25 Tips for Small Groups
/
The other day I was asked to speak to a group of Small Group Leaders. I offered them 20 tidbits of advice that flowed out of what we have learned in the last year and a half. I thought I would share them with you too:
- Meet as often as possible. Infrequent meetings produce snail pace discipleship.
- Bring people far from God. Your small group should reach lost people.
- Everyone talks. No few dominate.
- No few dominate. Everyone talks.
- Including you. If you lead, shut up a lot more! Silence invites depth.
- Stay in the Bible.
- Pick 1-10 verses. Read the verses twice. Once for the head. Once for the heart.
- Stay in the Word.
- Everyone shares what they hear from the Lord in the scripture.
- Stay in the Scriptures.
- Do not allow people to leave the text you are on. Stay in one place. Listen to God there. Bible jumping causes deep insecurity in new Jesus Followers.
- Draw people out. You will need to invite and wait.
- Bring people far from God.
- Point everyone into one on one discipling relationships.
- Stop marketing Small Group in your Sunday Service to among saved people.
- Invite people to join you that are far from God.
- Ask loud people to take a risk and talk less.
- Ask quiet people to take a risk and talk more.
- Point people back to the bible, especially when they say crazy things. Ask them to show you where what they said is stated in the text you read.
- Drop the DVD studies and pick up the Bible! You will never need another DVD study again. (Unless you hear God to use one.)
- Look for leaders- train and launch them to start a new group.
- Keep what you do every time you gather simple and the same so it can be reproduced.
- If your group is all Christians, please invite and bring people far from God.
- Oh, and reproduce.
- Oh, and stay in the Bible.