How can I be assured that I'm living a life pleasing to God?
How do you know you are an authentic Christian? How do we recognize true Christianity in the spiritual maze and religious muddle in which we find ourselves in today? The small but important letter that we call 1 John presents us with three indisputable "tests" regarding authentic Christianity. We must pass all three tests at the same time to know with assurance that we are living a life pleasing to ...
Share personal stories with each other as a way to really connect.
Sue Skalicky
Group Outreach
I just finished reading through several personal columns. As the high school journalism adviser, I was on the lookout for anything that might put my job in jeopardy - libelous statements, profanity, references to sex, drugs, or inappropriate rock and roll. Instead, I found feelings explored, once-hidden hurts revealed, and epiphanies explained. These young writers had chosen to leave ...
In a world ravaged by the Fall, there are three bedrock realities to cling to as we experience the varying levels of community.
Len Woods
My wife and I were standing in our yard yesterday, and I was grimly pointing out all the problem areas—shrubs that did not survive winter, azalea bushes infested with lacebugs, undesirable chickweed, dandelions, and wild onions flourishing in the same circular brown patches where our carefully fertilized and sprayed centipede grass is gradually being consumed by some kind of killer fungus (Bunny ...
A man walked into a convenience store, threatened the clerk with a knife, and demanded cash. When she gave him the money, he thanked her, walked out and proceeded to sit down on the curb in front of the store. When police arrived, he jumped up and announced to them that he was the man they wanted. The perplexed police officers put him in cuffs and arrested him. At the trial, he gave his reason for ...
Small groups can serve as a powerful entrance into Christian community.
Dan Lentz
I have heard the term "doors" used repeatedly as a metaphor in recent years to describe church outreach. There are "front doors" that we try to get new people to enter. There are "back doors" where visitors and fringe people seem to escape from our congregations never to be seen again. There are even "side doors" that some churches create, intentionally or unintentionally, as pathways for people to ...
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 ...
Your group doesn't have to choose between community and evangelism—you just have to be intentional about maintaining both.
Eddy Hall
Which better describes your conviction about the primary purpose of your small group?
The purpose of our group is to carry out the Great Commission by building relationships with people who do not know Christ and inviting them into relationship with God and the Christian community.
Our group exists to provide an environment of Christian community where people can love and be loved, know one another deeply, and be nurtured in their growth as disciples.
How Jesus avoided the, “I don’t have time for a small group” dilemma
Michael C. Mack
"I'd like to be in a small group, but we just don't have the time right now."
I have heard that phrase 7,463 times since getting involved in small group ministry, but who's counting? It used to frustrate me every time it was uttered in my presence. Sometimes I would argue with the anti-participant, using my best Biblical and sociological case for group involvement. That never worked. As a small groups ...
Small-Group Leaders are in the most strategic position in the church to effect real, lasting life change and spiritual growth.
Michael C. Mack
Small group leaders are in the most strategic position in the church to effect real, lasting life change and spiritual growth. The church's best method for caring, shepherding, loving, and growing people is through small group leaders!
We've probably all heard assertions like this before, and while we affirm the truth of these statements, we have to ask how we are supposed to make it happen. If small ...
After laying the foundation, we saw the need to develop a platform to encourage our people to continue to live a life of purpose.
Maymie Lau
Why ABC?
Our church went through the 40 Days of Purpose Campaign in November 2002. We laid the foundation of the five purposes of life- Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry, and Evangelism. We knew that it was only the beginning—it takes a lifetime to learn to cultivate these purposes in full. In 2003, we saw the need to develop the platform to encourage our people to continue to live ...
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