Sometimes the most important part of clearing up misunderstandings is talking about them.
by Life Together
Recently, my grown daughter asked me to join her in attending six sessions on learning one's purpose in life. I decided it would be wonderful to spend some time together since my daughter was soon to be married.
In preparation for the study, I pondered my purpose in life. I specifically contemplated how I raised my children to know God.
As a mother, I knew that I needed to teach my children values that ...
The members of a woman's small group show exceptional care during a difficult time.
by Life Together
On an ordinary spring day, Andrea's husband came home with the news that he had lost his job. They had their lives planned for many years: they loved the area, their kids' school, the kids' youth programs, their ministry in the church, and their friendships at church. They'd had no intention of moving, but now they had three months to find something new. Three months! How could anyone find a new job ...
When a leader shares honestly their group members are likely to follow.
by Life Together
The best thing you can do to encourage honesty in your group is to be honest yourself. This doesn't mean spilling your guts about your darkest secrets. It means asking for prayer in an area of your life where you're genuinely struggling; it means letting go of the myth that the leader needs to appear perfect; it means being genuine in your responses to the questions.
There's a reason that intimacy happens most often in small groups.
Michael C. Mack
Intimacy. Transparency. Vulnerability.
...
Why is this? What are we so afraid of? Can we take off our masks in the church and be real with one another? I have lots of questions about this—and few answers. But one thing I know. We can't build real Christian community without transparency and intimacy.
The best place for intimacy to happen, of course, is in small groups. Sociologists say that ...
Since we're on the topic of accountability, let me be honest with what's happening at SmallGroups.com.
Michael C. Mack
I need to be honest with you.
The last several months I have been late in getting this newsletter out. My goal is to have it on the Web by the first of each month. But, for numerous reasons, most of which deal with switching to a new server and trying to improve our services, I've missed that goal.
For the last two years, The Small Group Network has been pretty much a one-person endeavor. I have had ...
Creating a "safe place" where people can truly open up and share at a deep intimate level is an important step in developing real intimacy in small group community.
Mike Shepherd
Toward the end of the movie "Simon Birch," the driver of a school bus full of children (on their way home from a winter church camp) tries to avoid a deer in the road. In doing so he finds himself careening down a lake embankment and crashing into the frigid winter waters. The children panic fearing the worst when little Simon gets their attention and says, "Stop it. I am not going to let anything ...
Five main small group conflicts and how to go about solving them.
Dan Lentz
Let's just be honest. When you're trying to make a difference for Christ in other people's lives, there always seems to be a set of tensions pulling on you as you help people grow in a love relationship with the Lord.
In the main sessions of the Southeastern Small Group Conference, keynote speaker Bill Donahue, author of the "Leading Life Changing Small Groups" and co-author of "The Seven Deadly Sins ...
Do the people in your group really know each other? Do they laugh together and cry together? Do they share their inner thoughts and feelings in an atmosphere of reciprocal transparency? Intimacy doesn't come easy these days. People hide behind perfectly flawless exteriors, vocational accomplishment, and popular plaudits. Beneath the purposefully placed masks, all of us long to know each other and ...
Participating in community is vital for those who have been spiritually damaged.
by Jeff VanVonderen and Dale and Juanita Ryan
Not all social experiences provide the kind of fellowship we need. Most of us know what it is like to be surrounded by people but to feel profoundly alone. Regardless of the specifics of our spiritual struggles, we know that superficial social niceties or interactions that don't go past "How are you?" and "Fine, thanks" will not help us. When we try to replace true fellowship with mere socializing, ...
In my experience, there are a couple of practical things you can do as a leader to increase the level of trust in your group. The first, if you haven't done it already, is to establish a group covenant that includes a section about confidentiality. It's really important that your group members know that what they say in the group will stay in the group. I actually recommend getting this down on paper, ...
Printer view of these results
