Q. What kind of advice would you give church leaders who want to move their congregation toward small groups?

A. First and foremost you have to understand your people. As a leader you can propose an idea, but until you know the thoughts, desires, and needs of your people you won't necessarily succeed. If you desire to start a small group ministry, you need to follow some basic but important steps:

1. Run a survey. You need to take into account what your people perceive their needs to be, not just what you think those needs are. The best way to accomplish this is to run a survey to find out how interested the congregation is in small groups. In this survey, avoid asking only about which topics people would like to study. Remember that many people don't even attend Sunday school. They don't have any particular support system. So ask them if they have close friends, and get them thinking in those terms.

2. Bring in a consultant. A consultant can offer insightful, objective advice to a Church interested in starting small groups. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions. For instance, when people call me for advice, the first thing I do is ask them twenty to thirty questions over the phone. I'll ask how large their church is, who wants to start the small groups, and how much time those people will be able to devote to the ministry. I get basic information and work with the leaders to build a small group proposal.

3. Prepare the congregation with several sermons on the importance of small groups. Since not everyone will be involved in planning for this ministry, pastors need to help their congregations understand the nature and importance of small groups.

Think of it this way—it's little different from any other ministry. Not every member must be involved. At the same time, every member should be informed about what the church offers.

4. Involve key church leaders. I would advise you to have a staff member responsible for the groups. And you need people who are known by the congregation both to lead and participate in the small groups. That's one more way to draw people in: "Oh, yeah, Joe Snow's in that small group. He enjoys it, too. It seems like something I might like to get involved in."

Q. Can a small group ministry be started by lay leaders?

A. Yes, as long as they have staff support. Some of the hardest calls I receive are from lay people who want to start small groups, but whose churches aren't ready. My advice to them is not to do it.

One thing to remember: If lay people are in charge of organizing this ministry, then they've got to be very careful to present a complete proposal to the staff. If they don't, or if the staff doesn't support the idea, then they may as well not even start the groups. Lay people need staff support.

Q. What are some potential objections to small groups, and how can these be overcome?

A. Stability is key. Church leaders don't like to see new ministries come and go; this gives people a bad impression: "Well, here's another new program. It will be gone in two months, why should I get involved?" To overcome this, begin slowly and grow gradually. Start pilot groups to see how they do before you jump off the deep end. That way you can show your staff (or your congregation, if you're the pastor) the benefits, and you can document how well the small groups function.

Another potential objection is that small groups would stretch church leadership and compete with Sunday school. If your church has trouble finding enough Sunday school teachers, for example, the question will be, "Aren't you going to be asking the same people to teach small groups that we're trying to get to teach Sunday school? We'll be competing for the same leaders."

You have to address this question, because the other leaders need to know how the new ministry will affect them. You need to come to an understanding.

One small group leader suggested to me that he wanted to build his groups from the church "inactive" list. That's a hot button for most churches. If 30 percent of a church's members are inactive, and you as a small group leader can pull these people in to be leaders and participants in the ministry, then you will have done a double service.

Q. Once a small group ministry gets started, what key element would you advise leaders to keep track of?

A. Build a support system for the groups. Let's say I'm responsible for fifty groups. It stands to reason that I can't call all fifty leaders every week. So I appoint five area directors under me. Each of these directors is responsible for a certain number of groups. They call the leaders every week to find out how they're doing. Maybe one leader has a problem—something as simple as a member who talks too much. The director can advise that leader on what to try next. The key is to stay in touch with the groups every week. Maintain a good support system if you want to grow your small group ministry.

Judy Hamlin, women's minister/coordinator of small groups, Prestonwood Baptist Church, 15720 Hillcrest, Dallas, TX, (214) 387-4475, ext. 237