Is Your Group Falling Apart?

Is your small group falling apart? Be honest. Are you having trouble with attendance? Has an outside offer of a movie or a ballgame taken precedence? When people do show up for your group meeting are they often late? Is their preparation lacking? Do they seem generally disinterested?

All of these things are signs that your group just might be coming apart at the seams. Busyness and too many other things to mention are taking their toll on your community.

What do you do about it?

Talk. Discuss. Bring the issue into the light. Like any relationship, talking is critical! Talk about your perceptions. Talk about your group’s expectations. Not in a shaming manner, of course, but in a way that communicates your genuine care and concern for the disconnected members. Sometimes, people just need a phone call or a one-on-one conversation to know that someone cares. They just need to know that people care.

Give people an opportunity to discuss what’s really going on in their lives. When you do so, you give group members a voice. You give them a chance to discuss what’s really going on in their lives. You open the door for folks to give feedback on the group and potential ways to improve your time together.

The worst thing a small group leader can do is ignore the issue. Commitment issues rarely fix themselves. Fact is; everyone else in the group sees what’s happening. Others sense a lack of commitment, promptness, preparation, etc. If they see the leader ignoring trouble, they’ll quickly lose confidence in your leadership and your commitment to shepherd the group.

Be intentional. Talk about it. The conversation just might save your small group.