The initiative of some church members led to amazing results.
by Kenneth L. Bemis
As a pastor, I know the feelings of frustration and helplessness that surround the counselor who attempts to assist the chemical-dependent person toward sobriety. Counseling the alcoholic is a time-consuming and often discouraging project.
I groped about for a solution to my dilemma as a busy pastor with an increasing number of alcoholics and their families to counsel. I attended seminars and read ...
Small groups are helping Christians bring faith to bear in the for-profit world.
by Brad A. Greenberg
Mike Valleskey was struggling to understand how his job at Sears fit into his new life of faith. Valleskey hadn't been asked to perform unethically or kept at work so late he lost touch with his family. But he couldn't see how a disciple of Jesus Christ could work 9 to 5 inside an office with such a large mission field outside.
"I contemplated going back to Bible school," Valleskey tells Christianity ...
Setting up task groups is a great way to develop a growing number of faithful volunteers in almost any area of ministry. A task group is distinct in that it isn't just a traditional fellowship-building group or a team of people simply fulfilling a task. By definition, task groups attempt to accomplish both fellowship and ministry at the same time.
The principle mission of a task group is to set aside ...
Give each person the fact sheet below and ask them to fill in the blanks. Every person has the possibility to have 100% in each category. Have them fill in the blanks according to what they are experiencing in their lives right now. After every one has finished this exercise, ask them to share their highest percentage and their lowest.
Wash a windshield so someone can see God more clearly.
Sue Skalicky
Recently, I waited in line at a car wash for 45 minutes. Spring temperatures had begun to melt the landscape leaving my car a muddy mess. I can usually tolerate the mud on the hood and doors, and I'm even patient with how much mud comes in the car on my kids' feet, but one thing I can't stand is a dirty windshield. I gradually become claustrophobic as the windshield closes in to encompass just the ...
Assemble a basket of little items to bless a person's heart.
Sue Skalicky
It's a new year. The old calendar has been removed and a new one has taken its place. For many, the crisp, clean, dated boxes of January communicate the freshness of a new beginning. But for others the thought of a new year can be overwhelming due to an illness, an unplanned pregnancy, a divorce, a financial disaster or the death of a loved one. These circumstances alone are painful, but to experience ...
Telling life stories is one of the best ways to continually grow a group towards maturity in Christ.
Jon Weiner
Just how long does it take for a group to grow close? How many group meetings must happen before hearts are tuned in to one another? When does real community begin to happen? These are questions that are not often asked by group members, but often are asked by small group pastors. Why? Group maturity, growing towards community, signals a healthy group experience. When groups become knitted together, ...
People are not inspired to get involved when small groups are promoted as something that fills a personal need.
Reid Smith
Most life-saving inoculations occur at the very beginning of a person's life. The same is true of small group ministries. The way we promote small groups influences what people will expect from them and, ultimately, how they will engage with others once they are in them. By changing the way small groups are promoted, church leaders can preempt one of the biggest problems in small group life: A consumeristic ...
What if we trained leaders to start small groups among those who do not yet know Christ?
Reid Smith
When a church is launching or casting vision for its small group ministry, the focus is usually on getting people already a part of the church to become part of a small group. What if we turned this on its head? What if we trained up small group leaders, like we do church planters, and sent them out to plant new small groups among those who do not yet know Christ? Imagine if a church made their primary ...
Learn why the Holy Man and Holy Place ideas are not helpful.
by Wayne Cordeiro
Dr. Wayne Cordeiro is Senior Pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii. He has long been a leader in the field of small-groups ministry, and he has led New Hope to use small groups and fractal teams with great success.
In this video clip, Dr. Cordeiro tackles two myths that are prevalent in churches and small-groups ministries today: the Holy Man and the Holy Place. This clip was originally recorded at the 2009 Doing Church as a Team conference.
—Wayne Cordeiro; copyright 2009 by the author and New Hope Oahu
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