The Power of Story-telling: A Surprising Way to Fill Your Small Groups

The below excerpt is from my book Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups. This revised and expanded edition shows church leaders how to make their small groups work.

We all relate to story. Shared human experience connects with us on a deep level and has the ability to spur us to action. That’s why testimonies, videos, and dramas can be powerful tools to encourage group sign-ups. They can be used to supplement a message on small groups, or they can stand alone.

In addition to testimonies, you can use videos to promote and enhance group sign-ups. Sometimes these are video testimonies like those mentioned above, but they can also be videos that describe groups, highlight types of groups, or make people laugh about their fear of joining a group. We once did an entire series of videos that were designed to poke fun at people’s apprehension about joining a group.

Sometimes these are custom videos, using people or groups in our church; other times they are cleverly edited clips from movies; and less frequently they are resources we purchase or borrow from other churches. The key is to use a two to three-minute punchy video that supports groups, draws people in, and encourages sign-ups.

– Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, with Jennifer Dykes Henson

The above excerpt is from pgs. 218-220 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

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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.

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