Recent Posts

Knowing Jesus – Part 1 and 2

In the Gospel of John we are presented with evidence that Jesus is the Messiah. In this small group series each outline focuses on an aspect of Jesus’ deity presented in John. As I’m writing this I am also using it for my small group as well so consider it field tested.   This will not be a comprehensive study but...

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The Secret to Small Group Multiplication

May 13, 13 The Secret to Small Group Multiplication

Posted by in Multiplication

One of the most “reproductive” leaders I’ve ever known is Laura. I lost count of how many times her group multiplied. Since she was an expert, I asked her to conduct a training session for other leaders on how to multiply a group. Her response is a clue to the secret of multiplication: “I have no idea what to teach others...

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Ben Reed on Sermon-Based Small Groups

In the video below Ben Reed talks about leading his church into sermon-based small group curriculum. Sermon-based groups are typically a short-term groups model. Ben is a member of our forum and chimes in on threads from time-to-time. Here he touches on the different reasons why they made the shift and he also talks about how they...

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The Top 3 Small Group Questions I Always Get

This week I had the privilege of leading a breakout session for pastors on “Reproducing Small Groups” at the District Council for the Northern CA/NV Assemblies of God (special thanks to M. Scott Boren who let me pick his brain in preparation for this). Over the years I have done a handful of Small Group workshops for lay...

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New Features At Small Group Churches

May 06, 13 New Features At Small Group Churches

Posted by in SGC Videos

As we begin our 2nd year of online existence we are grateful for how the site has grown and we are also excited for what the future has in store. We are working on continuing to expand our our ability to be a helpful resource to you as a Small Group Leader and Pastor. I go into more detail in the video below about some of the...

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3 Ways Small Groups Produce Fruit

May 01, 13 3 Ways Small Groups Produce Fruit

Posted by in Discipling Group Members

The gifts of the Spirit awaken people to God (see Acts 3:1-10) but it’s the fruit of the Spirit that changes people’s lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23, NKJV).” This is...

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Ephesians Small Group Series – Part 6 & 7

Part 6 and part 7 of the “Ephesians Small Group Series” has been written, uploaded and made available for FREE download. Part 6 focuses on Christ-honoring Relationships and Part 7 focuses on Spiritual Warfare. These are the final installments of this small group series. You can click here to download Part 6 of the series for...

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7 Reasons To Boycott Sunday School

Apr 23, 13 7 Reasons To Boycott Sunday School

Posted by in Facilitating A Meeting

Over the years I’ve heard the phrases “small groups” and “cell groups” get thrown around a lot to describe different ministry activities. Many times I have attended “small groups” only to discover an undercover Sunday school class. Don’t get me wrong; Sunday school can be an effective...

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When Your Small Group “Gets It!”

Apr 03, 13 When Your Small Group “Gets It!”

Posted by in Multiplication

Early on in my pursuit of small group values I learned the 4 stages of small group life: 1      The Honeymoon Stage: Everybody’s Happy 2      The Conflict Stage: Everybody’s Mad 3      The Community Stage: Everybody Loves Everybody 4      The Multiplication Stage: Everybody “Gets It!”   “Gets...

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8 Ways To Help People Grieve

Sometimes as faith-filled believers we can be horrible at letting people grieve. When a person loses a relationship, or a job, or has someone close to them pass away it starts a chain reaction of heavy emotions that can be difficult to process. Any situation that creates a sense of loss also creates the need for people to grieve. If...

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SGC Forum Focus March 2013

Mar 18, 13 SGC Forum Focus March 2013

Posted by in Misc

If you hadn’t had a chance to register with our SGC Forum yet, I encourage you to do so. If you already, but haven’t made your first post yet, I encourage you join the online community by engaging. We discuss a range of topics that impact Small Group ministry from Prayer, Devotional thoughts, Discipleship, Training...

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11 Small Group Strategies For Churches

What small group strategy are you using? Which one fits your church vision the best? Sometimes the numerous options can feel overwhelming. When I got started in helping churches develop small groups 20 years ago, there were only two or three strategy options. Now the list is long to say the least. The following is a list of the...

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Great Idea To Develop New Small Group Leaders

Today I share a video with you from Eddie Mosely, a Small Group Pastor at Life Point Church in Tennessee. In the video he shares a great idea for developing new small group leaders through a staff-driven process. I prefer the lay-driven model, but one of the weaknesses of it is that it can be hard to always know if new leaders are...

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6 Reasons To Sharpen Your Small Group With the Sword

What curriculum do your small groups use? Are your groups sermon-based? Are they DVD driven? These are all very common questions in Small Group discussions. Curriculum (in this article I’m referring to material centered around the group reading a topical book when I say “Curriculum” ), Sermon-based material and DVD...

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