Do Not Miss “From This Day Forward” by Craig and Amy Groeschel
Had an opportunity this week to spend some time with a great new study from Craig and Amy Groeschel. From This Day Forward: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage is based on a message series delivered at LifeChurch in 2012 and is a very powerful experience. The core idea? “Your key to a joyful, life-giving marriage…
Read MoreFAQ: I Need Some Help with Small Group Strategy!
I get a lot of questions. A LOT of questions. And I love it! Sometimes I can just point to a blog post. Other times I’ll answer with an email. Here’s an email from a reader with some questions I thought you might be helped by my answer: I read several books before starting and…
Read MoreLeaders Are Learners: What Are You Learning?
Leaders are learners. You know this right? Years ago I heard someone say that you could tell when someone stopped learning by the copyright dates on their bookshelves. I’m not sure that is the only way you can tell, but it’s close. What are you learning? Here are the things on my learning list right…
Read MoreCould My 2015 Coaching Network Be What You Need?
Albert Einstein famously pointed out that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.” If your small group ministry is stuck and you need to break out of a rut, you ought to ask yourself if my 2015 Small Group Ministry Coaching Network is what you need![quote]…
Read MoreHow to Build a Thriving Small Group Ministry
I’ve written about the powerful benefits of a thriving small group ministry and the five easily overlooked secrets to building a thriving small group ministry. But it turns out I’ve never written a how to guide. Thoughtfully (and honestly) diagnose the current state of your church. Ask yourself the questions I ask when evaluating a small…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts for October, 2014
Miss a day? Here are my top 10 posts for October, 2014. I don’t know whether these are lagging or leading indicators, but I had visitors from 101 countries (thanks for coming by!) and my blog was read in 49 languages! Another interesting factoid is that 8 of the 10 most popular posts were not…
Read MoreNew from Priscilla Shirer: Breathe: Making Room for Sabbath
Spent some time with a new study from Priscilla Shirer this week. Breathe: Making Room for Sabbath is a 5 session DVD-driven study that will help you discover Sabbath margin–“the boundary God enables us to put around things we enjoy so that we never become slaves again.” This is a timely study and could be…
Read MoreQuestion-Storming: An Incredibly Valuable Tool
I am always looking for great questions. I’m inspired by Peter Drucker’s line that “the important and difficult job is never to find the right answers, it is to find the right question. For there are few things as useless–if not dangerous–as the right answer to the wrong question (The Practice of Management).” Last week…
Read MoreThe Truth about Building an Effective Coaching Structure
I’m frequently asked how to build a truly effective small group coaching structure. It’s one of my most frequently asked questions. And it’s almost always the case that the person asking the question has tried more than once and has already bought the best books on the subject. Sometimes they’ve even invested in some coaching…
Read MoreLaying Foundation for a Leadership Culture
I’ve been thinking a lot since the re:group conference about the development of a leadership culture. I’ve written about it. I’ve wondered if it can be developed inside a groups ministry and then spread to the rest of a church. It’s been on my mind constantly. See also, My Most Intriguing and Haunting Takeaway from…
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