A church needs to carefully consider the risks and benefits before launching a group.
by Randy Christian
Support groups cost something. They tax the entire system of the church. A church may be flush with excitement at the prospects of helping a needy group, but if a church is not ready, a new support group can do more harm than good. We are wise, then, to count the cost of support groups before we start them.
After starting more than two dozen different support groups in our church, I've learned what ...
Small groups are helping Christians bring faith to bear in the for-profit world.
by Brad A. Greenberg
Mike Valleskey was struggling to understand how his job at Sears fit into his new life of faith. Valleskey hadn't been asked to perform unethically or kept at work so late he lost touch with his family. But he couldn't see how a disciple of Jesus Christ could work 9 to 5 inside an office with such a large mission field outside.
"I contemplated going back to Bible school," Valleskey tells Christianity ...
There are several practical ways you can include people with special needs in your group.
Esther M. Bailey
As a teacher or leader, you want everyone to receive benefit from your group session. When someone with special needs could benefit from your group, you wonder how to meet his or her needs. How can you bring a sense of belonging to someone who usually feels like a misfit?
Here are some suggestions I have used in various situations to integrate special persons into a group:
There are many people groups and sub-cultures right around us that we can invite into our group life.
Dan Lentz
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People Group: Children
Suggestion: It's been said that childcare is one of the biggest challenges that face small groups. What about trying to include children rather than divide the family for separate experiences. Start by including a "family feature" as part of each small group meeting. These family features can be the most memorable and beneficial parts of the group time for parents and children ...
Darryl's group has an abundance of members going into the fall.
It's August, and Darryl is finalizing plans for a September re-start of his small group. Happily, he has already received word that each of his group members from the spring will be returning—a total of 10 people, including Darryl. Even better, the spouses of three current members have agreed to begin attending the group, and two other members have close friends that are interested in joining ...
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