As your plans coalesce, keep reminding yourself that you are better together. Maybe you have heard the adage, “If you want to move fast, go alone. If you want to move far, go together.” Don’t build this plan in isolation! Build on your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses through the strengths of others. Many leaders naturally tend to think they can do it better and faster alone. But no one person will think of everything. You need others. Embrace people to help better you; don’t just assume more people will merely get in your way.
Who can you pull into your teams? Who can you challenge to help make an eternal difference in your church? Who will help you accomplish cultural change? Who will help you launch your ministry plan?
What teams and players will you need? Let me overview a few of the key parts most small group ministries need, especially as they grow.
Small Group Leaders
Small group leaders are the bedrock of any size ministry because they are your frontline leaders. As I will explain later, at Saddleback we call them Hosts. We take all who are willing to form groups with two or more friends, and we develop them into Christ followers who reflect Jesus’s Great Commission and great commandment in their hearts and in the hearts of others. We train Hosts to help all group members discover their passions and take ownership of some responsibility in the group. We also keep Hosts watching for and delegating tasks to upcoming leaders, whom we refer to informally as Future Hosts (some may call them apprentices or coleaders). We identify people’s roles of responsibility in a relational environment through their practical functions, not through titles.
We identify Hosts and their small groups in four categories, each requiring different amounts and types of care:
Coaches are the experienced “leaders of leaders,” and they become important as soon as a small group ministry grows beyond the point person’s ability to care relationally for the small group leaders. At Saddleback we call our coaches Community Leaders (CLs), and they build relationships with a handful of Hosts, coming alongside to provide the care that I described above.
Some of our CLs specialize in one category of small group, and others care for a mix of categories. Aside from the CL’s preferences, geography plays the largest role in assigning small groups to each CL. The ratio of CL to groups varies, depending on the category of groups. One CL can typically care for about twenty-five small groups of mixed categories.
Saddleback’s small group ministry is large enough that we have another layer of leaders, called Small Group Pastors, who care for CLs. Though every connection should be relational, at this level our Small Group Pastor’s dealings with CLs can be more “minister to minister,” since CLs are experienced and fully committed and need a different relational process than Hosts.
Throughout this book I refer to all of the leaders between the small group point person (or pastor) and small group leaders as “infrastructure.”
Small Group Point Person
This is probably you—the volunteer or paid staff who directly oversees the small group ministry. This person develops and implements the plan for the small group ministry as the house-to-house component of church life, keeping in view any or all of this book’s five phases or “home” areas as they apply to their church paradigm (chapters 5–9). They build health in their groups and guard against drift, keeping the ministry’s development on course, working on the ministry more than in it. For any size church I recommend the point person share the oversight task by developing a team of key ministry leaders who help work on the ministry. I call this the C Team.
Most businesses have a C Suite—the CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, and so on—the top executives, the brain trust that keeps the business on track. Rather than “suite,” I prefer the word “team” from the sports arena, where one person calls the plays and a team makes it happen. Each player knows his or her role, and together they are better than the individual. You will always be the one driving the process forward, but eventually you will need people around you.
When I first started at Saddleback, I performed all the functions that my C Team now performs. I later realized that by not giving away the ministry, I was hurting myself and robbing others of opportunities to use their giftedness and pursue their passions. Furthermore, we all need cheerleaders. We’re more likely to do anything difficult—working out, dieting, keeping a commitment—when someone else does it with us. You’ll find both motivation and wisdom in a team with which you connect in relationships. This team is so important that I will share about it in depth.
Your leader coaches may make good C Team members, but often not. Most coaches are high on caring and low on planning, and your C Team needs some strong planners. In your search for your C Team, don’t overlook anyone anywhere in your small groups or in your church. For these roles, you should be more concerned about gifting than where people have fit historically in your organization.
Look for capability and availability. Capable C Team members are passionate about their responsibilities on the team and appropriately gifted. As for availability, I have discovered that passionate people don’t always look at their calendars before committing. As much as it may pain you, make sure your recruits have time to do the job right or you’ll end up with nothing more than a name on a line. Asking the hard questions up front will pay off in the long run.
Choose people who think holistically about your small group ministry. They need to help develop effective infrastructure to support small group leaders. Some of my C Team members also serve as Small Group Pastors or Community Leaders, but the C Team is so important that I don’t expect its members to do double duty.
Just as relational connection is vital within your ministry, it is also vital between your ministry and other church ministries. Your C Team can help as ambassadors to senior church leadership and other ministries, helping cultivate buy-in from your entire church for your small group vision and mission. So it’s important that every C Team member “gets” the big picture of your ministry, is able to relate well with other influencers, and positively impacts your church culture.
As the structure of this book reflects, I think of small group ministry planning in terms of five phases or “home” areas (chapters 5–9)—connecting, growing, investing, reaching, and sustaining. I recommend recruiting C Team members who specialize in different aspects of ministry planning and development, ideally matching each member’s responsibilities with his or her passions, experience, and gifting. This is where you become a human resources expert, finding the best person to help you strategize and execute your plans in one aspect of your ministry strategy.
For example, ideal C Team members specializing in the connecting phase may be especially talented at creating cohesive groups. Though they are encouraging relationships within all groups, they themselves are likely to have energetic, “magnetic” personalities that draw the unconnected people. They love customer service and follow-up. They can easily adjust to various situations and can read the room effectively to help everyone feel welcome. Does this bring anyone to your mind? Jot down any likely names below. Commit to praying about them and whether to invite them to the team.
You may want to come back to this part of the book after you have read the questions each phase entails. As you read those chapters, come back and think of a name for your C Team member if one doesn’t come to mind now.
I cannot overstate the importance of prayer in this. Pray for wisdom as the Lord brings people to your mind. Review each distinct area of ministry responsibility, and pray for the Lord’s wisdom to bring the right person for that job. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t find everyone right away. Take your time, and let God reveal who he wants to bring alongside you.
Your ministry paradigm may differ somewhat from the paradigm in this book, but you will probably need faithful people to oversee most or all of these five areas. Prayerfully brainstorm names for:
Connecting (starting groups, placing new members)
Growing (fostering spiritual health in groups)
Investing (ensuring kingdom fruit from groups)
Reaching (encouraging group outreach)
Sustaining (maintaining long-term ministry success)
I also recommend another kind of variety in your C Team. Let me introduce this by quoting 1 Peter 5:1–4:
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them [serving as overseers]—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (emphasis added)
This passage uses three different words for church leaders: elders, shepherds, and overseers. These are used interchangeably to describe the same leaders, but they reflect different aspects of spiritual leadership, and individuals tend to be stronger in one than the others. Let’s do a little Greek study to fully understand the nuanced differences between these.
“Elder” is translated from the Greek presbuteros, after which the Presbyterian denominations are named. They call their leaders “elders.” In spite of its literal meaning, in the Bible “elder” does not necessarily mean physically old. It implies spiritual maturity. Timothy was a young man, yet he was pastor and elder at the church of Ephesus. Paul told him, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young” (1 Tim. 4:12), so anyone with spiritual maturity may qualify to be an elder. Elders lean toward being visionary. They are wise, and they develop wisdom and character in others.
The Greek word poimēn is translated “pastor” or “shepherd,” and it refers to those who care for, lead, and feed the Lord’s flock. Shepherds gravitate toward nurturing people in relationship. They pull people in and tend to exhibit magnetic personalities.
And “overseer” is translated from the Greek episkopos, which is translated “bishop” in the King James Version. The Episcopal denominations derive their name from episkopos, and they refer to their leaders as bishops, whose responsibility is to preside over local pastors or parish priests. Overseers are the process people. They are managers who put strategic plans into motion. This is my specialty. I love the planning process, developing programs, and being strategic. You will see this unfold throughout this book.
We all know that different churches use these words differently. That’s not my concern here. I want to consider the three kinds of behavioral traits that all contribute to spiritual leadership. Each of us gravitates to one more than the others. The lines between the three are blurry, and that’s okay because we don’t all fit neatly into boring little boxes.
Now what about you? Toward which of these three roles do you gravitate? Think through the roles of elder, shepherd, and overseer, and take a few minutes to self-evaluate. Once you determine which role best describes you, do your best also to prayerfully evaluate which strengths best describe others you may recruit to your C Team, and write their names below. Make sure your team contains a mix of all three, but especially be sure to recruit team members who balance your tendencies.
Elder (vision)
Shepherd (caring)
Overseer (management)
Support Elsewhere in Your Church
Besides your C Team, you want to continue to identify key influencers in your church who can be your ministry allies, and you theirs. Obviously your senior pastor should be one, and you should already be nurturing that relationship, but who else in your church needs to become passionate for what you’re trying to do? These people hold a stake in the church’s direction and success, and if your ministry is helping your church succeed, help them see that supporting your ministry is in their own best interest. (Also, take an active interest in supporting their ministry.)
Work those relationships, because you should not be championing small groups on your own. And as these relationships grow, you are fostering trust, which will allow you to speak and receive truth as needed. In fact, I advise you to start building key relationships well before you start presenting your vision, mission, and requests for your ministry.
Support for You Beyond Your Church
Over my thirty-plus years in ministry I have gathered much knowledge and many great ideas from other churches of all sizes. (Never, ever stop learning. You can learn from every size ministry and every style of leader.) It’s a good idea to get to know churches in your area and meet with their pastors and ministry leaders. We started the international Small Group Network, and there we facilitate “Huddles” of leaders from different churches. Visit www.SmallGroupNetwork.com to find one in your area.
Rather than competing, we are all playing on the same team and striving toward the same end goal: to bring people to Jesus Christ. Commit to working with other churches to strengthen leaders, broaden corporate influence, and create strong ministries that will ultimately build God’s kingdom.
We also facilitate local or virtual Communities of Purpose (COPs) who gather monthly to hold each other accountable for executing their plans. These are peer-to-peer learning groups that meet virtually or physically, and you can go to www.SmallGroupNetwork.com/cop to find one in your area.
It is easy to become isolated and stand alone. Once you’ve distilled your specific plan and a few near-future goals from this book, if you are by yourself, you may put the plan on your shelf and soon drift off course. Connecting regularly with a COP will keep you focused and accountable to follow through. Your colleagues will also be there to help you stay upright through the rogue winds and storms of ministry when the devil wants to toss you around. Pastor Rick says, “I grew up in Northern California near the giant redwoods. Redwood trees have shallow roots. They withstand the wind by intertwining roots and holding each other up. What a perfect picture of fellowship!” We spread out, we intertwine, and we hold each other up. That’s what the Small Group Network’s COP can do for you.
Following is a great story from Brian Naess and Steve Curran, explaining how their Community of Purpose worked for them. First, from Brian, pastor of outreach and assimilation at Violet Baptist Church, Violet, Ohio:
One of the most valuable parts of the Accelerate! conference is connecting with accountability groups [COPs]. We commit to meeting once a month for a year. These times have been invaluable for me to carry out what I learned. Even more than that, I have gained an incredible friend, Steve Curran, from Georgia of all places, to do ministry together. We have just completed our year commitment and have decided to continue meeting.
And from Steve, Life Groups team leader at Compassion Christian Church, Savannah, Georgia:
I have been in a small group ministry for a number of years and had a ministry plan firmly in place. I came away from Accelerate! with new clarity of vision for small groups at my church. Every bit of that was worth the trip, but the added and unexpected bonuses are the new relationships. We were each paired with an accountability partner [in a COP], and we committed to praying for and remaining in contact with that person on a monthly basis. My partner, Brian Naess, is an incredible encourager, a great sounding board, and a godly man who has become a true friend. Although Brian and I have passed our one-year mark, we still talk every month. He has helped me stay the course and run my race well. The practical tools from Accelerate!, as well as my friendship with Brian, have really accelerated my ministry.
You can join a COP group now at www.SmallGroupNetwork.com/cop. It’s free, and it’s waiting for you!
Handle with Prayer
God has placed you here, at this time. Never have these words from Philippians 1:6 held more truth: “I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns” (TLB). Kevin Pent, church life pastor at Forward Church in Cambridge, Ontario, recently emailed me: “I’m starting a five-day fast today and would appreciate your prayers. Looking forward to what God’s going to do through everyone who attended the Accelerate! conference. First things first though—prayer! God bless!” First thing—prayer! These are words to live by, and exactly the way you should approach every step of your ministry. Prayer will help you stay the course and maintain the correct perspective.
As you do a good thing, Satan will be working against you. Everything of value that we do is a spiritual battle. Most often a spiritual high is followed by a spiritual battle. The sooner you realize this, the more prepared you will be. In Ephesians 6:10–20, Paul describes the character qualities and spiritual practices that protect us in battle and pave the way to victory. He concludes with a strong emphasis on prayer, for oneself and for others:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Eph. 6:18–20)
I could fill this book with examples of Satan working against my ministry, so I make sure I always have others praying for me. These people are not always the who’s who of the church, but they love the Lord and know the value of intercession. They bring my needs relationally and conversationally to the Lord and are more concerned about bringing these needs to the Lord than fixing them. I look for people who are more excited about praying than fully knowing what they are praying for. Yes, I want them to pray specifically, but some people are mainly motivated to know “the inside scoop,” and that’s not the kind of people I need.
Take a moment and jot down the names of five people you will invite to pray for you and your ministry:
Now take the next step. Email, call, or text them right now and ask that they commit to pray for you weekly. Your job will be to update them regularly so they will know how to continue praying for you. Through this commitment you will draw closer to them, and you won’t find yourself leading alone. Your prayer team will provide the spiritual covering you so desperately need.