My optimism has been repeatedly challenged by group multiplication. I can, at least, give myself an ‘A’ for effort. It is not easy taking a tough position on this subject because the motivations and goals of encouraging the multiplication of small groups and small group leaders are all very good ones. I share the same heart, and I hope for the same outcome as group multiplication enthusiasts. However, I personally have been forced to find new how-tos. Maybe, as a fellow practitioner, you will benefit from some of my learning.

Jesus was the ultimate storyteller. He did more than communicate with words; He communicated His heart. He used stories like The Prodigal Son to express God’s love for people and to invite them into relationship with Himself. Jesus used storytelling to create a meeting space between God and people.

Most life-saving inoculations occur at the very beginning of a person’s life. The same is true of small group ministries. The way we promote small groups influences what people will expect from them and, ultimately, how they will engage with others once they are in them.

Many, if not most, churches employ something I call a "funnel strategy" for building community. The funnel strategy focuses on moving people from a large group (e.g. a weekend service) to small groups and is based on the premise that people will experience more community as they get "closer" to others.

Many churches, with purity of heart, discuss the success of their small group ministry based on the numbers, typically the percentage of people ‘connected’ in small groups. Numbers can be an indication of success, but we can be misguided by them too. For example, we cannot presume that we are SUPPOSE to connect 100% of our congregation with other members of our congregation.

Over the years, dialogue about small group leadership has revolved around the gifting of a “shepherd.” This thinking has been so pervasive that it is often assumed the best small group leaders are people with the spiritual gift of shepherd. The role, or gifting, of a shepherd will always be a major factor in how we view and discuss small group leadership, but it is time for the mold that has been cast around the spiritual gift of a shepherd to be broken.

Small Group Pastor, Division or Zone / Sectional Leaders, Coaches, Small Group Leaders, Apprentices, and Hosts – does this hierarchy of servant leadership sound familiar to you? The application of corporate-like pyramidal organizational models to developing small group ministries in the Church is pervasive...

When a church is launching or casting vision for its small group ministry, the focus is usually on getting people already a part of the church to become part of a small group. What if we turned this on its head? What if we trained up small group leaders, like we do church planters, and sent them out to plant new small groups among those who do not yet know Christ? Imagine if a church made their primary concern connecting people outside of their own community of believers (Romans 15:20)!