 10% discount, just enter the code Mac10 when you order.

What other resources do you think are needed for small group coaches?

As we have discussed this week the role of small group coach is extremely important, yet very challenging. So our job as Pastors or Directors is to do all we can to help them be successful. I want to pass along 5 tips for helping coaches be more effective.

1.  Give them encouragement. My guess is most of us are already doing this. Meet with your coaches’ one on one, meet with them in groups (huddles), and communicate with them regularly. Catch them doing things right and praise them for it. The way we lead and encourage our coaches should model exactly what we want them to do with our small group leaders.

2.  Give them systems. Sometimes we recruit a coach into a position, give them a brief explanation of the role but then expect them to “figure out” the rest. When we fail to provide our coaches with systems they end up doing “whatever seems right in their own eyes” and fall short of our expectations. Our small group coach training at Seacoast offers systems for how to lead a huddle, how to conduct a one on one and how to visit a group. We provide specific systems that have been proven to work again and again.

3.  Give them training. Initial training is good, but ongoing training is great. Huddle with your coaches frequently and facilitate discussion around the skills or the spirit of leadership. Give them the opportunity to learn from each other by allowing them to share the challenges and successes they are experiencing as a coach.

4.  Give them empowerment. I have seen well meaning pastors step in and provide leadership for a small group leader. When we do this it undermines the coaches relationship with that leader. When a leader comes to you for help refer them to their coach. This is a great opportunity to pass along some of your credibility to the coach of that leader.

5.  Give them tools. I think this is a missing element in small group coaching today. This is why I was excited when Doug Franklin at Leadertreks asked me to partner with them to provide a practical tool for Small Group Coaches. This past week we released Growing Small Group Leaders, a one year program for Coaches. This resource provides an assessment for coaches to discover their Coaching Style, personal evaluation guides and growth guides for coaches and instructions on how to fulfill the key roles of a coach. It also includes a one year planning calendar, worksheets for one on ones and six coaches huddles the coach can use with his or her small group leaders. In addition this manual comes with a CD so you can make reproducible copies of all the materials in the manual. So this is a tool you can share with your coaches and use it again and again.

What are other things you do to help your small group coaches be successful?