This is Kerrick Thomas, Executive & Teaching Pastor at The Journey and co-author of Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups.

One of many contrarian ideas behind the Activate small groups system has to do with the number of people you allow to sign up for any one “small” group.

Nelson asked me to share some of the thinking behind that idea today.

Here’s a question we often hear:

I am struggling with your suggestion to allow 20 people to sign up for each small group. I have always heard/read/been taught/experienced that anymore than 10-12 in a group begins to diminish the discussion. Doesn’t that minimize each person’s participation? And who has a house large enough for 20 people to meet together? Can you help me understand this better?

This is one of those questions that we’ve gotten very familiar with over the last couple of years. We go further into explanation of “Why 20?” in Activate, so you can check that out if you haven’t already (to order from Amazon.com, CLICK HERE).

Here are a few thoughts:

1- 20 sign-ups doesn’t mean 20 “show ups”. 20 sign-ups means 12-15 people actually present and participating each week. Think about it. If you have 20 sign ups for a small group, 2-3 of the 20 will never show up. And with busy lives – 3-5 will miss on any given week.

So, if you allow 20 to sign up – you have the best chance of having 12-15 present in the group each and every week.

If you allow only 12 to sign up. 1-2 may never show up. And then 2-4 may miss on any given week. So instead of actually having 12 there every week – you end up with 6-8.

So – if your goal is 12-15 people present each week – let 17-20 people sign up for each group.

2- We believe that 12-15 people present is best for great discussion. If you have fewer than 8 people present in any group – the discussion suffers greatly (especially if you have fewer than 5).

Here’s why:

• In groups that are smaller (fewer than 8 ) – 1 weirdo can ruin the experience for everyone. We call this the “Weirdo Factor.” But in a group of 12-15 – one odd bird doesn’t stand out and can’t dominate.
• In a group that is smaller – one person can dominate discussion much easier than in a larger group.
• In a group that is smaller – there is less of a chance I’ll actually connect with someone in the group. I might not click with anyone. But in a group of 12-15 odds are that there is someone there I can relate to and would like to spend time with.
• In a group that is smaller – especially if you have people who are new to the church or who are not yet followers of Jesus – discussion may be non-existent. What if no one talks. Then the leader needs to be prepared to give a 45 minute lecture. They have to have the gift of teaching.

In other words – a larger group (12-15 people present) is much easier to lead for the leader, promotes more discussion, brings greater excitement, leads to the possibility of greater friendships and prevents one person from dominating the group or making it a bad experience.

3- Finally – the key issue in all this is leader retention. Will our small group leaders want to lead again next semester?

We have found that a leader has a much better experience if a group consistently has 12 – 15 people each week (makes discussion easier, better fellowship, etc.). So if you only allow 12 to sign-up and you have several nights when only 6 – 7 show up – that’s a tougher experience for the leader and it makes them less likely to lead again in the future.

Again – we say more about this in “Activate” in the Big Idea “Think Bigger, Not Smaller.”

Here’s the Amazon link again.

Right now, if you’re still not completely convinced, I challenge you to trust me.  Let your groups fill to 20 sign-ups and see how it positively impacts the groups experience.

And check out some of our other blog posts on small groups like this one:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/blog/2009/07/28/q-a-how-many-small-groups/

God bless…

Kerrick

P.S. – By the way – you or your small groups pastor should consider being a part of my upcoming Small Group Tele-Coaching Network. It kicks off on Thursday, November 19 and during the network me and my team will walk you through 2 semesters of small groups in the “Activate” system. The network comes with:

– Monthly 2-hour coaching phone call

– Hands-on coaching from guys going through the semester-based process ourselves

– Unlimited e-mail and phone access to me and our small group team

– Every single small group document and resource The Journey has ever used (including e-mails to leaders, leader trainings, calendars, promotion ideas and much more)

– Tons of other free resources and special guests on our phone calls

– Reading assignments every month

I’m just wrapping up a network right now with over 20 great churches in it. It has been phenomenal and each church has seen a dramatic increase in small group participation and life-change.

Here’s a link to the application and to find out more:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/coaching/smallgroupstelecoaching.php

© 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.