How the 40 days of purpose led to an explosion of small groups at one church.
by Life Together
Tom Mullins, senior pastor of Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a former football coach who uses colorful sports stories and analogies frequently in his teachings. Not one to be afraid of cutting edge ideas and strategies, Pastor Mullins and his team at Christ Fellowship recently implemented a new "game plan." And what a game plan it's proved to be.
The story of a church who found the first thing they needed to do with small groups was to offer them.
by Life Together
Three weeks into the initial launch of small groups at Church of the Resurrection in Leewood, Kansas, church leadership is still feeling overwhelmed by its members' eager response. The church was expecting to begin with 150 small groups and 1,500 participants, but ended up with 240 groups and 2,600 participants.
Debi Nixon, Director of Small Group Ministry at this United Methodist church, says she ...
Just because people are hesitant doesn't mean they're not ready to be small-group leaders.
by Brett Eastman
When it comes to small group ministry, the need for leaders is always great, yet people are often hesitant to take on this role. Being asked may open the gate to a herd of excuses:
"I'm just too busy."
"I don't have enough knowledge of the Bible."
"I'm not the leader type."
But as Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, says, "A small group leader doesn't have to be a spiritual giant, a Bible scholar, ...
God equips us each with powerful ministry tools. Discovering yours will help you find your place as a vital minister to your small group. Below are two tools to help you identify your shape for ministry. Use the first tool to begin the process. Use your results to complete the second. Afterwards, talk about the results with your group leader and fellow members. Together you can figure out how you ...
Dividing responsibilities not only eases your leadership burden, it helps your group members grow.
by Life Together
First Corinthians 12:7 says that God gives every believer spiritual gifts for the common good of the body. But if your small group is like most, it's led by just one person—you! Not that you're probably complaining, but that's a huge burden. Aside from that, it's also keeping everyone else from growing in their gifts.
The load usually falls on one person because many leaders feel like the only ...
Setting a goal for spiritual maturity and a realistic pace for spiritual growth
Tony Escobar
One of the main purposes of small groups is to develop mature people who follow Christ more obediently. But in churches, and especially in small groups, different people may view spiritual maturity in different ways. Some may think of it as having lots of Bible knowledge, for example, or having a great quiet time everyday, or being perfect.
At Community Christian Church, we believe that spiritual maturity ...
Learn what to expect, and how to react, as a small-group coach.
Joel Comiskey
I'm sorry to say it, but no coaching relationship develops to perfect levels of openness and communication overnight. Instead, most coaches pass through predictable stages of highs and lows, which can be understood as a series of coaching stages. The following is a brief walk-through of those stages, including practical advice for growth.
A step-by-step approach to guiding your group toward spiritual maturity
Tom Bandy
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Soul Care.
Perhaps the most exciting and intimidating role a small-group leader may play in the lives of small-group participants is that of "spiritual guide." The excitement lies in being midwife to another's insight and mentor to another's mission. The intimidation lies in the sheer terror that someone might actually ...
Can't seem to find the right group? Maybe you're what's missing.
Len Woods
We've all heard that old joke where one guy says, "I'm looking for the perfect church" … to which his friend replies, "Yeah, well, if you find it, don't join it or you'll RUIN it!" The point is obvious: There's no such thing as a perfect church. The reason should also be clear: Churches are composed of imperfect people!
What's true of churches is certainly true of small groups. Every group has ...
If God's church is to multiply the way he intended, it must get serious about discipleship.
Michael C. Mack
...
Jesus identified two components of discipleship as he called his apostles (Mark 3:14): "He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach" (emphasis added). The first part of discipleship is to be with him, to follow Jesus and to grow continually in understanding and obedience. The second part is to be sent—to ...
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