The Faithful Few: Why Smaller Groups Create Deeper Disciples

In this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, host Todd Rhoades discusses the positive potential of smaller group sizes in church settings, especially during the summer months. He challenges the common perception that larger groups equate to better discipleship and instead highlights how intimacy in smaller groups can foster deeper connections and spiritual growth. • Common misconception: Bigger groups mean better discipleship. • Jesus modeled intimate discipleship rather than crowd discipleship. • Smaller groups create psychological safety and space for personal sharing. • Stop apologizing for small numbers; leverage them for deeper connections. • Summer is not a time for panic; it's an opportunity for transformation. • Encourage your team to see small groups as strategic, not shameful. • Focus on celebrating deep conversations rather than numbers. • Intimate groups can lead to leadership development and confident discipleship.

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Transcript

When Attendance Suddenly Drops

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Walk into your Bible study or your small group. Usually have maybe 15 or 20 people there. Seven people show up. I said you're used to 20 or maybe 20, 15, 20, 25 people, and all of a sudden it dwindles and your mind immediately goes, What in the world is happening? What is wrong? What are we doing poorly? But there is a question that nobody's really asking that I think you should ask. What if those seven people are about to experience something that the 23 people that you had last week never could? And what if smaller isn't the problem, but it's actually the opportunity? We talked about this a little bit yesterday on the podcast, and we're going to continue to talk about it today because I think it's just that important.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Thanks so much for joining me here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffing.com. A lot of times I think, and we talked about this yesterday. As I said, today's a little bit of a continuation. A lot of times in churches, we get things backwards a little bit. And here's how we do that. We think that bigger groups mean better groups. Bigger groups mean better discipleship. More people equals more impact, right? But the problem is Jesus didn't necessarily model that. In fact, Jesus modeled something completely different.

Jesus Chose Circles For Change

SPEAKER_00 1:34

He had crowds for teaching, but circles for transformation. The 12 got what the 5,000 didn't. And intimacy creates what visibility never can. So why do we panic so much when the room gets smaller? And we talked about this about summer is the time in churches where things just tend to shrink. They tend to get smaller. Small groups make us feel like we're failing because we measure success by butts and seats, not depth in souls. Staff starts questioning their effectiveness, and leaders begin apologizing for that low turnout. We change everything instead of leveraging everything. The shame spiral begins before the opportunity is even recognized. Now listen to what I'm going to say here because wanting people to show up is not wrong. Your frustration at people not showing up isn't necessarily wrong. But when you miss what happens when fewer people show up, that's where the problem

The Summer Slump And Shame Spiral

SPEAKER_00 2:34

is. Smaller groups can create some psychological safety that crowds can destroy. People share struggles in a smaller group that they never would in a bigger group or in a big room. And you can actually know names and stories and real needs, and prayer becomes personal instead of performative. Questions get asked and answered that would maybe stay buried in bigger settings. And here's the thing, authentic relationships can form when there's nowhere to hide. So stop apologizing for small numbers. Instead, celebrate them. The numbers will be back in the fall. You know what? They always come back in the fall. And you know what? Another thing? You're probably taking time off this summer too. You're taking time for vacation, and you're gonna be gone two or three weeks. So cut a little bit of slack here. Stop apologizing for all those small numbers. They'll come back in the fall. Celebrate them instead. Use first names, ask follow-up questions, create space for longer testimonies and deeper prayers, and let those conversations go where they need to go. There's no pressure. Take the pressure off of your plate for the summer. Assign prayer partners or accountability partners. Make it feel like a living

Why Small Groups Build Trust

SPEAKER_00 3:48

room and not a lecture hall. Jesus didn't disciple crowds. He discipled disciples who discipled crowds. Deeper beats wider every single time. Those seven people become maybe seven leaders. Intimate groups produce confident disciples. Confident disciples create more intimate groups. It's not addition, it's multiplication. And it's happening right under your nose if you lean in this summer. And here's what it means for your team. It means the world for your team as well. Your team needs to understand this paradigm shift. This, we're not gonna put everything on hold in the summer, we're gonna actually lean in this summer. Train them to see small as strategic, not shameful. Equip them with different tools for intimate settings, celebrate the deep conversations, not just the headcount. And help them resist the urge to entertain when they should be connecting. Here's your bottom line for today. Small groups aren't failed big groups. They're discipleship laboratories where transformation happens at the

From Addition To Multiplication

SPEAKER_00 4:58

speed of trust. Your faithful few aren't a consolation prize, they're your secret weapon. Don't waste the intimacy by wishing for a crowd. That's it for today. I'd love to hear your comments. You can email me anytime, podcast at chemistry staffing.com. I'd love to hear from you. And if there's any way during

Training Your Team To Lean In

SPEAKER_00 5:18

the summertime that I can or anybody on my team could come alongside you and your church in the area of maybe hiring or firing or compensation, anything really that has to do with building a healthy team. Maybe you're stuck and you just need somebody to talk to for your team. I'd love to have that conversation with you. We can set up a free 30-minute Zoom call and see if there's any way we might be able to work together. Just reach out to me with just tell me your story. I'd love to hear it. Podcast at chemistry staffing.com. All right, that's it for today. We are here every weekday tomorrow. I hope that you will join me again. We're going to continue on this theme

Bottom Line And How To Reach Us

SPEAKER_00 5:56

all this week about the summer slump, what we call the summer slump, and how the faithful few can really make a difference and the mind shift that we need to make that difference happen. Hope you'll join me right back here tomorrow on the Healthy Church Tan. Have a great day.