The ROOF is a very important element of any structure. The roof provides shelter from the sun and shelter from any form of precipitation. Most important, it brings the structure together.

The same can be said about the ROOF of small groups. Many of our small groups (whether they are Sunday School groups or Home Groups) operate on a weekly basis without giving much attention to the ROOF. Take a walk around and inspect the ROOF of your small group ministry. After the inspection, discern through prayer what is in good shape or what repairs need to be made. A small group ROOF inspection might suggest these basic elements:  REACH, OFFER, OUTGROW and FAMILY.

REACH

Is your small group reaching guests on a weekly basis? Challenge your teachers to consistently challenge their class to reach out to friends, neighbors, co-workers and people of like interests. Have your small group generate a list each week of those they can invite next week. Never be satisfied with what you have. There is always room for more.

OFFER

Your small groups will REACH more people if you are offering quality. We live in a quality driven society. Several years ago, Ford Motor Co. ran a slogan after every commercial stating that “Quality is job one.” Quality comes with a price. Small groups must continually remind themselves that those attending the small group are worth paying the price for quality. Here are some suggestions to think about when you analyze what you OFFER in small groups.

• Is the small group offering quality teaching for the needs of those who attend?  Continuously ask these questions: Do your attendees have something of quality in which to bring their peers? How is this small group benefiting those who attend?
• Is the atmosphere friendly and exciting? Is your small group’s “game face” on week after week? Remember the key to small groups is relationships. Will newcomers immediately feel the excitement and see the friendliness of your small group with their five senses (touch, feel, taste, see and hear). Music, food and décor are some key factors.
• Does your small group offer ministry opportunities? Is the ministry within the small group being delegated? Assign the ministries of outreach, fellowship, care ministries, food team (have food every Sunday), etc. Everyone needs a significant task in the small group. The small group will only grow as deep as the leadership base. Give ministry away…delegate, delegate, delegate.

OUTGROW

Just as it is Jesus’ mission to reach the world, it should be our small group’s mission and sole purpose to reach more people. Win and Charles Arn, in their book The Church Growth Ratio Book state, “One of every five Sunday School classes should have been started in the last two years.” Arn gives several reasons for starting new classes:

• New classes better assimilate people into a caring church fellowship.
• New classes enlarge the Sunday School’s appeal to more kinds of people.
• New classes are needed to replace classes which have stagnated and/or plateaued.
• New classes provide members with meaningful service/ministry opportunities.
• New classes discourage self-serving attitudes, programs, and curriculum.
• New classes are more effective in winning new people to Christ and the church.
• New classes help a “single-cell” church begin cell multiplication and growth.

These factors are proof positive. While serving at my previous church, I led several classes in launching new classes. In one situation, this class was a large class averaging close to 30. I requested for 8 members of this class to come out and launch a new class. Today, the new class that was 8 is now averaging around 25, two years later, and the class from which they came is back over 30. The reason this was successful is that the leaders of the small group and those attending the group understood what it meant to outgrow their class. It should be every small group’s desire to outgrow, so they can grow more small groups.

FAMILY

The most important aspect of the ROOF of small groups is FAMILY. A family loves, supports, encourages and accepts. If a small group is going to be healthy, it must have a family feel to it. There are four ways to create a sense of family in your small group.

• Love all who come in your group.  Let them tell their stories.
• Listen to what they have to say.
• Support every member of the small group by praying for their needs and by attempting to meet their physical needs. Families step up when called upon.
• Loosen up and play.  A small group should be a place where laughter can be heard. Plan for fun!

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Acts 2:44 (NIV)
Let’s keep the ROOF on our small groups.

John Caddy serves as a member of the ABSC Evangelism and Church Growth team in the area of Adult Sunday School and Small Group ministry. He served nine years as Associate Pastor of Students at Wynne Baptist Church and four years as Pastor of Church Growth and Evangelism at the Indian Springs Baptist in Bryant. It is his passion to serve Arkansas churches and their staff. He and his wife Lana, along with their four children, reside in Bryant, Arkansas.