“Taking a cue from the early gospel spreaders, my team and I asked an unusual question as we built the Activate system: What current cultural norms can be adapted to help give small groups momentum and success? The most obvious answer is the academic calendar. Our culture is defined by its educational system. People adhere to the flow of the academic calendar from the time they start preschool until they graduate at the highest level. By the time we become adults, the rhythms of the school year are instinctive.

The educational system figured out something a long time ago that churches have been slow to catch on to. It understands that people grow the most when they are exposed to periods of stress followed by periods of release. That’s why we learn and develop best in a semester-based system.”

              – Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, with Jennifer Dykes Henson

The above quote is from p. 53 of Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups.

This revised and expanded edition of Activate shows church leaders how to make their small groups work. 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!

© 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.