Benefits of small groups and events: No matter what size program you have, there are some benefits to small size groups/event. Two benefits are:
- It helps you build community. It allows students to get to know each other on a different level. Any time you have a mass of students show up to an event or your regular youth meeting time, you have to be much more intentional about organizing opportunities for the students to get to know each other. But, when you have a smaller group, by just you all being in that shared experience together provides a natural connect that can last much longer. For example, we did a high school overnight in the Fall Overnight and we had a solid turnout come. However, we had a smaller than expected guy turnout come. Instead of being flustered with the lack of guy turnout, one of our volunteer leaders Phil, began and developed new relationships with them which ultimately turned into the core of his current small group. Had Phil neglected time with those few guys, he would have missed the opportunity to build community with them and possibly miss out on a small group discipleship opportunity.
- When you build community, you can begin to build your program. I remember going to Willow Creek’s Church Leadership Conference back in 1998 when I was a 1st year Intern at my first Church. At the conference, they had a Youth Ministry component. It was there that Bo Boshers, the Youth Pastor, said that they began their ministry with less than 10 students. Can you imagine the youth program at Willow Creek having under 10 students at any point in their history? I cannot, but they did. What do you think would’ve happened if Bo and the Youth Ministry team said, “Today, we only have 4 students showing up, we are going to cancel our time together”? They would have never grown. I’m not saying that the Willow Creek Youth Program grew primarily because leaders cared for their students, but I am saying that those students who came, even though they were small in numbers, knew that their leaders cared about them and were valuable and that went a long way in establishing that program.
- Identify how you feel about the numbers game. Are you like me when I said I don’t care about number yet cancel or do you keep the event going no matter who shows up.
- Plan out a strategy of what will happen when just a few show up. Should you keep the plan as it or do you readjust your plan? Write down what will you do if just a few people show up and then enact it when it happens.
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Thanks for the thoughts Tom- I think they are right on the mark. Katie speaks about what I have come to know so well through a smaller youth ministry which sometimes ends up with those unexpected 2-5 people turnouts… it is always worth our time to be with them (just maybe in a different capacity than we had planned). Laying down our expectations of what the time will be for (as in- a specific trip or activity) is great, although it can, of course, be hard. And for me, realizing that 'we are in this together'- that the middle school youth ministry, for example, is a community that I am not only a leader in, but that I am a part of- has been a huge blessing. The activities (ie youth group & trips) are not about turn out, success, or failure; they are namely about providing space for relationship, hopefully with an element of sharing in the reality of Christ in some way (which may be intentional speaking, or just loving them & being real with His presence in our lives). Happy Thanksgiving to you all up in NOVA!
Great comments Liz! I wish I could take back all those events I cancelled and used them as opportunities to build stronger community and share about Christ on a whole different level. Have a great Thanksgiving as well!
I kinda disagree with the program part. I think we need to know why we do different programs. Sometimes we need to go ahead and suck it up (because it stinks when no one shows up…at least sometimes I take it as a personal affront even though it is not meant that way) and go ahead with what was planned, but what I have learned is that plan b is often a really good idea. We need to understand why we have our programs. If a program is meant as an outreach, why do it if there are 5 kids that show up and they are already Christians…find something that would be fun, but would not be outreaching to the 5 core Christian kids.
Just my take
Bigdaddy, I definitely agree and if I was not clear in my post, I apologize. My issue was that in the past, if those 5 christian kids showed up, I would want to cancel rather than do a plan b option. I think it is always best to have a plan b in case of those situations. So, thanks for pointing that out and I agree.
Another thing to think about is that it *does* matter who shows up, in that I mean, what the sex of the person is. I'm not one to freak out about every single possible thing that *could* happen or *might* happen, but if you had planned that, and only 1-2 girls showed up, and it was just going to be you leading the trip….then, yah, you'd just have to cancel, or find a female leader to go with you.
So I'm all about not canceling, etc., if the numbers are too low, but I think you do have to take into consideration "who" it is that showed up…
Adam, you are exactly right. In that situation, and if you were the only leader there, you would have to have a female leader or cancel. In all the events I do, I try to have at least 1 male and female leader there just in case that situations happens.