Be aware of these seven areas where your small-group ministry can go sour.
Jack Dyson
Note: This assessment has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Small-Group Evaluations.
When done correctly, small groups glorify God, help people grow, and build community. But ministries and groups can malfunction. Assess your groups for these seven warning signs. Make a check mark after each of the items you observe in your group ministry.
Our small groups need a check-up much like our physical bodies need a yearly physical.
Keith Wright
Conduct an annual check-up to determine your small group's health. Evaluate your group's dynamics by using the "five senses checklist" to discover if you are growing together as a community, progressing along the road to spiritual maturity, and increasing in ministry effectiveness.
Eyes—Small groups look to God's Word and each other in order to catch a better glimpse of Jesus. Do you peer into ...
Statistics force us to see the reality of what's occurring in our small groups program.
Joel Comiskey
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 ...
We can only become a better and stronger church as our cell leaders increase their abilities to shepherd.
Jay Firebaugh
Evaluation is what helps us improve. We are constantly challenging our cell group leaders to become better and better at shepherding their flock of five to fifteen. Since a cell church ministers to its people through the vehicles of cells, we can only become a better and stronger church as our cell leaders increase their abilities to shepherd. At a recent cell leaders training time we encouraged them ...
How church structure can limit the success of your small group ministry.
David Limiero
Introduction: Growth Barriers and Small Group Plateaus
One of the most significant contributions of the Church Growth movement has been the identification of growth barriers. First identified by C. Peter Wagner of Fuller Seminary, growth barriers are specific sizes at which churches tend to get "stuck" and growth often plateaus. The most common barriers are found when a congregation reaches 200, 400, ...
Is your church stuck in the cycle of relaunching small groups?
Dan Lentz
When small group ministry goes through a significant downturn or decline, it may become necessary to declare the ministry terminally ill and begin planning and praying for a resurrection. The resurrection may involve a total restart of the ministry.
More often, a small group ministry receives a diagnosis of sick rather than terminal. The sickness may have the symptoms of declining participation, little ...
All small-group leaders are participating in the practice of Christian Education, whether they know it or not. Even if we attempt to keep discussion and de-centralized leadership at the core of our groups, we are teaching something ...
Help your group (and yourself) evaluate your practice of the spiritual disciplines.
Kevin Miller, Bill Hybels, Fred Smith, and others
"There is no sure-fire way to evaluate and quantify our spiritual health in numerical terms. We can't take a test to see if we are getting an A or D in our relationship with God. But we can at least get a rough idea about our spiritual health by taking an objective looks at our actions and beliefs.
This download uses the spiritual disciplines as a way to examine those actions and beliefs. Use it to ...
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