Small Group Network

Two Cornell researchers, Tom Gilovich and Vicki Medvec, spent years studying what people actually regret. Their finding: in the short term we regret the things we did. But ask people at 70 to name the biggest regrets of their lives, and the proportions flip. About three out of four are about things they didn't do.

The job they didn't take. The conversation they didn't have. The trip they never made. The risk they talked themselves out of.

If you're a small group pastor reading this, you've watched some version of this in your own leaders. The volunteer who almost stepped up. The couple who almost joined a group. Those stories tend to be quieter than the dramatic action regrets, but they're the ones that stay.

You spent last week training a new leader. The week before that, you walked someone through their first co-leader conversation. The week before that, you stayed up late writing the curriculum because the curriculum you bought didn't fit your people.
You set tables. That's the work.
Two weeks from today, we set one for you.
LOBBY is three days at Saddleback Rancho Capistrano with the only people who actually understand what you carry. Real conversations. Real coaching. Real rest. You walk in tired. You walk out reminded why you started.
Pull up a chair: https://smallgroupnetwork.com/table

You might be the only small group pastor at your church.
You're not the only small group pastor.
Somewhere tonight, there's another one of you. Same 9 p.m. text from a leader who needs to vent. Same stack of unopened curriculum. Same Sunday morning math about which group still needs a host.
She hasn't met you yet. He doesn't know your name.
But the table you're setting? They're setting one too.
Set the table. Watch it multiply.
Join the network: https://smallgroupnetwork.com/table

65% of pastors report feeling lonely. Barna has been tracking this since 2015 and the numbers keep getting worse.

Loneliness up. Peer support down. Two out of three pastors aren't getting support from anyone.
The compassion fatigue research says this is predictable. You spend years caring for other people and nobody cares for you. Eventually that catches up.

We put together a free toolkit with a self-care audit and a community rhythm template built around what the research says actually helps.
smallgroupnetwork.com/table

Many pastors feel isolated and burned out from caring for others without receiving the same level of care poured back into them. That burn out, that lonelines; there's no room for them at the table... but there is for you.
https://smallgroupnetwork.com/table/

The quality of your groups will never outrun the quality of your coaching.
You can have the best curriculum, the slickest sign-up system, the most intuitive group finder on your website. If your leaders aren't coached, none of it matters.

Good news is coaching isn't a personality thing. It's three conversations most of us were never taught to have.
We put them in a free toolkit:
"How are you, actually?"
"What's the hardest part of leading right now?"
"What would make next week better than this week?"

Those three questions have changed more of my leader conversations than any training I've ever attended.

Grab the full free setting the table toolkit: https://smallgroupnetwork.com/table

You set the table for everyone at your church.
From your leaders to the person who shows up on week one not knowing anyone and by week six can't imagine not being there.

But who does that for you?

We put together a free toolkit for small group pastors. A fall recruitment calendar, coaching conversation starters, and a self-care audit that's going to be a little uncomfortable. (That last one is on purpose.)
It's at the link below. Take what's useful.

https://smallgroupnetwork.com/table

You’ve spent all week preparing the way for others to encounter the cross. Now it is time to pause and reflect.

The work is finished. Thank you, Jesus!

For many churches it is spring small group launch season. If you are looking to recruit new leaders or coaches, here's an amazing guide for shifting to a culture of invitation.. To dive even deeper it comes with 16 page planning guide worksheet to help you make that cultural shift, Check it out!

Building an Invitation Culture: How to Move from Programs to People - Small Group Network A practical guide for small group pastors and key volunteers Download the worksheet by clicking HERE I’ve never met a small group pastor who said, “You know what? I have […]

Steve Gladen's latest episode on the top 5 strategies for 2026 has just dropped (after a bit a flu-related delay). https://open.spotify.com/show/6GExuFBU5hPLZlQnktfFkO

What are some of your top strategies or "ins and outs" for 2026?

SG² Steve Gladen on Small Groups Podcast · Steve Gladen | Lumivoz · Small group leaders, pastors, and more discussing strategies for growth and community in church groups. The Small Group Network is an international ministry that equips churches to engage in deeper discipleship and community.