On Tuesday, May 18, 2021, Ken Braddy led a group of pastors and other church leaders from around Hawaii, the Pacific, and Asia in a one-and-a-half-hour seminar to help churches launch or re-launch groups.

We’ve been encouraging all churches with the following, “If your church paused small groups for preschool, kids, students, and adults, September is an ideal time to relaunch your groups! If your church doesn’t have Sunday school or small groups, September 2021 is also a great time to launch them. July and August are your key months for developing a strategy and training your leaders.”

Ken Braddy, Director of Sunday School for Lifeway Christian Resources, shared from his broad experience on key considerations for the successful launch or relaunch.

Braddy shared recent Lifeway research which reported that 91% of churchgoers are planning on returning to their pre-pandemic attendance levels. He said, “As we emerge from the pandemic, churches are reopening their Bible study groups again. Now is the time for churches to rediscover Flake’s Formula. In a post-pandemic world, this simple 5-step formula can help churches get back to the essentials that grow a Bible-teaching ministry.

• Step 1: Know your Possibilities
• Step 2: Enlarge the Organization
• Step 3: Enlist and Train Workers
• Step 4: Provide the Space
• Step 5: Go After the People

If you are not familiar with Flake’s Formula, you can read about it in greater detail in a new book Ken Braddy and Alan Taylor compiled last year titled “Building A Disciplemaking Ministry: The Timeless Principles of Arthur Flake for Sunday School and Small Groups.”