When Process Design Meets Ministry: Improving the Small Groups Pipeline at Saddleback Church

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Sometimes the most meaningful projects begin not with an assignment, but with a simple observation.

In early 2024, my boyfriend at the time and I were trying to join a small group at Saddleback Church. Week after week, we ran into the same challenge: every group we contacted was already full, and the process for finding available groups seemed fragmented. After speaking with volunteers at the Connections Center and exploring the church app and website, it became clear that the difficulty wasn't simply capacity. It was process.

As a consultant by profession, I spend much of my career studying organizational systems and identifying where processes break down. What I was seeing at Saddleback looked very familiar: disconnected intake channels, unclear follow-up procedures, and inconsistent communication between campuses. For a church with thousands of members across multiple locations, even small process gaps can quickly compound into significant barriers for people simply trying to get connected.

But this wasn't just a professional observation. It was a personal one.

"As a lifelong member of Saddleback Church for over 20 years and a ministry volunteer leader for more than a decade, Sarah brings a combination of biblical knowledge, authentic spiritual maturity, and professional excellence..."

— Pastor Steve Gladen, Global Small Groups Pastor, Saddleback Church

Rather than leaving the issue unresolved, I reached out to the team and offered to help.

My professional background made me well-suited for the work ahead.

"Sarah brings a strong professional background having worked as a consultant with federal government clients and as a financial auditor at PwC. She is well-versed in handling sensitive information, managing complex projects, and producing high-quality deliverables."

— Pastor Steve Gladen, Global Small Groups Pastor, Saddleback Church

What began as a simple email quickly turned into something much larger. My request was forwarded internally through the small groups leadership structure until it eventually reached Steve Gladen, Saddleback Church's Global Small Groups Pastor. Steve has overseen Saddleback's small groups ministry for decades and leads one of the most influential small groups movements in the world.

Over the following months, we met regularly to analyze and redesign the operational flow of Saddleback's small groups onboarding process.

Mapping the Member Journey

The first step was understanding the full journey a church member takes when attempting to join a small group.

Members could indicate interest through several channels:

• the church app
• the website
• weekend connection cards
• direct conversations with campus volunteers

However, these channels were not always feeding into a single coordinated system. During the early review process, I even identified duplicate web forms and overlapping intake pathways that created confusion for both members and ministry leaders.

To address this, I developed a Small Groups Registration Decision Tree, mapping each step from initial interest through final group placement. The goal was to create a clear operational framework so that every person who expressed interest would move through the same consistent process.

Alongside the decision tree, I drafted a detailed process narrative outlining how the system should function in practice, clarifying ownership of each step, defining follow-up timelines, and ensuring that no one fell through the cracks during the onboarding process.

Improving Communication with Members

One of the most important touchpoints in the process is the automated email sent to members after they indicate interest in joining a small group.

Working with the leadership team, I redesigned this communication to provide clearer guidance and actionable next steps. The revised version included direct links to group discovery tools, clearer instructions on how to proceed, and contact points for additional assistance.

This small change significantly improved the clarity of the onboarding experience and reduced confusion for new members navigating the process.

Building an Operational Health Framework

Beyond improving the intake process, the project also expanded into developing tools for ministry leadership to evaluate how effectively the system was functioning across campuses.

To support this effort, I designed several operational assessment tools, including:

• Campus health evaluation templates
• Small group engagement scoring models
• Operational review checklists
• Survey-based data collection tools

These tools allowed leadership teams to systematically review how well each campus was supporting members who wanted to join groups.

Using the collected data, I developed a scoring methodology that translated survey responses into numerical values and ultimately into letter grades for each campus. The grading system evaluated key operational indicators such as:

• clarity of process steps
• timeliness of follow-up
• effectiveness of connection cards
• accessibility of group information
• overall member experience

The goal was not simply to assign grades, but to create a transparent framework that could highlight strengths, identify bottlenecks, and guide continuous improvement.

"In her work with our team, Sarah supported a wide range of ministry operations. She developed standardized tools like campus health assessments, small group scoring templates, and review checklists. These resources allowed our teams to evaluate spiritual health and ministry effectiveness across multiple campuses."

— Pastor Steve Gladen, Global Small Groups Pastor, Saddleback Church

Field Research Across Campuses

To better understand how the process was functioning on the ground, I conducted field research across multiple Saddleback campuses, observing how small groups onboarding worked in practice.

Each campus was evaluated using the assessment framework, with findings documented and reported back to the central groups leadership team. These insights helped identify where certain campuses were performing exceptionally well and where additional process improvements were needed.

In one case, the Saddleback Brea campus demonstrated a particularly strong follow-up process and served as a model for other locations.

The work required more than analysis. It required relationship.

"Sarah engaged with pastors and volunteers from various Saddleback campuses, building trust and gathering honest feedback to support ministry improvement. She also proofed and edited written materials with precision, ensuring alignment with our values and voice."

— Pastor Steve Gladen, Global Small Groups Pastor, Saddleback Church

Implementation and Adoption

After refining the decision tree, process documentation, and evaluation tools, the materials were reviewed by the central groups leadership team and distributed to pastors and staff across the organization.

The decision tree and supporting documentation were incorporated into the Saddleback Groups Playbook, helping standardize the onboarding process across campuses and providing a shared framework for how the ministry connects people into community.

Seeing the system move from concept to implementation was incredibly rewarding.

"Sarah is the type of person who steps in before being asked, adapts quickly, works with excellence, and encourages everyone around her."

— Pastor Steve Gladen, Global Small Groups Pastor, Saddleback Church

Why This Work Matters

Small groups are one of the most important ways churches foster community, discipleship, and spiritual growth. But behind every thriving ministry is an operational system that ensures people can actually access those opportunities.

For organizations of any size, whether churches, nonprofits, or government agencies, the same principle holds true: when processes are clear, people thrive. When processes are fragmented, even the best intentions can struggle to produce results.

This project was a reminder that operational excellence and ministry impact are deeply connected.

Sometimes the most powerful form of service is simply helping a system work the way it was always intended to.

Since this work, much has evolved within Saddleback's leadership and community. New leadership has stepped in, and many who were part of that chapter, including myself, have since moved into new seasons. While I now attend a different church, I carry deep gratitude for the more than 20 years my family spent at Saddleback under Rick Warren's leadership. Those years will always remain in my memory as a time of meaningful growth, community, and ministry that shaped so much of who I am today.

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