I just got back from the Lobby Gathering Small Group conference in SoCal and had an amazing time. I learned so much and met so many great people. But, if I were to sum up my highlights and takeaways, I’d say there are five things that stuck out to me the most.
- The world needs small groups! Pastor Rick Warren, Founder of Saddleback Church, talks about this epidemic of loneliness that is taking place because social media has given us this sense of false intimacy. So, what you do matters because you are creating community not only for your local church, but also for your city that is then impacting a global need.
- It is essential to take time away to go from working in your ministry to working on your ministry. This helps you take a step back and give you a bird’s eye view. It helps infuse fresh insight and strength into your ministry. It will help catapult growth, and it certainly can help you build a greater network of people.
- What you put into the Lobby Conference is what you get out of it. The people you meet at the Lobby will be your support system outside of your local church. They will be the people who you can call to say I need someone to talk to and listen. Someone who might be able to provide insight outside of your context. I like to think of it as there being multiple levels of engagement at the conference. You could go for just the content, and you’d still get amazing content! It would be a win, but you’d end up missing out on the relationship aspect. However, if you press in a little harder and get outside of your comfort zone, you learn the depth of relationship you can have with other Small Group Point People from all over.
- Don’t let your limited thinking, limit your small groups. Pastor Rick Warren talked about how we all need bigger goals with exponential thinking. We need to rely on the Lord with greater dependence. Matthew 9:29 really challenged me recently as it says, “According to your faith, let it be done to you.” What does your faith look like? What are you believing for in your small groups?
- I learned “truth is built on trust that’s built on time.” Steve Gladen encouraged all of us to rethink how we are spending time with our Small Group Point People. Without trust, we have nothing. Are you being intentional with your time so you can be intentional with your trust? Are you being intentional with your trust so you can be intentional with sharing truth?
If you were able to join us, I hope you’ll take the next week to process all you learned and discover your own five takeaways. If you weren’t able to join us, mark your calendar for February 2020!
Grow as a leader, strengthen your team & accelerate the health & growth of your small group ministry by attending the “Accelerate” D.C. Small Group Workshop! Lock in Super-Early Bird Price by April 18th!
