04 Dec Trouble Finding an Apprentice

Episode 5: “Where’s the Apprentice?” from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

PURPOSE: Every healthy group should ‘give birth’ to other small groups. The idea is to get your group to a point where you can release an apprentice to start their own group.  It is important to be aware of some healthy strategies for multiplying into more groups.  We have listed below 6 things that you can do to maintain spiritual unity while multiplying your group.

• MAKE IT A MATTER OF PRAYER

Every time your group meets, cast the vision for small group multiplication in the prayer time.  Pray that God would call members from within your group to start new groups.  This invites God into the process, and through prayer, sow’s seeds within the member.

• INVITE THE COACH

Enlist your coach to help frame the vision for your group.  Ask your coach to visit your group to share the vision for starting new groups from existing groups.

• IDENTIFY YOUR NEXT LEADER

Every group has future leaders embedded in it.  These are potential apprentices.  Most likely you were the next leader in the group you were in prior to leading your own group.  Invite this person to SGL trainings and to outings or events offered by your Coach.

• INVITE NEW PEOPLE

If you have not hit your max number of members ( the cap is 12), then get proactive, start inviting new people to join.  Meeting people in the lobby or at the altar for prayer is a great way to invite someone new to your group that just may make a potential leader.

• BREAK UP

If you are having trouble getting your group members to catch the vision of multiplication, tell them you will be disbanding the group as they know it, in the near future and offer to help find another group.  Explain you will be opening up your group to new members in hopes to develop potential leaders.

• CELEBRATE

Launching a new group is a reason to throw a party on a wake!  Tell stories, eat great food, have cake and have fun!

Book Resource: The Essential Guide for Small Group Leaders