The internet can be an important tool in the development of effectiveness in small-group ministry.
by C.R. Robertson
Our weekly small-group Bible study has been over for nearly an hour. The last of the lingerers has just pulled out of the driveway to head home. I'm picking up the popcorn bowls and coffee cups. My wife is already logging onto the computer, preparing to send quick e-mail messages to several of the young women she has just been talking to.
E-mailing someone she has just spent an evening with may seem ...
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 ...
Reading groups encourage unity and lead to some deep discussion.
by Randy Hasper
Every pastor knows that growth as a Christian requires more than a Sunday experience. I want to give the congregation something worthwhile to do between sermons to stretch their intellect and their faith.
I started a reading group.
Today, homemakers and house painters read and discuss Kierkegaard. Hair stylists and law officers read Augustine and Bonhoeffer and Pascal. And they love it. My first group ...
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 ...
A small group works through their past hurts together.
by Life Together
"Can you love God if you don't love your neighbor?" Jenny asked her small group.
It seemed like a simple question, but the lengthy pause suggested otherwise. Martha, a new believer, broke the silence. "I suppose the 'right' answer is we can't love God; but right now I feel like I love God, but I can't love my dad. He's hurt me too deeply."
Martha was daddy's little girl growing up. She could do no wrong ...
A collection of resources that can improve your listening skills and help you apply them in small-group situations
"Small Groups in Depth" collections are assembled by the editors of SmallGroups.com as a method of continuing education for people participating in small-groups ministry. Each collection offers step-by-step training on a specific ministry skill or practice. Individuals may read through each resource on their own as a method of self improvement, or may customize the articles, discussion questions, ...
The basics of Bible study and discussion in small groups
Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey
If community is the glue of your group, worship is the heart, and evangelism the fruitful mission, then the foundation of the group is your weekly time spent together in the Word of God.
Do not underestimate the power of the Word of God. Among other things, the Bible is the best-selling, most read, most studied, and most memorized book in the world. It is also the most published book in the world—currently ...
Practical advice for one of a group leader's most important roles
Joel Comiskey
Peter, a member of my small group, recently accepted my challenge to lead four consecutive lessons. Two of them were as dry as a bone, while the others stirred exciting discussion. What was the difference? Peter's questions. In all four lessons, he listened intently, called individual members by name, and was careful not to dominate. On only two occasions, however, did he use questions that stimulated ...
The lecture/lab model is great for both small groups and Sunday mornings.
Larry Osborne
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Sermon-Based Small Groups.
At North Coast Church, where I serve as senior pastor, we've had a long and interesting journey with small groups. We had no groups when we first started out. But after a while, I began to realize that our congregation was more of a crowd than a living, breathing community. So we launched ...
Practical advice for working toward life-change, not spectacular meetings
Carter Moss
For many small-group leaders, one of the more intimidating things we do is facilitating a group discussion. Very few of us feel like we'll have all the right answers, or that we can handle whatever curve balls will be thrown our way (and there will be some!). To make matters worse, it's even challenging to gauge whether we're doing a good job or not.
But here's the good news: that's not what facilitating ...
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