Thought this post by my friend Kevin on the PDYM Blog will be a good reminder of some steps to follow as you wrap up your small group year and prepare for a big fall launch. Here’s a clip:

9. Celebrate — End with a Bang! If your small groups meet year-round, then find strategic points during the year during which you can celebrate what God has been doing in your small groups. Our small groups meet during the school year and then we shut them down for the summer. Therefore, at the end of the school year we have a small group celebration bash! We invite everyone to bring their friends for a day at the beach, a huge party, etc. and we just have fun. One crucial thing that happens during this celebration is that we have a time for students to share how small groups positively impacted their lives and helped them grow spiritually. This encourages those who were in small groups, and it inspires those who were not to get involved.

10. Evaluate — Honestly Assess. What is success in small groups? Answering this question is determined in step one when you ask God what He wants to do in your small groups. Now that you have run them, it’s time to take a good look at how you did. How were lives impacted? How did the individual leaders do? Did you provide them with everything they needed to be successful? If not, what do they need, and what can you do to empower them to be great small group leaders? What worked well? What didn’t? What should you keep? What should you kill? (What … not who!) Ask questions along these lines that will help you evaluate and determine how you can make your small groups even more effective the next year.

11. Repeat — Do it Again. Now take all that you have learned, implement the necessary changes, and go for it again!

JG