Small groups can be a great place for learning lessons about life.
by Brett Eastman
Two years ago when I met with my new small group for the first time, I was so reluctant. I didn't know if I could ever find the sense of belonging and spiritual family I had enjoyed with my previous group. But they welcomed my wife and me into their lives with arms wide open, and we soon became family. This group has not replaced my other group (nothing ever will), but it has become another circle ...
Integrate your relationships to make them more effective.
by Randy Frazee
Lifestyles today make integrated and interdependent relationships hard to create and maintain. The absence of this interdependence makes us hunger for community. Most of us manage "linear relationships."
Randy Frazee, author of The Connecting Church, describes linear relationships as running "from one relational unit to another. As you exit one world and enter another, there may be some mention of ...
I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember—though I've gone through definite periods of being a "good" Christian and times of being fairly lazy about my faith.
I thought I was in a time of "goodness" until my small group was working through the "40 Days of Purpose" campaign and took a quiz to see how we were doing in the five purposes. My worst was in evangelism. With the exception ...
A near-death experience caused Dennis to take God's leading more seriously.
by Dennis DeKay
Four years ago I was in a terrible accident. Rolling over four times, I broke my neck in four places. During emergency surgery my vocal cords became paralyzed. I often wondered why God spared me. I thought, He must have a purpose for me. After three months of prayer, my voice returned. Over the next three years, however, I still wondered why God saved me.
How one reluctant small group participant discovered God's purpose for her.
by Life Together
I knew God was leading me to be a part of a small group. Every time I heard an announcement about sign-ups or saw a flyer, I felt more and more convinced that I needed to get involved.
But I was nervous about it, and a little reluctant. The first night my group met, I had butterflies in my stomach as I walked toward the front door. But after everyone started showing up, I began to relax. They were ...
Why church members often run from community despite their attraction to it
Thomas G. Kirkpatrick
In a book called The Different Drum, M. Scott Peck suggests that while we want intimacy, we often run from it. Perplexing, isn't it? We want to be honest and open, but we are not willing to risk being ourselves in a group of sisters and brothers.
As an example, let's say that Greg is upset over his teenager's recent experimentation with smoking pot. He wants help to sort out his feelings but is reluctant ...
Subgroup to come up with definitions of a good small-group member.
Tami Rudkin
Break your group into smaller groups of three. Ask them to write a job description for a small group member. After they have written the job description, ask each small group to share. This is a great opportunity for sharing the expectations of being a good group member.
Group members make up rhymes to introduce themselves.
Tami Rudkin
Have your group members introduce themselves in this fun way: Tell your group that you are going on a picnic to the lake. Each person needs to tell the group who they are and what they are bringing to the picnic by making up a rhyme. For example: I am Tami and Im bringing the family. I am Jake and Im bringing the cake.
Try this twist on a classic card game to help get your group talking.
Tami Rudkin
Take a little extra time and play Barrier Breaker Spoons with your group. These are the rules: Sit around a table to play. Place a spoon on the table for every person playing, minus one. So if you have 8 people playing, you should have 7 spoons in the middle of the table. Using a normal deck of cards (take out the jokers), pass out 4 cards to every person. The dealer begins passing the remaining part ...
Split into subgroups and think of what it means to be a good small-group member.
Tami Rudkin
Have your group break down into smaller groups of three. Have each smaller group make a list of 10 ways to be a good group member. Give them five minutes and then have each triad share their lists with the larger group. This barrier breaker will be fun as some people will go overboard with creative responses. Plus, it will also give individuals ideas about how to be a better group member.
Printer view of these results
