Seven Steps To Grow Your Group
I will never forget the moment when I heard John Maxwell quote Benjamin J. Hooks, “He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following only taketh a walk!” I laughed out loud, not only at the creative use of ‘King James’ English, but by the stark and obvious nature of the truth revealed in that observation!
Leadership is more than just a position. It is so much more than just a title. True leadership is evidenced by the fact that someone or some group of people are actually attached to and following you. This reality seems to be of the the biggest needs within the atmosphere of Allison Park Church (and beyond that probably every church) in the season we are in.
Here’s my assessment of where we are right now: Prior to the pandemic (which I guess now is an endemic), it was already challenging to get people to connect within a local church. We have three primary ways we hope to get people into relationships beyond a weekend experience:
Serve Teams - where people perform a task, help host an event, or accomplish some purpose.
Life Groups - where people gather to study, pray, and do life together.
Support Groups - where people connect around a point of need - recovery, grief, divorce, anxiety and depression, etc.
In a previous post, I listed five levels of maturity in leadership that a volunteer or even full-time leader might demonstrate. The first few deal with the leader’s maturity in both consistency and theology. There seems to be an abundance of leaders who know more than enough about the Bible to lead well. They are also have dependable character and can be counted on to show up on time and do everything that they are asked to do.
The enormous gap that exists today is not in Biblical formation, nor is it in faithfulness to the task. What we are lacking is leaders who know what it is to recruit those who have never served or participated in a group before, and who can gather or re-gather a group of more than three or four to participate with whatever they are doing.
My assessment is that if we could equip our faithful leaders to become more fruitful in terms of the number of people that they lead, we could quickly double in size. If every group or serve team that currently has three people could recruit three more, not only could they include those who are not currently in a group or serving, but this growth would increase excitement and momentum enormously.
So what does it look like to develop the skill of recruiting and then, maintaining growth?
#1 - WRITE DOWN An INVITATION LIST
The process of growth is probably a simpler process than you think it is.
Jesus taught that when you have a banquet - don’t just invite the important or wealthy. Invite those who cannot repay you! (Luke 14:12) Allison Park Church has a vision to reach the ONE who is forgotten, disconnected, and overlooked. Go find them. Set a goal to go after at least ONE person who might fit into this category this fall.
You, as the leader, should start this process by writing down some potential names of people to invite. On this list, include people you know from work, from church, and from your neighborhood. Think about people you already have relationship with and those you would like to get to know. Then add to that list, at least one person that might seem like they are disconnected and maybe won’t get asked to join something.
Then ask every person who has been a part of your Serve Team or Life Group to do the same thing and you could end up with a list of ten or twelve people to invite.
#2 - PRAY OVER THE LIST
Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’ (Luke 10:2) Ask God to give you favor and to prepare the people on the list to be responsive. Ask God to open your own eyes to THE ONE who needs to be invited because they are all alone. Ask God to send you people that He wants to be in your group.
#3 - PLAN something fun for the FIRST NIGHt
One of the most important things you can do to launch your group or serve team is to plan an event that you will personally enjoy. You could host a Chili Cook-off or have everyone bring their favorite homemade cookie. If you lead a men’s group, you could watch a game or take in some target practice. Or announce that after the group or serve team event you are all going to get ice cream!
It’s easier to invite someone to something that you are looking forward to yourself.
#4 - ASK PEOPLE TO JOIN YOU
I know that this might sound overly simple. But you have to ask. It might feel less threatening to send an invitation by text. You could also use Facebook Messenger to make the ask. Call them. Think through what you are going to say, and then make the appeal.
‘Our group is going to kick off a study called MISSING PIECES. But it’s more than a Bible Study. Our group is really fun to be around. After the first night, we are going to get ice cream together. I was thinking you might really enjoy this and I am really hoping you would consider coming. Maybe just try it out the first night, and if you don’t want to come back again - we won’t be offended!’
#5 - FOLLOW UP THE DAY BEFORE your event
We all forget stuff. Sometimes, it’s not that we forget but that we haven’t quite made up our mind to go or not go. One more ask can make the difference. Follow up your initial invitation with a call or text the day before your event and say, “No pressure. Just wanted to let you know that we are looking forward to what’s happening tomorrow and hope you can make it.”
#6 - FOLLOW UP AFTER the event
The next day, make sure you follow up on everyone. If they attended, let them know how happy you were that they served or were a part of your group. If they did not attend, let them know how much they were missed.
As a pastor, here is what I want to communicate: “I want to be your pastor whether you attend my church regularly or not. Just because you have not been around for a while, doesn’t mean that we can’t be in relationship. I want to pray with you. I want to pray for whatever is going on in your life.”
Building relationships and follow up is just a part of leadership. Whether or not they attend regularly, make sure you call, text, and follow up with the people you lead.
#7 - DON’T BE A PEST - BUT DON’T GIVE UP RIGHT AWAY
There is a difference between pestering someone and pastoring them! One is more concerned about pressuring someone to do what you want them to do. The other is concerned about them, as a person and what is in their best interest.
There’s a story that I love to tell about one of my volunteer leader heroes. One of Allison Park Church’s founding members, Gordon Buckley, was a Royal Ranger leader. Royal Rangers is a boys’ club like the Boy Scouts, but where they learn about God, as well as building character and training in outdoor skills. Gordon befriended a young man named David, who was from a broken home. David did not really have any positive male role models in his life, and so when Gordon invited him to his Royal Ranger group, he decided to give it a try. On one particular day, however, when Gordon arrived to pick David up for their group, David decided to hide. For whatever reason, he just didn’t want to attend Rangers that night. So when Gordon knocked on the front door and looked around the house, no one was there. But Gordon did not give up. He waited. David recalled, “It was uncomfortable. There he was sitting in my driveway. It was as if he knew I was hiding from him." Eventually, David gave in and came out of his hiding spot. He apologized for being late, and they drove to the Royal Ranger program that night.
David grew up to become a pastor and eventually became the president of a Bible College. He later recounted this story to me and said, “That moment was a turning point in my life. I always wonder what would have happened to me if Gordon had given up on me? What if he had driven away and never came back? My life could be drastically different today, if someone like Gordon Buckley had not invited me into his life.”
Remember, you are a leader. All of these ‘asks’ are not really about you! They are about the people who need your leadership in their life.