My Top Three Learnings about Small Group Ministry This Year
I’m an experimenter by nature, so I’m always on the lookout for what’s next. Here are the top three things I’ve learned this year. First, joining a small group that meets in a stranger’s living room is not easy. In many instances it’s even harder and requires more courage or desperation than attending a weekend…
Read MoreHere’s a Video for Your Next Leader Training: Awkward Prayer
Need a funny video to lighten the mood in a leader training? I think you’ll like this one! Testing the limits of awkwardness… Can’t see the video? You can watch it right here. Looking for training ideas on prayer? See also, Skill Training: Top 10 Ways to Learn to Pray Together and The Simplest Way to…
Read MoreWas Jesus’ Mission Different Than Ours?
Maybe this is just the ramblings of a sleep deprived traveler…but here’s what I’m wondering: Do you think Jesus’ mission was different than ours? So many of our current conversations find their biblical basis in Matthew 28:18-20 (the Great Commission). It does seem to be our assignment or at least one of our assignments. After…
Read MoreFour Leading Indicators of Small Group Ministries that Make Disciples
In the world of economics, leading indicators are “indicators that usually change before the economy as a whole changes. They are therefore useful as short-term predictors of the economy.” Stock market returns, building permits, and average weekly jobless claims are all leading indicators. Think there might be a set of leading indicators that are short-term predictors of…
Read MoreReview: The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship
I’ve read pretty much everything Dallas Willard ever wrote. The Divine Conspiracy might be one of my most marked up, starred, underlined, dog-eared books. Renovation of the Heart and The Spirit of the Disciplines are right on its heels. I’ve bookmarked websites. I’ve printed reams of articles…and they’re just as marked up as any of…
Read MoreMy Top 3 Ninja Ideas for Recruiting Small Group Leaders
Summer is almost here. And right on its heels comes the fall. Ready? Recruited the small group leaders you’ll need to connect all the unconnected people in your congregation? It really is an annual dilemma, isn’t it? Can I tell you something? It’s only a dilemma for the churches that haven’t figured out how to…
Read More7 Assumptions That Shape My Small Group Strategy
A few months back I wrote a post on ten ideas that have shaped my philosophy of ministry. In several recent discussions I’ve realized that I have a collection of assumptions that have a lot to do with the small group strategy we use. There is no problem-free solution. Wise leaders simply choose the set…
Read MoreWhat Are Your Groups Designed To Produce?
There are at least two questions. What are your groups designed to produce? is one of them. I think the answer right now for many would be, disciples who make disciples. In the 80s, Willow’s mission was to make fully devoted followers (still is). And I’m pretty sure in any conversation they’d say now and…
Read MoreQuotebook: Change and Irrelevance
“If you don’t like change you’ll like irrelevance even less.” General Eric Shinseki, former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Great line, isn’t it? Although it is a line that comes to my mind quite often, I’ve learned not to use it on the people who bring it to mind. There is great wisdom in having…
Read MoreDiscipleShift: An Important New Resource for Churches that Want to Make Disciples
Picked up a copy of a new book from Jim Putman last week. DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples. Trust me…this is one you’re going to want to carefully work your way through. There are some very important ideas in this book. Putman, founding pastor of Real Life…
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