The Power of Multiplication

About a month ago Josh Hunt (http://www.joshhunt.com/) was at our church. During his visit we began talking about the power of doubling groups. I always invite people who share my vision and the principles of small group growth (spiritual and numerical) to visit with my leadership. As Josh met some of our people and saw what God was doing through doubling small groups he challenged me to record a testimony of what God has been doing over the past few years (http://www.sarasotabaptist.com/). So a few Sundays ago I decided to capture a piece of this at our Lakewood Ranch campus during a worship service. I hope this challenges you to think about developing a growth strategy for your small group ministry. If you feel lost in this venture let me know. I would love to try and help you (chad@kecktraining.org).


I have always been a big proponent of starting new small groups out of existing ones. I am a firm believer that the more groups you start the more people you can reach. For those of you who see Sunday School as simply the teaching arm of the church let me challenge this notion with the below video of what God has been doing in our Community Groups (this is our Sunday School with a few groups meeting at time other than Sunday Morning or off campus). My philosophy for our Community Groups is threefold (thanks Allan Taylor). First, Sunday School is the Reaching arm of the church. We want it to be an open place where people can bring their lost friends and co-workers. Second, Sunday School is the Teaching arm of the church. It plays a vital role in our disciple-making process. Third, Sunday School is the Ministering arm of the church. Out of these groups we develop prayer networks, meet care needs, do missions, and develop strong relationships. The below video was shot in Feb. 2009 at Sarasota Baptist Church, Lakewood Ranch Campus, where I serve as the Associate Pastor of Education/Discipleship.

I want to close by reminding everyone of 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (HCSB). While we each have a role in the growth process, it is only by the hand of God that growth occurs.

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."

I am clearly blessed to be at a place where God is at work!