What’s the Difference Between a Sunday School Class and a Small Group?
I had some good interaction this week with a reader who took issue with some of my assumptions about the differences between Sunday school classes and small groups. He had read my post, How to Build a Small Group Ministry in a Church with a Sunday School Culture (and later read But We Have Adult Sunday School, True…
Read MoreFAQ: What Does a Coach Need to Know from a Small Group Leader?
I get a lot of questions. Most of them come to me via an email, but there are some that come in as a Facebook or Twitter message. Here’s a question I got over the weekend: @MarkCHowell What might a group leader’s #coach NEED or NOT NEED to know from the leader? This is a good question and…
Read MoreWhat Is Your Small Group Ministry Designed To Do?
What is your small group ministry designed to do? Ever thought about it? It matters, you know. The design of your small group ministry determines the results you can expect. Remember: “Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing.” Andy Stanley So…what is your small group ministry designed to do? When…
Read MoreDo You Have an Acts 2 Small Group Ministry in an Acts 17 Culture?
What world is your small group ministry designed to operate in? Ever thought about it? Thanks to an insightful observation in a blog post by James Emery White I have what I think is a good way to frame today’s question. White, the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, is…
Read MoreA Great Study for Men: A Man and His Work
Took a look at A Man and His Work this week. The latest in a line of men’s studies called 33 The Series, it was inspired by the Men’s Fraternity material created by Robert Lewis (I reviewed part 1 of the series right here). The relevance of the title caught my attention and the content of…
Read More5 Things I Learned from Carl George
A few months back, near the beginning of last years NBA season, there was a running dialogue about “Who’s on your NBA Mount Rushmore?” Mount Rushmore you remember is a massive sculpture carved into the side of a South Dakota mountain featuring the heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The “who’s…
Read More5 Common Mistakes of Rookie Small Group Pastors
“That was a rookie mistake.” Ever heard that? Ever said it to yourself? Probably all of us have been there and done that. 5 common mistakes of rookie small group pastors: 1. Trying to take care of too many small group leaders. This is a very common mistake and reflects a lack of understanding of…
Read More5 Things To Do in June to Maximize Small Group Ministry This Fall
You can’t wait until the end of the summer to prepare for the fall ministry season. Have you figured this out yet? Most likely you’re on to this fact of life…but even if you are, you might need an idea or two about how to prepare and what to focus on. See also, What To…
Read MoreLeading Missional Communities: A Must-Read Resource
Spent some time with the newest book from Mike Breen and the 3DM team this week. Leading Missional Communities was released last fall and is the fourth and final book of their current series (includes Building a Discipling Culture, Multiplying Missional Leaders, and Leading Kingdom Movements). I really like the way the ideas of Building a…
Read MoreDon’t Miss This Resource: Autopsy of a Deceased Church
Had an opportunity this week to spend some time with Autopsy of a Deceased Church, Thom Rainer’s latest book. Prior to his work as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, he led The Rainer Group, a church and denominational consulting firm, from 1990 to 2005. The firm provided church health insights to over 500 churches and…
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