Tips for Small Group Success

Compared to last year, New Thought Unity of Cincinnati has doubled the number of groups in its Book Homestudy using Michael Beckwith's book, Spiritual Liberation. There are several reasons for this increased outreach. One of the most important elements is the number of "touches" that the church-goers receive.

• Lead from the platform: The minister must be a cheerleader in this process, announcing the Homestudy at least two months prior to the start of the program. This year we incorporated video clips of Michael into the Sunday service announcements so that there is a visual and dynamic element to engage people.
  
• Printed materials: the weekly Messenger includes a Sign Up sheet that describes all the teams required to produce the program. The volunteer merely needs to check off the area of interest and fill in their name and number, drop the sheet into a prayer box, or hand it to a staff member.
  
• Repetition Repetition Repetition: Some of the most interested people may not have attended the "kickoff Sunday", so repeating the message for at least 3 weeks will usually canvas the more active members of your congregation.
• Seven to 10 "touches": Marketing gurus will tell you that it takes 7 to 10 contacts with a client before they take action. This is an important fact to keep in mind, because there may be plenty of people who want to volunteer. We only need to "touch" them enough and at the right time.
  

I hope these tips are useful to you for creating powerful Small Group Ministry in your church. More tips will be included in future newsletters.

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Peace & Joy
Larry