Entries from Off the Agenda tagged with: small groups
NOTE: This post is a part of the Sticky Church blog tour. One key commitment of the church growth movement has been to create an appealing worship service to attract seekers and church shoppers. In his new book, Sticky...
Tags used in this post:
book corner, small groups,
February 19, 2009
Book Corner: A Day in the Life of Jesus
Anne Rice imagines the world Christ lived in.
It may come as a shock to some of you to hear an editor on BCL recommending a book about Jesus that was written by a woman who became famous by writing vampire novels. So perhaps a bit of...
Tags used in this post:
book corner, imagination, small groups, study,
January 21, 2009
Book Corner: Spiritual Formation for Small Groups
A workbook that unites theology and spiritual formation.
One of my first editorial assignments—long before I was actually an editor—was helping my pastor grammar-check and proofread a small-group workbook he developed for use in our congregation. The editing process was a joy; but the real treat was...
Tags used in this post:
book corner, small groups, spiritual formation,
For the past year, the Discipleship Team at Christianity Today International has been strenuously planning a re-design and re-launch of our small-group resources. One of the things I've been most surprised by is the amount of time and energy that...
Tags used in this post:
administration, small groups,
June 2, 2008
Beware of Unintended Curriculum
The dangers involved with teaching what you never meant to teach
My wife and I were visiting Southern California on vacation when we decided to stop by Mission San Juan Capistrano - an adobe chapel complex founded by Franciscan monks in 1776. In the back of the mission was a...
Tags used in this post:
Bible study, small groups, study, training,
I recently sat down with Jennifer Oxford, regional leader for Student Impact, the youth ministry of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. Jen has five years of ministry under her belt and lots of experience orienting volunteers...
Tags used in this post:
recruiting, small groups, spiritual gifts, volunteers,
I'm going to attempt to paraphrase a story I heard at a small-groups conference a little over a year ago, so please bear with me. The speaker was Randy Frazee. The story centered on Frazee's first attempt at small-group ministry...
Tags used in this post:
burnout, small groups, time management,
April 24, 2008
Pondering the Question of Adult Education
Are classrooms and small-group settings the only way?
A church in our area recently dealt with a situation that made me think harder about the way many congregations approach adult Sunday school. This church of about 150 people gathers for a worship service first, then breaks into age-specific...
Tags used in this post:
community, small groups, women's ministry,
April 2, 2008
When Group Members Talk Too Much
Practical tips for managing a dominant personality in your small group.
Few barriers can subvert the depth and transforming power of a small-group discussion faster than one or more group members who dominate the conversation. Such members can monopolize entire gatherings with their problems and perspectives and can hinder the participation...
Tags used in this post:
difficult people, leadership, small groups,
March 5, 2008
Cutting the Competition
If you want small groups to succeed in your church, make sure your leaders have enough time to do them right.
Any church attempting to run a small-groups ministry will inevitably encounter a stiff obstacle to growth: the need for more leaders. This is actually a turning point in many respects - find a way to surmount this barrier, and there's...
Tags used in this post:
burnout, recruiting, small groups, time management,
March 3, 2008
The Long Goodbye: Can Small Groups Break Up Well?
What should church leaders do when a group's on the decline, but no one is willing to pull the plug?
I recently joined the leadership team for my church's small-groups ministry. During a recent Saturday breakfast, one of the church's longtime small-groups leaders (we'll call him Tim for this post) shared an unusual, and uncomfortable, predicament. For several reasons I'll...
Tags used in this post:
conflict, difficult people, leadership, small groups,
February 4, 2008
Pushing the Comfort Zones of Small Groups
Why today’s small groups need to move beyond a traditional Bible study
As part of my work with www.BuildingSmallGroups.com, I recently had the privilege of interviewing Alan Hirsch on the subject of his book The Forgotten Ways. If you're not familiar with that book, it's basically a call for the church -...
Tags used in this post:
Bible study, community, outreach, small groups,
December 10, 2007
Create a Culture of Mentorship
“Mentor” is a buzz word, but are churches cultivating mentors?
"Mentoring," says the late Fred Smith Sr. in his book Leading with Integrity, "is back in favor again, like a wonderful old story that hasn't been told for so long it sounds new." Then he succinctly explains the danger of...
Tags used in this post:
community, men's ministry, seniors, small groups, training, women's ministry,
October 22, 2007
What Makes a Small Group?
Some clearly define "small groups," and some don't--here's why it's important we do.
Several months ago I had the privilege of attending the Purpose-Driven Small Groups conference at Saddleback Church. Randy Frazee was the opening plenary speaker, and he started off with a quote from Lyle Schaller that still has my attention today:...
Tags used in this post:
Bible study, community, evangelism, outreach, small groups,
Off The Agenda: Conversations for Building Church Leaders is a blog where people in church leadership positions — pastors, staff members, and volunteers, among others — gather for discussion, where they encourage, equip, and prepare each other for the joys and challenges...
Tags used in this post:
administration, Bible study, boards, budget, buildings, burnout, children's ministry, community, compromise, current events, devotions, difficult people, elections, evangelism, failure, family, fund-raising, giving, hiring, legal, liability, mediation, meditation, men's ministry, missional, missions, money, multimedia, outreach, pastors, politics, pop culture, prayer, quiet time, recruiting, risk, sample forms, seniors, small groups, spiritual gifts, staff, stewardship, study, team, technology, time management, tithing, training, vision, volunteers, women's ministry, worship,
October 15, 2007
Sam O'Neal
Sam O’Neal is managing editor of the Discipleship Team at Christianity Today International, where he works primarily with small-groups resources. He is a contributor to Leadership journal, Ignite Your Faith, and Christianity Today....
Tags used in this post:
Bible study, community, devotions, meditation, prayer, quiet time, small groups, training, volunteers,
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