2020 Group Challenge

2020 Group Challenge

Ok, here is the once and for all time for us to jump on the bandwagon of 2020 clichés!  

This year and season are great times to offer clarity and be reminded of what we are called to do as group leaders that guide people to lives of gospel transformation. Let me be clear, I don’t want you to read this list that makes you think that if you aren’t doing these things you are not a successful group leader. Also do not think that these things have to be accomplished in the first week of 2020. They are meant to be planned and intentional ways for you and your group to grow. However, I believe that if you have a 2020 mindset, you will grow personally as well as through your group.

So what is the 2020 Group Challenge?  Here are the main points:

• Spend 20 minutes in quiet time with the Lord daily (prayer, reading God’s Word, applying God’s Word)
• Meet 20 new people in the church
• Meet 20 new people in your neighborhood or city
• Invite 20 people to your group
• Have 20 gospel conversations
• Every 20 days visit a different group member (couple)

Let’s break each of these down.

Spend 20 minutes in quiet time with the Lord daily (prayer, reading God’s Word, applying God’s Word)

The utmost priority for being a group leader is your personal walk with the Lord. If your walk is growing and thriving, so will your groups. This is because your group is experiencing the blessing of your personal devotion to the Lord and they will be drawn to the truth you are sharing.

Meet 20 new people in the church

So often the very people that we are seeking to connect to our groups are sitting beside us every week and yet we don’t realize it. It is amazing who the Lord will put in your path just simply in your church each week that need to get connected to a group.

Meet 20 new people in your neighborhood or city

I recognize that we live in a world that is closed off. The only time that we seem to get outside is on Halloween and even with that, it is dark and awkward. However, if you intentionally take the time to either meet people in your neighborhood or city, it encourages your group to think outside the walls. Just as meeting people within the church, I believe you will see that the Lord puts people in our path that we can reach out to and help to connect to the gospel.

Invite 20 people to your group

A part of this is playing the numbers game regarding inviting people. The old numbers game was that you had to have 32 conversations to get one person to come to your group. I believe that if we are simply just doing something is better than nothing. Let’s close the gap and make personal, meaningful invitations to our groups from our relationships.

Have 20 gospel conversations

Remember that inviting to your group or to your church is different from having a gospel conversation. Yes, inviting to church or your group should be a place to start a conversation, but to have a gospel conversation leads to sharing what Christ did in His death and resurrection and leading to a call to repent and believe. Once again, the more that you are getting out and having these conversations, you will see how it impacts your group.

Every 20 days visit a different group member (couple)

The focus of this statement is to remember that our groups are to be about care just as much as reaching out. I have always said that care is contagious. A group (and subsequently church) get a bad reputation when people do not feel like they are cared for. But when a group prays for one another, reaches out to those that miss group times, take meals, etc., others will be drawn to that group and desire to have an experience of care. By setting aside time to meet with the people in your group, you will learn more about their lives and hear their struggles and ways they need care.

These are simple things that if you focus on one or two, or even all of them, you will see an impact made in your life personally as well as in the community of your group!

God bless and go have a 2020 vision!