An interview with Tom Albin about the success of the Wesleys.
by Tim Stafford
Small groups—in which 6 to 12 people regularly gather to talk about their spiritual journeys, study the Bible, and pray—have become an integral and dynamic part of modern American church life. They have helped transform thousands of churches and millions of individuals. Though many think they were invented in the last couple of decades, they've been around in one form or another since the ...
Getting more people involved in leadership gives greater ownership.
by Life Together
Sunday school is one of the best places to begin building community in your church, but often Sunday school consists of star teachers—and few people end up in leadership as a result. This is the story of how one church moved from a soloist (the rock-star Sunday school teacher) mentality to a choir (a host of people providing leadership) philosophy of Sunday school ministry.
Apply the success of Saddleback church to your small group program.
by Brett Eastman
I can remember it like it was yesterday. I had only been on staff at Saddleback Church for a few weeks when I learned that over 800 men from our congregation were planning to attend the Promise Keepers rally in Washington, DC. I suggested we try to launch some new small groups among the men going to the event. Over 300 said they were interested, but I only had half a dozen men to lead them—the ...
Small groups that thoughtfully use Scripture can serve an evangelistic purpose.
by Marilyn Kunz
It is now clear that large numbers of people have become Christians through peer-group discussions of the Bible. And when unchurched participants become serious about the Christian faith, they normally begin attending church, often the church of their group's initiator.
Whole churches have been built using this method, and the gospel has penetrated neighborhoods and workplaces that likely would not ...
How one church built groups from natural affinity groups.
by Life Together
When our church took a health assessment, we made an interesting discovery: People who were not in small groups rated themselves just as highly in fellowship/connectedness as people who were in small groups.
We used to view our church as hundreds of disconnected souls in desperate need of community. But we learned everyone in our church is connected to someone: a family member, co-workers, customers, ...
Setting up task groups is a great way to develop a growing number of faithful volunteers in almost any area of ministry. A task group is distinct in that it isn't just a traditional fellowship-building group or a team of people simply fulfilling a task. By definition, task groups attempt to accomplish both fellowship and ministry at the same time.
The principle mission of a task group is to set aside ...
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 ...
Small-group cycles are much like the stages of life.
Michael C. Mack
The small group goes through stages of life, much like a person does. It is not surprising that people pass through different levels of understanding and ability. Two year olds are not expected to have the same tolerance level as 32 year olds. Likewise, in small-group ministries, we should not expect a recently formed group to "have its act together" the same way a long-standing group does.
An overview of the stages a small group goes through.
Michael C. Mack
Small Groups are not static organisms. They go through stages of life like any living organism. Groups have a life cycle from birth through infancy and adolescence to adulthood and sometimes, death. Leaders especially need to realize this. Knowing the pattern will help leaders accept their group wherever it is and press on for further growth and fulfillment.
These stages are flexible and are not intended ...
Before you choose a model for small group ministry, you must establish what the end product should look like.
Rod Dempsey
When you think of the word "model" what comes to mind? When I was a child one of my favorite activities was constructing model cars. I had a '67 Mustang Fastback and then I had a '69 SS Camaro along with many others. It was a great thrill, to not only purchase the replica of the actual car, but it was equally fun to put the model together and enjoy the finished product for years to come. Models enable ...
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