3 Last Minute Ideas That Will Launch More Groups This Fall
If you’re like me…you’re what seems like moments away from starting the biggest opportunity you have all year to launch new groups. Of course I’m talking about mid-September to early October. And we’re just a few weeks away. But are there still last minute things you can do to launch more groups? Absolutely! Here are…
Read MoreThe Small Group of One
Looking for a fun way to highlight the value of community? This worship house media video does a great job: Can’t see the video? Click here to check it out.
Read MoreDoes Your Small Group Ministry Really Need a Cultural Anthropologist?
You may not see this immediately, but if you don’t have an anthropologist…there’s a great chance your small group ministry offerings are designed to connect the wrong people. That would be a bummer. Wouldn’t it? “But wait,” you might say. “How could what we offer have anything to do with who we connect?” Or, you…
Read MoreTop 10 Posts of July, 2011
Here are my most popular posts of June, 2011. An interesting list this month in that all but one of these posts are from the last 60 days. Another important factoid…5 of my top 10 posts are resource reviews and 5 are strategy related. Creation Unraveled: New from Lifeway On the Verge: An Important New…
Read MoreUnderstanding World Religions: New on the Next Christians Reading List
Honestly, if you would have told me 25 years ago that I’d need a resource that would help me understand world religions, I’d probably have rolled my eyes and said, “I have no plans to be a missionary.” And I would have been expressing the mindset of most people I knew. Mind you, I grew…
Read MoreWhen Coaching Philosophies Collide: How Can Both Be Right?
Great question from a reader today. Bet you’ve had the same question. Here it is: I’m having a tough time reconciling two approaches to coaching and that makes it hard to decide on the right role and job description for a coach. Loved Jim Egli’s recent book Small Groups Big Impact which highlighted an effective…
Read MoreBreaking: Add This Host Orientation Idea to Your Bag of Tricks
You know how when you’re watching certain shows on TV they tell you, “Don’t try this at home?” I think you’re going to want to try what I’m about to tell you. Now most of you will hear the idea, feel a strong pull to try it right away, and then listen to the other…
Read MoreTop 10 Signs You’re Still in Jerusalem
A little scripture…and then a question. Just before He ascended Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8, NLT).” In Acts 8:1 we learn that the day Stephen was stoned, “A great wave of persecution began that…
Read MoreThe Story: A New Church-Wide Campaign from Zondervan
There are church-wide campaigns and then there are church-wide campaigns. That is, some campaigns are bare bones and only include a small group study for adults and outlines of the weekend message series. Others (like 40 Days of Purpose) are very robust, providing the full range of curriculum (from Preschool Children all the way to…
Read MoreGroupLife Philosophy: Defining Your Customer
Yesterday we began talking about developing an understanding about who you are designing your small group ministry to connect. The great Peter Drucker question, “Who is your customer?” has had a profound impact in the corporate world. It absolutely has a key role to play in helping all of us think more skillfully about what…
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