There are three primary solutions most churches use to connect all four types of the unconnected, and many employ a mix of all three. None of them are “wrong” but one of them is undeniably “right.” Choose the blend of approaches that work for you, but lean heavily on the last one.
Rely on Information and Petition
Tell people you have groups (information) and beg God to help them find a group (petition). This works for the Relentless. A well-designed brochure on a conveniently located table is all they need. Tell them where the groups are and include the emails or phone numbers of the group leaders. The Relentless will do the work.
Design a Robust Assimilation System
This is a complex solution requiring detailed design and flawless execution. Data collection (pew cards, fill-in brochures, Web forms) provides the input (“I want to be in a group”) to be stored and manipulated in a centralized database. A network of dedicated volunteer or staff Assimilators (remember the Borg: “We… will… assimilate… you…”) makes innumerable phone calls and incessant emails to both group leaders and potential members to get the two together. This is the eHarmony approach. Ultimately, people can wind up in a group. Or not. Expect a sustained success rate of 20-40%, and a lack of trust to develop in the system… and the church.
Create Self-Assimilating Groups
All the information, data collection, and systems in the world will not reach all of the Ready, entice the Reluctant, or convince the Resistant. The only way to consistently connect the unconnected is to make your groups open, inviting, and welcoming communities that pull people towards them like campers to a campfire.
To be blunt, your groups need to suck.
Pushing people towards groups from the pulpit is one thing. A compelling vision, beautiful brochures or Web sites, and a well-implemented assimilation system will reach some. But the only solution that gives every unconnected person multiple chances to join a loving community is repeated, sensitive, caring invitations from group members themselves. If every small group in your church strives to be the kind of community that continuously welcomes others into their fellowship, your groups will suck… they will pull in the Relentless, the Ready, and the Reluctant… perhaps even the Resistant!
Self-assimilating groups are easy to identify. Their members are on the lookout for anyone who is not in a group and are ready to invite them in or to help them find a home in another group. They are the ones who invite neighbors to group social gatherings. They attend church events wearing buttons that say “Ask me about my small group.” They set up displays or tables to show off what they are doing in their own group… social gatherings, work projects or trips, samples of books they have studied together, photos of people they have served. The unconnected are drawn to that kind of community.
Want to reach Reluctant Postmoderns? Your groups need to suck… to draw people in to see the life of Christ up close and personal. Want to quickly engage the Ready you never knew existed? Your groups need to suck… to be “inviting machines” that continuously pull people in. What single strategy will eventually overcome the lack of trust and disinterest of the Resistant?
Equip your groups to suck… to assimilate for themselves. It’s the ultimate assimilation solution.
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