It’s one of the most palpable shifts in sports: a football team is down by two touchdowns, but then suddenly intercepts a pass and scores quickly. Or a baseball team is down by four runs but then the pitcher walks three straight batters. Or a basketball team is struggling to score but the best player on the other team is blocked when he goes in for a layup. When things like that happen, the energy in the stadium or arena immediately changes. That’s the power of momentum. Momentum is that invisible force that makes the difficult feel effortless, but the absence of which makes the routine feel impossible.
Small groups have momentum, too. When a group has spiritual momentum, the conversation flows, people arrive early, and the gospel feels fresh. But just like a stalled sports team, that energy can vanish. Most of the time, loss of small group momentum doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a slow fade of missed weeks, quiet rooms, and surface-level chats. So you do you know if your group has lost momentum? Here are three signs:
1. The circle is closed.
A group with momentum is an open group. That openness is expressed both internal and externally. Externally, a group with momentum feels like a welcoming committee. There’s an eagerness to pull up another chair. But as time goes on, the group can turn inward as they become more comfortable with each other. A group that has become a closed fraternity has often lost its momentum.
But openness doesn’t only mean adding new people; it also means that group members are open to one another. They share their thoughts and fears. They are unafraid to be vulnerable with one another. But a closed-off group doesn’t see the need. They would rather bear their own burdens than allow someone else to help them.
2. The conversation is all about the head.
It’s easy, as a group leader, to mark the success of your group by how easy the conversation is. If people are willing to talk and think and share and even debate, you might think the group is doing its job. And to be clear - talking with one another in a group setting is a good thing. But it can’t be the only thing.
A group has lost its momentum when the talking doesn’t translate into action. It’s when the group talks about the dynamics of prayer, but doesn’t spend significant time in prayer. It’s when the group talks about following Jesus, but never crystallizes specific changes in behavior that need to come about. It’s when the group talks about the Bible, but doesn’t daily open God’s Word outside the group. When the group is all about information, it ceases to be about transformation, and you know momentum is lost.
3. There no leadership development.
A good leader is a blessing to a group, but that same good leader can also be a hindrance. That’s because the group can grow so comfortable of a single person’s ability to skillfully lead a group that no other leaders are ever developed. This, too, is a sign the group is losing momentum.
A group with momentum doesn’t just rely on the skills of a single group leader; it is a group that is willing to multiply and start other groups. For that to happen, that same skilled group leader must be actively raising up other leaders and giving them a chance to hone their own skills in a safe environment.
If any of these signs apply to your groups, it may mean it’s time for a reset. That reset doesn’t have to require flashy programming; it often starts with reassessing the goals of the group overall. If you sense a group is losing momentum, one pathway forward is to simply refresh the vision for what small groups are meant to accomplish. Give the leaders of stalled groups the “true wins” of leading, and then coach them along the way.
