“Keeping watch on the clock is a good habit that helps build consistency and trust within the group.” During your Small Group gathering each week, keep these three time-management tips in mind: 1. Starting It is rare when everyone in the group arrives on time, but starting on time (regardless of the latecomers) is important for several reasons. It sets a consistent precedence. (If you often start 5-10 minutes late, it will likely just become part of people’s schedules and expectations.) Starting on time shows respect to those who arrived on time. Also, it allows you to stick with your…
The Pit Doesn’t Last Forever
“He was patient during my bitter doubts knowing that eventually His power and purpose would unfold.” I didn’t always have such a fond opinion of Psalm 40. In December of 2005 I wrote out the first verses of this Psalm in a journal. I included some skeptical, critical, and angry thoughts about how I doubted it’s reality. My wife and I were at the beginning of a difficult valley. We had two choices: Give up and walk away from God and each other, or push forward even though the road seemed entirely uncertain. In the months that followed, we saw…
How to Navigate Discussion
“If you are not careful to keep your hands on the controls, there are several in your group who are ready and willing to chart a new course.” Every Small Group is filled with a variety different types of people. Even people with much in common usually have wildly different characteristics – especially when it comes to group discussion. Your goal as a Small Group leader is to bring everyone into the conversation. Like a pilot of an airplane, you have a destination in mind. If you are not careful to keep your hands on the controls, there are several…
The Landing: An Example
“People are more likely to remember and act on one substantial item each week.” (This article is an example for the concept described here: The Landing) How do you develop your lesson plan and discussion questions to reach a specific concept, point of interest, or action item by the end of the discussion? Many rich concepts Let’s say you are studying through the book of Ephesians. This week you plan to cover Ephesians 2:1–10. There are many rich concepts in these ten verses. For instance, here are some of them… Everyone was once dead and held captive by…
The Landing
“Your group won’t remember everything from the discussion each week. If they only remember one thing, what should it be?” They won’t remember Try all you like, but your group won’t remember everything you discuss together each week. But that’s not something to lose sleep over – instead, leverage it for a positive outcome. Determine the landing Imagine you are the pilot of a plane taking the passengers to a specific destination each week. What is that destination? Where do you plan to “land the plane”? Although you may cover plenty of distance with your group during a particular…
When Everything and Everyone Else Seems More Appealing
“…there will always be someone who has it easier, makes it further, has more opportunity, and achieves more success.” “Quit looking around at everyone else.” These were some harsh words Peter had to hear. For just a moment, he compared his assignment with someone else’s. Jesus quickly called him out: “What is that to you? As for you, follow me.1” Let’s face it, if you look around for just a moment, there will always be someone who has it easier, makes it further, has more opportunity, and achieves more success. When you take your eyes off of the task…
Twisted Words
“As a Small Group Leader, it is important to do the legwork ahead of time in order to make sure you are not twisting God’s words out of context.” Twisted Words No one likes when their words are taken out of context. With just a small tweak, someone can change what you said into something you never intended. Think about this… as a Small Group Leader, you handle God’s words on a regular basis. If you are not careful, you can easily inject your own personal bias or interpretation. Whether accidental or deliberate, it is a serious mistake to…
Don’t Lose Heart
“Remember the anticipation and reckless abandon when you first stepped up to serve in the church?” To Anyone Who Serves Remember the anticipation and reckless abandon when you first stepped up to serve in the church? Whether it was a volunteer or full-time role, the feeling can be exhilarating. There is an unmistakable joy finding your specific role in the Body of Christ. Fast forward a few years… if you are not careful, that joy can be drained and battered. Busyness erodes the joy. Criticism begins to stick. The spiritual battles leave their scars. Maintaining that first joy and…
Avoid cancelling your Small Group.
“My kids have a thing tonight. We won’t be there.” 60 minutes before your small group is about to begin, the texts start rolling in… “I’m having a crazy week. Not going to make it tonight.” “My kids have a thing tonight. We won’t be there.” “I’ve got a headache. Gonna stay home.” As a Small Group leader, it can be especially frustrating to receive these texts on days when you’ve had a crazy week, or your kids have things, or you have a headache. The easiest thing to do is to just cancel your small group meeting this week;…
Keep Your Wounds From Becoming Walls
[su_quote]Ministry thrives on real relationships; so building walls of protection around yourself keeps you from building strong relationships with others. [/su_quote] A stinging pinch of truth I bet you can remember the first real backstabbing you ever received while serving in ministry. I remember my first, and I also remember some important words spoken to me by a close pastor friend shortly after… “Welcome to ministry.” Initially, I didn’t really understand what he meant. That little statement contained a bit of humor, a touch of sarcasm, and a stinging pinch of truth. Ultimately it was an important adjustment…