The Power of Food and Community Formation
Food and small groups. To many of us they are probably inseparable. You can’t have a small group without food (it is after all the S of Saddleback’s HOST model). And where there is food, there is probably a small group. But why? Have you ever stopped to consider the power of food in both […]
How to Prevent Small Group Meltdowns
I worked in construction one summer break when I was in high school. It was hard work, I got a great tan, and I was sporting some serious muscles when school started up again. But I also learned a valuable lesson, called “measure twice, cut once.” While this lesson was about cutting wood, the universal principle was that […]
The 1 Thing Your Leadership Development Pathway is Missing
When we talk “leadership development pathway,” I’ll bet you think about all of the cognitive steps leaders need to take to develop. You start to map out the markers all along the way, from trainings to gatherings to curriculum. But there’s one primary aspect of development you just might have overlooked. You can’t grow […]
25 Small Group Quotes from “The Lobby” SoCal 2017
The largest global network of small group ministry leaders, the “Small Group Network,” annually hosts “The Lobby” small group conference in Southern California. Here are the top 25 quotes from this amazing week… People join a small group for content, but they stay for the relationships. – Rick Warren You can’t microwave a great small group […]
Ruling the Roost
I don’t know about you, but my 2017 has gotten off to a hectic start. I blinked and February is almost halfway over, and don’t even ask me about what happened to January. (Are we sure it even existed?) Sadly, our culture has somehow equated busyness and stress with productivity. And in the church it […]
Three Realities for Lead Pastors and Small Groups
It is a pleasant fiction to think that a small group ministry can soar in a church by delegating all of the responsibility to an Associate Pastor. A similar line of reasoning would contend that the Lead Pastor doesn’t need to worship because they have hired a worship leader to do that. Of course, nobody […]
4 Tips for Caring for Leaders in 2017
One of our primary tasks as small group point people is to shepherd our small group leaders. Small group leaders cannot shepherd their people if they do not feel cared for and supported. One of the key phrases I like to use when it comes to spiritual growth is model & invite. We as leaders […]
Time For a Physical…
80-120… 120-140… To most people, these numbers don’t mean much, but to me, as a Type 2 Diabetic they mean everything. 80-120 is the normal range my blood sugar level (BSL) should be, and 120-140 is the range my BSL should be after a meal. I have to test my blood sugar levels multiple times […]
3 Ways to Keep Jesus First at Christmas
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year! If you’re like me, you’re very busy around this time. As we serve in ministry we can forget one of the challenges of this season is not allowing busyness to lure us away from what really matters—Jesus. I know it sounds cliché, but it really […]
Small Group Ministry Leadership Lessons My Dad Taught Me
Growing up, I never thought we were poor and yet the truth is, we didn’t have a lot of money. We did have love, friends, family, and a church family – but the happiness of my childhood was never measured in gifts or activities or living in nice houses. I never once thought about inheriting […]
