Use this practical tool to determine the childcare options in your small group.
by Michael Mack
Every church's small-group ministry is different. So is every small group. That's why we all need to think through the choices that will work best in our individual situations. If you plan ahead, the right childcare option can open up great opportunities for your small group instead of becoming a burden.Â
1. What is the childcare policy for your group?
[ ] No children are present except for nursing ...
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Family Friendly Small Groups.
When I speak at conferences or seminars, I ask people to write down the areas of ministry they are involved in and then prioritize them. Sadly, the majority of people never list one of the most important ministries entrusted to them by their Heavenly Father: their own family. It's the ministry ...
Participate in an activity that reminds us that we worship God by loving others.
Tami Rudkin
Leader say:
Worship is a lifestyle.
What kind of worship does the Lord require? Does He demand great acts of self sacrifice or simple acts of humility? So often we believe that loving God and living a life of worship is one monumental act after another. Consequently, most of us give up. We know we aren’t up to the task of living large all the time!
Mother Teresa once said, "We can do no great things—only ...
Our children are dormant volcanoes, ready to erupt for God!
Holly Allen
Dad aren't you glad we went to our cell group tonight? We got blessed? I like getting blessings over me!
Ten year old Zachary, one of the spiritual "bricks" in our church, said this to his dad after a cell meeting. (Our spiritual bricks are those 9 to 13 year old boys who draw or make airplanes during church and ask when will it be over every five minutes.) I asked Mike, the dad, to describe what happened ...
Child: "May I come to your cell today To see you worship, sing and pray?"
Adult: "You wouldn't find it any fun. When you are older, you may come"
from "The Unwelcome Child" by Lorna Jenkins
Sadly, most of us have looked at children in small groups the same way this poem does: as a logistical nightmare. But it doesn't have to be that way. Although parents have the primary responsibility of nurturing, ...
I realized that children had not been welcome in our midst, and therefore Jesus had not been welcome either.
Matt Messner
Our small group of adults was moving harmoniously into deeper worship as we sang the familiar choruses to the accompaniment of a skilled guitarist. Between songs, we sat quietly in an attitude of worship, enjoying the evident presence of God. The tranquility was quickly shattered as my exasperated 2-year old, with tears flowing down his face, barged into the scene notifying me of how one of his fellow ...
The same biblical principle underlies both small group and family.
Bettejean Sydnes Cramer
"Step aside, Ward and June Cleaver. The days of housewives in pearls and pumps are over." Rapidly disappearing are firm and fatherly chats with errant sons. A startling number of today's kids would have to hire a detective to track down bio-dad if they wanted to learn "father knows best." The grim statistics from the recent census confirm our worst suspicions–the traditional nuclear family is ...
After 12 years of marriage and a decade of Christian service, my husband and I decided to begin a new small group in our home … a very small group. In fact, our group consisted of just the two of us. It seemed that raising our son, work schedules and church obligations allowed us to minister to many people. We touched so many other people's lives that we never saw each other. It doesn't surprise ...
Family care is at the center of what we're trying to achieve in small groups.
Richard Dodge
You're about to take your wife out for her birthday, and you check the mailbox on your way to your car. It's a card from your small group leader, wishing her a happy birthday. Or perhaps your youngest child is about to have tubes placed in her ears as a way of combating the numerous ear infections she has had lately. The night before the procedure, your small group leader calls, offering to take your ...
Back in the 60s, Billy Graham asserted that the eleven o'clock hour on Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week. Of course, he was talking about racial and ethnic issues, but there is another segregation that has been going on in church for many years: the segregation of our households. Today in many, if not most, of our church's worship services, our kids stay with their parents until _________. ...
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