Home Small Group Leaders Articles for Small Group Leaders 3 Signs It's Time to Multiply Your Group

3 Signs It's Time to Multiply Your Group

You probably know the terms well: start, birth, multiply, split, apprentice, launch, etc. They sound good when you read the principles in a book. But in your living room on Thursday nights or in your classroom on Sunday mornings, they just don’t carry the same weight or feel of success. And let’s admit it, when we talk about our group, it feels good to boast about how many people are in it. But with so many in a group, several conversations will begin to happen in the meeting. The texts through the week will be so massive that shepherding or even paying for data minutes becomes too much to handle. Then there is organizing the food each week and dealing with all those emails. What once was a nice family supper becomes the Thanksgiving meal headache of a lifetime, every week.

The size of the group is important, not only for management of relationships, but for shepherding them on their spiritual journey (John 21). As a small group leader, you are to shepherd each person in your group, not just lecture at them. Getting through the entire Bible study material becomes less important as discipling people on their spiritual journey becomes the focus. (And you will become burned out as a leader if your group grows too large.)

New groups are vital to the continued growth (church and community impact). So what is the perfect number at which we need to multiply our group? We have found it necessary to discuss sending out a couple or two to start a new group when our group reaches more than sixteen adults. Because we treat all our groups (whether on campus or off campus) as families, it is more a matter of timing than numbers. (I’ll refrain here from all the birthing, family, teens-leaving-the-nest illustrations, but I think you get the idea.) Timing is something we pray for, review weekly reports for, and instruct leaders on twice a year.

Here are three signs your group is ready to help start another group:

  1. More than one conversation is happening in the room during Bible Study.
  2. The room no longer holds the attendees, even if you sit on the stairway, floor and fireplace hearth.
  3. Common hobbies or interests of the group begin to shift into different focuses. ex: Kids begin to play different sports, new relationships and schedules begin to happen.

Here are some ideas on how to start a new group:

  1. Develop a co-leader immediately: You have probably heard that you need an apprentice. Sometimes that word does not communicate well, so we use “co-leader.” You need someone to fill in when you are sick or on vacation. You need someone with whom to discuss issues, opportunities and the spiritual condition of the group. Bring this person alongside you and let God work. Let them lead for an increasing amount of time in a semester. If your church offers leadership training, encourage them to attend. Help them start their own group at the next churchwide series or small group season.
  2. Prayer: Each small group meeting should have time to discuss and pray for the unchurched/unconnected people around you. This will keep the group looking outward. The new sports and relationships will become matters of prayer, not just schedules and activities. Help a couple or two take advantage of this opportunity to impact their friends by starting another specific group.
  3. Start a new group on a new night: Practice self-sacrifice by offering to help another member start a new group on another night of the week. This could be a group that targets their neighborhood, sports, or work families. You would co-lead the new group for a few meetings while investing in the leadership development of the co-leader.

Multiplying your group does not have to be painful. You do not have to sacrifice your current group in order to multiply, just be open to others who also need to experience a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. People need to have the opportunity to experience God in a personal, relational way. Your group may contain the people God is calling out, thus allowing more people to come into the group and get a taste of redemptive community.  

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eddiemosley@churchleaders.com'
Eddie is Executive Director of GroupLife at LifePoint Church, a multi-site campus in Smyrna, TN. He brings an infectious enthusiasm for people to experience life change as he guides the direction and strategy for Small Groups. Eddie has been invited to speak on the subject of discipleship and small group ministry at Small Group Conferences, Purpose Driven Small Groups, LifeWay Conferences, and Baptist State Conventions. Most of his speaking, as well as writing, centers on real life stories from personal experience. His passion is to help pastors and staffs develop a strategy to implement Small Groups in the local church. Eddie has written articles for SmallGroups.com and LifeWay Church Resources. He also serves as Area Point Leader for the Purpose Driven Small Group Network.