10 Powerful Tips to Launch a Small Groups Ministry with Purpose
Want to build a thriving small groups ministry that fuels discipleship, fosters authentic community, and aligns with your church’s mission? Start here—with purpose, strategy, and a proven path.
Define the Destination: What Does a Disciple Look Like?
When you consider a believer, a follower of Christ in your church, what is it you want them to look like and act like? What is it you want them to “be”? Too many churches start up a small-groups ministry because it’s “the thing to do.” But it may not be the thing to do right now. Once you know what you want in a disciple, then you can back up and decide what will get you there.
At Saddleback Church, the goal is to form disciples who live out both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. That looks like:
- Belonging to Christ and His church
- Growing deeper in faith
- Serving using their spiritual gifts
- Sharing the gospel
- Surrendering every aspect of life to God
We use a Spiritual Health Assessment (see Chapter 10 of Small Groups With Purpose) to evaluate progress.
Ask yourself: What’s your version of spiritual health? Once defined, reverse engineer a pathway to get there.
What do you want? Once we knew our “end in mind,” we asked the question: What will get us there? Our answer came from Acts 5:42-47, and it involved a combination of weekend services and small groups (Acts 5:42).
Understand the Cultural DNA of Your Church
Talk to people. Talk to the key opinion leaders in your church—and if you don’t know who they are, ask around! Get the people who built the church and go through step one above. Find the history of the church and the passion that made your church what it is today. What’s the heartbeat of your Lead Pastor? What makes them tick? What is their strategy to number one above?
To lead change, first listen and learn. Ask key stakeholders and long-time members:
- What’s our church’s history?
- What does our lead pastor value most?
- What’s our current discipleship strategy?
Before you ask any of these questions, ask yourself something: Do I have the relational capital to ask these questions? If you do, great! If you don’t, take the time to get to know the people that need to hear these questions. Relationships take time. Sometimes you will find the answers to the questions without even asking anything.
Identify a Passionate Point Leader
Paid or not paid isn’t the question when it comes to this point—passion is the question.
Who in your church has the heart to shepherd people toward spiritual health? Look for someone with:
- Integrity & humility (Psalm 78:72, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5)
- A servant leader's mindset (1 Peter 5:2-4)
- A willingness to say “yes” to God (John 10:10)
If you have the person, the Small Group Network has the training!
Build a Kingdom-Focused Team
Every leader needs a team. If you were to start a business you would get your “C” team together—CEO, COO, CIO, CSO, CTO, and so on. So who is your “C” team, your Christ Team, to make this happen with His grace and strength? Start praying for people who want to see the same thing you want to see and who have different gift sets than you.
Like starting a business needs a C-suite, your ministry needs a Christ Team—people with:
- Complementary strengths
- A shared vision
- Availability and commitment
Then, ask them to join you. People won’t volunteer; you need to ask them. Lead with Vision! Claim back some of their 168 hours a week for Kingdom work. For some, you may need to align their Kingdom work for greater Kingdom efforts.
Craft a Clear Strategy, Not Just a Program
At Saddleback Church, the best way for us to start a small-groups ministry is through a campaign strategy. Now, understand that if you don’t go through the process outlined above, running a campaign in your church will start a bunch of groups, but they will probably be purposeless and drift. (Learn about our Campaign Strategy in chapter 17 of “Small Groups With Purpose”.
“Without strategy, you’ll end up with disconnected groups lacking purpose.”
Along with strategy, you need a culture to drive the strategy. Campaigns are successful at Saddleback because throughout the year our people hear from the pulpit the importance of small groups—through testimonies, sermons, commercials, and most importantly through personal stories of the teaching pastors in their sermons.
Time Your Launch Strategically
To answer this question, look at both the calendar and your church culture. There are usually three times to start small groups: fall, January, and post Easter. For Saddleback, fall is culturally the best time for us. We start our campaign a few weeks after school starts so families can get into their new routines. We use the summer to get ready, September to recruit, and October to launch. Your church will have a different schedule, and that’s okay. Do what culturally fits for your church.
The best time to launch small groups often aligns with cultural rhythms. Here are three proven windows:
Saddleback launches groups in October, using summer to prepare and September to recruit.
Design a Leadership Pathway
When you start groups, your small-group leaders need to know what you want them to do. Not only do you need to know the “end in mind” for your small group ministry, you need the same for your group leaders. Just like Jesus took His disciples from “come and see” through a three-year relational process to “come and die,” so we at Saddleback have a relational process for our “hosts” to become “leaders.” Now, we pray that none of them need to die, but we do want to take them from where they are to a deeper commitment in Christ. Whatever system you design, know where you want to take your leaders.
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Leaders need a roadmap. Just like Jesus moved disciples from “come and see” to “come and die,” your group hosts should grow in stages.
Here’s a simplified example:
Build Infrastructure Before You Scale
It’s easy to start small groups; it’s hard to sustain them. Since 1998, our small-group team has seen our small groups grow from 280 groups to over 5,000 groups. That doesn’t happen without infrastructure. Just like a city needs roadways to develop as a town turns into a city, so your small-group ministry needs its roadways.
One critical part of your infrastructure is what we call Community Leaders (CLs), who are the leaders of small-group leaders. They are the relational arm of your ministry. They provide the care and direction to your small groups. They help with focus so groups don’t drift.
Starting groups is easy. Sustaining them requires structure.
Two essential elements of Saddleback’s infrastructure:
- Community Leaders (CLs): Oversee 10–15 groups, providing encouragement and accountability
- Leader Gatherings: Biannual events to cast vision and realign direction
Think of it like building roadways in a growing town—groups won’t thrive without clear lanes of support.
Don’t Isolate; Collaborate
The enemy loves to lead in isolation and fear. Fear stops us from taking risks for the Kingdom. Isolation cuts off our supply lines so we can’t fight the good fight. In 2007, God led me to start the Small Group Network so that no one would stand alone.
“Don’t build your ministry in a silo. Plug into a global community.”
I know what it’s like to do the day in and day out work of running a small-groups ministry. I am blessed with an incredible staff. My prayer is that this Network will be your staff, standing with you to help you fight the good fight. If you don’t think you need others around you—think again!
Guard Your Heart: Avoid the Messiah Complex
One of the greatest things I learned in seminary is called the Messiah Complex. It’s where you take on the roll of the Messiah and bear everyone’s burdens on your cross. There’s only one problem: you can’t do it. You will burn out.
Watch for signs of the Messiah Complex:
- No Sabbath or rest
- Always “on” and reactive
- Neglecting your own spiritual disciplines
“God blesses obedience, not overwork. A rested leader is a more effective one. Prioritize your soul, or the work for God will destroy the work of God in you.”
Symptoms of the Messiah Complex are a lack of quiet time and/or Sabbath forgetfulness. Just as God can take your financial tithe and make 90 percent go farther than your best 100 percent, He can do the same with a Sabbath. He can make 6 days go farther than your best 7 days. The principle God is working on has nothing to do with finances or time, it’s all about obedience. If you don’t prepare your heart now, the work for God will destroy the work of God in your life.
Take the Next Step in Your Small Groups Journey
Launching a small groups ministry isn’t just about logistics, it’s about spiritual transformation. As you take these next steps, remember that success comes from staying aligned with God’s vision, building intentional systems, and surrounding yourself with the right people. You don’t have to do it alone.
Whether you're just starting or retooling your existing ministry, tools like Tithely Groups can help you organize, communicate, and disciple more effectively. With the right strategy and the right support, your small groups can become the heartbeat of your church’s spiritual growth.
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Steve earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Evangel University and an M.Div. in Pastoral Counseling from Fuller Seminary, where his passion for small groups began. He has implemented small group strategies in churches of all sizes and, since 1998, has served as Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church. In 2006, he founded the Small Group Network to equip leaders worldwide. Steve regularly consults and speaks internationally. He and his wife Lisa live in Southern California with their two children.
Define the Destination: What Does a Disciple Look Like?
When you consider a believer, a follower of Christ in your church, what is it you want them to look like and act like? What is it you want them to “be”? Too many churches start up a small-groups ministry because it’s “the thing to do.” But it may not be the thing to do right now. Once you know what you want in a disciple, then you can back up and decide what will get you there.
At Saddleback Church, the goal is to form disciples who live out both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. That looks like:
- Belonging to Christ and His church
- Growing deeper in faith
- Serving using their spiritual gifts
- Sharing the gospel
- Surrendering every aspect of life to God
We use a Spiritual Health Assessment (see Chapter 10 of Small Groups With Purpose) to evaluate progress.
Ask yourself: What’s your version of spiritual health? Once defined, reverse engineer a pathway to get there.
What do you want? Once we knew our “end in mind,” we asked the question: What will get us there? Our answer came from Acts 5:42-47, and it involved a combination of weekend services and small groups (Acts 5:42).
Understand the Cultural DNA of Your Church
Talk to people. Talk to the key opinion leaders in your church—and if you don’t know who they are, ask around! Get the people who built the church and go through step one above. Find the history of the church and the passion that made your church what it is today. What’s the heartbeat of your Lead Pastor? What makes them tick? What is their strategy to number one above?
To lead change, first listen and learn. Ask key stakeholders and long-time members:
- What’s our church’s history?
- What does our lead pastor value most?
- What’s our current discipleship strategy?
Before you ask any of these questions, ask yourself something: Do I have the relational capital to ask these questions? If you do, great! If you don’t, take the time to get to know the people that need to hear these questions. Relationships take time. Sometimes you will find the answers to the questions without even asking anything.
Identify a Passionate Point Leader
Paid or not paid isn’t the question when it comes to this point—passion is the question.
Who in your church has the heart to shepherd people toward spiritual health? Look for someone with:
- Integrity & humility (Psalm 78:72, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5)
- A servant leader's mindset (1 Peter 5:2-4)
- A willingness to say “yes” to God (John 10:10)
If you have the person, the Small Group Network has the training!
Build a Kingdom-Focused Team
Every leader needs a team. If you were to start a business you would get your “C” team together—CEO, COO, CIO, CSO, CTO, and so on. So who is your “C” team, your Christ Team, to make this happen with His grace and strength? Start praying for people who want to see the same thing you want to see and who have different gift sets than you.
Like starting a business needs a C-suite, your ministry needs a Christ Team—people with:
- Complementary strengths
- A shared vision
- Availability and commitment
Then, ask them to join you. People won’t volunteer; you need to ask them. Lead with Vision! Claim back some of their 168 hours a week for Kingdom work. For some, you may need to align their Kingdom work for greater Kingdom efforts.
Craft a Clear Strategy, Not Just a Program
At Saddleback Church, the best way for us to start a small-groups ministry is through a campaign strategy. Now, understand that if you don’t go through the process outlined above, running a campaign in your church will start a bunch of groups, but they will probably be purposeless and drift. (Learn about our Campaign Strategy in chapter 17 of “Small Groups With Purpose”.
“Without strategy, you’ll end up with disconnected groups lacking purpose.”
Along with strategy, you need a culture to drive the strategy. Campaigns are successful at Saddleback because throughout the year our people hear from the pulpit the importance of small groups—through testimonies, sermons, commercials, and most importantly through personal stories of the teaching pastors in their sermons.
Time Your Launch Strategically
To answer this question, look at both the calendar and your church culture. There are usually three times to start small groups: fall, January, and post Easter. For Saddleback, fall is culturally the best time for us. We start our campaign a few weeks after school starts so families can get into their new routines. We use the summer to get ready, September to recruit, and October to launch. Your church will have a different schedule, and that’s okay. Do what culturally fits for your church.
The best time to launch small groups often aligns with cultural rhythms. Here are three proven windows:
Saddleback launches groups in October, using summer to prepare and September to recruit.
Design a Leadership Pathway
When you start groups, your small-group leaders need to know what you want them to do. Not only do you need to know the “end in mind” for your small group ministry, you need the same for your group leaders. Just like Jesus took His disciples from “come and see” through a three-year relational process to “come and die,” so we at Saddleback have a relational process for our “hosts” to become “leaders.” Now, we pray that none of them need to die, but we do want to take them from where they are to a deeper commitment in Christ. Whatever system you design, know where you want to take your leaders.
Leaders need a roadmap. Just like Jesus moved disciples from “come and see” to “come and die,” your group hosts should grow in stages.
Here’s a simplified example:
Build Infrastructure Before You Scale
It’s easy to start small groups; it’s hard to sustain them. Since 1998, our small-group team has seen our small groups grow from 280 groups to over 5,000 groups. That doesn’t happen without infrastructure. Just like a city needs roadways to develop as a town turns into a city, so your small-group ministry needs its roadways.
One critical part of your infrastructure is what we call Community Leaders (CLs), who are the leaders of small-group leaders. They are the relational arm of your ministry. They provide the care and direction to your small groups. They help with focus so groups don’t drift.
Starting groups is easy. Sustaining them requires structure.
Two essential elements of Saddleback’s infrastructure:
- Community Leaders (CLs): Oversee 10–15 groups, providing encouragement and accountability
- Leader Gatherings: Biannual events to cast vision and realign direction
Think of it like building roadways in a growing town—groups won’t thrive without clear lanes of support.
Don’t Isolate; Collaborate
The enemy loves to lead in isolation and fear. Fear stops us from taking risks for the Kingdom. Isolation cuts off our supply lines so we can’t fight the good fight. In 2007, God led me to start the Small Group Network so that no one would stand alone.
“Don’t build your ministry in a silo. Plug into a global community.”
I know what it’s like to do the day in and day out work of running a small-groups ministry. I am blessed with an incredible staff. My prayer is that this Network will be your staff, standing with you to help you fight the good fight. If you don’t think you need others around you—think again!
Guard Your Heart: Avoid the Messiah Complex
One of the greatest things I learned in seminary is called the Messiah Complex. It’s where you take on the roll of the Messiah and bear everyone’s burdens on your cross. There’s only one problem: you can’t do it. You will burn out.
Watch for signs of the Messiah Complex:
- No Sabbath or rest
- Always “on” and reactive
- Neglecting your own spiritual disciplines
“God blesses obedience, not overwork. A rested leader is a more effective one. Prioritize your soul, or the work for God will destroy the work of God in you.”
Symptoms of the Messiah Complex are a lack of quiet time and/or Sabbath forgetfulness. Just as God can take your financial tithe and make 90 percent go farther than your best 100 percent, He can do the same with a Sabbath. He can make 6 days go farther than your best 7 days. The principle God is working on has nothing to do with finances or time, it’s all about obedience. If you don’t prepare your heart now, the work for God will destroy the work of God in your life.
Take the Next Step in Your Small Groups Journey
Launching a small groups ministry isn’t just about logistics, it’s about spiritual transformation. As you take these next steps, remember that success comes from staying aligned with God’s vision, building intentional systems, and surrounding yourself with the right people. You don’t have to do it alone.
Whether you're just starting or retooling your existing ministry, tools like Tithely Groups can help you organize, communicate, and disciple more effectively. With the right strategy and the right support, your small groups can become the heartbeat of your church’s spiritual growth.
podcast transcript
Steve earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Evangel University and an M.Div. in Pastoral Counseling from Fuller Seminary, where his passion for small groups began. He has implemented small group strategies in churches of all sizes and, since 1998, has served as Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church. In 2006, he founded the Small Group Network to equip leaders worldwide. Steve regularly consults and speaks internationally. He and his wife Lisa live in Southern California with their two children.
Define the Destination: What Does a Disciple Look Like?
When you consider a believer, a follower of Christ in your church, what is it you want them to look like and act like? What is it you want them to “be”? Too many churches start up a small-groups ministry because it’s “the thing to do.” But it may not be the thing to do right now. Once you know what you want in a disciple, then you can back up and decide what will get you there.
At Saddleback Church, the goal is to form disciples who live out both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. That looks like:
- Belonging to Christ and His church
- Growing deeper in faith
- Serving using their spiritual gifts
- Sharing the gospel
- Surrendering every aspect of life to God
We use a Spiritual Health Assessment (see Chapter 10 of Small Groups With Purpose) to evaluate progress.
Ask yourself: What’s your version of spiritual health? Once defined, reverse engineer a pathway to get there.
What do you want? Once we knew our “end in mind,” we asked the question: What will get us there? Our answer came from Acts 5:42-47, and it involved a combination of weekend services and small groups (Acts 5:42).
Understand the Cultural DNA of Your Church
Talk to people. Talk to the key opinion leaders in your church—and if you don’t know who they are, ask around! Get the people who built the church and go through step one above. Find the history of the church and the passion that made your church what it is today. What’s the heartbeat of your Lead Pastor? What makes them tick? What is their strategy to number one above?
To lead change, first listen and learn. Ask key stakeholders and long-time members:
- What’s our church’s history?
- What does our lead pastor value most?
- What’s our current discipleship strategy?
Before you ask any of these questions, ask yourself something: Do I have the relational capital to ask these questions? If you do, great! If you don’t, take the time to get to know the people that need to hear these questions. Relationships take time. Sometimes you will find the answers to the questions without even asking anything.
Identify a Passionate Point Leader
Paid or not paid isn’t the question when it comes to this point—passion is the question.
Who in your church has the heart to shepherd people toward spiritual health? Look for someone with:
- Integrity & humility (Psalm 78:72, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5)
- A servant leader's mindset (1 Peter 5:2-4)
- A willingness to say “yes” to God (John 10:10)
If you have the person, the Small Group Network has the training!
Build a Kingdom-Focused Team
Every leader needs a team. If you were to start a business you would get your “C” team together—CEO, COO, CIO, CSO, CTO, and so on. So who is your “C” team, your Christ Team, to make this happen with His grace and strength? Start praying for people who want to see the same thing you want to see and who have different gift sets than you.
Like starting a business needs a C-suite, your ministry needs a Christ Team—people with:
- Complementary strengths
- A shared vision
- Availability and commitment
Then, ask them to join you. People won’t volunteer; you need to ask them. Lead with Vision! Claim back some of their 168 hours a week for Kingdom work. For some, you may need to align their Kingdom work for greater Kingdom efforts.
Craft a Clear Strategy, Not Just a Program
At Saddleback Church, the best way for us to start a small-groups ministry is through a campaign strategy. Now, understand that if you don’t go through the process outlined above, running a campaign in your church will start a bunch of groups, but they will probably be purposeless and drift. (Learn about our Campaign Strategy in chapter 17 of “Small Groups With Purpose”.
“Without strategy, you’ll end up with disconnected groups lacking purpose.”
Along with strategy, you need a culture to drive the strategy. Campaigns are successful at Saddleback because throughout the year our people hear from the pulpit the importance of small groups—through testimonies, sermons, commercials, and most importantly through personal stories of the teaching pastors in their sermons.
Time Your Launch Strategically
To answer this question, look at both the calendar and your church culture. There are usually three times to start small groups: fall, January, and post Easter. For Saddleback, fall is culturally the best time for us. We start our campaign a few weeks after school starts so families can get into their new routines. We use the summer to get ready, September to recruit, and October to launch. Your church will have a different schedule, and that’s okay. Do what culturally fits for your church.
The best time to launch small groups often aligns with cultural rhythms. Here are three proven windows:
Saddleback launches groups in October, using summer to prepare and September to recruit.
Design a Leadership Pathway
When you start groups, your small-group leaders need to know what you want them to do. Not only do you need to know the “end in mind” for your small group ministry, you need the same for your group leaders. Just like Jesus took His disciples from “come and see” through a three-year relational process to “come and die,” so we at Saddleback have a relational process for our “hosts” to become “leaders.” Now, we pray that none of them need to die, but we do want to take them from where they are to a deeper commitment in Christ. Whatever system you design, know where you want to take your leaders.
Leaders need a roadmap. Just like Jesus moved disciples from “come and see” to “come and die,” your group hosts should grow in stages.
Here’s a simplified example:
Build Infrastructure Before You Scale
It’s easy to start small groups; it’s hard to sustain them. Since 1998, our small-group team has seen our small groups grow from 280 groups to over 5,000 groups. That doesn’t happen without infrastructure. Just like a city needs roadways to develop as a town turns into a city, so your small-group ministry needs its roadways.
One critical part of your infrastructure is what we call Community Leaders (CLs), who are the leaders of small-group leaders. They are the relational arm of your ministry. They provide the care and direction to your small groups. They help with focus so groups don’t drift.
Starting groups is easy. Sustaining them requires structure.
Two essential elements of Saddleback’s infrastructure:
- Community Leaders (CLs): Oversee 10–15 groups, providing encouragement and accountability
- Leader Gatherings: Biannual events to cast vision and realign direction
Think of it like building roadways in a growing town—groups won’t thrive without clear lanes of support.
Don’t Isolate; Collaborate
The enemy loves to lead in isolation and fear. Fear stops us from taking risks for the Kingdom. Isolation cuts off our supply lines so we can’t fight the good fight. In 2007, God led me to start the Small Group Network so that no one would stand alone.
“Don’t build your ministry in a silo. Plug into a global community.”
I know what it’s like to do the day in and day out work of running a small-groups ministry. I am blessed with an incredible staff. My prayer is that this Network will be your staff, standing with you to help you fight the good fight. If you don’t think you need others around you—think again!
Guard Your Heart: Avoid the Messiah Complex
One of the greatest things I learned in seminary is called the Messiah Complex. It’s where you take on the roll of the Messiah and bear everyone’s burdens on your cross. There’s only one problem: you can’t do it. You will burn out.
Watch for signs of the Messiah Complex:
- No Sabbath or rest
- Always “on” and reactive
- Neglecting your own spiritual disciplines
“God blesses obedience, not overwork. A rested leader is a more effective one. Prioritize your soul, or the work for God will destroy the work of God in you.”
Symptoms of the Messiah Complex are a lack of quiet time and/or Sabbath forgetfulness. Just as God can take your financial tithe and make 90 percent go farther than your best 100 percent, He can do the same with a Sabbath. He can make 6 days go farther than your best 7 days. The principle God is working on has nothing to do with finances or time, it’s all about obedience. If you don’t prepare your heart now, the work for God will destroy the work of God in your life.
Take the Next Step in Your Small Groups Journey
Launching a small groups ministry isn’t just about logistics, it’s about spiritual transformation. As you take these next steps, remember that success comes from staying aligned with God’s vision, building intentional systems, and surrounding yourself with the right people. You don’t have to do it alone.
Whether you're just starting or retooling your existing ministry, tools like Tithely Groups can help you organize, communicate, and disciple more effectively. With the right strategy and the right support, your small groups can become the heartbeat of your church’s spiritual growth.
VIDEO transcript
Define the Destination: What Does a Disciple Look Like?
When you consider a believer, a follower of Christ in your church, what is it you want them to look like and act like? What is it you want them to “be”? Too many churches start up a small-groups ministry because it’s “the thing to do.” But it may not be the thing to do right now. Once you know what you want in a disciple, then you can back up and decide what will get you there.
At Saddleback Church, the goal is to form disciples who live out both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. That looks like:
- Belonging to Christ and His church
- Growing deeper in faith
- Serving using their spiritual gifts
- Sharing the gospel
- Surrendering every aspect of life to God
We use a Spiritual Health Assessment (see Chapter 10 of Small Groups With Purpose) to evaluate progress.
Ask yourself: What’s your version of spiritual health? Once defined, reverse engineer a pathway to get there.
What do you want? Once we knew our “end in mind,” we asked the question: What will get us there? Our answer came from Acts 5:42-47, and it involved a combination of weekend services and small groups (Acts 5:42).
Understand the Cultural DNA of Your Church
Talk to people. Talk to the key opinion leaders in your church—and if you don’t know who they are, ask around! Get the people who built the church and go through step one above. Find the history of the church and the passion that made your church what it is today. What’s the heartbeat of your Lead Pastor? What makes them tick? What is their strategy to number one above?
To lead change, first listen and learn. Ask key stakeholders and long-time members:
- What’s our church’s history?
- What does our lead pastor value most?
- What’s our current discipleship strategy?
Before you ask any of these questions, ask yourself something: Do I have the relational capital to ask these questions? If you do, great! If you don’t, take the time to get to know the people that need to hear these questions. Relationships take time. Sometimes you will find the answers to the questions without even asking anything.
Identify a Passionate Point Leader
Paid or not paid isn’t the question when it comes to this point—passion is the question.
Who in your church has the heart to shepherd people toward spiritual health? Look for someone with:
- Integrity & humility (Psalm 78:72, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5)
- A servant leader's mindset (1 Peter 5:2-4)
- A willingness to say “yes” to God (John 10:10)
If you have the person, the Small Group Network has the training!
Build a Kingdom-Focused Team
Every leader needs a team. If you were to start a business you would get your “C” team together—CEO, COO, CIO, CSO, CTO, and so on. So who is your “C” team, your Christ Team, to make this happen with His grace and strength? Start praying for people who want to see the same thing you want to see and who have different gift sets than you.
Like starting a business needs a C-suite, your ministry needs a Christ Team—people with:
- Complementary strengths
- A shared vision
- Availability and commitment
Then, ask them to join you. People won’t volunteer; you need to ask them. Lead with Vision! Claim back some of their 168 hours a week for Kingdom work. For some, you may need to align their Kingdom work for greater Kingdom efforts.
Craft a Clear Strategy, Not Just a Program
At Saddleback Church, the best way for us to start a small-groups ministry is through a campaign strategy. Now, understand that if you don’t go through the process outlined above, running a campaign in your church will start a bunch of groups, but they will probably be purposeless and drift. (Learn about our Campaign Strategy in chapter 17 of “Small Groups With Purpose”.
“Without strategy, you’ll end up with disconnected groups lacking purpose.”
Along with strategy, you need a culture to drive the strategy. Campaigns are successful at Saddleback because throughout the year our people hear from the pulpit the importance of small groups—through testimonies, sermons, commercials, and most importantly through personal stories of the teaching pastors in their sermons.
Time Your Launch Strategically
To answer this question, look at both the calendar and your church culture. There are usually three times to start small groups: fall, January, and post Easter. For Saddleback, fall is culturally the best time for us. We start our campaign a few weeks after school starts so families can get into their new routines. We use the summer to get ready, September to recruit, and October to launch. Your church will have a different schedule, and that’s okay. Do what culturally fits for your church.
The best time to launch small groups often aligns with cultural rhythms. Here are three proven windows:
Saddleback launches groups in October, using summer to prepare and September to recruit.
Design a Leadership Pathway
When you start groups, your small-group leaders need to know what you want them to do. Not only do you need to know the “end in mind” for your small group ministry, you need the same for your group leaders. Just like Jesus took His disciples from “come and see” through a three-year relational process to “come and die,” so we at Saddleback have a relational process for our “hosts” to become “leaders.” Now, we pray that none of them need to die, but we do want to take them from where they are to a deeper commitment in Christ. Whatever system you design, know where you want to take your leaders.
Leaders need a roadmap. Just like Jesus moved disciples from “come and see” to “come and die,” your group hosts should grow in stages.
Here’s a simplified example:
Build Infrastructure Before You Scale
It’s easy to start small groups; it’s hard to sustain them. Since 1998, our small-group team has seen our small groups grow from 280 groups to over 5,000 groups. That doesn’t happen without infrastructure. Just like a city needs roadways to develop as a town turns into a city, so your small-group ministry needs its roadways.
One critical part of your infrastructure is what we call Community Leaders (CLs), who are the leaders of small-group leaders. They are the relational arm of your ministry. They provide the care and direction to your small groups. They help with focus so groups don’t drift.
Starting groups is easy. Sustaining them requires structure.
Two essential elements of Saddleback’s infrastructure:
- Community Leaders (CLs): Oversee 10–15 groups, providing encouragement and accountability
- Leader Gatherings: Biannual events to cast vision and realign direction
Think of it like building roadways in a growing town—groups won’t thrive without clear lanes of support.
Don’t Isolate; Collaborate
The enemy loves to lead in isolation and fear. Fear stops us from taking risks for the Kingdom. Isolation cuts off our supply lines so we can’t fight the good fight. In 2007, God led me to start the Small Group Network so that no one would stand alone.
“Don’t build your ministry in a silo. Plug into a global community.”
I know what it’s like to do the day in and day out work of running a small-groups ministry. I am blessed with an incredible staff. My prayer is that this Network will be your staff, standing with you to help you fight the good fight. If you don’t think you need others around you—think again!
Guard Your Heart: Avoid the Messiah Complex
One of the greatest things I learned in seminary is called the Messiah Complex. It’s where you take on the roll of the Messiah and bear everyone’s burdens on your cross. There’s only one problem: you can’t do it. You will burn out.
Watch for signs of the Messiah Complex:
- No Sabbath or rest
- Always “on” and reactive
- Neglecting your own spiritual disciplines
“God blesses obedience, not overwork. A rested leader is a more effective one. Prioritize your soul, or the work for God will destroy the work of God in you.”
Symptoms of the Messiah Complex are a lack of quiet time and/or Sabbath forgetfulness. Just as God can take your financial tithe and make 90 percent go farther than your best 100 percent, He can do the same with a Sabbath. He can make 6 days go farther than your best 7 days. The principle God is working on has nothing to do with finances or time, it’s all about obedience. If you don’t prepare your heart now, the work for God will destroy the work of God in your life.
Take the Next Step in Your Small Groups Journey
Launching a small groups ministry isn’t just about logistics, it’s about spiritual transformation. As you take these next steps, remember that success comes from staying aligned with God’s vision, building intentional systems, and surrounding yourself with the right people. You don’t have to do it alone.
Whether you're just starting or retooling your existing ministry, tools like Tithely Groups can help you organize, communicate, and disciple more effectively. With the right strategy and the right support, your small groups can become the heartbeat of your church’s spiritual growth.
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Steve earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Evangel University and an M.Div. in Pastoral Counseling from Fuller Seminary, where his passion for small groups began. He has implemented small group strategies in churches of all sizes and, since 1998, has served as Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church. In 2006, he founded the Small Group Network to equip leaders worldwide. Steve regularly consults and speaks internationally. He and his wife Lisa live in Southern California with their two children.
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