Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Effective Turbo Groups.
I'll never forget the first time I was asked to lead a small group, which also happened to be a turbo group. My one concern that trumped all others was the fear that my group members would not like the way I facilitated. Consequently, I felt uptight, which of course made me more reserved and ...
Don’t do it all yourself—here's how to delegate the work.
Stan Lubeck
EPHESIANS 4:11-14 - "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no ...
Models for intentional discipleship in a small groups church, focusing on closed discipleship groups.
David Limiero
Two years into my ministry at First Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois, I came to a stunning realization. Although by all outward signs our groups were a success, something vital was missing.
A person could be actively involved in our small group system (or our Adult Bible Classes) and conceivably never learn how to have a personal prayer life, never get a basic overview of the Bible, never learn ...
A case study of a Midwestern church that, as it grew, was looking for a way that could make the church smaller as it became larger.
Anonymous
Background
This Midwestern non-denominational church which was planted 30 years ago currently has a Sunday worship attendance of 400-500 (combined in 2 services) and 26 adult small groups (13 which meet during a Sunday school time slot and another 13 which meet outside of Sunday mornings). Total adult participation in small groups approaches 200 people.
The church was started as a small group and grew ...
Know the dangers involved with teaching what you never meant to teach.
Sam O'Neal
My wife and I were visiting Southern California on vacation when we decided to stop by Mission San Juan Capistrano—an adobe chapel complex founded by Franciscan monks in 1776. In the back of the mission was a small replica of the gardens that produced much of the monks' food for hundreds of years.
As I walked through the garden, I noticed a large sign tacked in front of a particularly leafy bush. ...
The biggest problem churches face in recruiting small-group leaders is that they are confused about what they are looking for. It is as if they go fishing for trout using the tackle designed for walleye. They either don't catch anything at all, or they catch the wrong kind of fish. ...
How church structure can limit the success of your small group ministry.
David Limiero
Introduction: Growth Barriers and Small Group Plateaus
One of the most significant contributions of the Church Growth movement has been the identification of growth barriers. First identified by C. Peter Wagner of Fuller Seminary, growth barriers are specific sizes at which churches tend to get "stuck" and growth often plateaus. The most common barriers are found when a congregation reaches 200, 400, ...
How church structure can limit the success of your small group ministry.
David Limiero
Growth Barriers and Small Group Plateaus
In part one of this series we discussed the groundbreaking research of Karen Hurston demonstrating how church structure can limit the success of your small group ministry. Similar to the growth barriers identified by the Church Growth movement, small group plateaus are places where the growth of small group ministry tends to get "stuck."
When it comes to small group multiplication, there is the "ideal" and then there is "reality". The ideal is that small group multiplication occurs through the practices of leadership apprenticing and group birthing. The reality is that there is "labor" involved, but take heart, "labor" is a good thing and you might have more resources available to you than you think.
There is a big difference between "just another Bible study," and real, biblical, discipleship.
Zeke Zeiler
In the last several years, small group discipleship has caught on significantly in many progressive churches across America. But many youth ministries got a jump on the rest of the Body of Christ. Twenty years ago church and parachurch youth ministries had seen the incredible impact small group discipleship was having on teens. It's not surprising the small group ministry is so appealing to kids—the ...
Printer view of these results
