5 Questions You Should Be Asking When Choosing a Small Group Model
I’ve written a number of articles about how to choose a small group model, system or strategy. After all, choosing a small group model is serious business. You want to do it right. Remembering that “your ministry is perfectly designed to give you the results you are currently experiencing1,” you can be sure that your…
Read MoreAdd “The Irresistible Community” to Your Recommended List
I spent some time this week with a new book from one of small group ministry’s most important voices. The Irresistible Community: An Invitation to Life Together is the newest book from Bill Donahue, a popular conference speaker, prolific author and leadership consultant. Most importantly, Bill was “Director of Leader Development & Group Life for the…
Read MoreThinking Thursday: Finding the Problem Is the Hard Part
Instagram Co-Founder Kevin Systrom believes building solutions for most problems is the easy part; the hard part is finding the right problem to solve. Here he opens up about how he and fellow Co-Founder Mike Krieger identified the problems they wanted to solve around sharing photos through mobile devices. He also reminds entrepreneurs to embrace…
Read MoreHere’s a Lesson in Empathy
Empathy is such a big part of designing a small group ministry strategy that actually connects unconnected people. You can’t expect to do much unless you learn how to think like an unconnected person. See also, Do You See What They See? And that’s why I love this video that was shared by Tim Brown,…
Read MoreDo You See What They See?
I suppose I’m known for having a deep passion for connecting unconnected people. And I suspect that some of my friends believe my passion for connecting unconnected people comes at the expense of any serious commitment to genuinely fruitful disciple-making. But I have to tell you, I don’t see it that way. Here’s how I…
Read MoreTop 10 Articles for Small Group Pastors
My Backstory How am I qualified to write anything about being a small group pastor? Here’s how my own story began: I was asked to help with the college ministry at my church in 1983. I knew how to gather a crowd but had no idea how to help them grow in Christ. I learned…
Read MoreDon’t Miss Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations that Will Help Your Church Grow
I’ve been spending some time with a great new book from Carey Nieuwhof these last couple weeks. Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations that Will Help Your Church Grow is the newest book from Nieuwhof. With one of the most popular blogs, especially on the topic of reaching unchurched people, his is a familiar name for many…
Read MoreThinking Thursday: Reach Your Escape Velocity
Caution: You may be tempted to dismiss this video as irrelevant to your work. For almost all of us, figuring out how to free our organizations from the successes and failures of the past is essential. Just put on your thinking hat and listen carefully. You will hear what I heard and pick up multiple…
Read MoreCan You Spot the Difference between a Step and a Program?
“Next steps for everyone and first steps for their friends.“ Next steps for everyone and first steps for their friends is a core concept in my ministry strategy. It’s an adaptation of one of Andy Stanley’s 7 Practices of Effective Ministry (“steps, not programs”). If you’ve been along for very much of this conversation, this is…
Read More10 Big Lessons I’ve Learned about Small Group Ministry
Have you ever sat down and listed the biggest lessons you’ve learned? Here are 10 big lessons I’ve learned about small group ministry: 1. The interests of insiders are different than the interests of outsiders. Insiders can sometimes be guilted into caring about things senior pastors care about (theology, missions, capital campaigns, etc.). Unconnected people…
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