Over the years of my ministry, I have seen so many successes with the multiplication of groups. As a result, I have no doubt about the effectiveness of the method. There may be an occasional failure of a class or group, but the mere vision and plan to start another group frequently gives life and motivation for growth to classes. The intentional apprenticing of another leader so that he/she can be set to take over the current group or launch the new one is a constant visual reminder of what the class is working toward.
More than once in this blog, I have promoted the effective method for class multiplication that Josh Hunt has explained so simply (TIGER) in You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less:
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Teach (at least) a halfway decent lesson each and every week–nothing less will do.
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Invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month.
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Give Friday nights to Jesus.
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Encourage the group to ministry.
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Reproduce new groups.
On his website, there are lots of articles with great information and motivation for taking the step of faith to double your class. But sometimes, more is needed. Inspiration in the form of testimony can be quite powerful. That is the reason that Josh has been compiling videos of people who have actually done it. They have actually seen their groups double. Sometimes we need examples. We need to hear from real people who were surprised at what God did.
I want to encourage you to check out the videos that Josh has collected here: http://sundayschool.ning.com/. Watch the one about John Sprinkle (type the name in the search videos search box). Watch some of the others. Then consider these four points that Josh made in a recent newsletter:
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People need an example.
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Vision casting takes time.
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Leadership is everything.
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Without Christ we can do nothing.
Look for examples. Be the example. Continue lifting up the importance, value, and methods of starting new groups. Cast vision constantly. Lead. Develop apprentices. Set goals. Pray. Trust God. Follow where He leads. Join Him where He is at work. Start new groups. Be revolutionary!
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