Small Groups

Over the past few years I have tried numerous weight reduction programs. During those weight loss weeks, I have forced myself to get on the scale, knowing it would tell me the truth—the reality of the situation. In some of my heavier moments, I have avoided the scale like the plague.

The main reason to keep and review weekly small group statistics is quality control—to know the reality of the small group situation. Statistics provide the necessary shock treatment, forcing us to see reality—"you mean Susana's cell has also closed!" The positive results of analyzing weekly statistics are:

1. Reality—The leaders will be aware of what is really happening.
   
   
2. Healthy Groups—Small groups will be healthier because timely coaching and resources can be provided before serious damage occurs.
   
   
3. Plans for the Future—The church can make more accurate plans for new small groups based on correct data.
   
   

Until the year 2000, I thought keeping small group statistics was a good thing, but not necessary. After all, I thought, we were asking a lot of our small group leaders. Why burden them with another chore? At that time I did not know how to successfully obtain weekly reports, so I acted like it was not important.

The black hole of fuzzy statistics hit hard in 2000 when we launched a bold small group goal based on faulty data. As the year progressed we discovered too many "ghost groups" that existed only in the minds of the small group coaches. We miserably failed to reach our goal that year because our small group system was weaker than we thought. Our failure stirred us to keep exact statistics and review them consistently.

What statistics to look for?

The basic statistics that pastors, coaches, and small group leaders need to know are:

1. Whether the group met
   
   
2. How many were in the group
   
   
3. Facts about the group, such as conversions and new visitors
   
   
4. What the leader did during the week to visit attendees
   
   
5. How many from the group are in training for small group leadership
   
   
6. Goals for multiplication
   
   
7. Prayer requests
   
   

A normal report might look like this:

How to get the reports?

If the church is small, a person with the gift of helps may be able to collect and summarize the small group report for the pastor and his team. As the church grows and the coaching team develops, other methods should be utilized. Two common options are:

1. The secretary is responsible to obtain and summarize the small group stats for the coaching team. With this option the secretary might ask the small group leaders to send the reports to her via email, voice mail, dropping them in a small group box, or reporting online. If the report does not come through those channels, the secretary would need to be responsible to call the leader or someone from the group to get the information. She would then summarize the data in a general report for the coaching team to use. It is important to note that in this option the secretary is ultimately responsible.
   
   
2. Each coaching team member becomes responsible to obtain and summarize the reports. The coaching team member might use similar techniques to get the reports (e.g., email, voice mail, etc.), but ultimately he or she would be responsible to have the report summarized by the time the coaching team meeting arrives. This might sound crude, but I recommend fining a coaching team member 25 cents per missing report (this practice quickly reverses gapping reporting holes!). With this option, each team member could ask for help from the secretary, but ultimately the team member is responsible.
   
   

Under most conditions, I would suggest option two. It is too easy for a secretary to say, "I tried to call Bill, but he wasn't available." Or, "I left a message with Susan, but she didn't get back to me."

What are the best statistical programs to use?

The hardest task is to obtain the weekly reports from the small group leaders. Placing them into a data base or spreadsheet is easy in comparison.

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is easy to use and adequate for most situations. The great thing about Excel is that it is easy to make printouts to pass out to everyone on the coaching team. The weakness is data base storage—specifically tracking each member's name and progress in the training track. Here are three examples of weekly reports made in Microsoft Excel.

Figure 1-Weekly Report of a large Cell Church (larger staff)

Figure 2-Weekly Report of Medium Range Small Group Based Church (small pastoral team)