Ask these questions to get a grasp of the vitality of your congregation's group life.
Jeff Weber
I smiled a few weeks ago as I read a framed quote on a pastor's desk: "Ministry is hard work—get over it." I'm always a bit leery when someone wants to make simple the difficult task of fostering community in the body of Christ. While this happens in many areas of ministry, one of the most critical areas of small-group development that people often oversimplify is health assessment.
Check out these statistics to get your finger on the pulse of small-groups ministry.
Dan Lentz
Definition: Benchmarking is a tool used to measure or compare your work or progress with others who are doing the same thing. Benchmarking is a powerful tool because it overcomes "paradigm blindness"—the mode of thinking that says, "The way we do it is the best because this is the way we've always done it."
Because it is difficult to get a handle on what is going on in other small groups outside ...
Positive and developmental feedback is necessary in order for any organization to achieve success.
Mike Shepherd
Ok, how many of you complete those evaluation forms that restaurants or hotels ask you to complete from time to time? There have been times when I have received one of those via email or snail mail and just tossed it. My thought was, "I had a good experience there. I do not need to fill this out." Later I ask myself, "Why is it that I only complete these when I want to communicate a bad experience?" ...
A tool to assess your small group's current health and strength.
Randall Neighbour
This assessment tool will help you determine the health of your small group and your own strength as a small group leader in four basic areas of small group health:
Upward — Your relationship to God and your group's corporate relationship to God.
Inward — The depth of your relationships with your members and their relationship to each other.
Outward — The level of relationship and passion your group possesses to reach pre-Christians and unchurched people for Christ.
Four truths about the practice of constant and careful evaluation.
Len Woods
Stepping on the scales, checking one's cholesterol, going to the dentist, paying a visit to a financial advisor—these are just a few of the many ways we routinely monitor ourselves and/or our lives.
Some assessments are seen as "no-big-deal" (perhaps taking the car in for a 30,000 mile check-up?). Others are the cause of much dread (perhaps your annual job review or mammogram?). But evaluation, ...
Growthfinder is an online tool that will help you assess your spiritual health.
Boyd Pelley
Most of us are convinced spiritual growth is supposed to be natural and normal for healthy believers. Because of this we put a collection of growing believers, seekers and new believers together in a small group, give them a Bible and a curriculum and set them on their way to grow spiritually. And amazing stuff often occurs! People make exciting discoveries about how God designed life to be lived. ...
Tools to help see where you're going strong, and where you might need a little support.
Len Woods
Prayerfully ponder each of the following categories and descriptions and plot your group experience somewhere on the spectrum. Talk over the results with your small group pastor or coach:
Assessing Your Leadership Effectiveness by Len Woods
Rate yourself 1-10 (1 being "HELP!" and 10 being "Hallelujah!") in each of the following categories. Discuss the results with your small group pastor or coach at ...
Check out these statistics to get your finger on the pulse of small-groups ministry.
Dan Lentz
Definition: Benchmarking is a tool used to measure or compare your work or progress with others who are doing the same thing. Benchmarking is a powerful tool because it overcomes "paradigm blindness"—the mode of thinking that says, "The way we do it is the best because this is the way we've always done it."
Because it is difficult to get a handle on what is going on in other small groups outside ...
Check out these statistics to get your finger on the pulse of small-groups ministry.
Dan Lentz
Definition: Benchmarking is a tool used to measure or compare your work or progress with others who are doing the same thing. Benchmarking is a powerful tool because it overcomes "paradigm blindness"—the mode of thinking that says, "The way we do it is the best because this is the way we've always done it."
Because it is difficult to get a handle on what is going on in other small groups outside ...
Help your group (and yourself) evaluate your practice of the spiritual disciplines.
Kevin Miller, Bill Hybels, Fred Smith, and others
"There is no sure-fire way to evaluate and quantify our spiritual health in numerical terms. We can't take a test to see if we are getting an A or D in our relationship with God. But we can at least get a rough idea about our spiritual health by taking an objective looks at our actions and beliefs.
This download uses the spiritual disciplines as a way to examine those actions and beliefs. Use it to ...
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