God equips us each with powerful ministry tools. Discovering yours will help you find your place as a vital minister to your small group. Below are two tools to help you identify your shape for ministry. Use the first tool to begin the process. Use your results to complete the second. Afterwards, talk about the results with your group leader and fellow members. Together you can figure out how you ...
Embrace conflict as an opportunity for growth and fellowship.
Sue Skalicky
I read through the small group covenant as I had done countless times before. I like to revisit the purpose of our small group and restate the need for commitment and confidentiality every time we begin a new study. I expected this time would be no different than the others, when agreement with the covenant was unanimous. As I finished reading the last point, I asked the group as I usually do, "Is ...
In an age where so many different models are available, many churches find themselves confused.
Michael C. Mack
An interesting phenomenon is happening in many American churches today. As churches develop a small groups ministry, they often begin to feel an identity crisis. This is exasperated by all of the church models, discipleship models, shepherding models, and small group models that are available to churches.
Diagnosis 1: Splintering
We live in an age when we can travel to successful churches, go to their ...
God created living organisms to go through life cycles. Jesus used these life cycles to illustrate points in many of His parables. Because churches and small groups are living organisms (1 Peter 2:4,5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 4:1-16)we would be well served to pay attention to life-cycles when it comes to discussions about 'open' and 'closed' small groups. Close knit communities go through ...
Practical guidelines for leading in a difficult situation
Betty Veldman-Wieland
Conflict is a normal part of small-group life. In fact, if we don't have conflict, someone is not being honest. People are just too different from one another to avoid it completely.
Personally, I do not like conflict. It makes me feel, well, conflicted! At the same time, I believe that understanding the nature of conflict and being prepared to deal with it as a small-group leader, coach, or staff ...
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, ...
N. T. Wright explains the fundamental elements of Christianity.
Note: Because of the size of this video resource, you will need to download both Part 1 and Part 2.
N.T. Wright shares the truths from his book Simply Christian in these 10 video sessions. Wright outlines Christianity in a way that challenges viewers but uses language that is easy to understand. These 10 video lessons also come with a PDF discussion guide that corresponds to each lesson.
In Ephesians, Paul tells us about several of God's loving desires for us.
Sometimes it's difficult to understand our identity as God's masterpiece through the confusion of sin, fear, or doubt. We wonder if his promises might be too good to be true. In Ephesians, Paul describes a God who loves us too much to let us stay as we are.
This six-session course will challenge you to accept your identity as a member of God's family, and allow him to mold you into the masterpiece ...
Practical information that will help you prepare for that inevitable clash
Abigail Johnson
Depending on how conflict was dealt with in our families—and depending on our own conflict style—we may be more or less comfortable with this area of small-group life. Personally, I assume that conflict is a normal part of all human interactions. Nonetheless, some types of conflictive behavior are easier to deal with than others.
When interacting with my family, I prefer a forthright sharing ...
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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