A Key to Growing Passionate Disciples of Jesus in Small Groups
As a small group leader, I take great comfort in knowing that I do not have to hit home runs with every group discussion I lead or lesson I teach. I do, however, need to hit singles regularly. If people are not hearing something meaningful and applicable to them, you will probably not keep them […]
Small Group Evangelism & The Bridges of God
What are the bridges of God? How does the gospel spread from my small group to a lost and dying world? Donald McGavran wrote about this in 1955. He had observed that two churches in the same neighborhood preaching the same doctrine with pastors from the same seminary would have wildly different results. One church […]
Doubling Your Small Groups — a Worthy Goal
“If you wish to build a ship, do not divide the men into teams and send them to the forest to cut wood. Instead, teach them to long for the vast and endless sea.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry We can reach our nation for God with an army of small group leaders like you who long […]
Making Disciples like Jesus through Small Groups
Doubling groups is a worthy goal. Here is why. There is no discplemaking without small groups. It is the way Jesus did it. He gathered a group together and taught them. He taught them in the context of a group; in the context where they could discuss what was taught. This is how life-change happens. […]
Failing at groups
One of the major themes of the Bible is that: FAILURE IS NOT FINAL. We can risk failure because we know that God is a God of a second chances. We can recover from failure because we know that God forgives and restores. Consider the story of Jonah. The […]
Effective Ministry Leaders are Thieves
Recently, I heard my friend Mike Draper say that there are three types of football coaches: innovators, thieves, and the unemployed. He admitted he was no innovator, but he still has a job. In fact, he and his team are doing quite well. His secret? He is a skillful thief! Similarly, Rick Warren says, “If […]
The Power of Effective Bible Teachers
We desperately need an army of Effective Bible Teachers. What is an Effective Bible Teacher? An Effective Bible Teacher teaches so that people live according to the Bible. Effective Bible Teachers create doers of the Word and not hearers only. Effective Bible Teachers make disciples. Effective Bible Teachers result in classes that pray, people who […]
Innovate Your Way to Better Small Groups
The vast majority of the books I read, I don’t finish. Occasionally, a book is so good I reread it. Once in a while, a book is so good I start into it as soon as I have finished it. Matt Ridley’s How Innovation Works was just that good. Here are a few key highlights […]
Don’t Try to FIX Your Group
One of the interesting insights coming out of the 12-step literature is that it is counter productive to try to fix each other. We can only fix ourselves. An atmosphere where we are constantly trying to fix each other will quickly squelch honesty. I do not want a group that is constantly trying to fix […]
Ecclesiastical Kleptomaniacs
It seems to me that a lot of churches are struggling. We know that statistically around 80% of our churches are plateaued or are declining. Many die every year. But, there some churches in America that are thriving. Outreach Magazine prints a list every year of the 100 Fastest Growing and 100 Largest Churches. Recently […]
