1. Make sure good contact is happening with everyone through emails and that there is follow up happening with those who are absent.  If people feel like you care, they’ll be more apt to show up!   (In the email contact make sure to let people know where you are at the in the book or study, so that way if they’ve missed a couple of weeks, they at least feel they know where the group is at.)

2.  Greet everyone who comes and say bye to everyone when they leave. Believe it or not, but the quality of your welcome and your goodbye has a huge impact on what people feel about the group.

3. Include everyone in the discussion and make sure the discussion feels safe and accepting.   (Subgrouping is a great technique to get everyone talking).

4. Have people sign up to bring dessert…they have to turn up if they have a responsibility!

5. Make sure you are prepared…an unprepared leader is a real demotivator for the members of the group (especially new ones).

6. Plan either your party or outreach not too far into the trimester to encourage people to get connected more.  Make sure to personally invite those who haven’t been attending regularly – so they feel they can come even if they missed a few meetings.

7. Stick to time. If your group starts late and finishes late, people can easily get demotivated.

8. Teach your group to reach out to each other (and in particular the newer people).

9.  Consider if you’re glad/excited to be able to meet that week?  If not, why not?  Your vibrancy as a leader comes out in how you lead – and if you’re not glad to be at growth group, it will come out – and others won’t want to be there either!

I’m sure there’s more to this list (and I’d love to hear your ideas!).

1. Christ-Centered: Jesus is the real group leader.  Growth Groups meet in his presence and power and for his purposes. (Matthew 18:20)
2. Healthy, Growing Leaders: The Growth Group Leader is growing in his or her faith by being involved in daily disciplines such as Bible study and prayer. (1 Corinthians 11:1)
3. Group Ownership: The group is led by the group, not just the leader.  Especially there will be a coordinator in the group. No one leads alone. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

4. Agreements, Goals & Plans: The group has an agreement that includes purpose, guidelines, expectations and an action plan (Proverbs 16:3)

5. Connecting with One Another in Authentic Biblical Community: The group meets regularly & consistently, does life together outside of meetings, and regularly prays for and ministers to one another.  (Acts 2:42-47)

6. Growing in Christ: Group members are intentionally being discipled. The group engages regularly in Bible study and application. (Colossians 2:6-8)

7. Serving Others: Christ’s mission (Matthew 28:18-20) is the Growth Group’s mission. The group regularly prays for their lost friends and is sharing their faith with others. The group is serving others together and individually. (Colossians 4:5-6)

1. Why should I say I cannot when the Bible says in Phil 4:13: I can do all things through Christ.
2. Why should I lack when the Bible says in Phil 4:19 and Mt. 6:25-32.:
   My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
3. Why should I fear when the Bible says in 2 Tim 1:7: God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.
4. Why should I lack faith to fulfill my calling when the Bible says in Romans 12:3: Think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to me a measure of faith.
5. Why should I be weak when the Bible says in Ps 27:1 and Dan 11:3:
   The Lord is the strength of my life and I will show strength and take action.
6. Why should I accept defeat when the Bible says in 2 Cor 2:14:
   God will lead me out in triumph.
7. Why should I allow Satan to rule over my life when the Bible says in 1 Jo 4:4: He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world.
8. Why should I lack wisdom when the Bible says in 1 Cor 1:30 and Jas 1:5: Christ became wisdom to me and God gives wisdom to me when I ask Him.
9. Why should I be depressed when the Bible says in Lam 3:21-23: Call to mind God’s loving kindness, compassion and faithfulness and have hope.
10. Why should I worry and fret when the Bible says in 1 Pet 5:7:
    I can cast all my anxiety on Christ knowing that He cares for me.
11. Why should I live in bondage (physically, mentally or emotionally in my thinking) when the Bible says in Is 61:1, Gal 5:1 and 2 Cor 3:17:
    There is liberty where the spirit of the Lord is and He came to set the prisoners free.
12. Why should I feel condemned when the Bible says in Rom 8:1:
    I am not condemned because I am in Christ walking in the spirit.
13. Why should I feel alone when the Bible says in Mat 18:20 and Heb 13:5: Jesus is with me always and He will never leave me or forsake me.
14. Why should I feel accursed or that I am the victim of bad luck when the Bible says in Gal 3:13-14: Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law that I might receive His Spirit.
15. Why should I be discontented when the Bible says in Phil 4:6-7 & 11:
    I can learn to be content in all circumstances and experience God’s peace upon me.
16. Why should I feel worthless when the Bible says in 2 Cor 5:21:
    Christ became sin on my behalf that I might become the righteousness of God in Christ.
17. Why should I have a persecution complex when the Bible says in Rom 8:31: No one can stand against me when God is for me.
18. Why should I be confused when the Bible says in 1 Cor 14:33 and 2:12:
    God is the author of peace and He gives me knowledge through His indwelling Spirit.
19. Why should I feel like a failure when the Bible says in Rom 8:37:
    I am more than a conqueror in all things through Christ.
20. Why should I let the pressures of life bother me when the Bible says in Jn 16:33: I can take courage knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and its tribulations.

Maxwell’s aim in the book is to show how you can be a leader and develop your influence from anywhere in your organization. He shows how to lead up to your boss, lead across to your peers and lead down to your direct reports. Each of these areas requires different skills – and Maxwell brings some fantastic points to light.

I encourage you to check it out!

1.  This ploy is for use before the group meets – but it is one of the deadliest.  It is, quite simply, a matter of arranging the furniture in straight rows instead of an informal circle.  As a variation on this, where straight rows are not possible, put low-slung easy chairs behind the more upright version, so that the rear row is lost to sight.  A formal seating arrangement will make a formal meeting; and it will help you to be regarded as the leader ‘up front’ doing all the work (is that what you really wanted?).

2. Take full charge of the group right from the start.  Make it plain that you are the leader, intervene with a well stated and direct answer as soon as a question is raised, and decide when to change the subject.  If you can do this while still putting on a show of ‘democracy’, of being willing to listen to the group, so much the better.  They will get doubly frustrated.

3. As soon as you get the opportunity, sail right in with a long statement or lecture or statement on the subject in hand.  This will probably lead someone to suggest that there is nothing more to discuss, which should suit you splendidly.  It will also kill off the group in record time.

4. Pay no real attention to the comments and observations of the other members of the group. While they are speaking you have the opportunity of framing your next masterpiece of a statement.  Such entirely ‘empty’ observations as ‘That’s a point of view’, ‘Very interesting indeed’, and ‘We must come back to that’ will serve to give the impression that you heard what you were not listening to.

5. Allow the opinionated and vocal members of the group to dominate it.  His strong opinions are, of course, a mask for his own deep uncertainties, so that unless you intervene, he is bound to go on making more and more dogmatic assertions in order to make sure that he does not have to look at his own inner difficulties.  Since he may very well be covering up for you also, do not interrupt him.

6. At the same time, do not do anything to draw the more reserved members of the group into the discussion.  If they stay silent for awhile, assume that they have nothing to say, and leave them in limbo.  The talkative ones, after all, are the ones who are likely to stay in the area of nice comfortable platitudes, so that will make your job easier.

7. Don’t let any strong feelings like resentment or anger find expression in the group. Keep up the fiction that it is all controlled by sweetness and warm, sticky sentiment.  If people get angry with one another, after all, they might begin to learn something – and where will that stop?  Besides, they might begin to get really involved with one another, and then they would insist on working as a genuine group, not as a gang of stooges, and that would not suit you one little bit, would it?

8. In fact, the most experienced group-quenchers have an unerring ear for anything that reflects genuine personal feeling or involvement (as distinct from the mouthing of evangelical clichés and platitudes); such personal feeling must be suppressed at once, and the subject must be lifted smartly to the ideological stratosphere.  “What doctrine does this illustrate?” is as good a gambit as any for this purpose?

9. Finally, and most effective in the long run, allow the discussion to drag on and, when it is already over time, introduce the question of the time and place of the next meeting, and the subject to be discussed.  This is guaranteed to keep everyone going for another half-hour, and then they will be so late home that either they or someone else will regretfully ensure that they do not come next time.

Follow these suggestions faithfully, and success-destructive-is guaranteed.

Maybe those aren’t the specific numbers that you experienced in your group, but the reality is that it happens to every group at some point. Here are a couple of keys to riding the attendance roller coaster.

1. It’s not about you. Somebody famous said that. In the church, community is what we want, yet it’s what we resist the most. People got excited. They signed up for your group at church on Sunday. Then, life just got in the way. After all, the road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions.

2. Keep them on your list. Keep the communication flowing. Email them along with the rest of your group. Give them a call. The call should go something like this: “Hey, I was just wondering about you guys (Southern: y’all). Is everything okay? I’m not calling as the truant officer. I’m just calling because I care.” Chances are that they won’t slam down the phone after saying, “I don’t want you to care about me.” Who doesn’t want that?

3. Focus on who showed up rather than who didn’t. My small group has four people regularly with another five or six on the list. Last week, there were only two of us. By the numbers, my group is a complete failure. Yet, there are things you can talk about with two that you can’t discuss with eight. Maybe you do the lesson. Maybe you set the lesson aside. Before you start beating yourself or your group members up over low attendance, you need to do a quick check-in with God: “What do You intend for this group meeting? It doesn’t look like what I planned. What have You planned?” His plans are better anyway.

4. Remember your small group and the ministry of your group are not the same. Some people may never show up for your group. Or, they’ll come once or twice, then you won’t hear from them for a while. Here’s the deal: whether they attend every week or once in a blue moon, they are yours. The group members who meet three out of four times a month are essentially your small group. Everyone else is the “ministry” of your small group. There is a reason that God has placed these folks in your life. Keep up with them. Help them when they need help. Pray for them. This is not some clandestine plot to convince them back to the group with your kindness, but it might work. This is your opportunity to serve, even if you never get anything in return.

In a perfect world, everyone would honor their commitment to that two-part form and show up for every group meeting. But, this is not a perfect world. Here’s the deal: that flakey person on your list, you just might be their only connection to the body of Christ. Their well-being, of course, is not up to you. But, there is a reason that in all of the small groups in all of the county, they signed up for yours. God will show you why.

2. 10.10.10

3 churches cancelling church on a Sunday and going out into the community to serve.  We ancticipate something like 1500 people.  What a privilege to be a part of a church that puts a priority on things like this!

3. Most groups ever this Fall!

4. Most people in groups ever – this fall I believe!

Two years ago there were 300 people in groups…we’re more like 750-850 now!

5. Life-change that is happening

-         People are serving outside of ourselves:

• The many groups that came to Second Saturday – serving our community and building trust that they might one day soon hear the gospel. We average something like 60 people regularly at a 2^nd Saturday!
• I think of the group that prepared over 1100 shoes to be sent to needy people
• I think of the group that put backpacks together with school supplies for needy kids in our community.

-         People are ministering to each other.

• I can think of countless examples of this…
• I think of the group of guys who surrounded the man in a sickening custody battle…
• I think of Penny Jones…  taken care of so well!
• I think of former GG Leader who lost their business and experience love, practical help and grace from the people of this church.

-         People are growing in their knowledge of God

• One of the funnest things about putting the brochure together is seeing the variety of topics and books that people are reading and learning!
• I think of high school boys reading a book by John Ortberg!

-         People are being released from chains…

• Burdens held for years are being let go.
• I think of porn addicts are being released.
• I think of over 2tons of weight being lost in the PRISM groups – okay I made that up – but many people being helped to healthy lives through it!

-         People are stepping out of their comfort zones

• I think of the 30 first-time leaders or co-leaders this trimester.
• I think of the new team leaders…
• I think of the many many people brand new to Crossroads feeling like they’re part of the family.

6.  God is obviously working amongst us

This passages shows what happens when God shows up…  we’re seeing this today!
- Isaiah 61:1-4 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  ² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,  ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.  ⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

7.  There’s so much more to be done! And that’s exciting!

THE MEANING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Jesus never asked His disciples to remember His birth. But He did instruct them to remember His death and resurrection. He gave the church two visible symbols (called “ordinances”) as reminders of His death. These two ordinances are: Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is an object lesson that represents a great spiritual truth for believers.

WHAT IS THE LORD’S SUPPER? (1 COR. 11:23-26)

1. IT IS A SIMPLE ACT

“The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread…” (vs. 23)

2. IT IS A REMINDER

“…and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; eat it in remembrance of me.’” (vs. 24)

3. IT IS A SYMBOL

“In the same way, He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; drink it to remember me.’” (vs. 25)

4. IT IS A STATEMENT OF FAITH

“For whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes back.” (vs. 26)

WHO SHOULD TAKE THE LORD’S SUPPER?

Only those who are already BELIEVERS. (Mark 14:22-26)

“For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” 2 Cor. 11:29

HOW DO I PREPARE MYSELF FOR THE LORD’S SUPPER?

“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A person ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.” 1 Cor. 11:27-28

By…

1. Self-Examination 1 Cor. 11:27

2. Confessing My Sins 1 John 1:9

3. Recommitment Rom. 12:1

4. Restoring Relationships Matt. 5:23-24

So how do you lead a great conversation?

Here’s five steps I’ve found real useful in leading conversations in groups:

1. Know what you want the group to get

As you’re preparing, think about the one thing you want the group to walk away with that night.  This will enable you to craft your questions (and conversation) towards that take-away.  So as you’re doing your preparation, pray about and then write down the one sentence that you want your group to walk away with.  I don’t tell the group what I want them to take-away – I want them to discover it (at least the gist of it), because if they discover it themselves, it will be far more memorable.

It’s important not to leave this up to a published study.  Some published studies craft their questions around a goal really well, but others do this poorly.

2. Treat Questions Like Your Tools For Crafting a Great Discussion

In preparing your questions for discussion, think about having 6-10 of them.  These questions should be open-ended (don’t have one-word answers)  and should lead the group on the journey towards the take-away you have.   Good questions don’t come easy.  Test your question by thinking about how you would answer it – is your answer is interesting?!

By the way, six good questions is about all a group will normally get through in a 40 minutes discussion.   So having 6-10 ready means you have plenty, but make sure you know which ones can you drop in case you run short on time and which can’t you drop.

3. Remind the group of the group agreement.

You might remind everyone of the agreement at the beginning of the discussion so that the guidelines will be followed.  For example, the importance of confidentiality, the importance of everyone participating well,  limiting the length of sharing so that everyone can share (i.e. don’t dominate).   These guidelines are really important for a great conversation to happen! For more on handling this click here.

4. Treat the Discussion Like a Ping-Pong Ball

In other words, don’t hold on to it for too long and keep it bouncing around the room.  Acknowledge people when they’ve shared and get it back out there.  For example, you might say, “Thank you, that’s interesting, has anyone else experienced something similar?”  or “So what you are saying is…   that makes me wonder about…   what do you guys think?”

5. Use Strategies To Get Everyone Involved

A.  Icebreakers: have an easy question at the beginning of each week that everyone answers.  This helps everyone, especially quiet ones, to hear their voice in front of everyone and gives them confidence to speak up later.

B.  Subgroups: have the group split into groups of two or three to discuss one or two questions and then take feedback as a large group.  This gets a lot more talking done (and so learning) and will give people confidence to share in the larger group when they’ve been affirmed about their thoughts in a subgroup.

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So as you lead your group this week, try some strategies, take some time to craft your questions, but most importantly, have in mind a specific take-away that you want the group to walk away with.

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7