by David Cassady

Sometimes the church sees technology as offering little benefit to ministry. After all, technology is cold and mechanical, and ministry is about people and relationships, right?

While it’s true that technology should never replace the personal nature of ministry, it can be wisely used to enhance ministry. This article will look at a few ways technology can enhance and strengthen small group ministry.

Why focus on small groups? If your church is like most, small groups continue to be a core place where people connect with each other and the church. They are where the most personal prayer requests are made, where the deepest friendships are built, and where most people do the deepest exploration of the Bible.

Most groups use communication tools already, whether it’s the telephone or the postal service. However, communication technologies have advanced greatly in the last several years and have become far more available to most households. From e-mail, to websites, to IM and cell phones, our members have extremely powerful communications tools at their disposal. Why not use them in God’s service?

Smyth & Helwys has created a new service designed to bring the power of communications tools to help support the work of small groups. Here are five ways this sort of tool can help your group grow stronger.

Involve more people
Small groups in churches are under tremendous pressure. It’s harder for small groups to thrive than ever before. Youth and adults are incredibly busy, with multiple commitments and responsibilities demanding time from their schedules.

For many groups, the entire group seldom gathers face-to-face. Each Sunday (or whatever day a group meets) some members will be out of town, others at work, others may be ill or otherwise unable to attend. In fact, it’s unusual for a member to be able to make all meetings each month.

Small-group focused web services like Caleb’s Cafe allow your group to have a private space on the Internet that members can access any time they wish. Even if they have missed several group meetings, they can visit their group’s site to catch up on prayer requests, upcoming events, and even share their needs and ideas with the group.

When members (especially those who cannot attend regularly) can stay “in the loop” with group news, events and prayer requests, they feel (and are) more connected to the group and can continue to enjoy its ministry every week.

Encourage timely ministry
Sometimes group members need the support of the group during the week. If a member has a sudden illness, accident, crisis, or other need, wouldn’t it be helpful if that news could be easily passed along to all group members? Wouldn’t it also be helpful if they could immediately respond with prayer and words of support?

With a group site on Caleb’s Cafe, a member can post a prayer request at 9 a.m. on a Monday and know that the rest of the group will receive an email alert the next time they check their email inboxes. Imagine a group member being able to notify the entire group about the hospitalization of a spouse with one email (without having to collect and keep up with everyone’s email address).

Group members could then reply with “you are in our prayers”, “let me know if I can help,” or other supportive message within minutes. The group could also, in a matter of hours, arrange for meals or other supportive actions.

Sure, the same thing could be done by phone, but how long would it take to reach everyone in your group?

More powerful communication tools can help groups dramatically shorten the time it takes for members be there for each other.

Stem attrition
Busy lives and hectic schedules make it hard for many members to attend group meetings and events regularly. The less a person attends meetings, the less connected they feel. And it becomes all too easy to drift out of the group.

With a private website, group members will find it easier to stay connected with their group and are less likely to drift away. If a member has not been able to attend group meetings for a few weeks, few members will take the time to write a card or make a phone call (also two communication tools). But more will take a few seconds to send a quick “We missed you” email through their group’s Caleb’s Cafe site.

Imagine that a group member, Sarah, missed three weeks of meetings due to her work schedule. What if the group was planning a Fall retreat? Sure, someone could call and poll every group member about dates and other details, but most groups will do their polling with the members that do show up in person. Wouldn’t it be better to also include Sarah’s ideas? A private website that sends automatic emails of all posts would allow her to suggest the weekends that would work better for her schedule. Sarah would be able to participate in the group and remain feeling connected.

How many members drift away from their groups because they lose touch? If communications tools can make it easy to keep them connected with the life of the group, “drift-prone” members will be more likely to stay involved.

Relate to Digital Natives
Educators are realizing that our culture (and our churches) now includes two sorts of people: “digital natives” and “digital immigrants.” (Read more here: http://www.twitchspeed.com. Digital natives have always known the Internet, instant messaging, email, and other digital communication technologies. They are extremely comfortable with these tools and see them as an important way to stay connected with others, whether for work, friendship, or family. Digital immigrants are those who have learned to use some of these tools. Digital immigrants still remember and understand a world where these digital tools are not required or necessary.

Digital natives are a growing part of our society and represent the future of the church. Many churches are looking for ways to better relate to these new generations. A first step is to use the tools they are comfortable using for communication. Digital natives see the telephone and postal mail as older and less effective technologies, and they prefer to use email, instant messaging, cell phones, and text messaging to stay connected. When digital natives experience churches that utilize these tools, they find their experience more relevant and meaningful.

Making it Easy
Most ministers are “digital immigrants,” and most churches do not have an Internet technology staff handy. How can they get started with these emerging tools? In response to the changing needs of small groups in churches, Smyth & Helwys has created a new service designed to help churches use the power of new communication tools in small group ministry. We worked hard to make it easy to use and support. There’s nothing to install, no training needed, and low cost (even free). If you have interest in seeing how this new service can enhance your church’s small group ministries, check out www.calebscafe.com.

David Cassady is the executive vice president and publisher of Smyth & Helwys Publishing.