Small Groups: Start with People
Start with people. Sounds obvious, right? After all, you and I, as small group point people, are in the business of connecting people. But this question has come to the forefront of my mind recently, as I read Priya Parker’s excellent new book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. We […]
Why Every Small Group Point Person Should Attend “Accelerate!”
We all enter into ministry for a variety of reasons. For me, I love seeing people grow spiritually through a rich experience of biblical community. I have been blessed with incredible community, experiencing firsthand how transformative small group Christian community can and should be. I want to shepherd people into that experience. That last sentence […]
5 Themes for Developing a Church-Wide Small Group Culture
At the 2018 SoCal “Lobby Gathering” a few weeks ago (Register for 2019), I had the privilege of leading a conversation on developing a church-wide small group culture. It was great to sit with other small group point people, and listen to where they are in the process, but more specifically, what was working and […]
Countdown to the Lobby Is on!
The Lobby (March 13-15) is less than a month away. The good news is it’s not too late to register, but time is ticking. If you are still waffling on whether to pull the trigger or not, let me share why you definitely need to come, from one small group point person to another. First […]
4 Ways to Avoid Burnout in 2018
As small group point people, we hit the ground running in January—getting new groups started, getting old groups started again, getting people signed up, and all the administrative tasks that go along with this. We think we will get to breathe once this is done, only to find that our to-do list is longer than […]
5 Ways Cooking Is Like a Small Group
With the holiday season firmly upon us, many of us will be doing our fair share of holiday baking. Holiday parties with our small group. Holiday parties with our leaders. Holiday parties at church. You get the idea. In the midst of this cooking frenzy, I began to think of ways cooking is like leading […]
What Am I Thankful For? What Are You Thankful For?
“What is one thing your church does really well?” An easy question to answer, you would think. But I had to think about it for a while when I was asked it by a friend during a recent Salt Lake City huddle. I struggled with this question because too often it is not the good […]
One Simple, Easy Way to Care for Your Leaders
Like many of you, I have struggled at times on how best to care and shepherd my leaders. Emails, phone calls and notes are great, but when push comes to shove, I yearn for the personal face to face contact with my leaders. And the best time to do this is when they are already […]
3 Reasons to Highly Anticipate Steve Gladen’s New Book
With almost 20 years of leading small groups at Saddleback, when Steve Gladen (the founder of the Small Group Network) speaks or writes, we are wise to listen. Many of us have greatly benefitted from his wisdom whether through his previous books, through the Small Group Network, or through the conference he and his team […]
5 Lessons Learned from This Past Year That Every Small Group Point Person Needs to Consider
The end and start of a church fiscal year is a great time to evaluate and plan for a new year. For me, that time is right now, which coincides with the launch of a new season of small groups. I have been spending time reflecting, thinking, and praying over what I have learned, but […]
