Does Your Small Group Need Pruning?

Any farmer will tell you that pruning is good for growth.

Here are some signs your small group should be pruned for more growth:

1. Your group cannot invite new people because of overcrowding.
2. Your group spends a lot of time and effort keeping things they way they are instead of looking for ways to grow both spiritually and numerically.
3. Intimacy and vulnerability within the group are difficult, if not impossible, because the group is too large
4. Service to others has become rare.
5. Service to others has become difficult to schedule due to the size of the group

What Does Your Small Group Value?

Understanding what you value most in your small group experience will help you in choosing a small group, leading a small group,  project planning, and even relationship building with other small group members. Sometime over the next week take a look at this list of values and choose 5-7 of them that are the most important to you individually.

Think about them and how they contribute to the needs, relationships, conversations, and even goals of your group. Then post some self-reflective responses on this page. Engage one another, especially if you know each other, about the information shared.

Then, after you’ve examined your own values, distribute this list to your group and have them choose 5-7 they consider the most valuable. Assess how their values align with yours – you might be surprised, some of this could explain both the victories and the frustrations within your small group.

Values*:

• Accountability – I value sharing life struggles and holding each other to higher standards.

• Addressing Tough Issues – I value facing issues with courage,  knowing conflict results in growth

• Admitting Failure – I value humbly sharing weaknesses with each other

• Advance Planning – I value knowing what the plan is ahead of time and putting structures in place.

• Asking Forgiveness – I value humbly seeking out those I have wronged and asking for forgiveness.

• Autonomy – I value independence in planning, implementing, and thinking.

• Being Believed In – I value knowing that others feel confident about my capabilities and potential.

• Believing in Others – I value feeling confident about others’ capabilities and potential.

• Challenging One Another – I value pushing people toward change in thoughts or actions.

• Confronting Others – I value addressing sensitive situations

• Developing Leaders – I value taking time to invest in potential leaders.

• Efficient Use of Time – I value getting down to business; avoiding non-essential topics.

• Emotional Depth – I value getting beneath the service.

• Ensuring Smooth Flow – I value being prepared with an outline.

• Excitement – I value engaging in the thrill of a moment.

• Feeling Equipped/Ready – I value gaining knowledge, wisdom, and experience.

• Forgiveness – I value accepting and offering the love of Jesus when someone has sinned against me.

• Freedom of Expression – I value having the permission to be real.

• Grace – I value offering what has not been earned.

• Holding to the Agenda – I value sticking with the original plan.

• Intellectual Depth – I value exploring theory and concepts; challenging opinions.

• Intimacy – I value heart-felt connection, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually.

• Involvement with the Spirit – I value working with what shows up.

• Large Numbers – I value having lots of people. The more the merrier.

• Life Change – I value experiencing growth in choices and behavior.

• Momentum – I value following the energy.

• Openness – I value sharing personal stories and struggles.

• Powerful Moments – I value experiencing unexpected breakthroughs.

• Purity - I value committing to living a holy life.

• Quality – I value choosing to put forth the extra effort required  to be excellent.

• Reconciliation – I value working through difficult situations for the sake of a relationship.

• Redemption – I value restoring the honor, worth, or value of someone or something.

• Relationship – I value meaningful connection to another person.

• Respecting Others – I value people and their opinions.

• Risk – I value exposing ourselves to the possibilities of mistakes and failure.

• Sense of Humor – I value inducing laughter and amusement.

• Serving Others – I value sacrificing time and other resources for the sake of others.

• Social Opportunities – I value seeking ways to improve the community and lives of others.

• Speaking Truth in Love – I value saying what I believe another may need to hear.

• Vulnerability – I value taking emotional risks.

• Willingness to go with the Flow – I value trusting the group to carry the discussion.

• Other?

*Taken from Miller and Peppers, Finding the Flow.