Chris Surratt

November 18, 2020

November 16, 2020

Four Ways to Make Sure Your Small Groups Ministry Is Healthy

If there is any “good” to come out of our current COVID-19 crisis, it’s that churches have been forced to reexamine the health of their current programs and ministries. What was working to help create disciples nine months ago may no longer be as effective.

It has also helped shine a spotlight on ministries that have been merely existing for some time—even before this pandemic—but are not producing fruit like they once were.

For many churches, small groups are designed to be the spiritual and relational lifeblood for the congregation. Groups are the environment where the message of the gospel is lived out through the practice of the “one anothers.”

If groups truly are that important to the current and future state of the church, we should do everything we can now to ensure they’re healthy and resourced for success for the future. Here are four ways to help make that happen.

1. Budget for current and future success.

Small groups and discipleship aren’t normally at the top of the budget needs for churches. Groups are a somewhat low-maintenance and self-sustaining ministry line item.

In order for groups to function effectively in this new reality, there will have to be more invested financial resources. The means more investment in the depth and quality of what’s being studied, more in staffing for discipleship, and more in helping group leaders and hosts provide a safe and welcoming environment.

2. Refresh your curriculum for groups.

Whether your small groups are meeting in-person or online, it is time for a curriculum refresh. If your only option for curriculum is printed materials, it will be more difficult for online groups to utilize these fully. LifeWay now provides all of it’s ongoing and short-term studies in digital formats.

Providing studies based on the weekend message is also a great option for new groups and those only meeting online. Smallgroup.com is a tool that makes the process of writing your own studies faster and easier.

3. Make groups a priority everywhere.

The option to join a group can no longer be three clicks away on the website, or a once or twice a year emphasis from the pulpit. The church website was once considered the new lobby for the church, but it’s now the lobby, bulletin, and sometimes the stage.

Getting people assimilated into groups has to be easy and obvious from the first page of your website. Online Zoom groups have made this easier than ever, but in-person groups will need to be just as easy.

4. Model from the top.

Sheep will follow where the shepherd leads. Research shows that churches with leadership that is highly invested in groups have more people in the congregation actively attending groups.

If the lead communicators are actively involved in groups and frequently share stories from those group experiences, people will understand groups are a priority. If groups are just another option listed on the website, they’re easily passed over.

This next season of ministry will require much from our small groups and leaders. Let’s do everything we can to make sure they’re as healthy as they can be!

CHRIS SURRATT (@ChrisSurratt) is the discipleship and small groups specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources, a ministry consultant and coach with more than 20 years of experience, and the author of Leading Small Groups: How to Gather, Launch, Lead, and Multiply Your Small Group.

Group Leadership

October 19, 2020

10 Ways to be a Great Small Group Member

By Chris Surratt

If you do a quick Google search on “How to be a Great Small Group Leader,” you will find a treasure trove of articles—several of them written by me. But what about being a great small group member? After all, it’s hard to feel like a successful leader without faithful followers.

Leading a group is not easy. I have personally led a group for over 20 years, and there are countless Tuesday nights when I have felt like a complete failure.

Several people were late to the group or just didn’t show up. The discussion felt like it didn’t go anywhere. Prayer time turned into gossip hour, and the list goes on.

I can always work to be a better leader, but there are also many ways a group member can help the leader and the rest of the group have a better experience. Here are 10 of them.

1. BE ON TIME (BUT NOT TOO EARLY).

It can be really frustrating when group members are consistently late to the meetings. Especially if they are responsible for bringing food, or if the discussion flow is interrupted by their late arrival.

On the other hand, it’s also hard on the leaders and group hosts if members arrive too early. There are always last-minute preparations taking place for the meeting or a needed few moments of rest before everyone shows up.

Being on time, but not too early, helps start the meeting in the right direction.

2. LOOK ENGAGED IN THE DISCUSSION.

Speaking in front of a group is one of the most intimidating things in life for a lot of people. It’s especially difficult if the people in the room seem disengaged in the discussion. When I am leading a group, I always look for the people looking back for encouragement.

One of the best ways you can help your group leader out is to be fully present in the moment. Don’t constantly check your phone for the latest scores or stare out a window the whole time. Occasionally give visual cues, like a nod of the head, that you are fully engaged in the conversation.

3. BE THE FIRST TO ANSWER A QUESTION (BUT NOT EVERY TIME).

A big part of being engaged in the meeting is answering questions during the Bible study. When the leader tosses out a question, the silence that follows can be super uncomfortable. It’s always a relief when someone steps in to answer the question or offer an opinion. That answer may also be the catalyst that gets more people talking.

However, it’s important to not be the first person to answer every question so that more people have the opportunity to jump in with their thoughts. An over-talker will dissuade a lot of people from answering.

4. BE THE FIRST TO OFFER TO READ SCRIPTURE.

Just like it’s awkward when no one answers a question right away, it’s the same when no one volunteers to read the Scripture passage. Most of us have the Bible on our phones now, so be that person who volunteers quickly. Treat it like a “sword drill” in Sunday School—fastest one to the passage wins a prize!

5. HELP HEAD OFF RABBIT TRAILS AND GOSSIP.

Some rabbit trails are inevitable in a discussion. The trick is getting it back on topic before the whole meeting is off the rails. Instead of waiting for the group leader to have to step in and bring everyone back, offer a helpful comment that gets the discussion back in the right direction.

The prayer time can also easily slip into gossip if we’re not careful. Help the group leader out by not going there yourself, and also help others see when it’s starting to take place. The leader hates always having to be the “bad guy” in those situations.

6. OFFER TO ORGANIZE THE NEXT GROUP OUTING.

Planning and preparing for normal group meetings is a big job in and of itself. There’s prepping for the Bible study, making sure everyone has the details for the meeting, cleaning the house, preparing food options, and many other varied details that help make it a great experience for group members.

One way to take some of the load off of the leader is by offering to organize a fun outing or a mission opportunity for the group to participate in. This can be a monthly or quarterly event. The leader will appreciate the initiative, and the group will be better for it.

7. OCCASIONALLY HOST THE GROUP MEETING.

Now that we understand how much work it is to host a group every week, it would be a big relief for someone to offer to take that responsibility occasionally. It’s also nice for the group to meet in a different environment. A new location can lead to a different perspective.

8. GO HOME ON TIME.

As a group leader, it’s always great to see the group engaged in discussions before and after the official meeting time. A lot of the time, the life-changing conversations happen outside of the group meeting. However, there has to be respect for the host’s personal time. The conversation may need to continue at a local coffee shop so the host family can go to bed.

9. PRAY FOR YOUR GROUP LEADER(S).

Stepping up to lead a group is no small task. Group leaders are asked to spiritually shepherd the people in their care. This responsibility comes with a lot of weight. Satan loves to attack those who are helping pull people out of darkness and into the light.

Group leaders also have the same struggles and stress that we all do. Consistent prayer is not only appreciated, but much needed. Remember that they are also praying for you.

10. OFFER TO START A NEW GROUP.

The only way we are going to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission of making disciples is by starting new groups for new people. I know how hard it can be to step out of a successful group for something new, but the time is short, and the harvest is plentiful. We need new disciple makers to carry on the work that Jesus started.

Every small group needs great leaders and great members. Together, we can change the world with the message of the gospel through biblical community!

This article first appeared at lifewayvoices.com.

Church Leadership, Group Leadership

October 12, 2020

5 Ways to Multiply Disciple-Making During a Pandemic

By Chris Surratt

The final instructions of Jesus before He ascended into heaven were that His followers should:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

The disciples stood on the mountainside with their friend, and now their acknowledged Lord, and got their marching orders.

What they had seen done they would now do. What they had been taught they would now teach. What they had experienced they would now pass on.

And so the chain goes throughout history: the story of Jesus and what it means to be His disciple has cut through the generations despite every attempt to stop it.

And here we are today, in our own generation, recipients of the same charge Jesus delivered on the mountain that day:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…”

But now we have a mountain in front of us called COVID-19. Our current methods for finding and making disciples have to adapt to our new reality.

We can no longer just rely on a group leader gathering people in a living room or a classroom to pass on what Jesus started.

Those physical environments will still exist to some extent, but if we want to continue this charge to the next generations, we have to exponentially multiply the disciple-makers in new ways.

Here are five ways to continue the discipleship chain:

1. REDEFINE THE DISCIPLE-MAKING ENVIRONMENTS.

I have often used the mantra that discipleship happens best within the context of community. While that’s still true, we get too locked into what that community looks like.

It can be a group of believers and seekers sitting in a living room, or it can be two or three people on a weekly Zoom call. Or it could be two friends meeting up in a park in the neighborhood.

Discipleship can happen anywhere any number of people are physically or digitally gathered together. It doesn’t always have to be in a classroom on a Sunday morning.

2. EXPAND WHO THE DISCIPLE-MAKERS ARE.

Just like congregants sometimes believe pastoring can only be done by the official clergy of the church, we can get locked into the idea that group leaders are the only qualified disciple-makers.

Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

It starts with Paul discipling Timothy, and then expands exponentially to “faithful men.”

Our group members need to be instructed that they are being equipped to disciple the people in their circles of influence, and then release them to carry it out.

3. EQUIP THE DISCIPLE-MAKERS WITH TRAINING.

Properly training leaders has always been important, but it’s especially vital now as disciple-making has to be expanded beyond the normal group environments and classes.

The training has to be immediate and ongoing. Leaders need to know the basics of starting a disciple-making group or relationship, and they will need ongoing training for the constant changing world we live in.

I would suggest scheduling something at least monthly for disciple-makers and potential leaders to attend.

With the wide acceptance of Zoom and Facebook Live, training doesn’t have to be in a specific location or at a specific time anymore.

4. RELEASE CONTROL OF DISCIPLE-MAKING.

We love to control things as church leaders. Part of it is for an assurance of quality and depth, but part of it is fear of the unknown.

We fear how disciples will be created if we are not in charge of the environment. We fear losing control of the whole process. We sometimes fear not getting the credit in the end.

But the only way 2 Timothy 2:2 will be ultimately fulfilled is if we let go those fears and encourage our leaders to disciple outside of the box.

5. CREATE A DISCIPLE-MAKING PATHWAY.

As church leaders, we need to give followers of Jesus a pathway to walk as they become more like Jesus and advance His kingdom.

In this confused and divided world we live in, we need a clear pathway now more than ever before. People need the resources, training and encouragement to take their next spiritual steps wherever they currently are on the journey.

Let’s not let a pandemic stop discipleship; but instead, let’s use this time to creatively multiply our efforts.

This article originally appeared at factsandtrends.net.

Group Leadership

September 8, 2020

A Republican, a Democrat, and a Murder Hornet Walk Into a Group…

By Chris Surratt

Remember when “murder hornets” were the biggest thing we had to worry about in 2020?

With all that’s taken place in the first eight months of this year—COVID-19, lockdowns, racial injustice, protests, political tensions—it feels like we should all just take a beach vacation for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately, that’s not possible for most of us, so we’re now trying to navigate through more tension online and in-person than seemingly ever before.

If you haven’t felt it yet, just pop open Facebook, Twitter, or any app where people gather and voice their opinions.

It’s natural that those conversations and opinions are going to carry over to your small group. And that’s not always a bad thing.

We want people to be themselves while in our group, and part of that is allowing them to share anxieties and worries taking place in their lives.

The problem comes when those times of sharing turn divisive. Masks or no masks. Trump or Biden. Pandemic or hoax. Virtual or in-person church/school.

Passions spill over on each side, and winners and losers are staked out by the group.

However, the message of the gospel—the place where our groups should ultimately stake our flags—isn’t a message of divisiveness.

It’s a message of unity, borne from the fact we’re all unified in our need of a crucified and risen Savior to save us from our sins.

So the question becomes: How do we successfully lead a group of people through a gospel discussion who are deeply divided on the issues of the day? Here are five ideas.

1. SET CLEAR GROUND RULES.

Every group should have some type of covenant or agreement in place for expectations of how the group will function.

As a part of that agreement, ground rules should be set on how political issues will be handled and discussed when they come up.

Above all, every conversation must be filled with faith, hope, and love. If those three things aren’t present, the debate will have to stop.

2. ACKNOWLEDGE THERE ARE DIFFERENT OPINIONS IN THE GROUP.

If there’s more than one person in your group, I can almost guarantee there will be different opinions on hot-button issues. Just acknowledging that fact from the beginning will help alleviate some of the tension.

Determine that you’re not going to have political contests within the group. Contests create winners and losers. We’re all winners when we cling to the message of the gospel.

3. CONTINUE TO PRACTICE THE “ONE ANOTHERS” IN YOUR GROUP.

Pastor Derwin Gray recently wrote, “Jesus says that people will know we are His disciples by the way we love one another. Love doesn’t mean I approve of your sin. Love means I recognize your human dignity and worth.”

As we continue to practice the “one anothers” in our group, the more we will see our fellow brothers and sisters as children of God, not as political foes.

4. BE READY TO CALL A TRUCE.

There will be moments and issues where it’s impossible for everyone to be in agreement. It will be up to you then as the leader to call a truce and ask everyone to agree to disagree on the topic at hand.

Continuing to debate will take time and energy away from the core mission of the group to study God’s Word and make disciples. Know when it’s time to call it and move on.

5. KNOW WHEN TO TAKE A DISCUSSION OFFLINE.

There will be times when a heated discussion should be continued outside of the group meeting. If the debate has turned personal between group members, it’s best to step in and suggest returning to it at a different time.

Don’t let the conflict fester too long without resolution. More time and space can sometimes lead to more built-up pain. Hurt people will hurt people.

With all of these options, use Paul’s advice in Ephesians 4:32 as your guide: “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”

Even in this most divisive of times in history, we’re all bonded together by the love God had for us by sending His one and only Son to die for us. We can all unite around that!

A version of this article first appeared at factsandtrends.net.

Group Answers Podcast

September 2, 2020

Group Answers Episode 168: Leading Better Discussions With Your Online Group

By Chris Surratt

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On this episode of Group Answers, Chris, Brian, and Ken discuss how to lead a better discussion with your online group.

Ideas Discussed:

Call on a specific person to answer a specific question.
Send questions to group members in advance of the Bible study.
Do not answer your own questions.
Ask group members to raise their hand, use the chat feature, or use the “raise hand” feature in your online meeting tool.
Send group members to a breakout room.
Use a curriculum series that is discussion-oriented.

Resources Mentioned:

Leading Better Discussions blog post

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Leading Small Groups.

Church Leadership

August 31, 2020

5 Questions to Ask Before Relaunching Groups

By Chris Surratt

The thought of launching anything right now may seem daunting, but we shouldn’t let a pandemic stop discipleship. We may not be able to all gather in person this fall, but we can still meet and study the Bible.

Ken Braddy, LifeWay’s director of Sunday School, and I recently hosted a free webinar on launching and relaunching groups in the fall. Here are the five key questions we discussed.

1. WHY LAUNCH GROUPS IN THE FALL?

We both agreed that the fall is the best time of the year to launch or relaunch groups.

August/September is normally a growth season for churches as church members return from summer vacations and new people move into the community.

Although this year’s rhythms will look different because of the pandemic, there will still be a lot of people ready for new and old connections after several months of isolation.

Most churches will launch a new preaching series in the fall, which makes it an ideal time to consider a campaign where all of your groups are studying the same thing for a few weeks.

That helps create urgency and excitement around joining a group.

2. WHAT ABOUT EXISTING GROUPS THAT HAVEN’T MET THIS SUMMER? CAN THEY BE RELAUNCHED WITH NEW PEOPLE, OR SHOULD THEY JUST RESTART?

The same momentum that helps propel new groups can help relaunch existing groups.

It’s natural for groups to take a breather during the summer months, and especially during this season of not meeting physically together.

A lot of groups started strong with Zoom meetings then quickly developed Zoom fatigue and stopped meeting.

This fall is an excellent opportunity to breathe new life into those groups by starting fresh with a new Bible study or by adding new people to the group.

Also, changing when or where the group meets can bring new excitement. If the group has been meeting exclusively online, try meeting socially distanced at a park or on the church property.

If Sunday morning hasn’t been working, consider changing to Sunday night or a weeknight. Sunday School doesn’t have to be on Sundays.

3. WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO THINK THROUGH FOR GROUPS MEETING THIS FALL?

Childcare issues are already at the top of the list for most groups, but they’re especially important now.

It will be some time before parents will be comfortable with leaving their children in close proximity to other kids, so you may have to stop offering group childcare for a while.

I’m a big proponent of having food options at a small group meeting. It helps people start to feel comfortable quicker, and who doesn’t love food?

However, how you offer the food may have to change. My small group will normally have a buffet style of snack offerings with a line of bowls and community dipping spoons for each. That arrangement will no longer be acceptable.

Some teachers will be slow to return to the classroom. Older teachers who have pre-existing conditions may not be comfortable serving in more crowded pre-COVID conditions.

Some will return slowly, and others won’t return until there is a vaccine. This means we’ll need to recruit and train new leaders.

Do you have time to deep clean your house or classroom before group every week?

Guidelines for restaurants reopening call for thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting everything between every customer. That includes door handles, tables, chairs and menus.

Are you prepared to offer that level of cleaning for your group each week? People will expect it.

4. WHAT ABOUT VIRTUAL/ONLINE/HYBRID GROUPS? IS THAT A LONG-TERM STRATEGY?

Both Ken and I agreed that online—or some type of hybrid group strategy—is here to stay.

Not everyone is going to be comfortable attending physically right away, and some group members may be in the most at-risk demographic and should not attend until there is a vaccine.

Now that people are accustomed to attending online through Zoom or Hangouts, having an option for people to attend virtually is wise.

The virtual option is especially wise for Sunday School. Because of the success most groups have experienced during initial COVID-19 sequestering, the Zoom experience will transfer to on-campus classrooms.

Teachers will use iPads, laptops, or smartphones to broadcast live via Zoom. This will allow absentee members and guests to continue meeting with a group when work, play, or illness takes them away on Sundays.

5. WHAT IS A GOOD TIMELINE FOR A FALL LAUNCH?

First, determine what leaders are coming back for the fall so you know how many new leaders you will need to recruit. Make sure to think about online and in-person groups.

Next, schedule your next training online. Even returning leaders will need training on new methods and curriculum for this season. Facebook Live or Zoom webinars are tools you can use for your training sessions.

Finally, fully plan out your “Plan B.” What happens if you start with groups meeting together physically, but circumstances change and they have to move back online?

We have the luxury of some experience now, so this is the time to get a comprehensive plan in place for leaders.

This article first appeared in FactsandTrends.net.

Church Leadership

August 24, 2020

Congratulations: Your Church is Now a Church OF Small Groups

By Chris Surratt

One of the most common questions I receive from church leaders is: “How do we make our church a church of small groups instead of a church with small groups?”

For clarification: A church of small groups is typically not program driven. They’ll have the basic ministry options of worship, kids, students, missions, and groups.

Groups aren’t competing with a menu list of options for congregant’s time and attention.

Small groups are the best option for community and discipleship opportunities.

A church with small groups will typically offer a long list of ministry and event options for congregants to be involved in.

Groups may be on the list, but they are considered one of multiple ways to find community and be discipled through the church.

In this last scenario, small groups will lose the battle for time and resources almost every time. People are naturally going to choose the path of least resistance when it comes to growth.

Larger group gatherings and events are easier to get in and out of than a small group of people gathering in a home or classroom on a weekly basis.

So, if you’re hoping to move toward less programming and more connecting, then congratulations! Thanks to the current coronavirus pandemic limitations, almost every church is now, or will be soon, a church of small groups.

At the time of this writing, coronavirus cases are soaring around the United States, and many states are now stepping back in their reopening plans to hopefully flatten the curve again.

Several churches had moved to in-person gatherings again, only to have to move back to online only after outbreaks in their communities.

This will further force churches to re-examine discipleship paths and the role of groups in them. Now that we know small groups have to be the priority going forward, what do we do now?

1. DON’T PLAN TO GO BACK TO WHAT WAS.

I don’t think any of us truly knows what life will be like on the other side of this pandemic, but I bet we can agree that it won’t be the same.

People are learning new habits and rhythms that will change how we offer ministry in the future.

For example, online groups are here to stay. There will be in-person groups in the future, but the last few months have proven that digital community can work when it needs to.

We need to approach our online strategy the same way we do our in-person one.

2. HIRE OR DESIGNATE AN ONLINE GROUPS DIRECTOR.

Now that we have established that online community is here to stay, it will need intentional leadership to flourish.

This is a new frontier for most churches. You don’t have to find someone who has a computer science degree or a digital background, just a strategic thinker who’s willing to learn and adapt.

3. REEXAMINE ALL OF YOUR CURRENT RESOURCES FOR GROUPS.

I’m old enough to remember when compact discs were first introduced. Until then, all of my music was either on cassette tapes or records.

I still recall the moment when I first heard the clean, crisp (some would argue—too crisp) sound of digital audio.

I started immediately switching my audio library from analog to digital. We’re at that moment with our libraries of resources for groups.

All of our training, communication, and studies have to be digital friendly. There will still be in-person opportunities for all of these, but online will become the priority.

4. UPDATE YOUR WEBSITE.

Connecting people through your website can no longer be an afterthought or an additional connection point. It’s now the first step for a majority of people inside and outside your congregation.

How easy is it to find a group from the first page? Can people get connected to a group with a minimal number of clicks? Are your groups consistently updated so people aren’t trying to join non-existent groups?

5. RECRUIT DIFFERENT KINDS OF LEADERS.

Offering online groups opens the door to potential group leaders who wouldn’t have stepped up before.

Not having to worry about having a host home, providing childcare, traveling to the group location, etc., takes away a lot of barriers for people.

If you have a role description for your group leaders (and I strongly recommend having one), create two versions now for in-person and online groups.

This will help you think through the type of person to pursue as you recruit your new leaders.

Just because our churches may not be gathering in mass every Sunday doesn’t mean we should stop meeting.

We actually have more environments for intentional discipleship now than ever before—now that we all have churches of small groups.

And what’s more, we can equip our churches of small groups with timely resources. LifeWay has partnered with various Christian leaders to share messages through their Bible studies that can speak to needs now. To tackle doubt, try Help My Unbelief. As we face dissatisfaction and questions on where we can find happiness, explore The Good Life. As we become more engaged with the cause of justice, seek out The Church and The Racial Divide.

A version of this article first appeared at FactsandTrends.net

Group Answers Podcast

August 19, 2020

Group Answers 166: Your Group Should Study the Whole Bible

By Chris Surratt

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On this episode of Group Answers, Brian, Chris, and Brandon talk about why your small group should study the whole Bible — not just the part covered during Sunday sermons.

Points Discussed:

The Church needs the whole Bible.
The Church needs diverse perspectives on the Bible.
The Church needs more teachers of the Bible.

Group Answers Podcast

August 12, 2020

Four Ways to Make Sure Your Small Groups Ministry Is Healthy

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