Small Group Conference dates have been set for 2010 and Steve Gladen and the Small Groups Team are hitting the road again! 
A new conference, Community U: Connecting Your People to Your Church and Your Community will show you how to take community to a deeper and wider level. You will experience two intense days of teaching, learning, and growing in an innovative format that will help you to create powerful plans that you can integrate into your church.
The first day, Friday, is aimed at Small Group Point People.
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by Rick Warren
The Pain and Pleasure Test
God never asks you to do anything that He doesn't give you the ability and the power to do. The same is true of leadership. God doesn't ask you to be a leader unless He gives you the abilities to lead, the opportunities to lead, the resources to lead and the people to lead. He won't ask you to be a leader without giving you the gifts of leadership. That's what those things are - opportunities, abilities, resources, and people. That's the upside of leadership. God gives you those gifts to do it. The downside is Satan always tries to pervert anything that God gives you. Satan has never created anything original in his life. All he can do is pervert the gifts that God gives us. God gave us sex - Satan tries to pervert it. God gave us marriage - Satan tries to pervert it. God gave us the ability to make money - Satan tries to pervert it. God gave us all the things we have in life; every good gift came from God. Satan tries to abuse and misuse whatever God gives us. God will give you these gifts, these abilities, to lead other people and influence others. But Satan will try to tempt you to use them for selfish purposes. Of course the papers are full of stories right now of very talented people using their abilities for the wrong reasons and in selfish ways. For the next three issues, we are going to look at the Temptations of Leadership. [ Read full article] Multiply or Divide? How to Start New Groups
by Steve Gladen
When I was in Seminary taking classes on World Missions, one thing my professors stressed was if we wanted to bring the Gospel to other cultures, we needed to be sensitive to those other cultures. We had to focus on principles that would be cross cultural and never bring American idioms into foreign cultures. The principles were biblical, so they would be true in both cultures, but the methodologies must always be flexible and sensitive to the culture. American methodologies don't necessarily work in other countries, and vice versa. [ Read full article]
by Steve Gladen
The key to health in a small group is balance of the biblical purposes. Here are some suggestions to pass along to your Small Group Leaders.
FELLOWSHIP - Never cancel a meeting due to the number of people who might be absent. Remember that every single meeting is a divinely arranged appointment for you to minister God's grace and love to whomever He brings. If just a few people show up for your meeting, be sensitive to their needs. Don't hesitate to tailor your lesson and/or group time to the few who show up. Appreciate the opportunity that this smaller group gives you to get to know each other better. [ Read full article]
by Jay Daniell
A few years ago I had coffee with Tony and Burt, Small Group Ministry Leaders from towns over one hundred miles from my home. We had each been leading the Small Group Ministry at our churches for a number of years. We had each read lots of books and each of us had even attended a Small Group Conference, but that was the first time we had ever sat down face to face with another Small Group Ministry Leader just to talk groups. [ Read full article]
Looking for a small group study? We feature new material every month.
Books, websites, videos of interest to those directing small group ministries.
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Ask the Network - Male Participation in Small Groups
 THIS MONTH'S QUESTION is from Dafnette Jones of Silver Spring, Maryland: How do you encourage male participation and retention in small groups? Do you plan fellowship outings, etc.? How can we equip male leaders to facilitate community among men?
We have an answer from Craig Mattes, the Director of Small Group Ministry at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle, Illinois.
First question--"How do you encourage male participation and retention in small groups?"
God has been truly blessing our men's groups at Trinity. We started with one group last year with about 4 guys. Right from the start, we shared the vision of multiplying ... [ Read full article]
NEXT MONTH'S QUESTION is from Terri Parker of Largo, Maryland: How do you find coaches?
Send your answers and other questions to cheryls@saddleback.com. Who knows, your answer or question could be featured next month! | |
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