The small group table is one way for people in your church to sign up for a group. Located in your lobby, the table gives those interested in signing up a place to get more information, meet group leaders, see samples of the curricula being studied, and have any questions answered.

When you first start doing small groups, you’ll probably be able to put all of your leaders at the table every week. But as your church grows and your number of groups increases, you’ll need to rotate leaders.

At The Journey, we have our group leaders sign up to work the table either before or after the service a couple of times during each promotion month. Often, we’ll try to use the leaders of groups that haven’t filled up yet so they can recruit for their own groups.

Before you put your group leaders behind the table, brief them on how to answer common questions they’ll be asked:

• Why should I join a group, or why should I join your group?
• When do groups start?
• How long are the groups in session?
• Is there a group for my unique needs (married, single, kids)?
• How do I sign up?
• What if I join a group but don’t like it?
• Where do I buy the book or curriculum?

Encourage your group leaders to give a thoughtful answer, no matter how basic the question. Also, make sure they know to give each person who visits the table a sign-up card and to invite that person to join on the spot. Many people who do not actually walk up to the table will walk by and be motivated to join a group just by seeing the commitment of the leaders behind the tables each week.

– Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, with Jennifer Dykes Henson

The above excerpt is from pgs. 222-223 of Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups.

Drawing from the startling success of small groups at The Journey Church, Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas debunk the myths, set the record straight, and show how church leaders can implement a healthy small group ministry that gets the maximum number of people involved and solves many of the important problems facing churches of all sizes. These practical strategies will produce life-changing results.

P.S. – Click here to grab your copy from Amazon today!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.