Frank's Blog

Introduction

Bill Donahue shared some of the history of the Group Life Conference to start us off and it is hard to believe it has been 10 Years in the making of what it is today. He then introduced us to John Burke for our first session.

Why Community is Essential - John Burke What exactly are we supposed to be doing as small group leaders? What are we trying to do and what is God doing among us? What is Essential and why?

Here are some key statements I got from his talk:

-Relationship with God and others is essential

-John 15:5 We can do nothing without staying connected to God's love

-We can spend our lives doing good and miss the point of our existence

-We've made Christianity too complex, if all our bible studies, classes, and activities don't connect people with God's love they are pointless

-Stay connected - fruit happens

-When we stay connected God helps us become what he intends us to be

-Do you moment by moment stay in conversation with God?

-We need to try and train ourselves not to ignore God most of the day.

-TRY THIS EXERCIZE - 60-60 - While awake, connect with God one time, every 60 minutes, for 60 days. Get a watch that will beep every hour and connect with God when it beeps.

-Check out http://www.soulrevolution.net/

-In Genesis - God said it is NOT good for man to be alone. God wants us in community.

-Small group leadership only gets easier when you realize it is not up to you and that God is built into it.

-We hate isolation as humans and that is why our job as community leaders is so important.

-Spiritual growth is relational and that is what makes life in community essential.

I can't wait till the next session!

Dont forget to visit the Group Life blog - Click here to check it out!

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I was reading some blogs on Small Groups recently and I ran across this post that focuses on the qualities and practices of effective leaders. 

1. Leaders Model the Way

• Leadership is not about personality; it's about behavior.
• Leading means you have to be a good example, and live what you say.
• Leaders must find their own voice, then they must clearly and distinctively give voice to their values.
• Leadership is about the power of spending time with someone, of working side by side with colleagues, of telling stories that make values come alive, of being highly visible during times of uncertainty, and of asking questions to get people to think about values and priorities.

 2. Leaders Inspire a Shared Vision

• Every organization, every social movement, begins with a dream.
• Leaders have a desire to make something happen, to change the way things are, to create something that no one else has ever created before.
• In some ways, leaders live their lives backward... it is their vision of the future pulls them forward.
• Leaders cannot command commitment, only inspire it.
• Leadership is a dialogue, not a monologue. Leaders must know their constituents and speak their language.

3. Leaders Challenge the Process

• Leaders venture out. They are pioneers. They are willing to step out into the unknown.
• Leaders search for opportunities to innovate, grow, and improve. They are constantly looking outside themselves and their organizations for new and innovative products, processes, and services.
• When it comes to innovation, the leader's major contributions are in the creation of a climate for experimentation, the recognition of good ideas, the support of those ideas, and the willingness to challenge the system to get new products, processes, services, and systems adopted.
• Leaders are learners.
• Life is the leader's laboratory, and exemplary leaders use it to conduct as many experiments as possible.

 4. Leaders Enable Others to Act

• Grand dreams don't become significant realities through the actions of a single person. It requires a team effort.
• Leaders foster collaboration and build trust.
• Leaders work to make people feel strong, capable, and committed.
• Authentic leadership is founded on trust, and the more people trust their leader, and each other, the more they take risks, make changes, and keep organizations and movements alive.

5. Leaders Encourage the Heart

• It is part of the leaders job to show appreciation for people's contributions and to create a culture of celebrating values and victories.
• Encouragement is, curiously, serious business.
• Leaders make sure people see the benefit of behavior that's aligned with cherished values.
• Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. It is the quality of this relationship that matters most when we're engaged in getting extraordinary things done.

Source: The Leadership Challenge, First Groups

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I just got an email today from Dave Treat over at the Willow Creek Association. They are allowing our readers to register for the Group Life Conference at a DISCOUNTED RATE!!!

Regular price is $365 for WCA members and $385 for non-members. However if you call in or register online and use this priority code - GLC8BLG - you will get in into the conference for $245! That even beats the super early bird member rate by $40!

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Dave Treat, from Willow Creek, recently posted that he is interested in reading your stories and making them a part of the Group Life Conference this year.  Here is what Dave posted:

What's the funniest, most embarrassing, or (in retrospect) dumbest thing you've done in Group Life? From the small group that wanted to study the "Dead Sea Squirrels" or the toddler in the laundry chute, to the most ill-conceived icebreaker of all time ("Tell the group the worst sin you ever committed"), these true (we think) stories will have you in stitches.

Call for entries. We need your story on video to add to our library. We know you've got a great one... we can hear the wheels turning from here. Watch this true story... mine... for an idea of what we're looking for:

You'll be able to review these videos and vote for your favorite online in the "GLTV" section of this blog, and on the big screen in the Group Life Conference 2008 Film Festival. Finalists will be played during Main Session Five: Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. Ready to submit your own Best, Worst story? Read the Submission Rules to learn how.

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Community Christian Church is starting a new Small Groups Conference called Connect '08 

Saturday, August 9th, 2008
8am to 12:30pm
Cost: $29

It's better than ice cream! Don't miss this opportunity to further develop your practical small group leadership skills, connect with other leaders, and expand your vision of using small groups to connect people closer to community and closer to the heart of God.

 Here is some stuff they plan on talking about at Connect:

- Beginning Groups with the End in Mind
- Recruiting and Developing an Apprentice
- Making Disciples in Your Group
- Finding Balance in Your Group
- Leading Through Conflict and Challenging People
- Choosing the Best Small Group Curriculum.

To learn more watch Nick and Eric in the video below...

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