Doing Lifetogether Small Group Consulting Programs
Building a healthy Small Group Ministry in your church is challenging at best, complex at it worst and requires a consistent effort over time. The factors that run against the best efforts can be overwhelming. Just to name a few:
• Get everyone of the same Small Group page
• Develop a strategy and model that works over time
• Small Group fall off after a 40 Day Campaign
• Choosing curriculum that will sustain and grow your groups
• Difficulty in releasing and reproducing enough leaders
• Effective strategies for training and developing leaders
That being said there are a series of proven, principles; practices and programs that can help you not only start but also sustain a healthy Small Group Ministry. The solutions and strategies below include breakthrough methods and models for connecting your congregation, recruiting new Leaders, training new Coordinators and even producing your own custom DVD curriculum.
Purpose
The purpose of our Small Group Ministry Consulting program is to transform communities by connecting building healthy Small Group Ministries that fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission.
Primary Objectives
- Connect (Fellowship) your entire congregation into community
- Cultivate (Discipleship) healthy, balanced, Purpose Driven Small Groups
- Coach (Ministry) your groups to discover their spiritual gifts
- Challenge (Evangelism) your groups to share their faith together
- Celebrate (Worship) what God is doing by worshiping together
Priorities
There are a series of 8 priorities each program will seek to achieve. They are each individual building blocks in a much more comprehensive strategy of connecting your entire congregation into community.
- Establish the current state of your “Small Group Affairs” and long term potential. (This will be done using a series of surveys, focus groups and personal interviews)
- Ensure participation on all levels ensures greater ownership over time
- Exponential goal setting and ministry planning sessions
- Empower your Pastor to preach, teach and champion Small Group Connections
- Equip your Senior Staff on how to begin and build a growing Small Group Ministry
- Enroll all new and existing leaders in a training process
- Explore possibilities of hosting a custom 40 Day Campaign and DVD curriculum
- Enlist strategic volunteers to manage the ministry when we’re gone
Process
- Conduct a church wide Small Group Readiness Assessment
- Produce short term and long term goals
- Recruit point leaders and delegate responsibilities (for leader recruitment, events, resources, calendar and administration)
- Implement program goals with new staff and volunteers (strategic meetings, training, curriculum, production, weekend teaching, etc…)
- Evaluate results and renew goal setting process
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Each of the following 10 consulting programs are designed as individual teaching modules hosted in short term manageable programs. These courses are limited to 3-6 months with some exceptions. The courses could be combined to create a more intensive 2 for 1 program or laid out back to back for program continuity.
Once you understand the purpose of our programs, problems we are trying to resolve, priorities of each one and the process for getting there you are more than ready to review the 10 current consulting modules or programs we offer. Each has a base of experience, practices and strategies but each will be customized to your unique setting. The following are the 10 programs.
1. Starting a Small Group Ministry is your Church
This program is targeted for churches that have not yet given Small Groups a serious try. Also, this program is for those churches that have tried and failed because of limited focus, staffing or strategy. This program offers the following benefits:
- Builds a solid foundation and strategic direction
- Catalyzes new groups using proven models
- Identifies and recruits volunteer point leaders and team members
- Coaches staff on how to train new and existing leaders
- Develop a short term and long term strategic plan
- Host a leadership briefing and Small Group Connection
2. Small Group Ministry Development 2.0
This program targets churches that have “been there and done that”. Churches that have tried and succeeded in launching and leading Small Groups. Those who hosted a 40 Day Campaign or church wide initiative and got a taste of the potential for Small Groups assimilating new members, growing disciples and caring for their members. This program offer:
- New ways to coach and train your Leaders
- Recruiting and Training new Supervisors
- Discover strategies for involving your Pastor
- Plan your own church wide 40 Day (like) campaign
- Understand how to create a custom DVD curriculum
- Learn how to sustain new groups and multiply existing group
3. Recruiting and Training Unlimited Small Group Leaders
This program is designed for those churches that have exhausted the traditional approaches for connecting people and recruiting leaders. This includes those churches that have plateaued or declined in their Small Group attendance. This program offers the following benefits:
- Multiple strategies will be modeled for connecting
- Traditional strategies with be enhances
- Weekend alignment strategies with be developed
- Custom recruitment resources will be produced
- All adult ministries with lend a hand
- Senior Pastor coaching sessions will produce exponential results
- This is a really fun program…and it delivers on its promise
4. Producing Your Own Small Group DVD Curriculum
This program is becoming one of the most popular with churches who have hosted a church wide campaign with any DVD curriculum series (Life Together, 40 Days, etc…) Perfect for those churches wanting to get everybody on the same page at least one time a year. Also popular with those churches who would like to learn how to produce Sermon/Small Group alignment throughout the year. This program offers the following benefits:
- Learning how to direct, write and produce a DVD curriculum series
- Help recruit 3rd party vendors to host the shoots, write the curriculum and produce the final product
- Coach your Pastor on how to develop the weekend series and add companion curriculum
- Strategies for promoting the curriculum and create video previews for the weekend
- Equip your staff to produce, write and direct your pastors DVD/print curriculum
- Senior pastors don’t know that most congregations what to study their pastor over anyone
5. Connecting Your Congregation in 90 Days
This program is designed with high expectations, which are sure to produce amazing results. This is not for the faint at heart. Senior Pastor participation is a pre requisite. But for those churches that want to make this happen buckle up because you are in for a ride. This program offers the following benefits:
- Exponential results in short period of time
- Strategic alignment from all adult ministry
- Multiple methods of Small Group Ministry reinforcement
- Exposure to 4-6 methods of connecting your congregation
- Accelerated understanding and experience in the latest methods for creating groups
- You will ever forget the 90 Days you put the pedal to the medal
- Incredible growth, assimilation and outreach
- The implications will live on for years to come (financially, weekend growth and the depth of discipleship)
6. Creating Your Own 40 Day (like) Campaign
This program is for churches that had a positive experience with a Purpose Driven Life 40 Day Campaign but want to produce their own. Campaigns are still the best way to reach out to your congregation through groups and into the community through service. Designed for congregations that want to bring back the momentum of 40 Days. This program offers the following benefits:
- Planning from initial idea to implementation
- Church members would rather have their pastor on tape than anyone
- Master schedule; the entire campaign timeline
- Identify, recruit and train your campaign Director and team
- Receive training on each stage of the campaign
- Learn from 40 days that which you liked and want changed
- Create the comprehensive system, strategy and structure to succeed
- Explore the possibilities of producing your own DVD curriculum
7. Finding and Recruiting a Volunteer Small Group Ministry Team
This program is designed for most churches that can’t afford a Small Group Pastor, hasn’t been able to select the right volunteer or has one of the church staff carrying Small Groups as a slice of their job. And although it’s just not working the option to pay for a full time small group pastor just isn’t there. Churches that have hosted campaigns and seen a rise in their group attendance only to see the momentum of the groups fade. This program offers the following benefits:
- Onsite interviews with actual volunteers for strategic volunteer positions
- Recruit, train and develop the volunteer point person
- Help to not only select a point person but a small group team as well
- This process could be done in only a 30 to 60 day period
- This could be one of the best investments for a church staff
- Conference call coaching program for all Senior Volunteer staff and their leaders
- Help to identify part time and full time paid staff candidates
8. Personal Trainer for New Small Group Pastors
This program is very exciting because recruiting a Small Group Pastor is one of the most popular positions in growing churches. Churches that need help with the interviewing process of candidates inside or outside the congregation. In addition, churches who want to give their Small Group Pastor a “Certificate of Small Group Ministry” from Life Together as a refresher course or professional development.
Finally, it’s for churches that just promoted or transitioned a staff member into a full or part time capacity working with Small Groups. In addition, it’s for the churches that want to provide more personal mentoring of their new Small Groups Staff members. This program offers the following benefits:
- Ensures that time is not wasted on less effective models of ministry
- Sharpens the saw of any new or existing staff member
- Provides on the job practitioners training for your small group pastor
- To model a commitment to the professional development of your staff members
- To onboard your new staff so their first steps are good ones, in their new role
- To minimize risks and maximize results
9. Building a Volunteer Curriculum Writing Team
This program is designed for churches that desire the Small Groups to study the same material taught on the weekend services by the Senior Pastor. Primarily targeting print curriculum for the weekend teaching and/or midweek bible studies. This program offers the following benefits:
- Increase the application of the weekend teaching
- Helps to keep small groups in the Word
- Gives good reason for small groups to stay together
- Helps put everybody on the same page
- Ensures the Senior Pastor increasing participation
- Provides custom curriculum from your church for your church
- Provides print curriculum for groups in between studies and campaign series
- Most small groups would like the option to further apply their pastors teaching
10. Interim Small Group Pastor (Rent a Pastor)
This program is designed for churches that are unsure what they need and want to “Rent a Pastor” for a season before they hire their own. This also is for churches that are between Pastors for some one reason or another. Different than the other programs this is a more intensive and onsite program than the others. It is not however a long term program (3-6 months max). This program offers the following benefits:
- On location staff participation (meetings, trainings, services, etc)
- Part time integration with the church staff
- Accelerates every aspect of the plan
- Maximize staff alignment and Senior Pastor participation
- Jump start a new Small Group Culture
- Recruit and develop the volunteer Small Group staff
- Far for integrated than any other program
Click here to complete the Doing Lifetogether Consulting Intrest Survey Today
This will help you and us understand which of our 10 Consulting Programs will best suit your needs. We will get back to you with a schedule of when we can host your free group or personal consultation. Please ensure that your Senior Pastor will be in attendance because it's difficult to make plans of this nature without their involvment. Of course there are exceptions but I'm sure you understand.
Look forward to hearing from you soon.