Get tips on how to lead an effective small group even if you don't think you're ready.
by Brett Eastman
Some of you have been leading groups for six years—hosting is old hat for you. Some of you have been doing it for six months and may be looking to become a better host. And some of you just completed your first six-week study and, frankly, are still recovering from the experience.
Some of you may have stories like mine: John, who was a leader of a college group I was in for six weeks, tapped me ...
Being in a small group is important to meaningful life change.
by Chip Ingram
Often I get into discussions with people about the early church.
They say, "I wish we could be just like the early church. God was so alive, and he was doing such powerful things."
What was it about the early church? After Peter gave his very first sermon, thousands came to Christ. Then Acts 2 tells us what they did next: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the ...
How God solidified and expanded one church's vision for small groups.
by Stacie K. B. Maslyn
Everyone at Community Church of Joy (CCOJ) in Glendale, Arizona, knew that God was moving in their church and preparing them for something new. They just didn't know what it was.
With this spirit of expectancy, Dr. Walt Kallestad decided to take a sabbatical. He and his wife, Mary, set this time aside specifically for prayer and seeking God's will for their next step. They visited churches in Africa ...
Alan Hirsch talks about the untapped potential of individuals and small-group communities.
Alan Hirsch
Note: This article has been excerpted from the SmallGroups.com training tool called Missional Small Groups.
Alan Hirsch is an experienced church planter and the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network. His most recent book, The Forgotten Ways, represents an contemporary interpretation of the missional explosion of the early church and the recent house-church movement in China.
As a part of your worship, take communion together. Taking the Lord's supper as a group is a beautiful and touching experience. Go into this activity with lots of prayer that your group will be ministered to by the Holy Spirit. (In Acts 2 we read of the early church breaking bread together. We follow their example by meeting in homes to worship, pray and take the Lord's Supper together)
Why do we have small groups? What are we trying to accomplish?
Rick Diefenderfer
One of the big difficulties in small group ministry is getting so wrapped up in the "program" (even if we aren't a "program-based" church) of the small group ministry that we forget why we are doing small groups in the first place!
A couple years ago on the SmallTalk list, this topic was discussed. Rick Diefenderfer provided for the list — and now for you — these 12 reasons for doing small ...
Small-Group Leaders can create environments that encourage the disciple-making process for everyone.
Reid Smith
If we look to the account of the Early Church in the book of Acts as our model of "church-life" today…we should have great hope that people in all different stages of their spiritual journey can indeed take their next steps in following Christ together (Acts 2:40-47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:7, 8:4-8, 25, 9:31). Historically, small groups have been a vital part of how God has built the community of His ...
Moving people from outreach small groups to the larger church community
Dan Lentz
It's been well established that relationships play a significant role in people's journey to Christ. We seldom come to Christ without someone we know and trust showing us the way of Jesus. However, a person's journey to a local church community is not always marked initially by a close relationship to someone in that church community. We may get invited by someone we know, but many make their way ...
This 9-week course will help you and your group think about the ways in which you reach the surrounding community.
The following 9-week course will help you and your group think about the ways in which you reach the surrounding community. The course presents questions like: How is the church called to be different from the local social club? How can we reach the unbeliever as a whole person, not just his mind? In what ways do technology and entertainment shape the cultural climate? How can we best serve the community ...
Printer view of these results
