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Great conversation continues to come out of the comments generated by my response to Randall Neighbor’s article over at SmallGroups.com.  If you missed out, be sure and read them to catch up. Today I want to expand the discussion on a potential strategic difference that a crowd-to-core strategy brings…that is not present in the cell [...]

We’ve had a very good discussion here over the last 48 hours about the difference between “cell groups” and “small groups” (prompted by Randall Neighbour’s article on SmallGroups.com and my response).  The comments here have been very engaging and have all had a great spirit and attitude.  It’s been very fun to watch! Several of [...]

One of the first books I read about small group ministry was Successful Home Cell Groups by Dr. David Yonggi Cho, the fantastic story of the “smallest and largest” church in the world, the Full Gospel Central Church in Seoul, Korea.  This served as my introduction to the Cell Church model in 1988.  In the [...]

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is how to choose a small group model (or system).  It’s also one of the most important questions.  You’ll find some helpful hints in my article on how to choose a small group strategy or system.  In this article I want to simply highlight what I think [...]

We’ve been talking about building an exponential group system.  In my last post we wrestled with the idea that a key early step in the journey to exponential is to have brutal honesty about the present…the way things really are right now. Once you’ve developed a clear and honest understanding of where things really are [...]

Yesterday we talked about the core philosophy that drives an exponential group system.  If you missed step one, you can read about having a crowd-to-core philosophy right here. Today I want to talk about step two in the process: Diagnosis: Brutal Honesty About Your Present.   Sounds harsh.  Brutal even.  But without an honest evaluation [...]

What makes a group system exponential?  What makes a church exponential?  I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, but my convictions on the matter string together some important concepts acquired over the years. But before we get to the keys to building an exponential group system, let’s define it.  In some ways it’s kind [...]

I’m asked about G12 a few times a year…not near as much as free market, semester based, or sermon based…but often enough to have had many conversations over the past few years.  Here’s what I know about the G12 small group philosophy: First, at it’s essence G12 works like this: the key leader forms a [...]

In terms of small groups philosophy of ministry, the open or closed group question is very big.  Both sides have some good arguments.  Like every other argument there is no problem-free solution.  Although I believe there are times when it is both appropriate and beneficial to “close” a group, for the most part I am [...]

Looking for a small group ministry system?  You might want to check out Creating Community: Five Keys to Building a Small Group Culture for some insight into the way that North Point Community Church has structured and built their system.  Written by Andy Stanley and Bill Willits, Creating Community provides a good look at some [...]