Many churches start out small, build their membership and ultimately develop into busy, thriving worship communities. But as the years go by, a sense of intimacy and familial culture can be lost as a result of this successful growth. To solve this problem, many church pastors develop small-group systems. But how many small groups can a pastor effectively manage while maintaining the intimacy and sense of purpose that inspired them in the first place? And how can a church effectively transfer the pastor’s corporate vision to the local level? Whether a church is just starting out or already 30,000-strong, technology can play an important role in making small-group management more effective.

These days, Internet and Web 2.0-based technologies that support popular social networking Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook have made it very easy for people to communicate, network and develop relationships online. These same Web 2.0-based tools can be leveraged to facilitate small-group management and ensure a church’s continued growth.

Here’s an example: A married couple attending a small group for less than three months received an unfortunate blow when one spouse was sent to prison for nearly a year. This couple was already struggling to provide for their four children. Within hours of incarceration, their new small group had:

• Provided a new refrigerator
• Bought more than $500 in groceries
• Offered child care
• Brought clothing for the children
• Set up financial counseling
• Prepared the first night’s meal
• Scheduled continued care

Further, there were some internal complications. Some small-group members were torn by the nature of the crime, while others wished to set that aside. The small-group leaders guided the group through tough biblical principles to discover the right solution for the group. Throughout the course of the incarceration, and following the spouse’s release from prison, small-group members who felt comfortable continued to provide physical, emotional, financial and spiritual support. Because of the network of relationships that was already in place, the host small group was able to also reach out to other small groups within the church to recruit further assistance.

This group accomplished all of this under its own leader, without asking for pastoral assistance. In other words, this small group became a family and acted out God’s plan for community. This church successfully bridged the gap between the church-plant culture and group-based care.

Successfully managing a large small-group system requires a continued chain of relationships throughout the organization, and technology can play an invaluable role in creating and maintaining that chain. It’s an increasingly vital tool for working with a high number of volunteers that can’t always be at the same place at the same time for a meeting. This chain of relationships serves several purposes:

• Provides continuity of vision from leaders to members
• Enables rapid communication throughout the church enterprise
• Insures the rapid provision of resources to places of immediate need
• Limits the direct sphere of care to a manageable group of eight to 12 people