01. Why Small Groups?

Stanford researchers revealed who was the happiest people in the world. It wasn’t those who were pursuing happiness, it was those who found happiness in serving others.

Did you hear that? Do you have a heart to serve others. I have great news for you! I have the greatest opportunity to find happiness, by serving others as a small group leader. Not only will you find happiness, but you will be the greatest in the eyes of Jesus when he stated, “The greatest among you shall be the servant of all.” Servant leadership is the path to lasting happiness.

My name is Pastor Stan Lubeck. Welcome to my workshop on Turnkey Small Groups. In this workshop you will receiving the soup and nuts of starting, maintaining and turbo-boosting your small group ministry so that you can serve others well. Whether you are new or an experienced veteran to small groups, you will find tools and resources that will assist you in loving people within an inch of their lives.

I’ve been in ministry for 40+ years, served on staff at three mega-churches and at a church started by my family 400 miles from our hometown. Large church or small, what fires me up is helping people become more like Jesus. That never gets old.

If you have a heart to serve others, these resources are for you. I love encouraging, equiping, and championing disciple making in the local church.

In a church of 2500 people, we spearheaded the move to grow small group involvement from 20 to 85% in two years.

At another church of 2200, we grew from 26 small groups to over 200 small groups in three years.

I’ve launched small groups for 1200 people and experienced all the preparation of leadership that makes that kind of launch possible.

So I’ve seen big things happen by training groups of leader, but one of my greatest joys was the result of discipling one person who was a sophomore in high school at the time.

Francis Chan, best selling author and speaker was that young man. I never expected that Francis would become the world changer he is today, I was just doing the best I could to set him up for success, meeting with him weekly and challenging him to continue to hide God’s word in his heart, while gaining sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Not every person I have discipled is a success story, there are plenty of heartbreaking disappointments as well. But I am still passionate about Jesus' clear command to make disciples who make disciples. Seeing the impact of Francis Chan keeps me motivated to keep investing in others.

When I ask believers, “why aren’t you discipling someone?”

The most common response is, “because no one ever discipled me. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

Beginning to disciple someone isn’t complicated. Discipleship is relationship with direction. Jesus started his relationship with the Twelve by inviting them to “come follow me.” As they followed, Jesus discipled them and equipped them to one day lead the church.

Robert Coleman, author of “The Master Plan of Evangelism” with 60+ years of disciplemaking experience was asked, “how do you start discipling someone?” He responded, I ask, “do you want to have a cup of coffee?”

Doctor Coleman understands that discipleship always starts with a relationship. As we have said, discipleship in essence is “relationship with direction.” That is worth writing down. No one wants to be someone’s “project,” but they do want a friend who is helping them become more like Jesus. Sharing a cup of coffee while telling your spiritual story is a great place to begin.

The focus of the relationship is on Jesus and helping each other become more like Him.

There is nothing greater than helping people discover Jesus, then develop in the faith so that they can be deployed by Jesus to change the world.

Helping others make more and better disciples of Jesus is what keeps me awake at night as I seek to leverage four decades of experience.

Here is what you can expect from the following material:

1. You will learn about the essentials for a healthy Life Group.

a. You will learn how to lead life changing discussions.

b. You will learn about the essential steps for launching a successful small group.

c. You will learn how to help people apply the Bible to everyday life.

d. You will be given tools for cultivating healthy relationships between group members.

e. You will receive tools to enhance your ability to care for the people during a crisis.

f. You will learn how to effectively handle difficult people that can threaten your group dynamic.

g. You will learn about active listening skills that can turbo-boost your group discussions.

2. You will learn about forming a leadership team.

This is where you can benefit from doing ministry as a team.

3. You will learn about the benefits of recruiting an experienced coach who can assist you in navigating the inevitable problems that come with leading people.

I’ve prepared these materials to set you up for success in leading others into a spiritual community of people who desire to become more like Jesus. The principles have been tested and proven over many years of leading small group leaders.