5 Takeaways from The Lobby Gathering
It’s November and I am still thinking of my very first experience, eight months ago, at the Lobby Gathering. I attended not really knowing much about the Small Group Network, what the Lobby Gathering was or even what all I’d do once I arrived. Just in case you are interested in attending but are in the same […]
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 […]
Confessions of an International Small Group Point Person
This is a message from one pastor leading the small group ministry in a church outside of North America. “There are many things that we have in common with our brothers and sisters in small group ministry in other countries. Yet, here are some pronounced differences between what we see in North American ministry and […]
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 […]
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 […]
Spiritual Rhythms
One of my favorite classes in my under-grad was Ministry Observation, which I took my freshman year. I know, it doesn’t sound super exciting or life changing by any means, but man…I loved this class! We would, as a class, visit various different churches in Southern California; write critiques and analysis papers about our experience […]
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 […]
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 […]
2 Exclusive Resources to Energize Your Small Group Ministry
#1 SMALL GROUP LEADERSHIP TRAINING KIT Q What is your strategy to recruit and equip your small group leaders? Q Do your group leaders clearly understand their assignment? Created by Steve Gladen, Global Pastor of the Small Group Ministry at Saddleback Church, this resource is designed with you, the Small Group Point Person, in mind. God doesn’t call […]
