Here are 10 ways to make the most of your time together.
by Ken Godevenos
Assuming you've decided you want to achieve all purposes of a staff retreat—to work, rest, and spend time with God—here are some elements to build into the events:
1. Timing. Don't wait to have a perfect event planned, or one that will be scheduled a month in advance. The best staff retreats start when the leader says, "We need to get away at this time." Whatever the critical event or need, ...
Follow these steps to lead people down the path of continued spiritual growth.
by Brett Eastman
Our small group, like most small groups, is comprised of people with varying degrees of Christian maturity. One lady arrived as a spiritual seeker. Within time, she committed her life to Christ and was baptized. The evening of her baptism was a special time for our small group, as we celebrated her decision and prayed with her. Both seasoned prayer warriors and new believers lifted up praises and ...
The life cycle of small groups has been studied by a variety of researchers, both secular and religious, for several decades. Here are some of the models they've come up with.
David Limiero
The life cycle of small groups has been studied by a variety of researchers, both secular and religious, for several decades. Christians can benefit from the extensive research done in this area, as the basic phases of group life cycle are generally agreed upon by most group theorists.
Each theorist, however, divides the life cycle into slightly different numbers of stages, and proposes slight variations ...
Among small groups, it's essential to talk about group needs.
Keith Wright
Do you want your small group to remain healthy year after year? From the vantage point of overseeing 140 small groups, I observe one common denominator of vibrant, enduring groups: they recovenant.
Since people come into a small group with a wide range of experiences and expectations, I strongly advocate that new groups develop a covenant - a written statement outlining the group's purpose and ground ...
We asked a small group of small group experts; here are their responses.
Michael C. Mack
Small GroupsWhat is the Value of Group Covenants?We asked a small group of small group experts; here are their responses.Michael C. MackRadical Renewal: The Problem of Wineskins Today By Howard Snyder Touch Publishing
Radical Renewal is an updated reprint of Howard Snyder's classic book of the mid-seventies, The Problem of Wineskins. The premise of the book is taken from Jesus' words in Matthew 11:17: "Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
Snyder's theme is clearly that God's plan was and is today to use the church to impact the world for His kingdom purpose. But that will only happen as the church is willing to change its "wineskins" so that the wine can expand to new dimensions for God's glory. The problem, however, is that we tend to institutionalize the church—making sacred the means and methods of ministry. In short we have to again get our focus on the wine rather than the wineskin!
Chapter 4 deals with three areas where we need to change our thinking: sacrifice, priesthood and tabernacle. All three passed away with the birth of the church. They are wineskins, and yet it is our constant temptation to re-institute them - making the church building sacred as our tabernacle, the pastors our priests and the Eucharist our sacrifice.
The church is not the building! In contrast, the church had it's greatest impact in the first and second centuries before it had buildings. "It thought 'church' meant people, the community of disciples. In those days the church was mobile, flexible, friendly, humble, inclusive—and growing like mad!" Nor is the church the work of the pastor. "If the pastor is a superstar then the church is an audience, not a body." Rather, the church is a movement—God's people mobilized for action. When God's people get serious about worship, community and witness—functioning creatively in both large and small groups—then the world is effected! It is not through programs and techniques that the world will be drawn to Christ. It is when the church begins to act like the church that the nonbelieving world will sit up and take notice. It is "koinonia," not evangelism programs that is needed. Quoting Jess Moody, Snyder writes, "We will win the world when we realize that fellowship, not evangelism, must be our primary emphasis. When we demonstrate the Big Miracle of Love, it won't be necessary for us to go out—they will come in." This is where small groups come into play. It is through groups that Christians learn to truly love one another and there partner together to reach the world. The powerful message of Jesus is the wine. All the ways that we have become used to are the wineskin. God's plan is still the church, but for it to be the tool in God's hand that it was intended to be we must be willing to lay aside our comfort zones of how we've liked to see things done in the past. It is then that the church can be the force it was meant to be in our day.
The reason for making a move to being a cell church is not that it is easier, but because it will be more effective.
Jay Firebaugh
As a pastor, I've helped lead a church through transitioning to a cell church, and am now currently Sr. Pastor of a 13 year old church that has been a cell church almost from its inception. As a result, pastors who are either transitioning their churches or who are exploring the idea often contact me. The one thing I tell them most often is that cells or small groups can NOT be just another in the ...
A framework of topics and questions to help guide you towards victorious coaching.
Rod Dempsey
When you think of coaching, what is the first thing you think about? Is it a football coach roaming the sidelines ranting and raving at some official? Maybe it is a coach from high school that either did or did not like you and treated you accordingly. Maybe when you think of the word "coach" you think of a mentor that has guided you through some life decisions and it is a very positive feeling. Hopefully, ...
Values, goals, and feedback drive great leaders and great groups.
Jon Weiner
In Small Group Training, we learn about being a "faith-oriented" leader. The essential element to becoming faith-oriented is leading with the heart. A small group leader must love God, love group members, and love self as well. One of the important keys to being an outstanding leader of a small group is exhibiting a servant's heart—a passion for those the Lord has brought around you and your ...
Use these practical steps to help re-focus your ministry.
Mark Howell
In the same way that you have a unique fingerprint, so does your church. And so does your small-groups ministry. You may have "borrowed" a mission statement and principles from another church, but when you look under the hood, you're not the same. You are unique. You're made unique by the custom combination of passions, gifts, and abilities of your members. You're made unique by your setting. You're ...
Follow these six steps to help your leaders grow spiritually.
by Brett Eastman
When my daughter Michelle was diagnosed with a form of cerebral palsy, we thought she'd never walk. But one day she started getting up on her haunches and crawling. The next minute, she was pulling herself up on furniture and trying to walk, but she didn't look like she would ever stand sturdy on her legs. After we put her in a little walker that allowed her to cruise around the house, she went from ...
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