Small groups are one of the great vehicles to deliver Christ’s love and healing to mature adults. Unfortunately, most middle and senior adult ministries do little to encourage small group involvement for members.
Why Small Groups?
Through small groups your mature adults will:
- experience a sense of belonging to a family/community;
- receive and give love and care;
- learn and grow in God’s Word and its application;
- reach out to those not yet in the community of faith.
How to Start a Senior Adult Small Group
Six important issues to consider before you begin a new group. Answer these questions prior to each new group you begin and you will find your success rate to be high:
1. Who is our target audience? The more specifically you define the kind of people for whom the group is intended, the more likely the new group will be successful. “Older Adults” is marginal. “Older women” is better. “Older women between 60-70” is better still. “Older women between 60-70 who are widows and enjoy traveling” will give you the best chance of a successful group.
2. What kind of group would best meet their needs? One way to answer this question is to conduct several focus groups. A focus group is a 45-minute interview with a group of 8-12 people who represent your target audience. The purpose is to find out the important issues, questions, problems, and concerns of these people so that the group’s activities will addresses their needs. Don’t presume you know your target group’s needs or how they see the world. Focus groups will teach you much you didn’t know that will make your group successful.
3. Who will lead the group? A small group leader should a) be mature in the faith, b) be teachable, c) be similar to the target audience, d) have natural leadership qualities, and e) be supportive of church leadership and the older adult ministry directions. Often it is easier, and more desirable, to recruit two leaders than one.
4. Will training be necessary for the leader? How will it occur? The kind of group should determine the kind of leader training. As a rule, the more intimate you expect the relationships within the group to become, the more important will be leadership training. Some of the best training occurs through modeling/mentoring in a similar group.
5. What support will the leader need to assure success? A monthly meeting of small group leaders to encourage and support them in their role will go a long way toward maintaining morale, facilitating communication, and resolving small problems.
6. When, where, and for how long will the group meet? When and where are best left to the discretion of the group. How long depends on the group’s purpose. People who have not been previously involved in a group are more likely to make a short-term commitment (12 weeks or less). Unchurched people prefer an even shorter commitment (4-6 weeks). Once the group approaches the pre-determined completion date, give them control over their own destiny. If they wish to continue meeting (over half the groups usually do) let them decide.
Small groups have become a staple in the life of most growing churches. That is because they bring many benefits to participants, both those who are inside the church and those who have not yet become involved. So, why not take a proven winner, and apply it to the older adult ministry in your church? The excitement a good small group strategy can bring to an older adult ministry is contagious and will last for years to come.
