http://whydidntyouwarnme.com Dealing with Small Group Challenges Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:58:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Sam Neal has posted a great article called “When Is a Small Group ‘Just Another Meeting’?” on BuildingChurchLeaders.com. In it, he tells the story of Randy Frazee, who hand selected a model small group to lead, and then learned that the most exciting event of the evening was happening right ... http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/04/28/is-it-time-to-give-up-on-your-small-group/ Yesterday we looked at a vision statement for a large urban church. Today we’ll consider the other end of the spectrum. Example 2: You’re the solo pastor of a struggling 50-member church in the Midwest. Your members are mostly long-time residents in a small town that is struggling to stay alive in ... http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/04/18/vision-vision-vision-part-5/ We’ve been studying how to develop an effective vision statement for a small group ministry. Let’s look at some examples to help you create your own. Example 1: Let’s say you’re the small groups pastor of an urban church of 1,000 members. Your church has a good socio-economic cross section of the ... http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/04/17/vision-vision-vision-part-4/ http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/04/16/vision-vision-vision-part-3/ Yesterday we introduced the need for vision. So what is vision? George Barna in his classic book The Power of Vision: How You Can Capture and Apply God’s Vision for Your Ministry says, “Vision for ministry is a clear mental image of a preferable future imparted by God to ... http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/04/15/vision-vision-vision-part-2/ I spoke with a small group pastor the other day. He was frustrated that his leaders seemed to be all over the place in terms of skills, interests, and direction. He’s tried to conduct training sessions, but gets a less than 20% turnout. In his frustration, he’s beginning to demand ... http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/04/14/vision-vision-vision-part-1/ Are you ever been asked tough questions by small group members? Maybe it’s a theological question or a “why” question—“Why does evil exist?” Those can be challenging for most lay leaders, and it’s good to think about your principles for answering before you’re in the middle of the situation. Do ... http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/04/09/now-thats-a-tough-question/ Dreambuilders Ministry in Motion has just published an interview with me to complement the article they published last week. Want to know a little more about the real Pat and the history of Why Didn’t You Warn Me?, check it out. http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/03/31/204/ Ministry in Motion (MIM) has just published an article I wrote on maturity and small group leadership called Growing Older or Growing Up? Your Focus as a Leader. You can read it on the Ministry in Motion website, as well as several other excellent articles. Teena Stewart of MIM has ... http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/03/23/article-in-ministry-in-motion/ I want to wish each of you, my readers, a blessed Resurrection Day. May the reality of our Lord’s sacrifice renew your soul and spirit today. May you rest in His provision and His salvation. http://whydidntyouwarnme.com/2008/03/22/happy-resurrection-day/