How one church connected an entire congregation through small groups.
Allen White
"Connect 100 percent of your congregation into small groups."
Now that's a sales pitch.
Our church was stuck: A small number of our adults—only 30 percent—were involved in small groups. After seven long years of slugging it out the old fashioned way—raising up apprentices to birth new groups—we were headed nowhere. Only one leader started a new group. Connecting everyone in a group ...
God has ways he wants to use us if we are willing to follow his leading.
by Life Together
Amy had completed a year of leadership in a women's ministry at her church. When asked to lead a small group of stay-at-home moms, she immediately agreed. Days earlier, she had felt the Holy Spirit nudging her in this direction.
The announcement was made, and many women eagerly joined when baited with free babysitting. Bible study and fellowship with other women was a satisfying break during those ...
Integrate your relationships to make them more effective.
by Randy Frazee
Lifestyles today make integrated and interdependent relationships hard to create and maintain. The absence of this interdependence makes us hunger for community. Most of us manage "linear relationships."
Randy Frazee, author of The Connecting Church, describes linear relationships as running "from one relational unit to another. As you exit one world and enter another, there may be some mention of ...
An email small group can be a great solution for those too busy for another meeting.
by Marilyn A. Yocum
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Growing Small Groups.
My ideal small group would have included three good friends: Lynn, Margaret, and Susan. But I figured it could never happen. They were all busy people. We saw each other in church on Sunday and exchanged e-mail through the week, but the last thing any of us needed was another weekly meeting to ...
A near-death experience caused Dennis to take God's leading more seriously.
by Dennis DeKay
Four years ago I was in a terrible accident. Rolling over four times, I broke my neck in four places. During emergency surgery my vocal cords became paralyzed. I often wondered why God spared me. I thought, He must have a purpose for me. After three months of prayer, my voice returned. Over the next three years, however, I still wondered why God saved me.
People need to belong in a number of different ways.
by Joe Myers
Intimacy may be a worthy goal, but small groups are mostly about learning how to talk to one another. At least that's what Joe Myers, "multi-preneur" and author of The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups (Zondervan), believes.
Myers shared his thoughts on small groups and community recently with Brett Eastman, CEO and Founder of Lifetogether:
Learn to understand people and help them understand themselves.
by Doug Self
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Becoming a Great Listener.
Editor's note: This material was originally written to help pastors improve their listening skills while visiting church members in their homes. It has been adapted for small groups.
According to Robert L. Montgomery, author of Listening Made Easy, the ten most common characteristics of a good ...
Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs that can help you listen well
by Kathleen Miller
Jane called just as I was walking out the front door. Juggling my bag, Bible, and car keys, I answered the phone. "Hi," she said. "Have you got a minute?" I said I did, because I had told the members of my Bible study to call me anytime.
Jane was upset because her best friend, Sarah, had decided to leave the church. I knew Sarah's move stemmed from a ministry opportunity elsewhere. So instead of empathizing ...
Follow these principles to help people fulfill their longing for true community.
by Brett Eastman
Don't we all long to be a part of something fun, exciting, and life-giving?
The sitcom Friends captured this desire. Every week 50 million people watched six actors pretending to have relationships with one another. Its popularity was fueled by the deep longing we all have to be connected in community.
The advertising world has caught on to this yearning as well. Ads like MCI's promise to connect ...
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