In a newly released survey, Lifeway Research discovered an overwhelming majority of churches do not limit the size of their ongoing Bible study groups.
An ongoing Bible study group is one that meets weekly. These groups are sometimes called Sunday School, Life Groups, or adult Bible study. They almost always meet on a Sunday morning adjacent to the worship service.
But Lifeway Research discovered one predominant characteristic of these groups is that churches tend to not limit their size. This can be problematic for the long-term health of groups ministry—a church’s primary disciple-making strategy.
Pastors and church leaders responsible for group ministry in their churches like to keep momentum going when groups are growing. So, instead of starting new groups from those larger ones, they tend to move groups into larger spaces so they can continue to grow. On the surface, this may seem to be a good strategy, but it usually has short-term benefits. Larger groups come with their own set of unique challenges. And there are significant reasons to limit the size of groups.
This begs the question, “What’s the right size for a group?” In general, Sunday School and small group leaders agree the right size for a group is 12, plus or minus four. Limiting group size may seem counter-intuitive, but there are at least five benefits of limiting group size to eight to 16 people.
1. It makes it easier to enlist a new person to lead a group
Every church should start new groups, but it can be difficult to recruit new leaders when they’re asked to teach and lead a large group of people. While it seems appropriate to give a growing group a larger space in which to meet (and it often appeases a group or group leader who doesn’t want to release people to start a new group), a larger group makes it harder to recruit a new leader when the current one steps down, moves away, or needs a break.
Most people feel confident and comfortable leading a group of 10. But when they’re asked to lead a group of 20, 30, or more, few people feel capable of providing leadership.
2. It allows the group leader to become a better shepherd-teacher
When a group leader has a large group of people to teach and lead, that person is limited in the amount of time he or she can spend with the group members and guests outside of the group time. Teachers becomes shepherd-teachers when they regularly interact with group members and guests beyond the Bible study.
It’s in a restaurant, in a living room, or on a golf course that teachers learn the stories of the people they teach and lead. Armed with this information, they’re able to better minister to them and tailor their Bible studies to meet their needs. This is almost impossible when a group grows and becomes a larger group.
3. It helps group leaders become better disciple-makers
Rather than simply dispensing information about the Bible during the Bible study time, a group leader can customize the content to meet the needs of his or her flock. The only way a group leader can know what his or her people need to grow and take their next steps along a discipleship pathway is when that teacher has spent time with people outside of the group Bible study.
Discipleship requires proximity, and proximity happens best in the context of a smaller group. Jesus had a group of 12 disciples, plus an inner group of three men. His example is important and should inform our disciple-making efforts. While you and I can teach a large group of adults, it’s virtually impossible to truly disciple a large group.
4. It limits people’s ability to “hide out”
We all know there are people in larger groups who attend because they aren’t asked to do much (if anything) and they don’t feel the positive peer pressure to get to know others in the group. In a larger group, people can get lost, get off the group leader’s radar, and become invisible.
In a smaller group of 10 to 12, the people who liked to hide out in a larger group are missed when absent, contacted by the group, and encouraged to return as soon as possible. A right-sized group will help keep people anchored to the group, closing the proverbial “back door” through ministry and relationships.
5. It encourages new groups
It has been proven over and over again that new groups bring growth. On average, every group properly started will reach 10 new people. In addition to that, new groups give members an opportunity to use their spiritual gifts in service to others. Every group needs someone to lead the prayer ministry, to schedule service opportunities in the community, and to lead the group to have ongoing fellowships.
Finally, new groups add to the tithes and offerings received by the church. A church with a per capita (per person) giving of $35 will realize approximately $18,000 in additional monies over the course of a year. Think about what might take place if a church started several new groups each year. The cumulative effect of doing Great Commission work would allow a church to start new ministries, hire new staff, retire debt, send kids to summer camp, do more during VBS, and have more income to help families in the community.
The research from the latest groups survey shows 90% of churches don’t limit the size of their ongoing groups. Could it be that reversing that decision and limiting the size of groups could lead to greater ministry impact?
This article originally appeared at Lifeway Research.