Multiplication: How to Grow Groups Well.

Vision for multiplication

So often we try to multiply a body part instead of multiplying a cell. But as we said at the beginning, each singular cell is what makes up the body. The body is only as healthy as its cells. The church grows when cells multiply, not when we build more body parts or try to replicate ministries over and over. True multiplication happens when the cells multiply. That is when growth becomes exponential. Getting a vision for multiplication is key to the health, life, and vitality of your church.

We often get the question, when do you know it’s time to multiply? Our answer. How big is your space? It’s a physical answer. Is the space filled? If the group is filled in its space, there’s no more room to welcome new people. The moment that happens is the moment the group is capped in its potential and longevity. Growth will stunt. So we make it a heart and a practice. If our room is filled, we need to multiply and send out leaders.

That said, multiplication can also happen before a room is full. Maybe rising leaders are ready. Maybe a new neighborhood needs a group and doesn’t have one yet. Don’t hold off on sending people out just because the current group isn’t at capacity. God will fill rooms that we welcome Him into. Don’t let fear or hesitation hinder a group from launching just because the current one isn’t quite at capacity yet.

Build a culture, not a crisis

The language of multiplication is key. Build it into the rhythm of your groups. Have leaders talk about it and pray over multiplying their group before it even happens. This creates a natural culture within your church. So when the time comes for the group to multiply, it doesn’t seem crazy or hard for people to go into a new group. It seems natural, because it’s the language they’ve heard from the start.

Whatever you celebrate and recognize as a church also becomes the natural rhythm. If multiplication isn’t spoken about from the platform of your church, from the pastor or higher leadership on a Sunday, it won’t be seen as normal or visionary for the members. But if every time a group multiplies, every time a new group launches, it’s celebrated and shared with the whole church, people get behind the vision. They want to be part of it. The church sees that multiplication is valued. That it’s in the DNA of the culture. They become more inclined to step out when their turn comes.

One of the biggest hindrances we’ve seen to multiplication is when leaders hesitate because they love the current group and don’t want it to change. People respond to change differently, and culturally you have to prepare your leaders. Show them how to respond to change. If the members and leaders never see pastors or higher leadership adjusting or thriving through change in the church, they won’t be inclined to do the same.

A great culture to build is this. Stewardship, not ownership. We want leaders to own the vision and take responsibility for what they’re leading. But there’s a difference between ownership and stewardship when it comes to the group. Ownership is about taking responsibility for what you’re caring for. It is not about holding tightly to the thing or the person you’re over. Stewardship is caring for the group enough to release them when they’re ready to be sent out. Stewarding the group to grow as leaders in their personal relationship with Christ so they can be sent out to do the same. Realizing that in sending them, you’re reaching more people and living out the Great Commission.

That’s the language we use. The friendships in your group are meant to last a lifetime. The group itself is not. Groups multiply. Friendships remain.

How to actually multiply a group

Once the culture is set and the leaders are ready, how do you take the actual steps? The first key is identifying the leaders, which we covered in the last chapter. Then take the chance on them.

Start with small responsibilities. After a potential leader is identified, invite them to come early to your Dinner Party. Let them see how you set up. How you prepare. How you get the space ready. This is interactive learning where you’re still leading, but they’re observing and participating.

Then let them lead while you watch. Give them a small role within the group. Let them lead the prayer moment. Share announcements. If they’re ready, lead the whole discussion. They’re leading alongside you. You can support as needed and then give feedback and care as they grow.

Then release them fully to lead an area within the group. Give them time and space to fully expand their leadership. Delegate not just the responsibility but the authority. That will help them own their leadership. In this step, make sure they attend the proper small group training in your church.

Once they’ve shown faithfulness and effectiveness and you’ve adequately trained them, let them take the lead. Either fully leading in the current group, or stepping out to multiply a new group. Make sure the leadership teams are planned out in both the current and the new group. Four leaders in each, multiplied from the original four plus the four being raised.

Communicate early. Celebrate well.

When all the leaders are set in the new and current group, communicate well to the members of the current group. A big pitfall in multiplication isn’t in raising the leaders. It’s in the communication to the whole. If groups don’t communicate well, members feel left out. They feel jarred by the change because they weren’t prepared for it. They weren’t in the loop beforehand. Don’t wait until the week before a new group launches to share with your current group. People want time to process, to be excited for the change, to celebrate it well. Finding out last minute creates disunity. People become resistant to future multiplication because they feel it always happens to them rather than being something they’re part of.

A good rule of thumb. Once you know you’re multiplying, make it a prayer point in the Dinner Party weekly. Pray for new hosts or leaders to rise up so that people get a heart and sense for what’s coming. Then when the leaders are set and the strategy is locked in, announce it at least three weeks in advance. Share that the new group is launching in three weeks. That gives you two more weeks all together as a group, and then one final week to celebrate.

The last week together should be celebratory and prayerful. Big prayer moment for the leaders launching out. Celebration of the multiplication. This creates a buzz and a sense of life and health, rather than change that feels apprehensive. It sets up both groups, the sending one and the new one, to thrive.