What small group strategy are you using? Which one fits your church vision the best? Sometimes the numerous options can feel overwhelming. When I got started in helping churches develop small groups 20 years ago, there were only two or three strategy options. Now the list is long to say the least. The following is a list of the primary options. The descriptions are far from comprehensive. My goal is to articulate what makes each one distinctive…
1. The On-going Open Group Strategy (See Small Groups Big Impact by Jim Egli)
The distinctive characteristic of this system is that groups are perpetual in nature. Once a group begins, which can happen at any time, it continues on with the goal of multiplying or birthing another group. This kind of group characterizes those found in what is called a cell church system (explained below) but it is also found in churches where small groups are a primary thrust but not the sole thrust as found in cell churches.
2. The Semester Sermon Study Strategy (See Sticky Church by Larry Osborne)
Groups are set up on a semester schedule and all study the same topic, which are directly tied to the weekly sermons. Groups open and close every semester.
3. The Semester Elective-Group Strategy (See Activate by Nelson Searcy; an older book, Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century by Ted Haggard, explains what he calls the Free-Market system)
In this system, groups are also set up on a semester schedule. But there are multiple options from which to choose. Usually there is a published catalogue that lists all of the options so that people can identify their preferences. Groups open and close every semester.
4. The 40-day Campaign Strategy (The primary promoter of this is Saddleback Church as seen in Small Groups on Purpose by Steve Gladden and MarkHowellLive.com)
The focus of this system lies in creating easy-in, easy-out entry by creating six-week small groups that are part of a church-wide campaign. The small groups studies are directly tied to the sermons and an all out emphasis of the entire church on the subject. Instead of small group leaders in the traditional sense, these groups are facilitated by hosts. The hope is that groups will connect over six weeks and then commit to going beyond that.
5. The 9-month Closed Group Strategy (The primary resource here would be Creating Community by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits)
In this system, groups last nine months. After groups are formed they are closed. The goal is to create a safe environment where people can connect and grow together. At the end of the nine-month cycle, members are challenged to start new groups for the next cycle.
6. The Mid-sized Geographic Strategy (For instance, The Connecting Church by Randy Frazee)
In this system, the small group resembles that which is found in the On-Going Open Group Strategy stated above. It is distinctive in two ways. First, the groups are geographically organized. They are place-based because the assumption is that community is more likely to development when people live in close proximity to one another. Secondly, groups are connected to one another to form mid-size gatherings to foster social connections and advancing mission in the local community. Again these mid-size groups are location based.
7. A System that promotes Two or More Group Types (As seen in Building a Church of Small Groups by Bill Donahue, Russ Robinson and the books by Carl George. A new book that seems to fit here would be A Different Kind of Tribe by Rick Howerton)
The types of groups this system produces will be Task Groups, Fellowship Groups, Study Groups and Discipleship Groups.
8. The Both/And System (Primarily articulated in the book MissioRelate by M. Scott Boren).
The unique aspect of this approach is the recognition that many if not most church members are only ready for a connecting type group that closes the back door. It takes advantage of lots of options that can be more programmatic in nature to connect people in healthy ways. At the same time it also focuses on the development of missional communities (see below) with the hope that all will be equipped to participate.
9. Cell-Based Church (Prominent authors include Joel Comiskey, Ralph Neighbor and Yongii Cho.)
The cell church is distinct from the others systems because the cell group (small group) takes pride of place to the highest level. The cell group is viewed as the church in a cell church and the assumption is that one is only a participant in the church to the degree that they participate in a cell. The cell group is always open to grow and the goal is for the group to multiply, just as in the On-going Open Group Strategy listed above. The difference here is that the cell group is not just a small group that is a part of the larger church. It is a micro-church that is apart of a larger entity. The distinction is subtle but crucial.
10. Groups of 12 (The books by Cesar Castellanos from Bogota promote this model.)
This model was developed by the International Charismatic Mission in Bogota, Colombia. The small group matches that which is found in the description of the cell church. The distinctive element is the fact that the small group leaders are a part of a leadership team called a Group of 12. The goal is for a small group leader to help 12 small group members to start their own groups. As they do so, he starts his own Group of 12 leadership team. The focus of this system lies on the mentoring and equipping of leaders through these Groups of 12.
11. Missional Communities (Promoted in resources by Mike Breen and highlighted in the book Missional Communities by Reggie McNeal)
This manifestation of group life is taking on many different forms. Some are larger (20-50 in size). Some are organizing missional community as small groups. Others are experimenting with connecting two to five small groups for the sake of mission. The distinction here is that the community embodies a way of life that is seeking to bring God’s redemption to a specific neighborhood, people group or setting.
Writing an article like this is not easy. There are so many nuances to these various systems and there are constant innovations and new applications of the various approaches. In addition, I’m always concerned about misrepresenting the strategies of these authors, in part because many of them are my friends. So forgive me if I have done so, and please clarify.
Also it would be great to hear how different people are applying and adapting their strategies. Please share so we can learn from one another.
Photo Credit: Tom Check
For almost 20 years, Scott has been working with churches to help them develop effective community through small groups that are on mission. He is the author or co-author of eight different books, along with curriculum that has been developed as a part of his responsibilities as a pastor at Woodland Hills Church. Learn more about Scott at MScottBoren.com.
lead pastors, paradigms, Scott Boren, Small Group Strategies
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It’s really helpful to have all this great information in one place. Thanks, Scott.
Would you say that #8, the Both-And System, could include almost any of the other versions you mention, except, of course, the pure cell model, which by definition pretty much excludes both-and?
There may be another model I’ve seen a lot lately, although perhaps you’d include it somewhere else. It’s the large class/table group model. The idea is that the church provides a venue, say on Sunday or Wednesday night (although any night of the week could work) in which you have a main teaching time (either live or via a video series). People sit at tables (usually the same table group each week) and have discussions based on the material. These work great for “starter” groups, because it’s easy to jump into, childcare is taken care of by the church, and facilitating the discussion is simple because all the materials are provided. In the churches that seem to do this well, the table leaders are trained to begin shepherding the group and gathering them together between meetings. These groups eventually step out to meet on their own in homes.
Is this a separate category? Either way, it’s another great entrance ramp into group life.
Mike. Yes with the Both/And strategy a church can draw from the various other approaches. The goal is not to get people into a specific kind of strategy. The goal is to provide a path that will prepare people to eventually be ready to enter into missional community.
Good catch on this other strategy. I know of a church that is doing table groups like this in combination with the church-wide campaign strategy.
Scott, it seems to me that many churches are doing what you might call these combination strategies, which I think is a very good thing. Small group ministry teams need to do what works best in their own cultures according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So first, you have to attune yourself to the Spirit’s leading (not any model’s leading) for the ministry He has put under your care. And second, you must understand your own church culture. Your small group strategies start there.
As a groups minister, I read everything I could about the different strategies … but not so much to implement any of them whole hog. As we would see needs and opportunities arise, we’d figure out what we needed to do and then we’d look at how other churches had accomplished the same thing. Our overall strategy looked like our own church, but the individual parts came from the wisdom of many other churches.
We do a hybrid of 2, 3 and 4 throughout the year. We have “on campus” growth groups that are topical in nature that address specific felt needs and then small groups that meet in homes around discussing the sermon and once or twice a year a 4-8 week small group campaign.
This is a great breakdown of small group models! One of the best I’ve seen online in one place. At our church we’re doing a mixture of these principles too. Here are the ones I can identify from the list…
We also encourage a core team of leaders for each group where the Leader develops Assistant Leaders who can eventually lead their own groups themselves.
Great descriptions. My approach is that each church member needs to first of all be “meaningfully connected” with other members of the Body of Christ — following our main identity and calling to love “one another” in it’s various expressions.
This means being a part of a small group of no more than 7 people where the same strategic format is utilized by all the groups that helps to ensure that members get to know one another & prayerfully support one another. These run 9 months (summers off) and start off initially focusing on sharing our story & spiritual journey. Then this moves into staying current by sharing high/low of the week.
The second segment is praying for one another.
The third is spiritual encouragement typically through discussing the week’s sermon & main scripture passage used. All three segments are covered each time a group meets.
As each member grows accustomed to the format, they are encouraged to all take turns facilitating the format, usually starting off by just doing one segment and eventually facilitating the entire 2 hour meeting. By the end of the 9 months, all members are capable of facilitating the small group format easily and confidently.
This is the base from which new groups can easily form. For those who desire to start a new group, training is provided in understanding the purpose & reasons for each aspect of the format and how to implement following it so that each new member experiences becoming a facilitator. Plus, the skill of how to effectively manage any time shortages so that meaningful coverage of any segment still takes place is covered, even though most should have learned this in their own small group experience. This attracts those who are gifted in ministry focused on relational community.
For the need for more in-depth teaching and learning, class settings of different types can be utilized on Sunday mornings covering a wide range of topics. Many times in most churches there are more people gifted in teaching than there are opportunities to teach. Having this structure attracts people gifted in teaching and provides plenty of opportunities to utilize the teaching gifts.
Another powerful structure is the combination of the small group and in-depth teaching in the form of a discipleship program in which a discipleship leader takes a handful of people through a number of discipleship topics over a longer period, like 9 months, in a small group setting. The idea, too, is to provide opportunities for each “disciple” to facilitate the small group format as part of this training program so that each is able to begin a small group upon completion. This attracts people gifted in both teaching and relational community ministry.
At the higher levels of leadership within the church, all leaders are involved in the communal small groups and will typically be the discipling/teaching structure as they are intentionally developing biblical disciples — those who will be discipling others. The pastor or pastors will be personally discipling the lay leaders of the church through small group meetings. This can be board members, deacons, overseers etc.
The basic format that all the groups follow includes basic requirements to do at least one ministry activity together and have self-determined times for fellowship and meals together. Whatever growth areas a church feels are important for each member can be a point of focus for each group however number of times during the 9 month time frame.
Finally, during the summer months, the church can have designated times each week, Sunday nights for example, where anyone within the church can show up and be placed within a small group of people where the format is followed. This enables people to feel and stay connected while providing flexibility during the summer regarding time and schedules. Also, small groups from the year can make plans to do activities and/or outreaches together as agreed upon.
Personally, I don’t like calling task-oriented groups “small groups” because too often churches believe that having people meet for “Bible study”, where no relational or “one anothers” are taking place, is somehow the equivalent to “doing small groups.” Nothing could be further from the truth from most of my experiences. I recommend placing “task groups” into “classes” or calling them something different — more descriptive of what they actually are.
Hello Scott,
My name is Floyd Archuleta. I enjoyed reading your descriptions of the different types of Small Groups. I am writing a book on Small Group Strategies and I would love to reference you and your blog to describe the different types of groups if you would permit me. If you would permit this. Please send me an address (email or otherwise), so I can send you the proper permission letter.
Blessings,
Floyd
Great article. Thank you for the shout out to my Activate. I just did a 10th Anniversary complete rewrite and expansion. Send me your mailing address and I’ll send you a copy (ns1 [at] journeynyc.com) or grab the ebook here:
https://www.amazon.com/Activate-Entirely-Approach-Small-Groups-ebook/dp/B0741DSFCS/ref=thejouchu-20
Let me know how I can help.
Nelson Searcy
http://www.ChurchLeaderInsights.com
@nsearcy
Honored to have you chime in on here! I have recommended “Activate” to so many new small group pastors and directors. It is packed full of strategies and ideas that any church or leader can implement to take their groups to the next level.
Love the new cover and look. Would love to check out the new version. I’ll shoot you an email.