Be aware of the things that keep visitors from returning.
by Life Together
Many people that visit but never return to a small group do so because it feels cliquish. When visitors walk in to your meeting, your top priority is to make them feel welcome. Greet them at the door; give them a hug or a handshake and look them in the eye when they talk.
If you fear your group gets cliquey, you can change your group atmosphere by having a brief introduction period during which each ...
Whether your small group is open or closed, or whether or not you always leave an empty chair, there's one uninvited guest hovering around the meeting place ready to barge into the proceedings. The longer your group lasts, the more likely this intruder is to make an appearance. The ...
As kids, it never occurred to us to "work" on any of our relationships. They just happened. And if for any reason they didn't, we jumped ship. No fuss, no muss.
But somewhere along the line, each of us entered the fray of mature relationships—and things got dicey. We learned ...
Practical advice for ministering to emotionally and spiritually wounded group members.
Rex L. Stancil
I have spent the last 14 years serving as a chaplain or in some form of pastoral ministry in the local church. During that time, I have taught and trained literally hundreds of small-group leaders on the subject of Christian care and counseling. My advice is usually to love people until it hurts, perhaps love them some more, and make sure they are getting help somewhere in addition to the small group. ...
Leader: This time together is going to be a creative, word and thought association. As the leader, you are going to give a word that describes God. Your group is going to respond by giving other descriptive words and thoughts that come to mind after they hear your word. After they exhaust one word, you will go down the list given below. Go as long as you want, adding your own words, or as short as ...
"The Holy Spirit blinded the people who bought the junk we sold at our home fellowship yard sale," says David. The group he is involved in had a yard sale for two families with unemployed fathers. Each family received $650 as a result of David's group being willing to serve.
One of our home fellowship groups hosted a nine-hole golf tournament for underprivileged children. Tickets and refreshments were ...
Here is a list of icebreakers from Mark Goodge, excerpted from the Cell-Church mail list. Mark says, "Just for fun, here's a list of ten icebreakers that can be recommended to provide maximum embarrasment, offence, confusion, disinterest and/or rejection. (Please, don't ever actually use any of these.)"
10. If you were asked to make up an icebreaker for this group, what would it be?
How to manage difficult personalities within your small group
Janet McMahon
The group was new—we had only been together for five or six weeks. That's why I was happy to see a new couple walk into the room. I was also happy to see that everyone greeted them warmly. But about 30 minutes into our meeting, the warm temperature of the group began to cool. The regular members began to exchange looks across the room, and the question on everyone's mind was, "Who invited these ...
How to keep your small group from running aground.
Ken Gonyer
Shipwreck!
It was after midnight on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker leaving the Trans Alaska Pipeline Terminal, struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, tearing open the hull and dumping eleven million gallons of sticky, black crude oil into the ocean. The resulting oil slick polluted the shores and destroyed wildlife in Valdez Harbor. It was the worst oil spill in U.S. history. ...
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