Worship services and small groups aren’t an either/or proposition
By Tobin Perry

Visit the small groups web page for a variety of resources designed to help you organize your small groups around the five biblical purposes of the church. On the page you'll find small group curriculum, leadership resources and even information on a free 60-minute telephone seminar.

LANSING, Mich (PD)--A church that wants to see its small group ministry flourish needs to take every opportunity available to plug people into groups, suggests the small group ministry team at Trinity Church in Lansing, Mich.

The church, which has now connected nearly 87 percent of its congregation of 3,500 into small groups, encourages other churches to use large group meetings, such as weekend messages and men’s and women’s retreats to connect people into groups.

"What has been helpful for us is making small groups foundational for every ministry in the church," said Dennis Moore, assistant director of small groups and spiritual formation at Trinity. "Many churches aren’t sure how to balance Sunday morning services and small group ministries. It doesn’t have to be either/or. It can be both."

That was one of a handful of ideas recently shared by the small group ministry of Trinity Church. The church had virtually no small group ministry three years ago when they piloted the 40 Days of Purpose campaign with Saddleback Church and other congregations across the country.

Sharina Husted, the church’s small group director, had just joined the staff when the church began planning for 40 Days of Purpose. She still remembers how overwhelmed she felt when she learned about the campaign’s scope. She was sure the ambitious plans would kill any chance the church had for developing a full-fledged small group ministry out of the 20 groups currently meeting.

It turned out to be an incredibly effective tool for launching the small group ministry. Through the campaign, they started 109 small groups. Three years later, 180 small groups have formed. Almost nine out of every ten weekend worshippers attend one of these groups.

"If someone from another church is looking to start a small group ministry in their church, I always tell them to start with 40 days now," Husted said.

The church has done that despite still having a more traditional classroom-style Sunday school on Sunday mornings. Instead of seeing the traditional Sunday school structure drain people from their small groups, they’ve found it aids the ministry. For example, recent attendants of a young married group realized their group was getting too large to offer meaningful community. Although the group decided to split, they didn’t want to miss fellowshipping with the other young couples, so they agreed to meet on a regular basis during the Sunday school time.

Husted believes another key reason for the effectiveness of Trinity’s small groups is the senior pastor’s enthusiasm for them. She says her pastor, Brad Mitchell, often pushes small groups from the pulpit and talks about his own experiences with his group in messages.

Husted also believes that a regional small group pastor’s network run by Trinity and two other area churches has proved helpful. Through the network, they’ve been able to share ideas with other churches and help smaller churches get training they may not have been able to get on their own. For example, last year they brought in 600 people for a regional small group conference just by keeping the cost low — only $20 a piece. Despite the low cost, they brought in a nationally known speaker on small groups.

To help care for all of its small group leaders, the church has put together a structure that differentiates between leaders who want more help and those who don’t. Small group coaches who are mentoring those who need more help work with three to five leaders. Resource coaches who inform group leaders of upcoming training opportunities, new resources, and other information from the church staff typically work with 10 to 15 leaders.

Small groups are an essential component of Trinity living out its five-fold purpose of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and outreach. Husted believes the groups make a large church like Trinity feel small to its members. Noting that people often get lost in a church of 3,500, Husted says, these groups help people sense that Trinity is "their church, their family, and their home."

Maybe most importantly, the church believes small groups help the church reach out effectively in the community. No longer do people who come to the church have to make decisions of belief before they can feel a part of the fellowship.

"It’s really a change that has gone on," Moore said. "You are not necessarily required to believe before you belong. You can belong before you believe. People want to belong even if they aren’t sure if they believe yet. Belonging is a real need that everyone has."