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 ...
Make a visitor's first time at your cell group as comfortable as possible.
Jim Egli
Ellen came to my cell group the first time with her neighbor, one of our cell members. She was an older woman who was recently divorced. While she came with mixed feelings, she was hungry for God and glad for the invitation. She trusted the new friends who had invited her, but she had never heard of a cell group. "Perhaps this was some kind of cult!" Ellen thought.
When your group number goes down, should you disband or revamp?
Michael C. Mack
The following article is excerpted from Discipleship Journal, "DJ Plus," Issue 88, 1995.
In Issue 86 we introduced Jeff, whose small group had shrunk from 12 members to four. This left him wondering whether to disband the group or keep going with the faithful few.
David Colburn of Lexington, Massachusetts, believes there are options other than just disbanding the group. First, Jeff and the others need ...
These steps will make it easier to invite your friends to small group.
Rebecca Livermore
Most of us feel a twinge of apprehension about inviting friends or neighbors to our small groups. The following steps may help ease some of that fear and increase the likelihood that they'll say yes.
1. Begin to pray that God will soften their hearts and create opportunities for the building of your friendship. Ask God to make it clear when the time is right to invite your friends to your group.
Do you remember the first time you were invited to a small group?
Michael C. Mack
Do you remember the first time you were invited to a small group? I do. I had visited Centerville Christian Church in Dayton, Ohio, and met a few people my age. (I was 28 at the time, and was shopping for a church. I had not yet given my life to Christ.) They invited me to their group, and I noticed that some of them were single and others were married, but that didn't matter; they all seemed to have ...
Not sure how to invite people to your group? Here are some tips.
Pat J. Sikora
Several people in Darryl's group have moved away and now the group is down to five people. He wants to bring new life to the group. Darryl's not really sure where to start in inviting new people.
What should Darryl do?
In the ancient Roman Empire, it was said that "all roads lead to Rome." In small groups, it seems that all roads lead to mission. How can Darryl even think about adding people to his ...
Here's how to incorporate new members into an existing small group.
by Reid Smith
Here's a question I hear quite often from small-group leaders: "Our group members are very focused on evangelism and often bring new people to group meetings. What is the best way to incorporate these new members into a group without interrupting that group's intimacy and momentum?"
If your group is in a similar situation, the first thing you need to do is recognize that it's awesome to have group ...
A single woman's encounter with a group full of couples
by Camerin Courtney
As soon as I said the words, I should have known I was jinxing myself. Oh, it's not like I really believe in jinxes. It's just that when I jokingly told the pastor who suggested I join a new small group that I'd consider it as long as it didn't wind up being five married couples and me, I should have known that's exactly what was going to happen.
Well, it wound up being four married couples and me, ...
For years we have been told that the only good group is an open group. I recall the guilt laid upon my group when we didn't keep a chair open for outsiders. After all, the reasoning went, if we really enjoyed the fruits of community, shouldn't we want to extend that to others? Secretly, most of us felt that if our community was fruitful, adding new people might mess it all up.
Darryl's group has diminished over time; how should he bring new people in?
The Small Group Network Community
Several people in Darryl's group have moved away, and now the group is down to five people. He wants to bring new life to the group. Darryl's not really sure where to start in inviting new people.
What Should Darryl do?
Here are Your Responses:
Darryl needs to talk to the group about adding new people. More specifically, Darryl needs to identify some new people and ask the group to invite those specific ...
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