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5 Practical Questions to Ask When Evaluating Your Small Group Ministry

by Rick Howerton

5 Practical Questions to Ask When Evaluating Your Small Group Ministry

As the new year approaches, your team may be evaluating your ministry. Rick Howerton gives five vital questions to ask as you do.

As a new year begins many small group pastors will bring their leadership team together to evaluate the ministry. Asking the right questions is vital. The five questions below may be helpful as you evaluate the small group ministry you lead.

1. Is our infrastructure still capable of supporting the number of small groups in our small group ministry?

2. Is everyone (coaches, leaders, and group members) connected to and connecting with someone for encouragement, accountability, and to find answers to the questions they need answered?

3. What weaknesses are consistent in the small group leaders who are leading our groups? This will tell you what training to do for your leaders in the upcoming year.

4. Are our small group leaders and coaches still capable of quoting the ministry’s core values and purpose statement and are they leading those they lead to live out those core values? If not, you can rest assured that philosophical drift has occurred and the small group ministry is not accomplishing what you anticipate accomplishing in the lives of small group members. You may need to revisit these with your leaders in a big way.

5. Is every person on the small group leadership team still passionate about seeing lives transformed and disciples made through small groups? If not, it may be time to spend significant time in prayer and, if necessary, replacing some of the people on this team.

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Rick has one passion... To see “a biblical small group within walking distance of every person on the planet.” He is presentlythe Global Small Group Environmentalist at NavPress Publishing. Rick has authored or co-authored multiple books, studies, and leader training resources including Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual, The Gospel and the Truth: Living the Message of Jesus, Small Group Life Ministry Manual: A New Approach to Small Groups, Redeeming the Tears: a Journey Through Grief and Loss, Small Group Life: Kingdom, Small Group Kickoff Retreat: Experiential Training for Small Group Leaders, and Great Beginnings: Your First Small Group Study. Rick’s varied ministry experiences as a collegiate pastor, small group pastor, teaching pastor, full-time trainer and church consultant, as well as having been a successful church planter gives him a perspective of church life that is all-encompassing and multi-dimensional. Rick is a highly sought after communicator and trainer speaking at or leading training in forty settings annually.

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