Why Small Groups Don't Work (Part 4)

Why other small groups (not yours) don't work

My contention this week has been that small groups don't work for two fundamental reasons; there is a missing link and a fatal flaw. 

The missing link is a mission, a vision for how the small group is going to change the world, impact the Kingdom of God. Small groups need to exist for more than just relationship and personal growth; there has to be an outward bent. 

The fatal flaw is if the mission of a group is big enough the group is too small to accomplish that mission. There has to be a way to be "small enough to care and big enough to dare."

Let's tackle one more problem with small groups before we look at a new model; why small group coaching doesn't work. 

Who's your coach?

Imagine playing on a football team where the coach only shows up once every two or three months, if at all. He meets with the team coordinators once a month for leadership training and to pass out new plays and assignments, but he seldom spends time with the players. How successful do you think your team would be? How integrated would the coach be in the life of the team?

We would never run a football team that way, but that is how we often run our small groups. Coaches meet with small group leaders and may drop in occasionally on groups, but for the most part the coach is external to the life of the groups under their care.They have a relationship with the leader, but they aren't connected to the individual members in a meaningful way. Many group members don't even know who their small group coach is.

Many churches are finding this type of coaching marginally effective. Some have dropped the idea of small group coaching entirely, some have assigned all coaching to staff members, and others have set up a consultant model where you can call a staff member/coach if you have a question or problem, but for the most part you are on your own.

Coaching (or consulting) doesn't really work in the long run. We need a new way of coaching.

(I have "borrowed" this information on coaching from research my wife, Sherry Surratt, has been working on for Leadership Network. If you REALLY want to know what is next in small groups follow @sherrysurratt on Twitter and watch for new findings coming out of LN's Innovation Labs)

Time to start over

We need a new small group model; 

A model where the coach is in the game, not just dropping by for an occasional quality check. 

What if the coach and his leaders were all involved in the same mission? 

What if they all had the same mission, the same "holy discontent", and the members of the individual groups shared this mission? 

What if relationship and growth flowed out of the mission rather than the mission being just a part of the equation? 

What if they worked together on the same mission and saw huge changes in the world around them.

I'll talk tomorrow about something I've seen that just might do the trick.

______________________________

Be sure to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 for more of the story

Comments

[Mike Mahoney]

Interesting thoughts, and I don't disagree, entirely. But, as the church grows, the number of small groups grow, the number of leaders grow - then the "coach" can't be in all places at all times.

The Jethro principle has to apply here at some point: Moses could not possibly be involved in the minutiae of everyone's life, which is why he needed trustworthy leaders.

Paul operated under this model as well. He trained leaders in each of he churches he founded, so that he could have the greatest reach.

I guess there needs to be a balance. The pastor needs to have trustworthy leaders to run the small groups semi-autonamously (what's the point of raising leaders if you don't let them lead) but the entire "team" can't be so big he loses touch with the individual players. Thus comes my indictment of "megachurches," but that's another story. :)

[Sam O'Neal]

Using the analogy of a football game, wouldn't the group leader be more like the football coach? The group leader is involved in the game every week, working with his/her "team" and leading their advance.

I would think of the small-group coach more as the Athletic Director -- someone who equips group leaders with what they need, keeps them on target, and helps them work through any major issues.

I'm confused about how a coach could be deeply involved in several groups at the same time. And if that were to happen, what would be separating the coach from the group leader?

I look forward to your post tomorrow, Geoff, so I can see what you're working toward!

[Knucklehead McWhorter]

Geoff aka Dennis Miller:

Quick comment from a Seacoaster who grew up Catholic, and had no small group...

I think the idea of a personal group located in your community (for me, Daniel Island) that gets together in any capacity in connection with the Church is essential and magical. I wouldn't care if we did underwater basketweaving as long as we did it together in some way celebrating Christ.

I hope you're not suggesting that small groups are a 'bad thing'. Can you clarify a bit more?

[Geoff Surratt]

Mike: I think a coaching system is essential small groups; I'm just not sure we've found one yet. If a pastor is doing all the coaching we have a major challenge.

Sam: Athletic Director is a great analogy for small group coach. Wish I had thought of that. But I don't think an AD can provide the kind of leadership, direction and support a head coach can because he is not involved with the team. I think the AD would be more linked to a small group director who oversees several coaches. We'll see after the dust settles tomorrow.

Knucklehead: (Your label, not mine) I think small groups are essential. If you take a look at Part 1 of this series I wouldn't trade my small group for anything. I just think we need to rethink how we do groups, not get rid of them.

[Knucklehead McWhorter]

Gotcha. Thanks Pastor Geoff!

[Scott Marshall]

At the risk of being all that and a bag of chips (what DOES that mean, btw?)...and hope I'm not letting the cat ("meow") out of the bag, but I think I can see the set-up for a description of missional communities coming like a freight train. "Coach" leads the community on mission and huddles the small group leaders in that missional community in real time. Mike and Steve are brilliant. You've just given me a way to tie what I was doing (small groups) with what I'm attempting to do. I thought I was dismantling something and building something new, but you've just given me a bridge to walk across. Brilliant...and thank you (even if that's not where you are going).

[will]

Minutiae is my 18th century word of the day. Score!

[Ps. Roy Harris]

This is so liberating. I have been balancing my church on the one hand and a mental health org on the other for the last 20 year. I concluded that small groups which do not have a mission to impact the COMMUNITY was not adding to the growth of the Kingdom, and changed the name to IMPACT GROUPS. You join the group where you feel you can use your gift and fulfil your purpose, and have some fun while doing it too, that’s it! Ps. Roy Harris, Rhema Cape Town North Church. Twitter: RoyHarrisPastor

[Matias72]

I like the comparison to Christ and the disciples in Part2. I completely agree with that as a model. Christ did institute a small group... and funny that His small group only had 12 people. Christ was the coach and group leader, and as his small group developed there were others; in Luke 10:1 it describes Christ sending out around 70 different people (coaches? or leaders?) in pairs to every town in the surrounding area.
I agree that the inward focus on small groups has helped to lessen the effectiveness of these groups. I think the Pastoral staff have to continue to guide the direction of these groups, but allow them to grow and stretch into the parts of the community that they can be most effective in. Christ did not tell the seventy to stick together and make sure that they took care of themselves, but to take care of the needs of people outside of the group... Affecting change in the lives of people out side of the group to lead them into finding their place in the group, through faith.
Christ gave them freedom, but with direction.

[Geoff Surratt]

Scott: It sounds like you may be the guy to write tomorrows post. But dont tell anyone though because I want it to sound like my idea ;)

[Geoff Surratt]

That is awesome. Id love to hear more about how this is playing out in South Africa.

[Geoff Surratt]

I love this, interesting insight.

[Mike Mahoney]

Geoff - re: your coaching comment: I guess it depends on how your groups are structured. For example, ours are generally homgenoeous: divided by gender for adults and college age youth, divided by age for high school and kids.

Our (cell) group leaders get together several times a month under their individual pastors. All the pastors get together montly with the senior pastor. These meetings have both coaching and business/planning elements to them.

Not perfect (yet) but working pretty good.