How one church built groups from natural affinity groups.
by Life Together
When our church took a health assessment, we made an interesting discovery: People who were not in small groups rated themselves just as highly in fellowship/connectedness as people who were in small groups.
We used to view our church as hundreds of disconnected souls in desperate need of community. But we learned everyone in our church is connected to someone: a family member, co-workers, customers, ...
Here's how to successfully "birth" a new small group from an existing one.
Eric Metcalf
First love often seems perfect in our minds—the season, the romance, the memories. For many people, their first small-group experience also seems perfect. They wonder, "How could any group be as good as this one?" That's why birthing a new small group can be a scary proposition.
For those of you who have had a child, your first birthing experience is vividly etched in your minds—crazy, ...
We can only become a better and stronger church as our cell leaders increase their abilities to shepherd.
Jay Firebaugh
Evaluation is what helps us improve. We are constantly challenging our cell group leaders to become better and better at shepherding their flock of five to fifteen. Since a cell church ministers to its people through the vehicles of cells, we can only become a better and stronger church as our cell leaders increase their abilities to shepherd. At a recent cell leaders training time we encouraged them ...
As a coach, there are several questions you need to ask yourself when helping a leader through conflict.
Rick Lowry
I am a coach or director in a small group ministry. When a leader comes to me asking for help resolving a conflict within their group, what questions should I ask myself before responding?
Is this the right time and place to be discussing this?
The church lobby between services is not the place to discuss a group conflict with a leader. One-on-one, in a quiet, relaxed setting is optimal.
In complex issues, if you know your own preferred reaction to conflict, it can help you choose the right course.
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. 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 person is essential ...
Just as Sunday morning cannot meet all of our spiritual needs, our small groups cannot meet all of our fellowship needs.
Steve Rowe
"We are created for relationships!" That is our banner for our twice-a-year "Connection Sundays," and we support it in our Discovery classes. That means, when a person joins a small group, all of their relational needs for community will be met, right? Well…not exactly.
Small groups serve so many purposes, so many functions, and meet so many basic relational needs, but they cannot be something ...
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 ...
When Jesus inhabits the space that believers occupy together in His Name, the space changes and so do we.
Reid Smith
Jesus was the ultimate storyteller. He did more than communicate with words; He communicated His heart. He used stories like The Prodigal Son to express God's love for people and to invite them into relationship with Himself. Jesus used storytelling to create a meeting space between God and people. Small groups recreate such meeting spaces. They form the relational intersections of the life of God ...
Don’t drift away from the mission of creating disciples.
Michael C. Mack
The mission statement of Northeast Christian Church is "to team with God in turning unchurched people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ." Many of the small groups at the church, however, could be described as "perpetual 'holding tanks' where Christians [had] become increasingly comfortable with each other and themselves, and increasingly disconnected from the world." In his May 2003 article, ...
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