Most Witnessing Communities have a similar life cycle.

It goes something like this:

Stage I: Formation

    Core group of four to six forms and begins praying for their friends and for their target dorm or department or people group.

Stage II:  Launch

    Small group Bible study launched.  

Core group develops initial outreach plans (publicity, events, etc.) and begins inviting interested people.  Follow-up is key.     

First GIGs (Bible Studies geared specifically toward non-Christians) spring up.

Stage III:  Multiplication

     First small group splits (“multiplies”) into two.  Apprentice assumes leadership of second group.  

New apprentices selected and trained.  

Multiple GIGs may be occurring.

Stage IV:  Expansion

     Small groups continue to multiply, resulting in multiple small groups and GIGs. 

This necessitates breaking up into several distinct Witnessing Communities (perhaps based on geography or a further division of a given department or people group) and/or becoming a mini-chapter, with its own separate leadership team.