Often when a small church starts to grow the question comes up, “how to properly start a small group ministry”. Here are seven easy to follow steps to get your new ministry up and running.
Who is this small group for?
One crucial step that is often overlooked by most starting a ministry is the demographic being served. That is why I put it at the top of the list. When establishing the answers to the questions below, try to always refer back to the planned primary participants (sorry, I couldn’t not write that).
A group comprised of high schoolers will differ in almost every way from one of career-minded middle-aged couples. Keeping the demographics in mind will help to prevent oversight on branding, communication, logistics, or even finances. Something as simple as chipping in to pay for a dinner or who is driving to an event can become real headaches if you forget who is in the group.
What type of small group will it be?
Small groups can take on many different forms. Some will meet to study or learn based on a topic or age group. Others meet because of proximity or meeting time. Then there are the multi-demographical groups, in some cases multiple groups, that meet to complete a task or service opportunity.
Determining the type of group and clearly displaying “who it’s for” is important, especially when first announcing the new small group to the church. This prevents any confusion with people outside of the intended demographic joining in. This is by no means an “exclusionary measure” to segregate and divide the church. The intent is to prevent kids from unintentionally showing up to a married couple class or elderly church members not realizing they are going to a “rollerskating airsoft lockin” for the youth group.
While I fully support kids being included in “Grown-up” church activities, I want to make sure it is intentional. Same thing goes for Granpa showing up to the airsoft war, if he wants to relive his glory days from his time in the service, I 100% support and encourage this.
How will the meetings be run?
This is similar but importantly different from the previous point. Determining the intended flow and organization of the meetings is crucial to achieving any measurable goals.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Will these meetings have a single leader or will that role rotate somehow?
- Will there be a set time period + additional amount of fellowship time after or just a start time?
- Is there a reading assignment expected before each meeting?
With these (many more could and probably should be added) types fo questions addressed. It is important to relay this info in all possible ways to future attenders.
* This is great info to add to flyers, websites, and social media posts.
Nothing will turn away a new visitor faster than showing up without knowing they were supposed to read something, and being put on the spot.
What are the small-group ministry logistics?
Logistics are usually to blame for the downfall of almost anything, small groups included. If possible try and assign some of these tasks to members of the group. This allows for a sense of ownership and buy-in from the group. While also allowing the group’s leadership to address the other group’s needs. Some of the tasks that can be delegated under the supervision of the leadership are:
Location:
- where will the meetings take place? If there has to be a change, then arranging for additional space or locations as needed.
Digital Media Content:
- Who will be taking photos or videos of meetings and events? Along with this goes getting approvals and needs from staff or the church media team.
* Waivers should be attained for all media, especially including youth
Social Media:
- Who is going to be posting on social media?
- What platforms are they going to be posting to
- What content will be posted, only photos or will some amount text be overlayed? If so, what text will be used?
- How long do they have to make the post? What time should the post-go-live?
- What style will be used? Will the church-wide brand guideline be followed with logos, or will it be a personal post?
Website needs:
- What does the media team need to be able to post on the church’s main website?
- Are the photos being relayed from the content person?
Financial requirements (including fundraising) :
- What is the budget for the ministry as a whole?
- How much of the budget is accounted for already vs. discretionary?
- What is approved via the church for appropriate fundraising?
While this turned into a bit of a laundry list of questions, as you can see, many of the roles can be handled by the same person. For example, a group could have a media person who does all photos, videos, social media, and website stuff. While the group leader handles the logistics and financials. I try my best to (within reason) include as many people in some form of leadership as I can. This fosters a sense of stewardship for the ministry and is a truly edifying process for those involved.
Many people involved with the church forget that church leadership is made up of church members. That works both ways, so allowing members to take part in logistics, helps to empower the members within their church.
Who on staff will oversee this ministry
Every ministry in the church needs to have some oversight. This oversight can be an elder or deacon assigned to steward a specific ministry or set of ministries. In a very small church, the Pastor will usually oversee everything and have an associate pastor or elder board work with him in making decisions. Depending on the level of complexity associated with each program the number of ministries that can be overseen by each leader varies.
A general rule of thumb for any leadership is 3-7 is the max number of “things” someone can keep track of.
At the usual elder boar meeting, a quick update from each Elder on their respective ministries will help to keep leadership on the same page across the board. This is also a great time for other Elders to answer questions, give advise, or assist with the needs of other ministries within the church.
What is the ministry mission statement
How to write a mission statement is an entire post in itself. But her is the general overview of what you should have in your ministry mission statement. Here are the four questions you need to get started:
- What does the ministry do?
- How does the ministry do it?
- Who does the ministry serve?
- What values or goals are being achieved?
Most of these were answered above in the set up of the ministry. However, a clearly defined mission statement is something to keep the ministry from drifting to far-a-field into some territory it wasn’t intended to go.
An example mission statement for a Men’s Bible Study would be:
“A group of men within the church, joining together weekly, serving each other through reading, reproof, and repentance; while exhausting the Lord and edifying the body of Christ through fellowship and discipleship.”
How to announce the new small group ministry
This is often called a “Hard Launch” in business circles. This is where those that have been planning and working to establish this new ministry are able to spread the word. The goal is to not just spread the word but to shout it from the proverbial mountain tops.
This new ministry should be talked about on website banners, social media posts, email lists, bulletin inserts, and even from the pulpit.
A quick story of what not to do:
“I remember a time my old church launched a new “Men’s Group”. They mentioned it briefly during the announcements and on a single Facebook. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the first meeting, though I did make the second. When I arrived, I was the only person to show up… to either meeting. The first session was a complete goose egg on attendance. The man leading the group was so discouraged about the lack of attendance and the sacrifice from work he had made to host this group, that there was no third meeting.” I don’t know if this group closing could have been avoided with better communication, but many men I spoke with after had no idea it was even offered.
Please, don’t let your ministry die on the vine. If the small group ministry has enough planning and support as well as dedicated leadership and logistics assigned to it, do not forget to hang the OPEN sign. Make sure all the people to whom the ministry is intended to serve know that it is available to them.
In summary
Just remember the seven ideas listed above:
- Who is this small groups for
- What type of small group will it be
- How will the meetings be run
- Small-Group Ministry Logistics
- Who on staff will oversee this ministry
- Ministry mission statement
- Aggressive Rollout
If these are all accounted for to the best of your ability, your new small group ministry should have a solid foundation. Keep these in mind as the ministry and church continue to grow, and your ministry will remain healthy for years to come.
