5 Ingredients that Build Pervasive Community in Your Church
If you believe that unconnected people are always one tough thing away from never being at your church again…you have all the motivation you need to invest in building a pervasive sense of community in your church. If you believe that unconnected people are always one tough thing away from never being at your church…
Read MoreDilbert on Self Awareness
Sometimes you just to laugh. Not when standing near Alice…but you get the idea.
Read More10 Articles on Building Community
Building community has been at the heart of my mission for a very long time. I can’t imagine my life without it. I cannot imagine the loneliness of so many who don’t have what we have. I know that when I do the percentage connected calculation there are many, many people in my church that…
Read MoreQuotebook: The Problem with Isolation
Even after almost three decades of promoting small group ministry and writing about why we need community, I am still amazed and saddened that so many live in a kind of isolation. There is profound wisdom in this quote from Basil, an early church father. “When we live our lives in isolation, what we have is…
Read MoreThis Is Why We Need Community
If you haven’t heard, we lost our youngest son last Thursday when he was killed in a motorcycle accident. Eric was 19. He was full of life. He was known for his amazing smile and the relentless way he included people. Our last conversation with Eric centered on his excitement about next week’s meeting of his small…
Read MoreDoes One of These Strangleholds Have a Death Grip on Your Ministry?
You know that “your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing (Andy Stanley).” You know the well-worn path never arrives at a new destination. You even know Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.” You know all these things. And at…
Read More7 Practices of an Enduring Small Group Pastor
Want to stay the course in ministry? Want to do more than survive? I think most of us begin ministry with a sense of purpose, a desire to make a difference; an aspiration to inspire others to follow Jesus. In 2000 I bought a Passion CD. I was captivated (and still am) by a few…
Read MoreModel What You Want to Happen at the Member Level
I’ve said many times “Whatever you want to happen in the lives of the members of your groups, has to happen first in the lives of their leaders.” I’ve also pointed out that life-change at the member level begins with you. It would be crazy to expect things would happen to anyone else if they’re not…
Read More5 Steps to Take If Your Small Group Ministry Struggles
What do you do when your small group ministry struggles? I’ve written about the 10 powerful benefits of a thriving small group ministry and also about the 5 easily overlooked secrets to building a thriving small group ministry. But what do you do when your small group ministry struggles? 5 Steps to Take If Your Small…
Read MoreDon’t Miss “Jesus Is”: A New DVD-Driven Study from Judah Smith
Had an opportunity this week to preview a new study by Judah Smith. Jesus Is: Find a New Way to Be Human is an 8 session small group study that reveals the character of Jesus in a powerful way. Judah Smith is the Lead Pastor of The City Church, a multi-site church with thousands in…
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