Mar

11

No More Mr. Nice Group

March 11, 2007 | 1 Comment

John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, CA lists five practices that take small groups beyond polite “sharing” to the disciplines that change lives. These include
•    Confession: remove the masks
•    Application: look in the mirror
•    Accountability: stand on the scale
•    Guidance: follow the map
•    Encouragement: embrace each other
These are such […]

Mar

9

Bearing Fruit

March 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I love our care group. We’ve been together for over three years, and the growth in the members has been wonderful. Different from what I’m used to. I usually lead groups of challenging people, but this is a group of more mature people. We study for a month to six weeks, and then take a […]

Mar

6

The Five “Ms” Every Leader Should Know

March 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment

BuildingSmallGroups.com offers a great article on five strategies to bring members to maturity. It’s interesting reading these because I just finished teaching “From Here to Maturity” at BASS and offered many of the same thoughts in my own language. I’m delighted that there seems to be an increased emphasis on maturity. In my book, that’s […]

Mar

5

Secrets of Successful Facilitators

March 5, 2007 | 1 Comment

The Thiagi Group offers some interesting tips on facilitating a discussion in an article “Secrets of Successful Facilitators.” This is a business model, but many of the tips can be used in Christian small groups. They offer five conclusions about effective facilitators, based on 10 years of research:
* Effective facilitators are flexible. They modify their […]

Mar

4

Kudos to the BASS Church Workers Convention

March 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment

We had a wonderful time at BASS. All of my workshops were full, some to overflowing. It was such a delight to minister to so many pastors and lay people who are so committed to serving and equipping others. BASS is one of the largest church worker conventions in the nation with an attendance of […]

Mar

1

Ready for BASS Church Workers Convention

March 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Sorry for the silence this week. I’ve been busy preparing the last minute details, Power Points, and notes for the BASS Church Workers’ Convention this weekend. I’m doing six workshops. Yes, six! When I arrived tonight, the conference coordinator joked that I was doing the conference single-handedly. But no, I saw a friend who is […]

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