Where New Small Group Pastors Can Get the Training They Need

If you're like me, you started in ministry with a lot of gaps that needed to be filled. You were excited about doing ministry but didn't really know what you were doing. Once I realized where my weaknesses were, I could respond accordingly. I disciplined myself to learn what needed to be learned by reading...

Provocative… Group Sizes and What Is Best Accomplished in Each

There seems to be great debate concerning the number of people that make up a healthy group. Part of the reason this is so is due to the fact that today's church seems to have embraced the idea that almost any group that has fewer people in it than is in a weekend worship service...

Seven Reasons A Small Group Should Be 12 or Less People

The number of people in a small group really does affect the group member's experience. Some have come to believe that a group of 13, 30, even 50 is capable of accomplishing the same thing in the lives of group members as a group of 12 or less. While it may be true that the...

Eye Opening Historical Small Group Ideas, 8 Assumptions Behind the Serendipity Group Model

The groups world would be wise to look over her shoulder, recognize the heroes that started the contemporary small group movement, and embrace some forgotten assumptions about group life that were established decades ago. One of the pioneers of the contemporary small group movement is Lyman Coleman. Lyman is one of my heroes and one...

Is An Out of Control Small Group Ministry The Best Kind?!

Leaders long to control that which they lead. This seems to be the bent of most effective leaders. And in many instances - control works. Let’s face it, without someone being in control no one will get much accomplished. But, is it possible that control is what’s keeping your small group ministry from growing? If...

14 Lame Excuses People Use for Not Joining a Small Group and A Wise Response to Each

A massive number of people never join a small group because, when they verbalize an honest excuse, we don’t have a wise answer for them. Below you’ll find fourteen excuses people use when they don’t want to become part of a small group. You’ll also find a wise response to each excuse. I don’t know...

6 Small Group Leader Fantasies That Will Never Come True

I’ve been leading small groups for over 30 years now. I’ve fantasized about leading the perfect group for decades. In fact, at one point, I actually created a group covenant that should’ve assured me that the perfect group would enter the doors of my home every Tuesday night. Not even close. Until I came to...

Brilliant Small Group Blogs You Should Subscribe To

Every church leader, especially small group point people, would do themselves a great favor by adhering to Solomon’s advice when he wrote, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) While it’s often difficult, and time consuming, to set up appointments with a multitude of truly knowledgeable and well seasoned small...

Questions Every Groups Pastor Should Ask Before Changing Churches… Four

This is the last day of the four-part series, Questions Every Groups Pastor Should Ask Before Changing Churches. Hopefully, gaining clarity on these issues will be useful to you when you consider moving to another church to lead the groups ministry. The first three questions were… Am I being called here to serve this church...

Questions Every Groups Pastor Should Ask Before Changing Churches… Three

If you’ve been reading this blog for the past two days you’re aware that this is the third day of a four-day series titled, Questions Every Groups Pastor Should Ask Before Changing Churches. I introduced this series of blog posts with these statements, “Many groups pastors/point people have moved to a new church, regretted it,...