There are times when it makes sense to operate a "closed" small group—a group that does not seek to bring in visitors or add new members. But the following common reasons for closing a group are not among those times.
Our Group Values Closeness
Developing close relationships should be a high value of small groups. Your group is where everybody knows you, unlike the sea of thousands on Sunday morning. But there is a line where closeness causes a group to become in-grown. The motto changes to "Us four and no more" or "We seven going to Heaven."
The problem is that what was once so great for your group—closeness and intimacy—will likely become the death of your group. Over time, members will move away. Schedules will conflict. As your group begins to decline somewhere around the two year mark, you will find it hard to recruit and keep new members. There's too much history going on. When it's all said and done, your group will be done.
Open groups enjoy meeting a steady stream of new prospects. Some will stay. Some will not. And that's okay. The core of the group will continue to become close. The new members will start out as the "ministry" of the group, and over time they will become close-knit as well.
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