Fall is a great time to launch a new small group, or relaunch one that has taken a break for the summer. Most people will be settling back into their life rhythms by Labor Day. Summer vacations are an Instagram memory, schools have welcomed students back, and new families have relocated into your community. In […]
There are a few decisions for your group that will have trade-offs depending on the decision you make. You will need to decide what direction will be best for the long-term health of your particular small group. An important initial decision to make is whether to be an open group or a closed group. Open […]
The number one barrier to someone stepping up to lead a small group is the word leader. Take five seconds right now and think about what you imagine when you hear that word. Go ahead, I’ll wait. What came to mind? A CEO of a large company? A head of state? The senior pastor of your […]
It is sometimes hard to know what is real in our society. We live in a world where we judge ourselves with comparisons to viral hashtags and perfect Instagram filters. Everyone’s best life is on full display 24/7. We all have our #SquadGoals and #RelationshipGoals. Ironically, those Instagram and Facebook posts signal the presence of […]
Every small group needs a reason for existence. Why should we carve out more time in our busy lives to spend it with people we might barely know? For most people and groups that reason is the desire for community. We desire friendship, and that is a good thing. We all need community. In fact, […]
If you live in the Denver, CO, area and/or you are looking for a great training event for groups, family and lead pastors, then you should check out this one night event on June 9, 2019. Here are the details and where you can register: A Night with MinistryTogether is an opportunity for pastors, small group […]
Peter gave us this definition of leadership as he exhorted the elders of the first-century church: Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. […]
After finishing the book, Small Groups for the Rest of Us, in 2015, I wasn’t sure that I would ever desire to write another full-length book. Writing a book is a grueling experience, and unless you have a topic you’re super passionate about, not a lot of fun. Fast forward four years, and now my […]
Launching a group can be an intimidating process. There are a lot of questions to think through, but the first question we have to wrestle with is: What type of group will this be? We can get locked into the belief we have to begin with a small group of people meeting in our home, […]
A small group leader has many roles to fill. The key to a healthy and multiplying group is to give as many of those roles away as soon as possible. You can identify which roles to give away first by knowing which ones are naturally weak for you. We all have areas of leadership where […]