“Why We Stopped Recruiting Small Group Leaders… And Started Recruiting Coaches Instead” is a guest post by Nik Schatz, who serves as an Executive Pastor and as a “Chief Conflict Officer.” You can learn more about him below. To submit a guest post for consideration, you can learn more here.
I regularly interact with pastors who are in charge of small groups. We talk about trends, obstacles, and things we are trying. One challenge comes up every single time: Recruiting new group leaders. This is the single greatest difficulty facing pastors who lead small group ministries.
My colleagues and I faced the same challenge. Our church has over forty small groups, and we launch new groups throughout the year. At one point, we were on non-stop alert, searching for potential group leaders. Constantly taking people out to coffee. Constantly pitching the joys and responsibility of leading a group. And constantly hearing “no.” People were always excited to join a group, but also very shy of leading one.
After years of trial and error, we found a solution to the problem.
We stopped recruiting leaders.
Yes, you read that right. We completely abandoned the idea of finding new group leaders.
The success of a new group largely depends on the quality of the leader. And all of our groups have a designated leader. We still take training and equipping leaders very seriously. However, we have learned that people are very hesitant to lead something that isn’t yet in existence, like a future small group.
Our focus, now, is on selecting great coaches.
Let me explain our process.
We have plenty of excellent people in our church, more than qualified to lead a new group. However, they are usually in a group or highly involved in the church elsewhere, unable to commit to a new group. Therefore, we recruit them to help new groups form and become self-sustaining.
We form new groups on the spot at an event called “Starter Group Night.” Attenders are grouped together based on two factors: lifestage and geography. Next, we match every new group with a coach. This coach will take initiative by helping group members decide on their first meeting date, the location where they will meet, and form a text chain. Then, he or she helps the new group get off the ground.
Coaches attend the first four group meetings, facilitating a short curriculum. During this time, the coach is secretly scoping out a new leader. After a few vetting conversations, the coach is usually ready to appoint a leader from within the group. They start leader training using materials written by our pastors, and once the new leader is trained and established, the coach can take a more hands-off approach to leadership.
This strategy has proven more realistic, more relational, and more successful. It also patterns well after Jesus’ example: gather some guys together, spend some time disciplining them, and then hand over the reins of leadership!
There are two main reasons you should seriously consider a coaching model for your small group ministry.
First, you have to delegate in order to scale.
Group leaders need ongoing training and regular facetime with their ministry leader. If you are leading the groups ministry solo, you will hit capacity soon, and no longer will be able to launch new groups well. The only way to multiply groups is to multiply yourself.
Second, and more importantly, scripture challenges pastors to raise up and equip other believers to do the work of ministry (See Eph. 4:11-16).
You have an obligation to disciple the people of your church, equipping them to take on leadership roles. Training them to coach new groups is a wonderful way to allow others to take on shepherding responsibility.
Here is my challenge to you: If you run a small group ministry and have trouble recruiting new leaders, stop! Don’t look for leaders anymore. Instead, look within your existing groups for godly, qualified individuals who will devote one or two months of their time to get a new group off the ground. If they can stay connected with the new group long-term, even better.
It’s an easier ask and comes with a bonus – you are equipping lay leaders in your church to do the work you used to do. Now go find your first coach!
Nik currently serves as the Executive Pastor at Hershey Free Church in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He holds a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary and D.Min from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Alongside his wife of fourteen years, Anna, they are the proud parents of two lively and energetic children. His deepest loves include his family, Tex Mex, chess, and the local church.
