This is Peter Bowden, trainer, coach and founder of the UU Growth Lab. You are invited to our February 2025 live innovation session!
During this 2-hour Zoom experience our focus is promoting membership growth by increasing the relational capacity of your congregation. I'll offer a training on using intentional growth oriented small groups, followed by Q&A, discussion, crowdsourcing ideas and learning from each other.
Challenge: If we don't structure and lead groups with intention and purpose they fill up, tight relationships form, and very quickly there's no room for newcomers. Without a strategy, ongoing small groups almost always become closed and newcomer-averse. Often congregations will try and counteract this by forcing groups to be shorter term, force groups to add newcomers, and we end up with shallower relationships or rogue groups.
Featured Solution: Growth doesn't just happen, it takes intention, focus, and leadership. For small group ministry systems to grow, we need more than one kind of small group. My approach is to offer:
1) Ongoing long-term stable groups,
2) Flexible, fluid and shorter term groups to make room for different life circumstances,
3) and specialized growth groups!
I'll share very practical strategies for creating intentional, growth-oriented groups optimized for newcomers while still supporting long-term connections.
I bring over 20 years of experience helping congregations design, implement, and grow small group ministry programs. In 2001, I launched the UU Small Group Ministry Network website and re-launch it with others as an organization in 2004.
Did you know it was Small Group Ministry that led to my national training practice with UU congregations?
In addition to training leaders, I’ve personally led small groups for youth, young adults, adults, and elders. My approach emphasizes welcoming newcomers, nurturing relationships, and empowering groups to grow, divide, and produce new groups.
People are hungry for connection, belonging, and meaningful community, and small groups are one of the most powerful ways to meet that need. Whether your congregation already has a small group ministry program or is just getting started, this session will give you the tools, insights, and inspiration to grow your program. These ideas can be applied within a congregational-wide small group ministry program as well as other group-based programs in your congregation.
What are lab innovation sessions?
These monthly live online facilitated Zooms sessions are a chance to dive deep into a key area related to leading and growing UU congregations. They are dynamic collaborative sessions designed to accelerate our learning growth and innovation by combining focused training, small group discussion, crowdsourcing and synthesis of insights, and Q&A.
This live Zoom session is on Tuesday, February 25th at 1:00 PM.
See below for Zoom meeting registration.
To access this full post and the zoom registration link you must be either a free subscriber or a member of the UU Growth Lab. Need to connect? Learn more and join us!
Session Details
UU Growth Lab February Live Innovation Session:
Topic: Growth Groups - Growing Meaning and Membership with Small Group Ministry
Trainer & Host: Peter Bowden
Date: Feb 25, 2025
Time: 1:00pm Eastern Time
Duration: 120 Minutes
Cost: Free
Replay & Resources: A replay of this session as well as my follow-up enhanced on-demand training, notes, transcripts, and any other related materials will be available to members of the UU Growth Lab in our member area.
