Chapter 2
Motivate Your Group
Your role in motivating your small group may depend upon what commitments group
members made when they joined. If you require time, attendance, and
participation commitments in advance, your group may already be highly
motivated. Group members probably made these commitments with considerable
thought and prayer. This commitment alone will encourage them to exert more than
minimal effort.
One leader put it this way:
I'm not worried about motivating the people in our group. They're already motivated. I'm concerned about keeping from de-motivating them. God has put a desire in their hearts to do something and to grow as part of this group. Satan wants me to say something foolish, cruel, or out of order. He wants me to offend someone. I need God to keep me from doing anything unloving or insensitive, so that they will maintain their motivation.
In the final analysis, we want people to operate in the will of God. We want God to motivate them, and we must depend upon Him to do it.
Emotionalism, trickery, or a join-the-bandwagon approach doesn't compel people to do God's will. These superficial stimuli won't support a person's interest for long. Each person must sense that he or she is acting in obedience to God and is motivated by Him.
Although we're to depend upon God, we must also be careful to do all we can to create a positive environment for the group. Many factors help to produce a good atmosphere. Different people respond in different ways. Three main motivators are:
Involvement.
Encouragement.
Support.
Involvement
People get involved in a project because they're motivated, and involvement motivates people. Much like the chicken and the egg, it isn't always possible to determine which comes first.
No matter what commitments your group members made when joining your group, enthusiasm will wane unless they're drawn into a deeper involvement in each meeting.
The most effective tool available to you for involving people in your small group is using questions. Properly asked, the right question will help people to grow spiritually by involving them in discussion, discovery, sharing, application, participation, and spiritual growth. And they will be eager to do more.
Questions are so important that the next chapter is given solely to discussing the process of forming good ones.
Other forms of involvement that will help you involve people are:
- Hosting a group
- Preparing refreshments.
- Acting as secretary.
- Studying a special topic of interest.
- Room setup or cleanup.
- Leading the group (when you need to be away or as a change of pace).
- Extra-curricular study on a difficult question that has arisen and giving a report the following week.
Encouragement
A father relates this story—
Scott was three years old when we started him in an exercise program. He had many coordination problems, and we were sure this would help. One of the first objectives was to have him grab a bar and hang by his hands for a full minute. On the first attempt, he hung for two or three seconds. Fortunately, we were warned ahead of time not to be negative and say, "No, son, that's not right." Instead, I exclaimed, "Wow! That's fantastic. You hung there all by yourself. Let's get Mommy and show her how good you can do it!" We dept repeating this kind of response until he had shown everyone in the neighborhood his skill in hanging. It took only a few weeks before he was hanging for one minute at a time five times a day. By the time he was five, he could hang for well over two minutes while traversing a thirty-foot overhead ladder hand over hand.
People enjoy doing what they do well. People enjoy what they're praised for doing. People enjoy doing what elicits positive responses from others. True, we can't treat adults like three-year-olds, but the principle is the same. Many positive and sincere responses are available to us. You must provide that positive feedback.
Support
People are motivated when they're genuinely helped in their lives. People are helped when they learn to appropriate the solutions God has for the problems they're facing. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
You help people by helping them study God's Word. Follow the study material according to plan, and you will most likely be helping the greatest number of people. The material will eventually cover areas that will apply to their needs.
Of course, not all the needs of people will be discussed specifically in your material. As a leader, you should be sensitive to everyone's needs. If several people indicate special interest in a topic that may be related to a need in their lives, you may want to prepare a special study or presentation. Be sure you're addressing a need that is common to a large segment of the group. If only one or two people are interested, you can meet the need on an individual basis with appointments outside the group meeting.
Summary
Three means of motivating people in small groups are:
- Involve people in the process of learning, primarily by asking questions.
- Encourage people by giving them positive feedback at every opportunity.
- Support people by making sure the needs they have in their lives are being met.
How to Squash Enthusiasm in Your Group
Quickly correct every misconception or miscommunication. Be sure to use an authoritarian tone so everyone will know how serious you are.
Answer all questions raised by group members rather than asking for other group members' ideas. After all, who could respond with more clarity and expertise?
Things to Do in the Leaders' Meeting
- Discuss the participation of members of your group and come up with some definite plans to involve some of the less motivated people in ways other than discussion.
- Find examples of the three types of motivation (involvement, encouragement, support) in the life of Jesus as he interacted with the twelve apostles.
- Discuss other things that have motivated you to be a part of a small group.