April's Leadership Development Notes
For those that weren't able to attend the Leadership Development night on April 3, I wanted to post the notes with a little explanation. Reid Brown began the time by looking to Scripture. We wanted to ask, "What is our Biblical motivation for pushing the idea of multiplication?" When we consider passages like Luke 22:27, John 15:13, and Philippians 2:3-4 a common message rings loudly - it's not about me! One of the common hesitations about multiplying a group is a reluctance to give up the group you enjoy so much. God's Word reminds us that following Jesus and serving His Kingdom is not about us; it's about others. As we strive to follow Christ's example of leaving our comfort behind and putting the needs of others first, I believe we will be compelled to multiply our small groups so that more people can have authentic community and grow in their relationship with Jesus. Based on these and other Scriptures, we are starting from the belief that every small group should multiply if it is following a healthy path.
We spent the remainder of the time discussing two practical aspects of group multiplication: 1) understanding the general life-cycle of a group and 2) understanding basic methods of actually launching a new group out of your group. Here are the notes we used - How-To of Group Multiplication
The life-cycle portion is pretty self explanatory, but remember that reality is rarely as tidy as it looks on paper. Your group may jump stages in the cycle or take steps backwards at times. Knowing what stage your group is in will help you lead effectively toward multiplication.
The methods of multiplication portion needs a little more explanation. Three basic methods of multiplying a group were discussed. The first two are similar in that only one person from the original group leaves to begin a new group. The third method involves sending half of the original group out to launch the new group. The original and new groups then add new members. The end result of all three plans is the same - one group becomes two. There are variations and hybrids of these three plans so feel free to adjust them to make a plan that will work best for your group.
Hopefully, you have been inspired to pursue multiplication in your group and have a few tools in your hands to help make that happen. Feel free to share any thoughts or questions you may have we me - davei@cccomaha.org
Dave Irwin