Category: Small Groups
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Leaders in action
I’m working to build our website for life groups at Oasis. We’re going to try some new things with it, which I’ll share about later. But for our leader profiles, I decided to go a little retro – taking a few photos and turning them into animated GIFS (like all websites in 1994 had). I […]
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Simple wins.
In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz writes that too many choices can actually be a bad thing. Let’s say Ted to buy a new television. He walks into his local Buy More and is confronted not with two or three tvs, but with a wall of options. Now, he knew he wanted a new […]
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Different types of small group ministries
When churches are looking to either start or revamp a small group ministry, it can be helpful to see what others are doing – not necessarily as an instruction manual but more as a guide to see what meshes with your community/goals/etc. It’s best to see them more as mindsets than models. What fits with […]
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Pursuing your Holy Discontent
You’ve been getting mainly links and not many original thoughts here recently, and part of the reason is that most of those thoughts have been going towards classes and church work. We’ve started a new small group study at the church that I’ve been writing the curriculum and chapter summaries for. It’s been exciting to […]
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Multiplication is messy. That’s ok. (part 3)
We’ve talked about the challenge of multiplication and how sending seems more natural. What if, in addition to groups sending others to start new groups, those connected groups formed a network, or a hub, that got together periodically? It could be for a time of worship, for a party, or for service. Our group meets […]
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Multiplication is messy. That’s ok. (part 2)
So it’s time for our group to multiply. But multiplication is messy and hasn’t really worked in our context. What do we do? Well, last week I introduced the idea to the group. We talked about how we value being open and open – to new people and with each other. I explained how multiplication […]
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Multiplication is messy. That’s ok.
There is no perfect small group system. I wish there was, but there’s no one formula that will work for every church, meet everyone’s needs, and grow an active, healthy, outward-focused ministry. That little confession leads us to today’s discussion. I’ve read lots of books on small groups, but I haven’t found “the” way to […]
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Community takes work!
We just wrapped up an outdoor movie night in our apartment complex. As Community Coordinators, Grete and I get to plan periodic events for the community – this time we did an outdoor movie (that almost got rained out – it rained all day in Pasadena! I haven’t seen that in the whole year we’ve […]
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Discipleship – for unbelievers
Check out what Erwin McManus has to say about discipleship in this video. Here are a few of his points: “Christians love to be discipled, get more and more information so I can know more and more about God without actually having to do anything about it. And when you look at the scriptures, what […]
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Small group ideas – the year ahead
It’s official – another quarter of classes is done. Finished. Gone. And for once, I can say THANK GOODNESS! It’s been a crazy week. Between a couple of big events for our small groups and finals, I’m due for a let down! I finished up my last paper at 4:45 p.m. on Friday, and our […]
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What really matters in church
There’s a lot of talk in the church world about doing everything with excellence. That’s important. Many leaders have focused on it because for many years it was totally neglected in the church (still is in some places). It just didn’t matter. While culture improved how it communicated, the church stayed stuck in the same […]
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Tips for leading group discussions
For some people, leading a group discussion-based Bible study is simple. It just seems obvious. But others want – and need – a little more structure. As we’re working to share leadership in our small group, I’m learning that not everyone’s comfortable with just diving off the deep end without a few quick lessons. So […]
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Empowering leadership: helping people find their fit
One of the most important things to remember in leadership is that – amazingly – everyone doesn’t think like you do. It’s a lesson I learn time and again. And I’m a little surprised every time! It’s like this. I’m the kind of deranged person who likes leading. I like speaking. I feel comfortable being […]
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Influencing change: what could be
Ever notice something that needed to look different in an organization or group? Did you work to change it? How did you go about it? I’m realizing (again) that it’s much more important to paint a picture of what could be than to focus on the thing that needs to change. When we see changes […]
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Bonhoeffer and Claiborne on community
“Love community and you will kill it. Love your brother and you will build it.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer If that makes you think too hard, I also like Shane Claiborne‘s paraphrase: “If you love the vision you have for community, you will destroy community. If you love the people around you, you will create community.” [HT: […]
Jon Sampson 