What a difference doubling groups make!

What a big difference small differences can make! Doubling teachers are not a lot smarter. They don’t work a lot harder. They are not a lot more talented. They are not a lot more dedicated. They are not a lot more spiritual. They don’t love God a lot more. But they do have one thing that is different than they non-doubling counterparts, and at this point, the difference is huge. Here is it:

Doubling teachers joyfully, personally, enthusiastically, sincerely embrace the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

For non-doubling teachers, it is not even close. They are often verbally, vocally, enthusiastically, passionately opposed to the idea of their group growing and especially to the idea of their group dividing.

There is a reason–a very easy to understand reason–why many of us are not seeing the growth that we are seeing in many places around the world. The reason is simple: we are opposed to what it takes to create that growth. In order to create this kind of growth, you we must embrace the vision of groups growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

By the way, if you are reading this and thinking, “Oh, the pastor has given me this book to try to force me to split up my class.” I doubt that is the case. I doubt anyone–your pastor or church small group leader, and certainly not me–is of a mind to want to force you to split up your class. And, I doubt anyone actually has the power to split up your class if you don’t want your class split up. You can keep your class together. You don’t have to divide. Relax. Take a deep breath. You don’t have to split up your group.

You just can’t be a part of a movement. In order to be a part of a movement of six people growing to 100,000 in less than ten years, you have to joyfully, personally enthusiastically, sincerely embrace the vision of groups growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing. If you can’t do it joyfully and enthusiastically, I don’t think it would help to divide but be grumpy about it.

 

Joyfully

Doubling teachers embrace the vision joyfully. It is not something they do grudgingly. They are eager about it. It makes them happy. They are fired up about the dream about God using them to grow and divide and grow and divide and grow and divide. It fills their life with meaning and purpose. They love it.

Doubling teachers joyfully, personally, enthusiastically, sincerely embrace the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

They are able to say with a big smile on their face, “I want my group to grow and divide, grow and divide, grow and divide.” Go ahead, say it out loud right now: I want my group to grow and divide, grow and divide, grow and divide. Say it with a smile on your face. Say it with enthusiasm.

Now, I have some good news for you. For many of you reading this, embracing that vision is just about all you need. You have the God-given talent. You have the skill. You have the background. You have the training. You have the spiritual gifts. You have the love for Christ. You have the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. All you need is this one last element: joyfully embracing the vision of groups growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

 

Personally

It is not something that is forced on them from the outside. It is not something their pastor makes them do. Their Minister of Education does not twist their arm to coerce them into it. They personally embrace the vision. They own it. It has their fingerprints all over it.

If you go to lunch with them and get there a little late, you will find them doodling names on the back of a napkin. Names of people they want their group to reach for God. Names of inactive members they are concerned for. They are thinking of how many people they have reached, and how many people they can reach.

If you were to ask them about the major goals in their life, they would mention some other goals. They would mention career goals and family goals and health goals and financial goals. But, they would not fail to mention the goal they have of seeing their group grow and divide, grow and divide, grow and divide.

Doubling teachers joyfully, personally, enthusiastically, sincerely embrace the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

 

Enthusiastically

They are not half-hearted about this. They are not luke-warm. They are eager. They are fired up. The eat, breathe, drink, sleep doubling groups.

Oh, yes, it grieves them to say goodbye as they divide their group and create new groups. They develop good friends and get close to people and it does hurt to say goodbye. But, the payoff is well worth it. Doubling teachers are clear-headed about the idea that there is no other way. Eventually growth will kill a small group. That is, eventually, it is not small any more. They only way to tap into the enormous potential of doubling groups is to grow and divide.

They understand that their choices are to take care of a small, static group of believers or be involved in an exploding movement of God that offers the hope of the world. There is no other way. Between these two choices, there is no contest. Doubling teachers are enthusiastic about doubling groups.

Doubling teachers joyfully, personally, enthusiastically, sincerely embrace the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

 

Sincerely

No matter who you probed you would find the same answer. If you got to be best friends with them and caught them at a really honest moment, you would find that deep in their soul they love the idea of doubling groups.

If you got to be best friends with his wife, and you asked her, “How does he feel about diving our group, really? Who is putting him up to this? Who is making him do this?” You would get the same answer. They sincerely love it.

Doubling teachers joyfully, personally, enthusiastically, sincerely embrace the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

 

No other way

It could be no other way. There is no way you can have the kind of growth they are experiencing at Northpoint and Bogota and in China and in Church Planting Movements all around the world except that each group leader is joyfully, personally, enthusiastically, sincerely embracing the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing.

If every reproduction was a contest of wills, a fight, and a struggle to start a new group, you just can’t get the results that we are seeing in many places. If every time they wanted to create a new group at Northpoint they heard things like, “Well, I am not sure we want to do that,” and, “We will have to pray about that,” and, “I think that would really hurt our fellowship; we a just now really clicking,” you couldn’t grow a church from a new church plant to 15,000 in ten years. At Northpoint, by the way, they put it into the covenant and everyone signs it: in eighteen months we all agree we will divide this group.

Doubling teachers joyfully, personally, enthusiastically, sincerely embrace the vision of growing and dividing, growing and dividing, growing and dividing. There is no other way.