You get a small group ready to reproduce by preparing people long before the day it actually happens. Cast a vision for an outward-focused group from the start, give emerging leaders more and more of the spotlight, and split into smaller circles regularly so people get used to not always being together. When reproduction is expected and celebrated, it feels like a win instead of a loss.
Set the Tone Early
Certain values and attitudes have to be cultivated far in advance. If a leader springs the idea of splitting on the group late in the game, people will feel threatened, and it will feel more like losing friends than gaining a mission. So from the earliest weeks, be invitational and welcoming, and keep reminding the group that it exists for more than its current members.
Speak often and with enthusiasm about the privilege of one day giving birth to a new group. Talk about leaving a lasting legacy. A group that sees itself as a launching pad rather than a closed circle is far more likely to celebrate when the time comes.
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
Paul pictured four generations of disciples in a single sentence: Paul, Timothy, reliable people and others. That is the vision behind reproducing a group. The goal isn’t just a healthy group today, but a chain of disciples who keep passing faith along.
Put Future Leaders in the Spotlight
A group can’t reproduce without new leaders, and the group has to come to trust and respect those leaders before launch day. After all, about half of the members will need to follow someone new into a new group. That kind of trust doesn’t appear overnight. It is built as people watch emerging leaders grow, serve and lead well over time.
John 3:30 He must become greater; I must become less.
John the Baptist gladly stepped aside so people would follow Jesus, and good group leaders share that humility. Give developing leaders more responsibility and more control of the group. Let them outshine you. The less the group revolves around you, the easier it will be for members to transfer their loyalty and trust to new leaders when the time comes.
Practice Splitting Up Before You Split
To prepare the group mentally, find ways to divide up for ordinary activities long before you reproduce. Split into two or three smaller circles during prayer time, or after the lesson for discussion. This also gives more people a chance to participate, and as a group grows it may be necessary just to manage group dynamics. Let your future leaders guide those smaller circles so people grow comfortable following them.
Acts 13:2-3 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
The church in Antioch didn’t cling to its best leaders. It prayed over them and sent them out, and the gospel spread as a result. When a group sees sending as worship rather than loss, launching a new group becomes an exciting, faith-building experience. If leaders push reproduction on an unprepared group, members will resist and may never be open to the idea again. But when they catch the disciple-making vision, they’ll want to do it again and again.
The Takeaway
Getting a small group ready to reproduce takes time and intention. Cast the vision early, raise up new leaders and let them shine, and practice meeting in smaller circles. When the group understands that it exists to make disciples, sending people out becomes a celebration.
