Small Group Help Blog tagged 'community'

Small Group With A Big Christmas

frank@moviechurch.com — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

Are you looking for some unique ideas for your small group this Christmas? This year we started something different at our church, we call it the Christmas Covenant and some of our small groups are making it a group effort to keep Christ at the center of Christmas this year. Here is what we are commiting to:

1. Creating a modest budget and committing not to buy any gifts on credit.

2. Adopting a child from the CCV sharing tree.

3. Reading the Christmas [...]

Demonstrate Love For Your Community

frank@moviechurch.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:00:00 +0100

The video below really shows how a group of friends can have an impact on their community in a practical way. Try to think of a way that your small group can have an impact on your neighborhood!

[video:http://vimeo.com/1666004 400x225]

Rich Relationships

frank@moviechurch.com — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:00:00 +0100

My friend Janine and I were recently talking about the topic of community in a healthy church. There is something about a healthy and growing community of faith that encourages deep relationships. It doesn't matter if you are a new attendee or a long standing member, relationships begin to develop.

She introduced me to a quote from Thomas Kelly in his book A Testament of Devotion:

When we are drowned in the overwhelming seas of the love of God, we find ourse [...]

Small Groups 2.0 - Social Networking For Social Groups

frank@moviechurch.com — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Does your small group ministry take advantage of all that the web has to offer? Are you utilizing all of the functionality of Web 2.0? In order for us to dig deeper into how the web can enhance your small group ministry experience we first should define what Web 2.0 is. Here is how Wikipedia defines it:

Web 2.0 is a term describing a trend in [...]

Invitational Group Culture

frank@moviechurch.com — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:00:00 +0100

How do you encourage group members to invite others to your group? Carter Moss, from Big Ideas About Small Groups, recommends the following:

Challenge your group to make a list of people to inviteHave a contest for whoever brings the most people to group Lead by example and invite Go into service early and introduce yourself to someone sitting downHang [...]

Small Group - What Group?

frank@moviechurch.com — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:00:00 +0100

At my church we call our most popular small groups Home Teams. However, we will often find ourselves in social situations with people without a church experience that say... what? "Your what team?" We go on to attempt describing to them that there are some friends we have that get together at our house each week to have fun and discuss life, God, and the Bible. Kathy Guy, who handles groups at Granger, recently posted on the topic:

Before our friends cam [...]

Is Jesus at Your Small Group?

frank@moviechurch.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:00:00 +0100

A Small Group is more than a meeting. It is an opportunity for others to experience Jesus in a tangible way. A friend of mine recently wrote about her experience in a local diner:

The waitresses - Joanne ('Red'), Jackie, Sue, Elisa, Queenie, and Jamie - are happy to see me. They all know my name. No matter which one waits on me, they start by bringing me my morning beverage - iced tea/no lemon - without being asked. And they genuinely are there to serve me [...]

Should I Cancel???

frank@moviechurch.com — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:00:00 +0100

This time of year leading a small group can get challenging. The holidays begin creeping up on you and your small group members begin to travel. Consistent attendance begins to dive, we get discouraged, and we begin to cancel our group gatherings when only a few people are going to show up.

I want to encourage you, DO NOT TO CANCEL. As leaders we need to begin viewing a small turn out as an opportunity for an increase in intimacy. Just last week I was [...]

Inspiration - Fires in California

frank@moviechurch.com — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:00:00 +0100

Rick Warren recently sent out an email where he writes about some observations he has had about his church, small groups, and the fires in California. Here is a piece of what he wrote:

As the fires have raged this week, I've once again seen the undeniable importance and benefit of being a part of a small group. While people without a church home or a small group w [...]

It May Take Years

frank@moviechurch.com — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:00:00 +0100

Sometimes we can get discouraged. Lets face it, on the front lines of group ministry we see the and enjoy victories but we also endure so many challenges in helping life change to occur. Last year one of the most rewarding things I was privleged to experience was a baptism in my Home Team (small group). For that couple it took a few months to get to a place where they wanted to take that step in their spiritual journey.

However, for others it may take years.&nbs [...]

Leadership Community

frank@moviechurch.com — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:03:40 +0100

I am writing from the front porch of a cabin atthe Young Life retreat center in upstate NY. The retreat is put together every year by the Orchard Group which is a church planting organization that helped Christ's Church of the Valley get started.

What has been really valuable about the whole experience up here is networking with other new church leaders around the Northeast. I have been gather ideas and swapping stories about the joys and challenges in group minis [...]

Wonderful Reminder

frank@moviechurch.com — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:00:00 +0100

It is about 2am and I am working on a few side projects, while taking care of baby feedings, so my wife Shelli can get some sleep. We have a new addition to our family that arrived last week. If you didn't know you can see the details on my personal blog.

All the activity that has been happening with this new child is a wonderful reminder how great my Home Team (small group) is. Many of them have checked in via phone, email, or at church on Sunday to make sure that we are all OK. [...]

Does Your Small Group Blog?

frank@moviechurch.com — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:48:06 +0100

Yes! A Blog! One of the Home Teams (small groups) at CCV recently started a blog to keep everyone in the group filled in on group events and life change that is happening in their Home Team. Blogs are so easy to manage and start with all of the user friendly tools out there and I think it is [...]

Use The People Around You!

frank@moviechurch.com — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:58:15 +0100

Sometimes your best resources are right in your church! Bob, who is becoming a good friend of mine, is a gentleman I met at our church about a year and a half ago through friends at church. Everyone who had spent some time with him said that I had to meet him because he might be a great Home Team (small group) leader. After spending some time with him I learned he had a wealth of experience I could learn from. Plus after getting to know Bob I quickly found out that he wanted to be used by God in [...]

Spiritual Moment

frank@moviechurch.com — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:14:17 +0100

The other night at my small group I asked my groupan interesting question as an ice breaker. I asked them what was a recent spiritual moment that they had that was significant for them. We got a wide range of answers that were all great. I love hearing about what God is doing in the lives of others. I obviously can't write those answers here because it would violate the confidentiality of our group.

However, I can share one thing that tugged at my own heart. One of our group members [...]