3 Steps to Prepare Small Groups for Growth
My wife loves to garden. She gains a deep sense of accomplishment every time our house is surrounded by beautiful flowers. On the other hand, I abhor gardening; because it is usually associated with hours and hours on my hands and knees working the soil. I would rather save myself the time and pain by just […]
7 Ways to Care for your Ministry that Require Zero Talent
Each Small Group Semester brings a different set off challenges and goals I look to strive for. I will aways set a new numerical goal for groups, next steps emphasis and I always look for a few areas that need improvement within my role. It seemed that almost every semester I circled “better care” for […]
How to Launch New Groups and Find New Leaders [Podcast]
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5663392/height/26/theme/standard-mini/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/” height=”26″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”mini”]If we were to ask you, “what are your top 3 challenges in your small groups ministry?” One of your answers would probably be related to getting new leaders or starting new groups! Whether you are launching a new small groups ministry at your church or growing an existing one, it […]
5 Transferrable Principles You Can Learn from International Small Group Ministries
With 37 Small Group Network huddles in countries outside the US and Canada, what can you gain from the lessons of small group ministries all around the world? Check out these five transferrable principles: Never let a previous experience with groups deter you from trying new groups-based strategies. Many churches in Eastern Europe and other areas tried different […]
Look Up, Look In, Look Out
About two years ago, I began to wrestle internally with what was going on within my life and ministry. I didn’t feel particularly close to God, His calling on my life, and even my relationships were starting to pay the price. I felt as if I had grown into a stagnant relationship. I knew I […]
Mark Zuckerberg on Small Groups and Facebook’s Future
In a recent interview with WIRED*, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and co-founder of Facebook, shared that small group ministry is a model he considers when he looks to the future of his social media website. It’s an intriguing comment from the marketplace and it’s loaded with transferable insights for disciple makers. I think it’s important for me to note […]
Do Your Leaders Have the Gratitude Attitude?
I was speaking to a friend recently about a particularly hard time in his life. Work was a mess, there were family curve balls, and he had some friends who betrayed him. There was almost nothing left to go wrong. Until that final thing went wrong. “I was turning into a cranky old man […]
Leading from a Healthy Soul: How to Avoid Ministry Burnout [Podcast]
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5538732/height/26/theme/standard-mini/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/” height=”26″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”mini”]Q Are you feeling burnt-out as a ministry leader? Q Do you know other ministry leaders who are on the edge of burn-out? If so, you’ve come to the right place… The greatest gift you can give those you lead is your own healthy soul. So often, as pastors and […]
3 Tips When Launching Interest Based Small Groups
God is so creative in how he made the human race to be so diverse! Different nationalities, unique languages, beautiful skin colors and various interests! Here are 3 tips when launching interest based groups… #1. Recruit leaders with an Appeal to their Interests It’s crazy how two complete and total strangers who have never met […]
Feeling Discouraged? Five Secret Weapons You Can Use Today!
The great rock band R.E.M. wrote a song, Everybody Hurts, in which the refrain goes, “everybody hurts sometimes.” As anyone in ministry knows, they weren’t kidding! Discouragement is one of the primary obstacles facing every one of us as small group ministry leaders. No one seems to be immune from occasional moments of feeling defeated […]
