God can use a group's ability to be open to new people.
by Life Together
I'm really glad that our hosts were bold enough to take this step forward and open their home for the small group study. My cousin has just moved to town with her fiancée. I had asked my cousin if she and her fiancé would like to join the small group that my husband and I were going to be in, and they agreed. Then I had to ask our hosts if it would be okay that I had invited two more ...
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 ...
Five ways your small groups can turn this movie into an opportunity for ministry.
by Brett Eastman
This Easter may be the biggest opportunity for small group ministry, yet.
Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ grossed $23.6 million opening day. This one-day sale rivals blockbusters like The Matrix Revolutions, The Lord of the Rings, and The Phantom Menace. The numbers may baffle Hollywood, but for months churches across the nation have been anticipating America's rush to the theaters.
An interview with small-groups author and pastor Jeff Arnold
Jeff Arnold
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Small Groups and Evangelism.
Mark 2:13–17
What has been your experience with using small groups as an evangelistic tool?
One of the most significant ways that small groups can contribute to evangelism is in a backdoor way. They get you conversing in an articulate way about your faith. And when you do that, you tend ...
One of the best arenas for outreach is the small group.
Betty Veldman Wieland
Jesus was serious about relationships. He spent all night talking to his Father. He hung out with his disciples, listened to their questions, and taught them patiently. He challenged the misguided. He had compassion on those with deep spiritual voids in their lives, and he encouraged even the smallest hint of faith. He loved deeply.
He wants us to do the same. When he called his first disciples, Peter ...
Engaging spiritual seekers in life-changing discussions
Garry Poole
A seeker small group is a community of non-Christians who gather regularly with one or two Christians to explore spiritual matters. Meeting at a variety of locations from homes or offices to restaurants or churches, the Christians organize and facilitate the discussions based on the seekers' spiritual questions and issues. The group leaders can be effective with or without the gift of evangelism, ...
How small group community and mission fit together
Joel Comiskey
During the question time of the small group seminar, one leader said, "My group doesn't want to evangelize and multiply. They want to grow intimate with each other, but resist talking about outreach and breaking up. What should I tell them?" The negative intensity in the leader's voice alerted me to the importance of answering his question carefully. I also noticed that the other small group leaders ...
Unbelievers won't change if they can't see a difference in you.
Randall Neighbour
A couple of years ago, my cell group celebrated Communion as we did on a bimonthly basis. It was usually a very meaningful time, but this evening was particularly awesome. The Holy Spirit showed up in a special way and we wept, confessed sin and communed with the Lord. Every member of the cell was present that night, along with one visitor, an unchurched Christian friend.
Are you ready for a lifesaving conversation? Your friend could be ready, and it could be now or never.
Greg Smith
Like stepping to the free-throw line with the game point in your hands, there can be that same stomach-churning anxiety when it comes to sharing the gospel. Perhaps for months or even years you have been praying for the opportunity to talk to a friend about Christ, and then, without warning, God opens up the window of opportunity. For once the conversation isn't about work, sports, home improvement ...
It was watching young moms drop off their children at a church-sponsored, community outreach Story Hour program for preschoolers that prompted the very first Coffee Break Bible study for women. As the church's pastor and a woman from his congregation with a passion for sharing Jesus watched the young moms drive away, they asked, "Why not invite them to stay?"
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