Birthing new groups is vital to Kingdom growth. Every group that multiplies opens the door for pre-Christians to be involved in Christian community. Church plants need groups to multiply so people with leadership gifts and skills can be noted and prepared to take on meaningful roles.
When a small group is truly living in community multiplying (Birthing may be the term your church is using.) the group seems to be a journey into discontent and sometimes downright anger. There are ways to diminish the pain while helping the group go through the grief process. Below you’ll find 10 steps that, when utilized, will not only simplify group multiplication, they may even make multiplication an exciting part of the journey for any missional small group.
1. Share a vision: From the very first meeting of a group the vision must be cast for the mission. God can greatly affect the larger body of Christ through a small group if there is a vision for creating new groups and bringing people into the kingdom. If the group will make a group covenant that envisions multiplying into new groups, then new groups will happen. An effective leader will regularly keep this goal in front of the group. It is essential to raise up group leaders from your group and to divide into new groups every 18-24 months. Announce the intention to multiply early and often.
2. Build a new leadership team: As the group matures through the Growth and Develop Stages, the present leadership team should identify apprentice leaders and facilitators. This is done best in a small-group setting. Look for an engineer type as the group administrator, the party animal as the hospitality person, a person that loves interaction and knowledge as the facilitator, and a caring person to handle group shepherding. Next you must seek to train and mentor them as they grow in confidence. Here is an outline of this process:
a. Identify apprentice leaders and facilitators
b. Provide on-the-job training
c. Give them the opportunity to lead your group
d. Introduce the new team to your church
e. Launch the new group
3. Determine the type of group: Who are you trying to reach? There are four commonly identified audiences: a “core” audience consists of those in your congregation who are the leaders and the heart of the congregation; the “congregation” consist of those who are basically the regular participants who can be counted on to be present at most events; the “crowd” includes members and other participants that come to worship at least occasionally; and “seekers” are those who have not been church-attenders in the past, but who are now spiritually seeking.
Group Percentage / Group Type
a. Core 10% Discipleship Group
b. Congregation 30% Pulpit or Care Groups
c. Crowd 60% Felt Need Groups
d. Seekers Outsiders Support Groups
e. All Affinity Groups
f. All Covenant Groups
4. Conduct a Felt Need Survey: Use either a custom survey for your church or the one included in this book to determine an area or a specific topic for your first study.
5. Choose curriculum: Make sure your choice fits the group type and the stage in the life cycle of your group. All Serendipity courses are pre-selected for stage of the life cycle.
6. Ask someone to serve as host: Determine when and where the group will meet. Someone must coordinate the following.
a. Where the meeting will be held.
b. Who will provide babysitters (if necessary).
c. Who will teach children (if necessary).
d. Who will provide refreshments.
7. Find out who will go with the new team: There are several options in beginning new groups.
a. Encourage several members of your group to go with the new leadership team to start a new group.
b. The existing leadership team will leave to start a new group leaving the existing group with the new team.
c. Several groups can break off beginning all new groups.
8. Begin countdown: Use a study designed to help multiply groups, building each week until you launch your new group.
9. Celebrate: Have a party with presents for the new group. Make announcements to your church, advertising the new group and its leadership team.
10. Keep casting a vision: Remember as you start new groups to keep casting a vision for multiplying into new groups.
We need to learn from each other. If you know of other approaches or ideas that help in the birthing of new groups, please leave a comment with that information.
The information above comes from a small group leader training study (This study is perfect for turbo group training.) titled Becoming Small Group Leaders published by Serendipity by LifeWay.
If you want to learn more about small groups and church planting come join Rick Howerton at the Exponential Conference in April.
The Gypsy Road 