Are you new to leading a groups ministry, and not sure where to start?
Maybe you were a great small group Leader and someone asked you to lead them all. Maybe you inherited a ministry with a spreadsheet, a few faithful Leaders and a pastor who wants to see growth. Either way, the to-do list is long and nobody handed you a map.
Search "first 90 days groups pastor" and you'll mostly find job postings. So here's the map I wish someone had handed me.
What should a new groups director do in the first 90 days?
Spend your first 90 days listening, mapping and building trust, not launching new programs. Learn your people by name, map how someone gets into a group, write down what your words mean, and choose one focus for the next season.
Here's how that breaks down across 12 weeks.
Weeks 1 to 4: Listen
Everything begins and ends with relationships, and relationships are built on trust. Your first month is about making trust deposits.
Meet every Leader you can. Coffee, a phone call, a visit to their group. Ask how they're doing before you ask how their group is doing.
Ask five Leaders one question: "What is a group for?" Write down every answer word for word. You'll learn a lot from how different they are.
Ask your senior pastor what success looks like a year from now. Then ask how they'd like to hear updates, and how often.
Don't change much yet. People need to know you care before they'll follow you anywhere new.
Weeks 5 to 8: Map
Now look at the whole system. I use five stages to see it: Attract, Get, Keep, Grow, Multiply.
Stage | The question to answer |
|---|---|
Attract | How do people hear about groups and take a first step? |
Get | How does a raised hand become a first visit? |
Keep | Do people stay connected once they come? |
Grow | Are Leaders and Co-Leaders developing? |
Multiply | Are new Leaders and groups being sent out? |
For each stage, write one word: Strong, Strained, or Unclear.
Then map every way someone gets into a group and every handoff along the way. Who answers a join request, and how fast? What happens after a first visit? Who notices when someone stops coming? Wherever nobody owns the handoff, people slip through. That's finding the leak.
One simple test: submit a join request yourself and time the reply. The standard I coach is 24 hours.
Weeks 9 to 12: Focus
By now you'll see ten things you want to fix. Resist that. Get it down to the critical elements, then pick one to start.
Write your purpose line. "We do groups so that ______." Test it on your pastor and two Leaders.
Name your words. What's a Leader? A Co-Leader? A coach? What does "active" mean? I recommend 2 attendances in 6 weeks.
Choose one focus for the next 90 days, with three to five clear pieces of work and one owner for each.
Write down a few numbers today so you can see progress at week 12. Keep it to three or four you trust.
Test small. Learn fast. Roll out right.
Common mistakes in the first 90 days
Launching before listening. A new initiative in month one tells people you're here to fix them.
Filling coach slots too fast. A faithful person in an undefined role becomes a frustrated person. Define the role first.
Chasing a growth number without capacity. If your pastor wants to double groups, ask what would have to be true to find, train and care for twice as many Leaders. Doubling without structure isn't sustainable.
Reporting numbers without people. Every number represents a person. Pair each figure with a name or a story.
Carrying it alone. You need someone walking with you too.
On that growth number: it's almost always a capacity issue. Your system may be what's holding you back. So don't start with "Will we double?" Start with this:
"What would have to be true in our capacity to find, onboard and care for Leaders?"
I learned most of this through a lot of pain. I share it because nobody sat me down and told me.
Questions leaders ask
What should a new groups director do first?
Listen. Meet your Leaders, ask what groups are for, and learn what your senior pastor considers success before you change anything.
How do I know what to fix first in a groups ministry?
Rate each stage (Attract, Get, Keep, Grow, Multiply) as Strong, Strained or Unclear, then map every handoff. Start where people are slipping through most.
What numbers should a new groups director track?
Start with three or four you trust: join requests answered within 24 hours, people active (2 attendances in 6 weeks), Leaders with a coach, and groups with a Co-Leader.
Should a new groups pastor start new programs right away?
Usually not. Trust comes before change. Spend the first month building relationships and the second understanding the system.
How do I report to my senior pastor without it feeling like a scorecard?
Ask how they want to hear updates, then keep it short: one summary line, a few names and stories, and one next step.
Keep reading: Is Your Groups Ministry Healthy? 5 Numbers to Watch and Why Do People Stop Coming to Small Group?
Want someone to walk with you?
The free Church Groups Pulse Check takes two minutes and shows which stage of your groups ministry needs attention first. If you'd like to talk it through, I'm glad to set up a free 30-minute call. No cost, no pitch.
You don't have to figure this out alone.
Wayne