If you can be near a PC on February 18th you wont want to miss this event. It is not often that you can participate in something like this with group leaders around the country and the best part is that its FREE.
Greg Bowman (co-author of Coaching Life-Changing Small Group Leaders), Lyman Coleman (the father of the small group movement as we know it today and founder of Serendipity House Resources), Bill Donahue (small groups pastor at Willow Creek Community Church and author of multiple small group books including Leading Life Changing Small Groups and Building a Church of Small Groups), Carl George (church consultant and author of Prepare Your Church for the Future and The Coming Church Revolution), Eddie Mosley (church consultant and small group pastor at Lifepoint Church, Smyrna, TN), Randall Neighbour (President of TOUCH Ministries and author of multiple small group books including The Naked Truth About Small Groups), Bill Search (Small Group Pastor at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY and author of Simple Small Groups), Reid Smith (Community Pastor at Christ Fellowship, Palm Beach, Florida and Founder of 2orMore), and Rick Howerton (Author of Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual, and LifeWay Small Group Specialist), will make up the panel.
You will be able to interact with other church leaders as the event is taking place as well as presenting questions to the panel for consideration.
Join three generations of small group minds for an unprecedented experience. To find out more and to register for this free event just click on this link http://www.lifeway.com/sgsummit
Ebenezers Coffeehouse (National Community Church) Washington, DC
Leading a single small group is a challenge, but running "point" on a church full of small groups can expose a whole new set of obstacles and opportunities. Discipleship, spiritual formation, missional outreach, and Biblical literacy happen best in small groups, and small groups happen best where organic growth is supported by strategic vision and purpose. If you are responsible for leading group life in your church, we can help!
Strategic Small Group Ministry Leadership is a one-and-one-half-day intensive workshop where you can learn from and interrelate with experts and peers. Insightful teaching and interactive group exercises lead you through a spectrum of strategic issues that affect the small group environments your church provides.
You'll learn how to implement:
-Clear Ministry Objectives
-Effective Point Leadership
-Successful Coaching Structures
-Ongoing Leader Development
-An Open-Group Mindset
-A Broad Bandwidth of Groups
-Assimilation that Works
Format
Six interactive 90-minute sessions cover a broad range of training topics and exercises. You'll work with your peers on the specific obstacles you face, and collaborate on practical next steps to address your unique challenges. The workshop faculty will be available to help facilitate your discussion.
Faculty
Russ Robinson is the former Executive Director of Ministries and Small Groups at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. He is a practicing attorney and has a great passion for the church, small groups, and ministries. Russ is nationally known as a consultant, speaker, and the co-author of Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry and Walking the Small Group Tightrope. More...
Here is the latest off info from the group life conference website, they just released a promo video too! If your church is not hosting this event you will want to find a local host near you:
What's the next, right step for your small groups?
Real growth is possible, especially in the fertile soil of genuine Biblical community. This is the place where hearts open to grace, where relationships heal, where sin patterns break, where connections to God strengthen.
This is the place where lives are transformed.
How do you bring your small group to this point of transformation? This Changes Everything is a one-day training event designed to move you in that direction. It offers practical next steps for fostering spiritual growth in your small groups. And best of all, it does this with an emphasis on convenience and affordability.
Who should attend?
-All small group leaders and volunteers
Why attend?
-New laser-focused, broadcast only, one-day training -Unrivaled teaching from experienced group life experts
Where?
-Hosted at your church or a host site near you -This is a broadcast only event exclusively on CCN -There will not be a live event at Willow Creek Community Church
Why become a host site?
-Provide your leaders with unrivaled training and the opportunity to interact with fellow leaders -Your church will receive a block of 40 tickets to Group Life Conference 2009 -Free downloadable marketing tools to promote the event -Training with immediate ministry application -Dedicated CCN ministry consultant to support you along the way
National Community Church is hoting a strategic small group training event at Ebenezers Coffee House on December 10th-11th, 2009. Russ Robinson and Dave Treat will be speaking on the following topics:
Clear Ministry Objectives
Effective Point Leadership
Successful Coaching Structures
Ongoing Leader Development
An Open-Group Mindset
A Broad Bandwidth of Groups
Assimilation that Works
I have personally heard both of these guys train small group leaders at advanced small group training sessions and they are extremely gifted leaders and teachers. If you are able to attend you wont be dissapointed. This may be the event you need to take your small group ministry to the next level.
What if you could give every small group leader in your church laser focused small group training from some best experts in Group Life? The Willow Creek Association is handling the Group Life Conference in a brand new - one day format. Plus you can host it in your own church. As we prepare to kick off our next season of small groups at CCV, I look forward to our leaders hearing from some great group experts like Bill Donahue, Russ Robinson, Heather Zempel and others.
Here is why you want to become a host site:
It is only a one day commitment for your volunteers
All the training will be directly focused on training the small group leader
The training will have an immediate impact on your group ministry
Russ Robinson is the former Executive Director of Ministries and Small Groups at
Dave Treat is a former Division Leader and Area Pastor at 
