Print a List of Small Groups and Stick It in the Bulletin

To encourage your congregants to join small groups, print a list of all new groups and include it in the weekly handout. Denote which offer on-site child care, and ask a teen who works in your church’s children’s Sunday school to babysit for a small fee. (Parents with kids in your small group can chip in.) At the sign-up table, provide a list of reputable babysitters, so no one can claim lack of child care if their small group doesn’t provide a babysitter.

James P. Long
James P. Longhttp://JamesPLong.com

James P. Long was formerly the editor of Outreach magazine and the author of a number of books, including Why Is God Silent When We Need Him the Most?

City Church: ‘It’s Worth Being a Little Uncomfortable’

Because we have been a church plant with steady growth, we have always had to be very openhanded and very open to change.

Pantano Christian Church: A Change of Life

Making people feel welcome is everyone’s job. Pantano sees a wide diversity in the congregation across nearly every demographic: ethnicity, race, socioeconomic, etc.

The Comeback Church: Seizing the Cultural Moment

Take another look at what Jesus said: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”