In Leadership, Small Groups on October 31, 2007 by Jon Tagged: multiplication, Small Groups
There is no perfect small group system. I wish there was, but there’s no one formula that will work for every church, meet everyone’s needs, and grow an active, healthy, outward-focused ministry.
That little confession leads us to today’s discussion. I’ve read lots of books on small groups, but I haven’t found “the” way to do them. Our church has more than 600 people in groups, but we’re still learning how groups “work best.”
One challenge for us is that many of the small groups are closed. A lot have good reasons - they’re more “support” groups than our typical small groups, they’re too big already and just don’t have more room for new people, etc. But there’s a challenge there. Personally, how do we continue to grow if we aren’t being stretched to welcome new people in? Organizationally, how do we grow the ministry if there is no room in existing groups? Obviously, one way is to start new groups, but I’ve found it takes a special person to start a group from scratch. There are a lot more people able to lead a group that already exists – one that has a culture, a momentum, and most importantly, members!
Healthy small groups have two important values – they’re open to each other and they’re open to others. Funny thing is, those values have to be held in tension. The group I’m a part of on Sunday nights is an amazing group. In the year we’ve been meeting, we’ve grown from one person showing up on a Sunday night to 16 people. The openness to new people has continually brought new life and perspective into the group. But I’ve also noticed that the bigger we get, the less some people share. Being open and growing hurts the other openness – of the individuals.
That means it’s time to multiply, right? Well, here’s the deal. That hasn’t ever really worked here. I don’t know of many places where this “multiplication” thing does work well. You spend time investing in people and becoming friends, and then you’re expected to split in half and never see each other again? That’s not how relationships work, and it seems counter-intuitive. Why would I want to invite new people if it just means it’ll mess up our group?
Many of those groups I mentioned above that are closed are open to inviting new people, they just don’t have room, and they haven’t been shown a good way to multiply. So how does your church handle small groups and multiplication? Do they do anything? I’ll tell you what we’re trying soon…
In Life on October 29, 2007 by Jon
I never carved pumpkins before marrying Grete. Now, this is my third year to dig in. Look at the corrupting influence she’s been on my life 
.
In Life on October 26, 2007 by Jon
Well, sort of. Grete’s side of the family is an on-the-ball bunch. They do a gift exchange each year and are already asking for gift ideas. What you see above isn’t one of them (I WISH I could get one of these for $25!), but it got me thinking about the inevitable “what I want for Christmas” lists.
I really don’t buy much “stuff” now, and when I do, it’s mainly books. (Exciting, right?)
Now I can add to that list “expensive toys.” After doing the journalism thing and having access to great cameras, I miss the chance to be a little creative and take some nice shots. So, you see my next big splurge above.
A couple of days last week I spent WAY too much time looking at cameras online – different price points, values, lenses, reviews, etc. I have a lot left to learn (I just took the pictures and asked the photographers how to work the things when I was an editor/reporter), but I think I’ve settled on a Nikon D80 with the 18-135 kit lens, along with an eventual extra 50mm lens for portraits. Fun stuff!
If I can sell enough stuff we have around the house and get enough gift money, you’ll start seeing some sweet pictures on this here blog.
In Quotes on October 18, 2007 by Jon
“Words kill, words give life;
they’re either poison or fruit – you choose.”
- Proverbs 18:21, as translated by Eugene Peterson in The Message
In Leadership on October 17, 2007 by Jon
It’s time for a little leadership “blast from the past.” Here’s a great post from Scott Hodge’s old blog:
“Peter Drucker has some great things to say about a leader’s decision making and getting things done. He points out that it’s not as much about charisma as we tend to think it is. (Good to Great anyone?)
Eight practices that effective leaders followed:
- They asked, ‘What needs to be done?’
- They asked, ‘What is right for the enterprise?’
- They developed action plans.
- They took responsibility for decisions.
- They took responsibility for communicating.
- They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.
- They ran productive meetings.
- They thought and said ‘we’ rather than ‘I.’
He also says that a decision has not really been made until everyone is clear on the following:
- the name of the person accountable for carrying it out;
- the deadline;
- the names of the people who will be affected by the decision and therefore have to know about, understand, and approve it—or at least not be strongly opposed to it—and
- the names of the people who have to be informed of the decision, even if they are not directly affected by it.”
In Connecting to Culture, Leadership on October 16, 2007 by Jon
Seth Godin points to a story about a woman, her mom, and some shoes from Zappos.
It’s impressive – especially from a business. Here’s the question I’m left with. Do the people I’m working with (church, business, etc.) have the authority and to ability to help people out when it matters?
In Connecting to Culture, Connecting to God, Leadership on October 16, 2007 by Jon
We all have different giftings and passions. Even in the same field, one person may have a different emphasis than another. When I was in journalism, I worked with writers who focused on sports, features, and “hard news.”
It’s time to see pastors in the same light. There’s not one proper style for church leadership. Most pastors see themselves in a traditional “shepherding” role, but God calls different people to different places at different times. That’s why I love how Alan Hirsch talks about APEPT leadership. People are each gifted with different pieces of the Ephesians 4 model.
I’m more of an “Apostolic” type of guy. I get fired up seeing the church mobilized to serve and reach out to the world around them. I really do believe that if we try to start with ministry, we’ll never get to mission. But if we start with mission, ministry will happen along the way.
So when a guy like Bob Roberts writes something like this, I just have to post it.
If churches, denominations, networks, etc. put as much energy and resources into making disciples as they did organizing events, institutions, etc., I’m convinced it would speed up engagement dramatically. I hate the terminology using “platforms” to engage society. You don’t have to. Make disciples, help them understand their primary ministry is their vocation and that it should be lived out as a disciple and you’ll see God work and move. This is the only way the Gospel can, and will ever, be viral. I heard an incredible preacher last night at a gathering and he said, “too many churches have become like prisons. We’ve built prisons and the pastor is the warden. We should be in the business of releasing–not holding on.”
Preach it, Bob!
Here’s Alan’s take on a similar subject:
If this is not already obvious by now let me say it more explicitly: the quality of the church’s leadership is directly proportional to the quality of discipleship. If we fail in the area of making disciples we should not be surprised if we fail in the area of leadership development. I think many of the problems that the church faces in trying to cultivate missional leadership for the challenges of the 21st century would be resolved if we were to focus the solution to the problem on something prior to leadership development per se, namely that of discipleship first. Discipleship is primary, leadership is always secondary. And leadership, to be genuinely Christian, must always reflect Christlikeness and therefore…discipleship.
In Life on October 14, 2007 by Jon
I know she already was. But my lovely wife took about a tw0-month break with no posts what-so-ever.
To make up for it, she’s committed to post something every day this week. And let me tell you, the blog world is already buzzing. Here’s one of the comments from her post:
“The “void” in my life has been filled. Looking forward to a week of updates.”
Yep. My wife’s a superstar. Go see what she has to say!
In Church Planting, Connecting to Culture, Leadership on October 14, 2007 by Jon
LA Times: Christianity’s image taking a turn for the worse
Christianity’s image in the United States is declining, especially among young people, according to a new study.
A decade ago, an overwhelming majority of non-Christians, including people between the ages 16 and 29, were “favorably” disposed toward Christianity’s role in society. But today, just 16% of non-Christians in that age group had a “good impression” of the religion, according to research by the Barna Group, a Ventura firm that has tracked trends related to values, beliefs and attitudes since 1984.
Evangelicals come under the severest attack, with just 3% of the 16- to 29-year-old non-Christians indicating favorable views toward this subgroup of believers.
… Among the most common perceptions held by young non-Christians about American Christianity were that it is judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), old-fashioned (78%) and too involved in politics (75%).
Read the whole article here. Most of the info is from the new book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity … and Why it Matters
.
There’s a lot that could be said here, but what do you think? What does this mean for Christians today? For churches?
In Church Planting, Connecting to Culture, Quotes on October 14, 2007 by Jon
glocalnet t-lounge: Throw More Parties!:
“One of the best pieces of advice that I received early on was simply put, ‘Throw more Parties.’ Church planting really comes down to meeting people and connecting those people to one another. They may connect with you early on but if they don’t connect with one another they will drift off. One of the best investments you can make is in food.“
In Quotes on October 13, 2007 by Jon
“Control is deciding what people can and can’t do. Accountability is rendering an account of what a person has or has not already done. Control is more of a power issue. Accountability is more of an integrity issue.”
- William Easum, in Sacred Cow Makes Gourmet Burgers
(as quoted by Eddie Gibbs in ChurchNext) (emphasis added)
In Life, Reflections on October 12, 2007 by Jon
I recently dropped a class. The reason? I was headed toward major overload. Between work at church, work as a community coordinator, five different classes, time with friends and family, and time to do things like eat and shower, it just wasn’t all going to fit.
For the first time in a long time I realized I had hit my limit. It wasn’t worth it. During it all, three words kept going through my mind from a post I wrote last year: Life starts now. Here’s a part of it:
A lot of life has felt like it’s just preparing me for that next thing. It’s easy to think that things will start clicking or big things will happen at that “next stage.” Even now, in seminary, it’s easy to think that life and ministry will all start once I’m out. That leads to a temptation to rush through, get it done and move on. But time and again I hear God say, “life starts now.”
What does that mean? It’s not about waiting for that next big thing. This time – right now – matters for relationships, ministry and more. God’s at work. We can be a part – today.
It’s easy to rush through current circumstances to get to the next thing. But I’m learning that this – right here and now – matters. This is life, and if it means saying “no” to a few things to really live it, it’s worth it.
In Random on October 11, 2007 by Jon
Yep. That’s the promise on the bread we have in the Sampson household right now. They guarantee taste! What does that mean? That the bread will taste like something? What does that say about the previous versions of this bread? Is this the one promise they’re willing to make about my food?
Makes me wonder what bright ideas I have that make people go, “WHAT!?”
In Connecting to God on October 11, 2007 by Jon
One of the lessons I learned from taking Greek wasn’t something I was expecting.
When you’re translating, you have to read the text slowly (sometimes VERY slowly). Beyond the nuances that reading the original language brings out, it is amazing how considering every word can make a piece of text you may have heard many times before come alive.
I’m a big picture guy who often finds himself skimming anything he’s reading. For me, considering each word opened up a whole new world of understanding. If you’re a detail person, looking at whole chapters or books may do the same.
What works for you in Bible study?
In Leadership on October 10, 2007 by Jon
Most leaders who are passionate about what they do spend most of their time thinking about the future.
Where are we headed?
Where is God leading us?
What are our challenges?
What needs to change?
But while most people involved in those projects may care about them – even deeply – they just aren’t thinking as deeply about the same subjects. So when it’s time to plan, or set vision, the leader may be two, three, or 82 steps ahead of where the group is in that thought journey.
That’s not bad, but it becomes a problem if the leader starts where he or she is at that moment, the thoughts just won’t connect. The group is in a different place.
When leading, it’s important to take people on a journey. This usually means starting at a place that seems incredibly basic. Instead of standing miles ahead and yelling at them to catch up, we need to go back, tell stories of what’s ahead, and walk with them.
