If there’s one thing that we can easily do to make our ministries better it is to be regularly evaluating what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Think of this as an ongoing check-up. However, sometimes it can be hard to look at what we’re doing with fresh eyes if we’re in the middle of it. So, what are some good ways to evaluate how your group is doing?
Take a field trip – We can always benefit from seeing what other ministries are doing. Why not take your student leaders or your whole group depending on how big it is on a field trip to visit another BASIC group in the area? You can find out what groups are close to you by going to the Campuses part of the website. If you don’t have a BASIC group nearby then consider visiting one of the other ministries on your campus or a nearby campus such as InterVarsity, Campus Crusade, etc. You may end up forming a great relationship with another ministry through this as well. I would try to contact a leader of the group you’ll be visiting ahead of time to make sure it’s ok to visit that week, but tell them not to change anything up just because you’re coming.
Bring someone from the outside in – I’ve heard of churches doing this and seeing great benefits. Find a student who has never been to the group to come in and ask them to evaluate their experience. This usually works better if it’s someone who is a complete stranger, unchurched, and you don’t tell anyone in your group they are coming. Offer this person some sort of compensation for doing this whether it’s $20 or some other sort of incentive so you can be sure they’ll take it seriously. Ask them to be as critical as possible in their evaluation and be open to receiving harsh criticism. You’ll be laying yourself out there, but honesty is the best way to improve. Who knows, maybe this student will end up coming regularly after their experience and get saved!
These are just two quick ideas I came up with for evaluating your group. If you have any others please share them below in the comments. Once you begin looking over where you need to improve try to remember the phrase “better before bigger.” I’ve seen groups try to do tons of outreach and get good results, but once students come to visit their weekly meeting they never come back. Find ways to improve on your core aspect (for most ministries your large group weekly meeting) before you make huge steps to bring growth. It’s better for students to come to a meeting that is very well put together and get excited about coming back than to see students get excited over one event and then never come again.