Mar

4

When a Group Member Is Emotionally Troubled

March 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

CT’s BuildingSmallGroups.com has just released a new download called “Ministering to Difficult Group Members.” It features four articles on dealing with difficult personality types, including one by Les Parrott called “Coping with People Who Beef, Bite, and Bellyache:
How To Handle Difficult Relationships In Your Small Group.” I can’t wait to read that one.
My […]

Feb

21

Ministering to EGRs

February 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment

The Sower from Bethel Church (Richland, WA) has published a great article on ministering to your EGRs (Extra Grace Required people). It’s by Steve Gladen of Saddleback and offers excellent tips for ministering to the unruly, the fainthearted, and the weak. Well worth your time to read.

Jan

31

Treat or Refer

January 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Rex L. Stancil has an excellent post called “Treat or Refer” at “I Had Been Thinking…”. He strongly recommends that pastors and small group leaders provide a healthy community, but that they not get involved in long-term counseling of group members. He sets out very wise guidelines for all of us.

Nov

15

Missing: Human Affection

November 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I just received a fascinating article, which almost appeared to be real. Turns out that it was from The Onion, which is a parody newspaper. They write in a style that is so close to real that it makes you look deeper, think twice. I did that with this article, and was struck by how […]

Oct

19

Getting to Know You

October 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Pastor Paul Irwin writes in The ZoneGathering that building relationships is the best way to deal with challenging group members. He discusses ways to care for group members, especially in developing openness and closeness through a variety of types of questions, including:
Discovery Questions
In-Depth Story-Telling
Current Updates
Weekly Reports
Affirming Each Other
Great article, Paul. Challenging people are usually relationship […]

Oct

4

Rules for Respect

October 4, 2007 | 4 Comments

Mary Schaller at SeekerMinistries.com lists ten Rules for Respect, taken from the book Secrets of Effective Communication and summarized by Kathy Hellman. These are amazing guidelines for maintaining appropriate boundaries with anyone—especially with members of your small group.
Especially if you have challenging people in your group, consider discussing these rules at your next meeting. And […]

Aug

28

Dealing with Members with Personality Disorders

August 28, 2007 | 2 Comments

I just read an interesting article on Brain Based Business. While the article discusses dealing with people with personality disorders in the workplace, the same principles apply to such members in small groups.
You may run into people in your group who exhibit personality disorders. Of course, you aren’t qualified to deal with them on a […]

Jun

5

Normalizing the Stuggle to Mature

June 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment

A Leadership Tip at Timberlinechurch.org offers a great article called Normalizing the Struggle. The author shows how the small group leader is critical in motivating members to change, grow, and mature. Worth reading.

Jun

1

Make Your Small Group a Harm-Free Zone

June 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Rebecca Livermore offers five tips for making sure that your small group is a safe place for everyone. Read the entire article here. Livermore’s main points include:
1. Ban badmouthing.
2. Avoid the superstar syndrome.
3. Keep your teaching understandable.
4. Pay compliments.
5. Encourage people to spend time together outside the weekly meeting.
Her point is well taken. We need […]

May

31

Leading Challenging People

May 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I was exited to see that CT’s BuildingSmallGroups.com reprinted my book’s last chapter, The Challenge of Challenging People, on it’s website. This article offers practical advice for those willing to minister at the margins. It’s an important read for those who are experienced enough to take on a group of challenging people. Yep, you heard […]

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