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. 

Putting time boundaries on groups not only helps people grow, it also facilitates more eager sign-ups and takes the pressure off the system. Too often, in the Christian bubble we’ve created, we ask people to do things they would never be comfortable doing in other areas of their lives. In particular, we ask them to sign up for groups that have no definitive end date.

Can you imagine if you wanted to take a course at a local community center but couldn’t pin down any information on when it would be over? And, in fact, you got the feeling it might do on indefinitely? You probably wouldn’t sign up. Yet that’s exactly how most churches run their small group systems. They ask people to sign up for something that has no end in sight. That’s intimidating and unnatural for prospective group members. The reality is that most people (other than the most committed in your church) just won’t do it—especially men.

While women are a little more open, most men are skeptical about joining a small group. They don’t like the idea of being put in a room with people they don’t know. They don’t like the idea of sharing their feelings. They consider themselves to be extremely busy. As such, you can’t expect them to willingly make an ongoing commitment to an unknown commodity that has no end. Of course, any system will get some men to join, but most small group systems alienate the majority of them.

If you’re still unsure of the benefits of time-bound small groups, here are seven advantages:

1. The groups have a clear beginning and end date.
2. It is easier for people to make short-term commitments.
3. Time is allotted for concentrated promotion and sign-ups.
4. It is easier for new people to join a group when everyone is starting at the same time.
5. There are more group options—new topics offered each semester.
6. The groups match the rhythm of the academic calendar.
7. Growth can occur through a stress-and-release cycle.

If you will put a specific end date on the group, you will be much more likely to get hesitant men—and women—to give it a shot.

  – Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas, with Jennifer Dykes Henson

The above excerpt is from p.55-56 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!

© 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.