The Power of a Spiritual Training Partner

Have you ever made the decision to lose weight or start exercising (or any number of other things) only to find that you really couldn’t do it alone? The benefit of a training partner or participating in a weight-watchers group is unquestioned. Yet, when it comes to spiritual next steps, most of us attempt to…

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Life On Life is the Essential Ingredient

"The optimal ingredient for life change is a small group."  No doubt you’ve heard that line many times (or some variation of it).  These days I am more convinced than ever that there is some truth to the line, but not the whole truth.  I actually think it’s better to say something like, "Small groups…

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Host Gift Bags

What do you provide your hosts when they sign up?  When our hosts assemble at the orientation they’ll receive a gift bag that includes a half pound bag of Starbucks coffee, a small bag of Hershey’s Kisses, a 7 Day Prayer Guide, The ABCs of a Great Start for Your Group, and nametags for their…

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Host Orientations That Launch Groups

With the launch of our own One Month to Live campaign just 2 1/2 weeks away, I thought I’d share a few secrets of a great Host Orientation…one that encourages new leaders and connects them with a coach.  I’ve tried a lot of different things, tweaked the plan multiple times, and have found that a…

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Check Out The Small Group Exchange!

Just tripped across a new site with lots of great resources.  The Small Group Exchange has a wide selection of available studies.  Easy to poke around a come up with a new idea or two.  You’ll also find an interesting selection of free articles by a good cross-section of small group experts from around the…

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Life Change at the Member Level…Begins with You

The optimal environment for life change is a small group.  We’ve all heard that line for years.  Most of us have said that line so frequently that it is now an automatic response when we hear a counter opinion.  And yet…is it really true?  And if it is true, is it a given?  Or does…

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Using a Blog to Keep Your Leaders Up-to-Date

If you haven’t figured it out yet, keeping your small group leaders up-to-date with what’s happening (and what’s about to happen) is very important.  Helping every leader stay a little ahead of what the average member knows is essential if you want them to feel like they’re at the heart of what’s going on. I’ve…

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Recruiting Hundred-Fold Players

Want your small group ministry to have an overwhelming impact?  Here’s the bottom line: you can’t do it without a team of hundred-fold players as a foundation.  End of story.  You want to build a pervasive small group culture?  You can’t compromise on this reality.  You’ll be tempted to settle…but you can’t.  You’ve got to…

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Decisions vs. Disciples

One of my blogosphere buddies is speaking at the National Outreach Convention in November on a topic that we’ve begun talking about here: making disciples.  Here’s the short description of his talk: "If we are serious about accomplishing the mission of Jesus we can no longer be satisfied with “raise your hand”, “sign a card”…

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What Will You Call Success?

When you think about your small group ministry…would you say you’re winning or losing?  Are you succeeding at what you’re doing?  Or failing? This is a very important question.  No doubt you’re already asking it!  In fact, that’s probably why you’re here reading this article right now.  So…back to the question…are you winning or losing…

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