MAKE SUMMER YOUR GROUP’S ALLY • CIRCLES OF LIFE • WHAT’S NEXT AFTER 40 DAYS
doing
lifetogether The Premier Small Group Resource
magazine
FALL EDITION
Transformation Takes Time 6 keys to Growing Spiritually
Winning at Lifetogether
Secret to living a purpose-driven life
How to Study The Bible
Discovering the Bible together
Making Your Group Real Friends
Finding moments that change everything R TIPS FO NG MODELI Free Small Group PRAYER Health Assessment and more… NG I L L E S T BES OUP R G L L A SM STUDIES Why SMALL GROUPS are such a
7 10
BIG DEAL
Hundreds of Free Downloadable articles, resources, videos, curriculum, and more…
Editor: brett@lifetogether.com
Brett Eastman
Assistant Editor: James Baldwin jamesbaldwin@lifetogether.com Designer: Nelson Lui Content Manager: Lauren Chase Contributing Authors: Brett Eastman Steve Gladen Bill Donahue Eddie Mosley Rick Howerton Carolyn Takeda Mark Howell
Produced by Lifetogether Ministries 29801 Santa Margarita Pkwy, Suite 101 Racho Santa Margarita, CA 92688
Welcome After championing small groups at both Willow Creek with Bill Hybels and Saddleback Church with Rick Warren for over a decade, I had the privilege of learning what worked and didn’t work in two of the largest church laboratories in the country. We tried just about every small group resource, training strategy, Bible study method, new technology, ministry philosophy, and approach to launching and leading small groups. But the number one strategy to beginning and building healthy small groups was when a church came together and committed themselves to hosting a church wide campaign (e.g. 40 Days of Purpose) and handed out a simple study guide with a companion DVD teaching curriculum to anyone who would host a group in their home. The rest is history. The Doing Life Together DVD Series, built on the Purpose Driven paradigm by Rick Warren, became the bestselling small group curriculum in history. Over 5,000,0000 people came together with a few of their friends and family in their homes to hear over 30 bestselling authors, Pastors, and church leaders deliver a weekly Bible study over the last 15 years. Producing the Doing Lifetogether Small Group Series spanned the course of a two year period and became much more than a simple small group curriculum or even DVD production—it launched small groups and entire small group ministries in churches all around the world. It catalyzed a wave of community that was far greater than any one of us could have ever thought or imagined. God used this simple tool to meet one of the deepest longings in all of society, not just the church community—the longing to belong. Not just “Doing Life Alone” but “Doing Lifetogether” with a circle of friends, which God ordained from the beginning of time. But that was just the beginning. Were do we go from here?
http://www.lifetogether.com
Birthed out of that movement comes the breakthrough Doing Lifetogether Magazine: the premier small group resource for small group leaders and those who lead them. This new magazine will serve as a gateway to a whole new level in Doing Lifetogether. You will be introduced to an unlimited library of new resources, training materials, small group curriculum, and so much more! On this new journey you are promised to find new resources, meet new people, learn new things, and grow in new ways that will help you and your group learn to love God more each day. So, thanks in advance for saying yes to exploring a new resource that we have prayed to not only transform your life as a leader, but ultimately the lives of those God has entrusted to your care.
For more information about advertising, marketing and sponsors please e-mail us today and receive a complete information packet today. Address to jamesbaldwin@lifetogether.com or call 949-609-8709
Blessings as we begin this journey together, Brett Eastman President and Founder Lifetogether
How to use this magazine MAKE SUMMER YOUR GROUP’S ALLY • CIRCLES OF LIFE APPENDIX • WHAT’S NEXT AFTER 40 DAYS
doing
lifetogether
1
Forward it to each of your small groups to help them select their next curriculum and small group resources.
2
Use it as a tool to train and equip your small group ministry leaders and their groups.
3
Post it on your website, paste it in an e-mail or print it out for your leaders.
magazine
The Premier Small Group Resource SUMMER EDITION
Take Them Deeper
Building relationships that last
Winning at Lifetogether
Secret to living a purpose-driven life
How to Study The Bible Discovering the Bible together
R TIPS FO G MODELIN PRAYER
7 10
Making Your Group Real Friends Finding moments that change everything
LLING BESTSE OUP SMALL GR STUDIES
Free Small Group Health Assessment and more…
Why SMALL
GROUPS are such a
BIG DEAL
Hundreds of Free Downloadable articles, resources, videos, curriculum, and more…
Brett’s Tip
How to use this magazine
Contents table of
49 Great Conversation Starters
11 Why Small Groups Are Such A Big Deal
86 From Soloist To Choir
33 Coming To A Living Room Near You
79 Developing People
Cover Page
01
Welcome / How to use this magazine
02
Table of Contents
03
Winning at Life Together
05
Small Group Health Assessment/Group Covenant
07
Small Group Health Plan
08
How to Build a Healthy Small Group
09
Leadership Core
10
Why Small Groups Are A Big Deal
11
Doing Life Together Weekly Newsletter
16
Doing Life Together
17
The Saddleback Small Group Difference
19
Experiencing Life Together
21
Small Groups Built To Last
23
4 Simple Steps
24
Your Small Group Superstore
26
Couples Curriculum
28
Family Small Groups: Investing in One Another’s Children
29
Parenting Curriculum
31
Featured Author
32
Coming to a Living Room Near You!
34
Singles and Children’s
37
Leadership Honesty Breeds Group Honesty
38
Youth Curriculum
39
A Worship Field Trip
40
Leadership Core
41
Women’s Curriculum
42
Hosting An Open House
43
Making Your Group Real ‘Friends’
44
Men’s Curriculum
46
10 Things I Learned from my Dad Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know
47
All for One and One for All: Building a Leadership Team 48 Featured Authors
49
Great Conversation Starters
50
59 Power of Recovery
Simple Small Groups A User-Friendly Guide for Small Group Leaders
51
Saddleback Church Authors
52
Recruiting A Co-Leader
53
Best Sellers
54
Up & Comers
55
Curriculum By The Book
56
Building Character Together
57
Build Community Through Communion
58
Power of Recovery
59
Deepening Life Together
61
New From Lifetogether
62
Movie Night
63
Finances
64
Opening Gifts Isn’t Just For Kids
65
68 Share The Load
Spiritual Gift Assessment/Small Group Gift Assessment 67 Share The Load
68
Why Do You Want a Bible Now?
69
Doing Bible Study Together
71
Bibles
72
The Gathered And Scattered Church
73
What Constitutes A Meeting
74
Favorite Leader Devotionals
75
Twelve Conference
76
Hot Topics
77
Small Group Leader Resources
78
Small Group University
88
Developing People
79
Best Selling Churchwide Campaign
89
Multiply The Good Life
80
Steve Gladen Resources
90
Transformation Takes Time
82
The Small Group Show
91
Building A Culture For Community
85
Doing Lifetogether Membership
92
Experiencing Christ Together In A Sunday School Setting 86
Ministry and Publishing Partners
95
87
About Author
96
From Soloist To Choir
52 Recruiting A Co-Leader
Winning at Life Together God’s pathway for living a life of purpose. By: Brett Eastman
I
n The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren writes, “God intends for us to experience life together. The Bible calls this fellowship … real fellowship is so much more than just showing up at services … It includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other ‘one another’ commands found in the New Testament.” I had to learn that truth the hard way. My philosophy of life was primarily shaped by my life experience. I grew up in a single parent home with my two older sisters, a cousin, a widowed aunt, and my mom, who worked her fingers to the bone, trying to make ends meet. Since my mom worked around the clock and my father showed up once a year at Christmas, usually drunk, I was on my own most of the time. I defined my success by accomplishments, acquiring things, and making money. “Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto,” Warren writes in his book. But I didn’t, which made me believe that if I was going to succeed in life, I would have to do it on my own strength. I didn’t believe anyone else would be willing to help me— especially God. One day, a girl I had been dating for several years told me she had found Jesus. Because of that event, my life took a significant turn. Reluctantly, I decided to join a few guys who were doing a Bible study on the life of Christ. I’d never talked openly about the Bible, Jesus, and what it meant to have a relationship with him. Those five guys were so gracious with my cynical
attitude, challenging questions, and fears about placing my trust in a God I couldn’t see. They could imagine how scary it was to trust a heavenly father after growing up with a very distant and disappointing earthly father. Through the lives of those men, I was ambushed by the love of God, and I no longer wanted to do life alone. I wanted what they had—a relationship with God and other believers. That year, my girlfriend, who is now my wife of over 20 years, saw me give my heart and life over to the one who gave us life together. From that point on, I was never the same. I redefined “winning in life.” It wasn’t about accomplishments, status, and money anymore, but about living a healthy and balanced life of purpose, best achieved by: 1. Connecting in life with a few friends and family on a deeper level than ever before in the context of a small group community (fellowship). 2. Growing in my spiritual journey through the encouragement and accountability of a few friends to help me be more like Christ (discipleship). 3. Developing my unique SHAPE for the purpose of ministry to others, not just my own selfish ambitions (ministry). 4. Sharing my life mission with others, because it’s scary and difficult to do alone (evangelism). 5. Surrendering my heart to God and others for prayer and support as an act of worship to God (worship). Grow and Go After being in that group only a few months, my leaders asked if I would be willing to “grow and go” to the next level in my walk with God. He said, “You really don’t know if you have it until you give it away.” He encouraged me to do as Jesus did—create my own circle of friends by asking God with whom he wanted me to connect and deciding with whom I would enjoy spending time for at least six weeks. He challenged me to call the few people God brought to mind, as a step of faith. I was just crazy enough to do it—and the rest is history. Two of those men asked Christ into their lives, and several others
became lifetime friends. One of them even stood as the best man in my wedding. Maybe you’re not in a group, but have been inspired by reading The Purpose Driven Life. You know that God wants you to be transformed by the purposes for life. This transformation process begins when you ask the question, “What am I going to do today with what He has revealed to me?” Start by connecting with a few friends in a small group or establishing a spiritual partnership with a friend. Here is a simple ABC strategy to make your connection happen today. Ask God, “who?” With whom does God want you to learn, share, grow, and apply His truths? Think of your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, schoolmates, and anyone else God brings to mind. Also, consider who you would enjoy spending time with for a few weeks. Write the names down as God brings them to mind. Begin calling today! Once you have a name or two in mind, call them today, and see if they would be willing to share their thoughts and ideas with you for a few weeks. Once one person says yes, you may be tempted to limit it to just the two of you. However, by inviting a few others, you have created a meeting you all look forward to each week. Most people you ask have one or two other friends who would love to join, too.
Remember, you don’t need 20, 10, or even 5 people for a sufficient group. The Bible says, “Where two or more have gathered, he is in their midst.” The important thing is that you start with at least one other person so you can “do life together.” Check out curriculum. For many people, a study book may give them all they need to interact, but others might benefit from a DVD or video teaching series; these keep discussion flowing. Once you choose the curriculum, you may want to host an open house for your members and preview the series you choose. At this point, they can also pick up and take home the curriculum. God desires each of us to live a good life, but He never intended us to live it alone. He modeled this with the 12 disciples. It’s fascinating that many of my Christian friends (and even church leaders) ride alone like the Lone Ranger, missing out on the joy of deeper and more significant relationships with the body of Christ. I’m ashamed to admit I have done this as well during different seasons of my life. Even after serving as the Small Group Champion at both Willow Creek and Saddleback Church, it took my wife and me several years before we created a new circle of friends. Now, I would do anything for them as they would for me. “Doing my life” with others has taught me some of life’s greatest lessons—especially that winning in life is best experienced not alone, but together.
Small Group Health Assessment 104
HOSTINGLIFETOGETHER
APPENDIX
Group Covenant SMALL GROUP COVENANT To be reviewed quarterly, or as needed.
GROUP PURPOSE:
whAT wE wANT TO DO
_______________________ _______________________
ABOUT:
AS A GROUP, wE AGREE TO ThE fOLLOwING DISCIPLINES:
Refreshments/Mealtimes _______________________
To give priority to the group meeting. Call when absent or late.
Safety
To help create a safe place where people can be heard. No quick answers or judgments.
Confidentiality
To keep anything that is shared strictly confidential. What’s said in group, stays in group.
Accountability
To give permission to group members to hold you accountable to the goals you set for yourself.
Assimilation
To keep the door open to others in our church (unconnected and unchurched people) who need what we have.
Rotation
To rotate hosting responsibilities for the meeting.
Responsibility To take an active role in the responsibilities of this small group.
We are intentionally cultivating our relationships with Christian friends & spiritual mentors We are cultivating authentic community by speaking truth in love and creating healthy boundaries We are more loving, grace giving & forgiving to others than we were a year ago We are resolving conflict with others in a Biblical manner, and supporting the leadership of this church family We are willing to share our real needs for prayer and support with others
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
_______________________
Childcare
Attendance
CONNECTING with God’s family
_______________________ _______________________
When we will meet (day of the week) _______________________ _______________________
Where we will meet (place) _______________________
Connecting Total ________________
GROWING to be like Christ We have an intimate relationship with God, growing spiritually through regular quiet time in God’s Word & prayer. (Spiritual Habits) We respond to challenges with peace and faith to protect us from pain rather than anxiety and fear We see ourselves more through God’s eyes than our own We avoid using addictive behaviors (food, television, busyness, etc.) We are honoring God with our finances & our personal giving (budget) to God
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
_______________________
We will begin at___________ , and close at___________
We will study _______________________ _______________________
We will do our best (some or all of us) to attend the following service together:
Growing Total ________________
DEVELOPING your SHAPE to serve others We are expressing our gifts (S.H.A.P.E.) as a way of life at work and at home We’ve attended the 301 CLASS, discovered our SHAPE & completed the SHAPE interview We are serving in a regular (monthly or better) ministry to the church body We are sharing responsibility within our small group by serving in a role We are praying, discipling, or mentoring another person in the group or community
Developing Total ________________
_______________________ _______________________
Don’t Leave Home without it: A Leader’s Prayer “The prayer of a righteous man [or woman] is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) From the very beginning of this study, why not commit to a simple prayer of renewal in your heart and in the hearts of your members? Take a moment right now and write a simple prayer as you begin: Father, help me
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
SHARING your life mission every day We are actively praying for & cultivating relationships with unchurched friends & family We are inviting seekers to church and sharing our spiritual story with them We are participating in cross-cultural missions by discovering needs and praying for them We are praying and considering on where God can use our cross-culturally in the future We are reproducing our life spiritually and/or praying for when this will happen
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Sharing Total ________________
SURRENDERING your life for God’s pleasure We are faithfully attending church worship services on the weekends We have created a life mission statement and are seeking to fulfill it We are growing in our personal worship to God through music & praise We are surrendering our whole life by improving our exercise and nutrition We are honoring God with every dimension of our life by balancing His purposes in our life
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
Surrendering Total ________________
Just Beginning 0-5
FAIR 5-10
Getting Going 10-15
VERY GOOD 15-20
Well Developed 20-30
SMALL GROUP Health Plan PURPOSES
POSSIBILITIES
PLANS (OUR NEXT STEP)
(Primary Questions)
(Sample Plans)
Monthly Review
CONNECTING
• Host a family barbeque
WITH GOD’S FAMILY
(Purpose of Fellowship) Hebrews 10:24-25; Ephesians 2:19 Who are we connecting deeper with relationally?
GROWING
TO BE LIKE CHRIST (Purpose of Discipleship) Colossians 1:28; Ephesians 4:15 What is our next step for spiritual growth?
DEVELOPING
• Pass around the CLASS sign-up sheet • Share our extended life stories
• Commit as a group to regular quiet times • Memorize one verse a month • Read a book on spiritual growth
• Share ministry involvement
YOUR SHAPE TO SERVE stories and plans OTHERS • Pray for everyone to find a (Purpose of Serving) Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 3:10 Where are we serving together?
SHARING
ministry by the fall season
Serve together at Easter
• Pray for your family and friends
YOUR LIFE MISSION EVERYDAY • Share plans and progress for (Purpose of Evangelism) Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 20:24 How can we share Christ and fulfill our Life Mission in the world?
SURRENDERING
inviting people to Easter
• Pray for the African mission team
OUR LIFE AS WORSHIP
• Faithfully use the prayer/ praise list
(Purpose of Worship)
• Experiment with group worship
Romans 12:1&2; Psalm 27:6b
• Host a communion service this quarter
How can I surrender my life today?
How To Build a
Healthy Small Group This Next Year
connecting with god’s family The foundation for spiritual growth is an intimate connection with God and His family. The questions in this section will help you to get to know the members of your small group so that you’ll begin to feel a sense of belonging. This section is designed to open your time together and provide a fun way to share your personal stories with one another.
growing in your spiritual journey This is the most exciting portion of each lesson. Each week you’ll study one or two core passages from the Bible. The focus will be on how the truths from God’s Word make a difference in your lives. We will often provide an experiential exercise to enable you to not just talk about the truth, but also to experience it in a practical way.
serving with your god-given designs Most people want to know how God has uniquely shaped them for ministry and where they can serve in the center of His will. This section will help make that desire a reality. Every other week or so, you will be encouraged to take practical steps in developing who God uniquely made you to be in order to serve Him and others better.
sharing god’s love in everyday life Many people skip over this aspect of the Christian life because it’s scary, relationally awkward, or simply too much work for their busy schedules. However, God calls all of us to reach out a hand to people who don’t know Him. It’s much easier to take practical, manageable steps if you take them together. Every other week or so, you will have an opportunity to take a small step.
surrendering your life to god A surrendered heart is what pleases God most. Each small group session will give you a chance to surrender your heart to God and one another in prayer. In addition, you’ll be introduced to several forms of small group worship, including listening to worship CDs, singing together, reading Psalms, and participating in Communion.
Mentor Your Coaches And Their Leaders
3 levels of Spiritual Mentoring that will keep your leaders in the game. Supervising leaders face burn out and fatigue just as any uncared-for small group leader does.
a little extra effort will pay off big. Let’s take a look at three main areas:
As a pastor or staff member, one of your jobs is to focus on the needs of your leadership coaches and supervisors to ensure that they want to stick around and help you turn spiritual seekers into multiplying “shepherds.” Often just
1. “Who Are You?” This focuses on relationship and friendship. To develop a deeper relationship with your coaches:
a. Pray with them. Ask what you can pray for on their behalf. b. Take a genuine interest in their family. c. Write them notes of encouragement often. d. Call them or send them cards on their birthdays or anniversaries. e. Make sure you know their life story. Read more…
Leadership Core By Bill Donahue, President at The LeaderSync Group I am aware of some things today that are essential to functioning as a leader who tends to his soul. And I think every leader would do well to attend to them. However imperfectly I engage these, I am committed to working at them 1 Face Reality about Your Sin and Weakness: Always the first job of a leader, naming reality — about self and the organization — is of prime importance. I do not like this part, but it means honest reflection, humble confession and then a commitment to “let it go” and move ahead. 2 Declare Your Personal Dignity: Almost in contrast to the above, remind yourself that you are gifted, called, blessed, loved, forgiven, protected, significant, and loved (did I say that already??!!) in the eyes of God. This is your true identity in your relationship with Christ. Declare this daily! 3 Live a Shared Life in Community: Relational integrity stems directly from authentic communal engagement. You are, at some
level, the product of your community. Living with others, as Jean Vanier says, reveals our pride and ego, and yet gives opportunities to be “for” others and share their lives. this practice keeps every leader from thinking to highly of himself/herself, and from selfabsorption 4 Take Responsibility for Your Own Growth: It is up to me and you to read the book, have the conversation with a mentor, reflect on the Bible, expose the mind to new ideas, network with fresh thinkers and engage in serious debate and discussion. It is job one! 5 Pursue a Life of Simplicity: Rid yourself of the things that tangle up your leadership — unnecessary meetings, committees and teams; stuff that clamors for attention; people who are draining and never desire to change; varying from your core mission. You must ruthlessly shed these distractions so that you can give maximum energy to “this one thing I do” in the moments such focus is required.
Why
SMALL are GROUPS such a
BIG DEAL Seven things every leader needs to know about the emergence of small group ministry. By: Brett Eastman
T
here is no simple solution to growing a healthy, balanced body of believers. However, a thriving small group ministry may be one of the best ways to fulfill the biblical purposes of the church—and solve many of the issues of evangelism and stewardship that can confound pastors. Here are seven reasons why every pastor should consider investing resources into building a healthy small group ministry: 1. Small group community is a primary felt need in America, let alone in our churches. In South Orange County, there is a community known as one of the top 10 fastest growing developments in the country. For every new home construction, there are 10,000 applications from interested buyers.
Part of the appeal of this community is that it is built from the ground up for community. Its ads sell a return to “Mayberry” days, when everyone had a front porch, a true neighborhood community, and a sense of family among friends. Their slogan is simply this: Belong. I met the Community Director for one of these kinds of neighborhoods and was fascinated to learn that her job is to create and cultivate a sense of community—where people feel loved, supported, needed, and have a true sense of belonging. She hires, trains, and manages cul-de-sac leaders, helping them launch social events, such as progressive dinners, costume parties, and charades nights. Her job includes a weekly trip to new and existing cul-de-sacs with a truck filled with fresh Starbucks and Krispy Kreme Donuts.
This model is very simple, effective, and transferable to any church. It can work for small groups or the entire church, and is easy to establish. Encourage your members to host a back-to-school picnic, end of the summer party, or a weekend barbeque—not for the purpose of selling homes, but to see their homes used for Christ. For example, I did this last summer by renting a bounce house on our block. It cost me $75.00 for the day, and almost every family joined in the fun. I asked every adult who came if they would be open to participating in a 6-week Bible study on the topic of marriage, family, or relationships. It was a success. This fall, instead of trying to get the community to come to your church, why not consider bringing your church to the community? 2. Significant life transformation can happen in small groups. Most pastors and church leaders assume small groups are a great way to create a sense of community among the members of their congregation. It’s true. Small groups are a great tool for helping people transition from doing life alone to doing life together.
gration of truth in the lives of people—resulting in the transformation of the minds, hearts, and hands of believers for Christ!
Rick Warren, developer of the 40 Days of Purpose program, says small groups provide a place for people to fulfill all five purposes of the church: 1) grow warmer through fellowship, 2) deeper through discipleship, 3) stronger through worship, 4) broader through ministry, 5) and larger through evangelism.
3. Small groups can exponentially grow your church. Deep down, most pastors would love to grow their church. Rick Warren says, “Balancing the purpose in your church leads to growth and balance to health and that health ultimately leads to growth.” But how?
Other Christian leaders endorse small groups, as well. Bill Hybels says “life change happens best in small groups.” Rob Lacey says it’s a great place for people to “talk back” about the Bible and discuss the implications of its message, leading to greater application of truth in the lives of those who attend. Bob Buford, founder of the Leadership Network, said to me recently, “There is a definite shift in the church from just a procrastination model seen in churches all across America, to a greater demonstration model of Christianity that leads to greater transformation of our hearts.”
As your church grows larger in attendance, you need to counteract that by simultaneously growing it “smaller” through small groups ministry. I’ve had the privilege of serving at two megachurches with thousands in attendance, but I grew up in a small church of less than 100 members. I now know that if my pastor would have followed some of the simple steps we learned in the “40 Days of Purpose” campaign, he could have easily doubled or tripled the active attendance in our church. 70 percent of the churches we coach and consult have healthy, active Sunday school programs, but with the addition of small group ministries they can multiply growth exponentially.
With the introduction of new DVD and video teaching delivered directly into living rooms and classrooms in our churches, we can get the best of both worlds—proclamation and devotion. The churches we have had the privilege of coaching have had a positive response about our teaching and training materials from members who say they are glad not only to have more teaching, but more talking about teaching, as well. Talking about teaching leads to greater inte-
In the early 1950s, Sunday school was designed as a tool for evangelism and assimilation, but over the years, its primary purpose has been education. Today, few churches have an extra Sunday school classroom available, and the average Sunday school class size is 12 people. It’s difficult to grow your church through Sunday school because brick and mortar limit growth, unless you keep building more educational space—which most churches can’t afford. Don’t miss the opportunity for growth through small groups community. The beauty of off-campus groups is the potential for unlimited growth. An onsite Sunday school program is limited unless complemented with off-campus small groups. As Rick Warren says, “Don’t let the shoe tell the foot how big it can grow.” Ironically, during the first 300 years of the church, people didn’t meet in temple courts; they met in homes. Since then, we’ve done just the opposite—moved from homes to church buildings. The truth is, we need more house-to-house ministry to grow our churches. 4. Small groups are not a program, but a primary model for doing church. I’ve talked with many senior pastors who say small group ministry is one of many programs in the church. But small group ministry is the
primary model found in the New Testament. The book of Acts teaches that the early church met as a church gathered and a church scattered. Somehow, we have forgotten the “scattered” church, and small group ministry can help us model the early church. We must work together on what it takes to help our people do life together just like Jesus. And the best part about this is that Jesus didn’t just tell us to do it—he modeled it through his own life and ministry. How about your church? Are your members doing life in community with a few like Jesus did? Maybe it’s time. Doing life together is a biblical model, not a fancy program. 5. Small groups ministry will become the primary means to lifestyle evangelism in the future. Building relationships is the most non-threatening, natural way to connect authentically with an unchurched person. And your home is the best place on earth to hear the most important message in eternity. 50 percent of people invited by a friend will say yes to a short six-week Bible study in your home. 50 percent!
of the Future.” Either way, don’t underestimate the power of community to train and develop the leaders of the future. I call it the crock-pot method, because mobilizing small-group leaders is getting easy. The real challenge is developing leaders who don’t just launch a group for six weeks, but leaders who continue on for a lifetime. Here are a few ideas that can work right away for you. First, challenge all groups to de-emphasize apprenticeship and focus on rotating and sharing leadership. The best way to learn how to lead is to experience it. This will grow every member into a leader … not overnight but over time. When you rotate leadership in the groups, ultimately people are being better prepared than if they were to participate in a 10-week small group leadership training course. Each person gets a turn to lead and passes the curriculum on to the next person to facilitate the next time. Second, use campaigns two or three times a year to align the weekend with the small group study to create an excuse to ask all existing groups to take a six-week vacation to host a short-term group in their community for their church community. 30 percent of the Saddleback groups did this during our first 40 Day Campaign. But you could do this every fall, even if you have done it before in the past. The Beginning Lifetogether DVD is an excellent resource for our first small group campaign. You could launch 20-40 percent of your church into groups. It comes with live weekly teaching (from Bruce Wilkenson, John Ortberg, Henry Cloud, Joe Stowell, etc.), live leader training, live testimonial, and live small group worship. It’s the first plug-and-play curriculum on the market with a builtin small group leader “GPS” system for your leaders. Do it again every fall, even if you have done 40 Days before. Each week, a new teacher shares about one of the five purposes, helping bring back the vision and momentum gained from the previous campaign. It will amaze you as it did us at Saddleback! Third, give them plug-and-play DVD/video curriculum. Not everyone is called to be a teacher or a leader, but some are called to be shepherds of a few.
If you simply challenge your people to follow God’s call to do life together, it will have a positive impact on your church. Ask church members to write down names of 6-10 people with whom they would enjoy doing life together and challenge them to call those people on that list this week. Then, create a video table they can check out after each Sunday service. Provide DVD/Video curriculum with a few study guides for the week so they can have the tools they need to be able to host Bible studies in their homes with their friends. Challenge them with the value of community.
7. Small groups will help to increase weekly giving and the response to any capital campaign. Glen Kruen, the executive pastor at Saddleback, said that giving increased well over 25 percent during the “40 Days of Purpose” campaign. This was true across the country. Not only will a church’s weekly giving rise, but when they have a capital campaign, they will see a significant return on their investment. I have seen this work with every church we have coached. Many of these churches postponed their campaigns until after they connected another 25-75 percent of their church into groups. This is critical not only because it will improve the overall financial health of the church, but the spiritual health, as well—and it is the spiritual benefits that are vital to factor in when considering church finances.
Here is the best part! We’ve found that in at least 40 percent of the churches we work with, when people jot down the names of friends to invite to their group, most don’t worry if those friends are Christian or not. They just ask, “Is this someone I’d like to do life together with or hang out with for six weeks?” So they end up inviting people who do not know Christ, are new in their relationship with Christ, are not growing in their relationship with Christ, have never been in a small group, or haven’t made spiritual life decisions in a long time.
Willow Creek’s executive pastor Greg Hawkins, who ran its capital campaign, said that over 60 percent of the people who gave to the capital campaign to raise over $75 million for their new facility came from people in small groups. Overall, the water level in any church’s giving goes up. When people are cared for and feel loved, there’s a tendency for them to give more. One pastor likened it to when Peter was fishing all day on one side of the boat and then Jesus instructed him to toss his nets on the other side.
6. Small groups are the crock-pot for training unlimited leaders. Bill Hybels said at the Leadership Summit last August, that small groups were one of the top performance drivers in the church of tomorrow. Rick Warren said they are a “Leadership Engine or Factory
Well, how about you? If you consider all these ideas that have worked in other churches, I promise that you won’t come home empty. Instead, the people in your community will be more likely to come home where they belong!
Are your small groups
MAKING DISCIPLES? S
uccessful discipleship is not about making converts. It’s about growing new and mature believers. Reform the way your small groups disciple with this definitive plan to develop ministry that changes lives and creates new leaders for the future. From one of America’s fastest growing churches, Real-Life Ministries, pastor Jim Putnam shows you how your small groups can make disciples who go and make disciples, who go and make disciples . . .
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Doing Life Together Rick Warren’s Foreword to Doing Lifetogether Series Doing Life Together is a groundbreaking study in several ways. It is the first small group curriculum built completely on the purpose-driven paradigm. This is not just another study to be used in your church; it is a study on the church to help strengthenyour church. Many small group curricula today are quite self-focused and individualistic. They generally do not address the importance of the local church and our role in it as believers. Another unique feature of this curriculum is its balance. In every session, the five purposes of God are stressed in some way. But the greatest reason I am excited about releasing this Doing Life Together curriculum is that I’ve seen the dramatic changes it produces in the lives of those who study it. These small group studies were not developed in some detached ivory tower or academic setting but in the day-to-day ministry of Saddleback Church, where thousands of people meet weekly in small groups that are committed to fulfilling God’s purposes. This curriculum has been tested and retested, and the results have been absolutely amazing. Lives have been changed, marriages saved, and families strengthened. And our church has grown-in the past seven years we’ve seen over 9,100 new believers baptized at Saddleback. I attribute these results to the fact that so many of our members are serious about living healthy, balanced, purpose-driven lives. It is with great joy and expectation that I introduce this resource to you. I am so proud of our development team on this project: Brett and Dee Eastman, Todd and Denise Wendorff, and Karen Lee-Thorp. They have committed hundreds of hours to write, teach, develop, and refine these lessons - with much feedback along the way. This has been a labor of love, as they have shared our dream of helping you serve God’s purpose in your own generation. The church will be enriched for eternity as a result.
Beginning Life Together Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $11.28 (Your Price) Buy now
Embark on a 6-week journey that’ll give you a taste of the purposeful life God created you for---with wisdom from teachers Steve Farrar, Anne Ortlund, Chip Ingram, Bruce Wilkinson, Doug Fields, and Steve Arterburn! Each DVD session includes a “leader lifter,” creative element, dynamic teaching, and worship music. Approx. 4 hours. Closedcaptioned.
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Connecting With God’s Family Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $29.99 (Price) $21.99 (Your Price) Buy now
These six sessions will help you connect more deeply with Jesus Christ and build genuine relationships with Christian friends. Christ’s love makes it possible for you to be known and to know others, to be loved and to love, to resolve conflict effectively, and to move outward together in faith. Teachers featured on Connecting with God’s Family are Henry Cloud, Steve Farrar, Doug Fields, John Ortberg, Joe Stowell, and Denise Wendorff. Harnessing the creativity, flexibility, and convenience of audio-video technology, this groundbreaking series is the first ever to integrate superbly crafted study guides with powerful new-media capabilities and apply them to the unique setting of group Bible study. Read more…
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Growing To Be Like Christ Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $29.99 (Price) $21.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Spiritual maturity doesn’t happen by accident. The six sessions in this study equip you for the basic habits of spiritual growth: relying on the Holy Spirit, cultivating time in the Bible and prayer, seeing life’s obstacles as opportunities for growth, and partnering with Christians who are committed to supporting your growth. Here is a realistic, practical path to growing strong in faith and Christian character. Teachers featured on Growing to Be Like Christ are Steve Arterburn, Doug Fields, John Ortberg, Anne Ortlund, Todd Wendorff, and Lance Witt. Read more…
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Developing Your SHAPE To Serve Others Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $25.99 (Your Price) Buy now
The way you’re wired is no accident! God designed your unique mix of gifts, natural abilities, personality, values, and life experiences to play an essential part in his kingdom. These six sessions will help you develop your God-given design at home, at work, at church, and in your community in a way that extends God’s love to others and enriches your own life immeasurably. Teachers featured on Developing Your Shape to Serve Others are Bruce Wilkinson, Alvin Bibbs, Carol Kent, Erwin McManus, Joe Stowell, and Mike Wilkins. Read more…
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Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $27.98 (Your Price) Buy now
Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day just isn’t that hard. You need a few skills, a few friends for support, and a glimpse of God’s heart for those who don’t know him. These six sessions will equip you to extend love to seekers around you and talk about your experience with God in ways that people will understand. God doesn’t ask you to do it alone--discover the power that comes from teaming up! Teachers featured on Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day: Erwin McManus, Bruce Wilkinson, John Ortberg, Anne Ortland and more. Read more…
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Surrendering Your Life For God’s Pleasure Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $27.98 (Your Price) Buy now
What does it mean to surrender to God? These six sessions will help you experience the transforming power of a surrendered life. As you learn to worship Christ throughout you daily life, you will come to trust him with the experiences of your past, the precious things of your present, and your hopes for the future. What are you holding onto? Discover the peace of laying it at God’s feet. Teachers featured on Surrendering Your Life for God’s Pleasure are Henry Cloud, Chip Ingram, Judy Hampton, J.P. Jones, John Ortberg, and Dee Eastman. Read more…
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By Steve Gladen The small groups pastor at Saddleback Church
The Saddleback
Small Group
Steve joined the staff of Saddleback Church (www.saddleback.com) in February of 1998 as Pastor of Small Groups, where he oversees the strategic launch and development of the small group community.
Difference
I
'm often asked what Saddleback Church does differently in our small group strategy. My answer is, "not one thing." Because, in fact, we probably do several things that many other churches also do. But what has been so interesting is to watch how God uses the combination of many different things to reach people and connect them into lifechanging small groups. This combination of eight key principles is what we characterize as the Saddleback difference. Purpose driven groups, not special interest groups Our small group strategy intentionally deepens the five biblical purposes of fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship into every group. We are far more concerned about healthy groups than the number of groups. Groupings of people that meet around "special interests" are strategic, but are not groups that are trying to balance the five purposes for healthy individuals and groups.
So, while our greeter's small groups (in the Greeter's Ministry) are very important and strategic, those groups don't generally focus on "health" of the person and group, but on "greeting" people to our campus. You need specialty groups that accomplish individual purposes, but you need small groups to bring "health" to your church. Good enough, not perfection Our small group ministry strives to be effective, not excellent. We've made our biggest strides by pulling the trigger on ideas at the right moment, not by overthinking every possible scenario that could go wrong. I love the passage of Scripture found in Ecclesiastes 11:4: "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." (NLT) We don't make excellence an idol, and we are not idle because we're waiting for perfection! God wants us to be good stewards of our resources, not good stoppers of every idea.
Relational, not multiplying Small groups need a simple mission. Too often small group "theory" dictates that groups should be constantly multiplying. These strategies often place too much pressure on an average leader to be a "church strategist" instead of a relationship builder. We help small group leaders relax and use their natural desire to serve in ways that help their group grow closer. When John and Mary walk in the front door of a small group, they're hoping that someone will be there who will greet them warmly, love them for who they are, pray for their challenges, encourage their growth in Christ, and praise their answered prayers. The last thing they want is those friends they are starting to trust, those people who they now feel ready to open up with, suddenly say, "OK, it was fun knowing you. Let's all pray about the new small groups we are going to start!" Life on life takes time. One piece of iron doesn't sharpen another piece of iron with one brush against it. Iron
on iron has to happen many times in order for both to be sharpened. Growth by campaigns, not disrupting community Small group ministries live in a constant tension between fellowship and evangelism. Do the people in our small groups continue to grow closer together or do we ask them to leave those groups so that we can grow the number of groups? What do we do about the people who have just recently joined a group? How long should a group stay together? These are all questions that get considered in every small group ministry, often proving that there is no light without fire. It is, after all, a delicate balance. We have grown to more than 2,500 adult small groups at Saddleback Church because we use a campaign to launch new groups every year. Since 2002, campaigns have increased small group participation at our church from 30 percent to 110 percent. We now have more people in small groups than attend our weekend services (on average). And rather than taking energy from our small groups by forced division or multiplication, the campaign approach actually adds energy to groups. There’s an excitement to being involved in a churchwide effort. Leadership potential, not proven leaders Our H.O.S.T. strategy is designed to first get people into serving and then build them into leaders. If you wait for perfect people to lead your small groups, you’ll be waiting until Christ’s return. But you don’t need “allstar, supertrained” small group leaders to create a successful small group ministry! All you need is people who are willing and obedient. Remember, God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called. So, you can relax and heave a great sigh of relief. This small group strategy will help you no matter your church size. Using biblically solid studies, even a member with a very young faith can host a small group in his or her home. We get people involved early in leading groups – and then help them get to where they need to be. Seems that’s the model that Jesus showed us when he picked 12 ordinary men. His first requirement was “follow me.” But no ministry can grow much unless there is an infrastructure to support it. We look at the people who are serving as hosts and identify the ones who are natural shepherds. Then we begin to raise these people up through a “Small Group Leadership Pathway” that helps them understand the ministry, recognize God’s call in their lives, and then trains them in head and heart fundamentals so they can be effective in the ministry right from the beginning. We take hosts and turn them into leaders! When people have reasonable knowledge of what to do, they enjoy the ministry more because they see God
working through them quickly. This is literally part of a streettostaff pathway that greets people at the front door and guides them into greater service for the Kingdom within the small group ministry. Ratios, not size So often we get prescriptive about how big we want our small groups to get. Some churches assign people to groups so they can precisely limit size, others start the guilt train when a group hits a certain size, and there’s probably at least one church in the world that preaches group size from the Old Testament. But let’s face it, some people are just natural builders. You know the type. They start out with just a few people at their group and they just keep inviting others until pretty soon they have 20 or 30 people jammed into their house every Wednesday night, all trying to figure out who gets to sit down this week. At Saddleback, we don’t penalize the people with the “gifts” of being able to gather people; instead, we encourage groups to become any size they wish to. Then we equip them for health in spite of their size. Through subgrouping we help maintain ratios of attendees to leaders to optimum levels, so that participation and group health are not jeopardized. In other words, we say you can grow your group as big as you like and we’ll show you how to foster an environment for lifechanging community. In fact, subgroups are one part of a strategy we call “large group/small group.” Simple systems, not complex structures You don’t need to spend a lot of money on staff as you grow. Saddleback uses a leadership development process that can quickly build a network of 10hourperweek community leaders to develop, guide, and encourage group hosts to become leaders. We now provide better care for our groups through a flattened structure. The beauty of this approach is it mobilizes those who have leadership potential within your small groups to serve in the ministry. Then it equips them with consistent, uniform training for service (our Saddleback Leader-
ship Development Pathway). The result of this process is that it helps bring health to your small group network without adding to the stress of your staffing budget. Sure, organizational development books might say you need to have capillary networks, hierarchical trees, and org chart jungles with their accompanying costs in order to build a big organization. But in the end, you only want to help people get into groups that are healthy so they can experience life transformation. That doesn’t take complexity; it takes simplicity. Strategic care, not equal care Some small group people believe that every group deserves equal care. But the reality is that not all groups are created equal. In any small group community there are early, mid, and late adopters. Some groups have very mature leadership. Some groups are brand new. Some are full of baby Christians. Others have been liberally sprinkled with challenging types of people. Of course we love them all, but we shouldn’t put the same effort and attention into them all, because some simply will need more and some will need less. At Saddleback, we find that “equal care” can actually hurt leadership development and health rather than help. So, we prioritize our groups based on four categories. This simplifies care management and allows our leadership infrastructure to be more effective at providing care. The “Saddleback Small Group Difference” I shared in these three articles describes how small groups operate differently at our church. As I said in the first article, there really isn’t one thing we do differently. It’s all of them in combination. We don’t pretend we have the perfect answers. These are just the ones that are working at Saddleback. Since 2002, God has grown small group participation in our church in a dramatic and exponential fashion. It is my prayer that your small group ministry experiences the same Kingdom impact, all for the glory of God.
Experiencing Christ Together Experiencing Christ Together uses a powerful combination of DVD based teaching tools and traditional small group Bible discussion to help you take your small group to the next level of growth and intimacy. Each DVD and study guide are carefully coordinated for a seamless lesson. Each of the six sections includes: • Leader Lifters—pre-session video training that offers weekly insights and practical techniques for leading small groups. • Creative Elements—personal stories, interviews, and music videos related to the weekly topic. • Worship Music—featuring the songs of Maranathal together with lyrics and uplifting video images.
Beginning In Christ Together Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman, Deanna Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $28.28 (Your Price) Buy now
The Experiencing Christ Together DVDs are designed to enhance your small group time together with the Bible study guide of the same name. On the DVD are leader helps—insights and techniques for each weekly lesson, dynamic teaching featuring well-known teachers, personal stories, interviews, and worship music complete with lyrics and uplifting video images. The teachers on this DVD are: Mike Breaux, Mike Meeks, Doug Fields, Tom Mullins, Dave Redriquez, and Kay Arthur. Read more.
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Connecting In Christ Together Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman, Deanna Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $28.28 (Your Price) Buy now
Fellowship. The word gets used a lot in church. But too often our understanding and practice of fellowship are shallow and stripped of the life-giving, life-transforming power God intended community to have. But Jesus lived out and taught a deeper, more radical kind of fellowship, a way of interacting that makes others sit up and take notice. These six sessions will show you Jesus’ way of loving others “as I have loved you.” Read more.
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Lead from Weakness The apostle Paul said that God’s power was made perfect in Paul’s weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). This is clearly the opposite of what most leaders think, but it provides the most powerful model of humility, authority, and spiritual power. It was Jesus’ way at the cross. So share your struggles along with your successes, confess your sins to one another along
with your celebrations, and ask for prayer for yourself along with praying for others. God will be pleased, and your group will grow deeper. If you humble yourself under God’s mighty hand, He will exalt you at the proper time (Matthew 23:12).
Growing In Christ Together Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman, Deanna Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $28.28 (Your Price) Buy now
Our world these days is so hectic, so complex. Where do we turn for wisdom and guidance in navigating the ins and outs of life? There are many voices to listen to and many examples to follow, but we really need look no further than the Author of Life, Jesus. He taught and lived a way of life that was purposeful and pleasing to God. These six sessions will show you the value and the nature of a life of discipleship, as modeled by Jesus. Experiencing Christ Together uses a powerful combination of DVD based teaching tools and traditional small group Bible discussion to help you take your small group to the next level of growth and intimacy. Read more.
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Serving Like Christ Together Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman, Deanna Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $37.98 (Price) $28.28 (Your Price) Buy now
Jesus said he “did not come to be served, but to serve.” And he calls us as his followers to the same lifestyle and attitude of service. But how do we do that? In a world that values power and ease, we need some help in reorienting our hearts as well as our schedules. These six sessions look at key character traits taught and modeled by Jesus that are essential to a life of service in the steps of the Ultimate Servant. Experiencing Christ Together uses a powerful combination of DVD based teaching tools and traditional small group Bible discussion to help you take your small group to the next level of growth and intimacy. Read more.
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Sharing Christ Together Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman, Deanna Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $29.99 (Price) $21.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Lost and hurting people are all around us. Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost, and he calls us into the same mission of love. But we often get bogged down in the how-tos of sharing our faith when the heart of the matter is...our heart. These six sessions expose us to the heart of Jesus as he shows and teaches his disciples how to have a vibrant witness that draws lost people in, so they can be shown the way home. Read more.
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Surrendering to Christ Together Starter Kit Author: Brett Eastman, Deanna Eastman Publisher: Zondervan $29.99 (Price) $21.99 (Your Price) Buy now
The ultimate paradox of the Christian life is that victory comes through surrender. Most of us aspire to a life of abandonment to God and his purposes, but we find the daily grind and our own old habits get in the way. Jesus knew he set the bar high, but he didn’t leave us without guidance. In these six sessions, you’ll learn from his teaching and example the character qualities essential to a life of worshipful surrender. Experiencing Christ Together uses a powerful combination of DVD based teaching tools and traditional small group Bible discussion to help you take your small group to the next level of growth and intimacy. Read more.
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2. Align the launch with your weekend service. We recommend getting your pastor on board. Perhaps he could preach a six-week series on a topic, perhaps from the parables of Jesus. Use these six weeks to meet in homes as an entire church family during the series. Prepare a handout of discussion questions from the sermon as means for people to connect and grow in the six-week campaign. 3. Recruit Hosts, not leaders. The bottleneck, in building health into your small group ministry is always new leaders. Fresh troops are hard to recruit, but our strategy is not to recruit leaders; it’s to recruit people who are simply willing to open their homes for a specific length of time. Instead, a couple weeks before the six-week preaching series is to begin, have your pastor make this invitation: “In a couple weeks, we are going to ‘do church together’ in a way we’ve never done before. For six weeks, I’m going to preach through a series titled ‘Growing Deeper in Our Life Together.’ We would like our entire church to meet in homes each week during this time—for only six weeks. Would you open your home to a group of 8 to 10 people for six weeks? If so, then sign up at our Host Home table in Fellowship Hall after the service.” You’ll be amazed how a simple change of language will open the floodgates of recruits.
Small Groups Built To Last How to prevent stale groups O
ften small groups become a place in the church, where “every person (or small group) does what is right in his own eyes.” Too often small groups operate independently like nation states, where the individual groups choose curriculum, choose frequency of meeting, and refuse any governing or leadership structure but their own. Everything tends to move toward chaos. If that’s where your small group ministry is, then this is the time to build some health into the system. Here are a couple ideas to move your groups toward small group wellness: 1. Launch a fresh small group campaign. There’s nothing like fresh wave of small groups to energize your ministry.
Are these Hosts leaders? Not yet. You’re recruiting them to open their homes, and your team will need to coach them weekly through the six weeks as they serve coffee and get the discussion started. For resources on coaching leaders, you may want to consider our “Coaching Lifetogether” video series. The idea is recruit people on what they know they can do—open their homes and put on a pot of coffee. 4. Publicly invite your church to the host homes. Before the the six week campaign, once you recruited enough Hosts, have your pastor publicly invite your church to attend a Host Home. Then, develop a plan to have your hosts invite their 8 to 10 people with a handwritten note or letter, also calling them before the first host home meeting. 5. Roll the Host Home groups into ongoing small groups. This requires a strategy to identify leaders that emerge in the Host Homes during the six weeks. Look for additional articles to help you do this. Also make sure you have a clear curriculum plan moving forward and a way to coach your new leaders as they learn to lead. It’s often impossible to try to move existing, closed groups towards health. It’s almost always best to create health by launch new groups and training your new leaders in your new ministry strategy.
Prayer Triplets Prayer triplets can provide a rich blessing to you and many others. At the beginning or end of your group meeting, you can gather people into prayer triplets to share and pray about three non-Christian friends. This single strategy will increase your group’s evangelistic effectiveness considerably. Be sure to get an update on the plans and progress from each of the circles. You need only ten minutes at every other meeting—
or at least once a month. At first, some of your members may feel overwhelmed at the thought of praying for non-Christians. We’ve been there! But you can be confident that over time they will be renewed in their heart for lost people and experience the blessing of giving birth to triplets.
4 Simple Steps To Select Your Next Series 1 2 3 4
Complete the Purpose Driven Health Assessment and engage your group to do the same. Pick your purpose (based on your results and the members in your group) Watch the previews and sample sessions. If needed, order a sample of each series and share with your group. After you decide your first series, map out your One Year of Purpose Calendar
ONE YEAR OF PURPOSE CALENDAR
purpose
purpose
SEPT~OCT NOV~DEC week 0-8
week 9-16
purpose
purpose
purpose
purpose
JAN~FEB
MAR~APR
MAY~JUN
JUL~AUG
week 17-25
week 26-34
week 35-42
week 43-52
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Colossians 1:28
Do something. Be something. Give something. Connect your life to the lives of those who are needy, poor, marginalized, and forgotten. Connect in conversation with those who are ‘lost’, leaving the church, rethinking the faith as nomads, exiles, and prodigals. Life is short but we can do something that matters—something that lasts. Connect now. NEW
Personal, Group, or Church Experience
Groundbreaking Research— Follow-up to unChristian
Is the church losing the next generation? Why the exodus? What can be done?
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Pay it Now or Pay it Later: Group Conflict Most leaders and groups avoid conflict, but healthy groups are willing to do what it takes to learn and grow through conflict. Much group conflict can be avoided if the leader lets the group openly discuss and decide its direction using the Small Group Agreement. Healthy groups
are alive. Conflict is a sign of maturity, not mistakes. Sometimes you may need to get outside counsel, but don’t be afraid. Look at conflict as an opportunity to grow, and always confront it so it doesn’t create a cancer that can kill the group over time. (Matthew 18:15-20)
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In the popular book, Love & Respect, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs showed couples how to have a happier and more fulfilling marriage by learning the different communication styles of men and women. Women absolutely need love and men absolutely need respect. It’s that simple.
This member book for participants in The Secret to the Marriage You Want six-session DVD study helps members of the group further explore the teachings they’ve heard. It provides leader helps, video guides, group community-building and application activities, and options to follow during the week.
Tips To Modeling Prayer For Your Group
The 5 Love Languages, DVD Author: Gary Chapman Publisher: Cloud Ten $14.98 (Price) $12.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Affirming words, quality time, giving gifts, serving, physical touching---these five special ways of “speaking” will get your new marriage off to a great start or enhance the emotional climate of a long-standing one! Dr. Gary Chapman explains the purpose of each “language” and shows you how to identify the one that is most meaningful to your spouse. Approx. 65 minutes.
Love & War: Finding the Marriage You’ve Dreamed of Pack Participant’s Guide and DVD Author: John Eldredge, Stasi Eldredge Publisher: WaterBrook Press $31.99 (Price) $20.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Dare to be the man God created you to be! In eight provocative lessons on authentic masculinity, John Eldredge challenges you to abandon passivity and actively pursue your God-given dreams. Encouragement for men to walk the road least taken---and important insights for the women who love them! Includes a CDROM with promotional materials. Three DVDs, approx. 4 hours total.
One of the most powerful aspects of small groups is the opportunity to offer prayer requests, to pray together, and then to see how God follows through on those prayers. It’s amazing to see how God works over three months or six months or a year. Prayers gets answered, situations change, hearts change—your group sees God work in mighty ways. Just as powerful as the group dynamic of prayer is the impact that a praying leader can have on his or her group. A praying leader ministers to the group not only by showing how much he or she cares about their needs but also by modeling a life of prayer. As with most things, becoming a small group centered on prayer doesn’t just happen. Here are 7 tips on how you can minister to your small group through prayer: •
Dedicate the last half hour of each bible study to “personal prayer needs” time.
•
Write each member’s prayer requests down on 3x5 cards. Bring the cards to every study so you can check back on their requests.
•
After the requests are given, pray immediately with your group.
•
Set up a prayer-partner system where each member has another member praying for him or her, and vice versa.
•
As a leader, continue to pray for each specific prayer request of each of your members (use your cards as reminders) daily. Read more…
More Couples Curriculum here…
Family Small Groups:
Investing in One Another’s Children By Carolyn Taketa
I
t was Friday night and time for our small group to meet. We were tired from a long work week and did not feel like attending the meeting. Then our children said, “But we have to go, it’s our group. We want to go.” So we went and were glad we did. When I later shared this with the group, every family confessed that the same conversation had happened occasionally in their homes as well. So, what made the kids so committed (even more than the adults) to the group? Before we explore the positive impact on children belonging to family small groups, let’s take a step back and consider why these groups are becoming increasingly popular, relevant and beneficial in today’s culture. Making a case for family small groups The African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child” is a good description of life together in family small groups. The focus of these groups is to nurture intergenerational community with the whole family building relationships with other families and providing mutual support as they seek to raise their children with biblical values. In these groups, children participate in the group’s social activities, service projects, and attend group meetings (either in another part of the house with other children or join adults during a portion or entire meeting depending on the kids’ ages). Family small groups are becoming increasingly popular in part because people are: 1) isolated from extended family; 2) have busy lifestyles and want activities they can do with their kids; 3) unable to find cost-effective quality childcare; and 4) value the support that cross-family communities provide.
grandparents or other relatives who can provide support systems for families. Moreover, the social circle of the “neighborhood block” where the nearest parent would supervise all the kids playing together, has largely disappeared. Families live more private isolated lives than ever before and there are few social venues where we know each other’s kids and participate in raising them. This puts a substantial strain on parents, especially single parents, as the only significant adults in a child’s life. Proverbs 22:6 teaches, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Though this verse is largely used to instruct parents, it can also apply to others in the body of Christ. In family small groups, members choose to influence and reinforce the godly values that the parents are implementing. Imagine the wonderful impact on a child of being loved and cared for by multiple adults, who are all committed to loving God and one another. This creates a spiritual and emotional safety net for the kids; allowing them to explore issues of faith, share experiences, and learn from a variety of voices all grounded in the same truth of the gospel. Some ways family small groups can benefit children The extent to which groups can minister and be a positive influence on other member’s children vary depending on group dynamics, individual parent’s situations, ages of the children, and amount of time groups spend together. Here are the positive influences that we have observed from our family small groups and some practical guidelines: Kids want to go to church and be involved in church activities
Given our transient culture, most people do not live close to
As kids get older, they are more likely to resist going to church unless they have friends there. This is especially true in bigger churches where Sunday school classes and youth groups are quite large and can be intimidating to navigate alone. Having friends from small group helps kids feel connected, comfortable, and open to learning at church.
When children of varying ages spend time building relationships, the older kids grow in maturity by watching out for younger ones and the younger ones benefit from the life wisdom that older kids have. The kids learn empathy and compassion as they discuss school, friendships, parents, God, sports, or whatever else is on their minds. When a child in the group was having difficult social issues with kids in her school, she looked forward to going to her small group where she felt accepted, valued, and loved. For kids who do not have siblings, the group provides sibling-type experiences that teach them many of the same lessons as natural siblings. Parents appreciate the extended family experience that the group provides for the whole family. Families are prayed for and pray for one another. When tough stuff happens in our families, the small group is the first place we turn to for prayer support, especially when it concerns our children. Having a group of people interceding with God on your family’s behalf is a powerful bond. As children become aware of important concerns in each family’s life and pray about them, they learn an important way to care for one another and their faith is strengthened as they see God respond.
When adult small group members volunteer in children or youth ministries, kids from the group feel more comfortable and participate because of their special relationship to the adult from the group. Being known by other adults at church fosters a sense of belonging, especially in larger churches. Kids have a variety of spiritual role models and experience the value of community. This is especially true for single parents, a growing population in our society. One single mom shared that her adolescent son had a tough time after his father left but now that few of the men in the family small group was spending time and investing in her son, he was doing much better. She was so thankful for how God was using the men in the group to help her and her son heal from their past. A group can share experiences that reveal the wider range of spiritual gifts and personalities. This helps kids understand and value differences in the body of Christ and help them figure out how God has uniquely wired them. Adults can also speak into the children’s life by noticing and affirming the ways God is growing individual kids. Other parents reinforce spiritual and moral values in the home. Parents seeking to raise children with countercultural biblical values are often swimming upstream in our current media-saturated waters. It is helpful for parents to have a support system to discuss, affirm, and reinforce the choices they have made. Though members may not agree on all the specific parenting rules, it is helpful for kids to know that other parents have similar principles and guidelines about morality that are different than what the world offers. Kids form positive sibling-type relationships with one another.
Practical guidelines for healthy family small groups Establish clear communications about group expectations. To avoid misunderstandings or resentment later, discuss and spell out clearly from the start (and along the way) what kind of family small group you wish to build. For example, is it okay if meetings are noisy and disrupted by children at times? What portions of the meetings will kids participate in? How will hosting and child-care be shared? What ground rules will we expect kids to respect (e.g., no playing in parents’ bedroom or no eating upstairs)? Agree on basic parenting principles but honor different parenting styles. Family small groups will have difficulty gelling if there are very divergent parenting philosophies or people are judgmental and corrective about each other’s parenting choices. Read more…
Author Bio
Carolyn Taketa Carolyn Taketa has been serving as the Small Groups Director for Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, CA since 2005. She is a former attorney who is passionate about Biblical community and has been engaged in small groups ministry since the age of 15. Carolyn is a conference speaker, consultant, a contributing writer for SmallGroups.com, and an Area Leader for the Small Group Network. She is married and has two daughters who give her many reasons to be thankful every day.
Parenting Curriculum 21st Century Parent
Boundaries with Kids
Publisher: Focus On The Family $24.99 (Price) $7.99 (Your Price)
Author: Dr. Henry Could, Dr. John Townsend Publisher: Zondervan $14.99 (Price) $8.99 (Your Price)
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Parents often feel caught between the pressures of today and worries about tomorrow. But you can build strong relationships with your children today that will help steer them towards a fulfilling life. For over twenty years, Rob Parsons has encouraged parents to forge stronger relationships with their children and become the best parents they can. In this DVD, he shares some lessons he’s learned as a parent - and some mistakes he’s made along the way, too!
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Help your kids take responsibility for their own actions and emotions---and bring order to an out-of-control household! In this 8-session program, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend take you and your small group through the ins and outs of establishing loving limits and instilling character in your children---ones that will help them lead balanced, productive, and fulfilling adult lives.
Guarding Your Child’s Heart (Family Kit) Author: Dr. Gary Smalley Publisher: NAV Press $44.99 (Price) $29.49 (Your Price) Buy now
Parenting is hard enough without having to protect your children from the destructive messages they’re exposed to in today’s culture. Discover how to ground your kids in faith and Christian values through Scripture memory and meditation. Gary Smalley’s 12-session curriculum equips you to teach your children to love God, overcome trials, develop good character, and more. Includes DVD, leader’s guide, and workbook.
Shepherding a Child’s Heart, DVD Author: Tedd Tripp Publisher: Shepherd Press $59.95 (Price) $49.95 (Your Price) Buy now
In this Shepherding a Child’s Heart DVD Tedd Tripp teaches sequentially through all the material in his book Shepherding a Child’s Heart. Grounded in the Bible’s divine plan for parenting, this DVD defines your goals as a parent and then provides the Scriptural methods for accomplishing them. Designed for use by Study groups or individuals, the content is divided into fifteen half-hour sessions. Also includes a bonus CD containing a reproducible course syllabus. Approx. 7.5 hours.
Mission Possible
Why leading a small group is not impossible with an extraordinary God. When you think of “mission,” do you envision taking God’s Word to people in remote places, like Africa or Asia? Do you imagine living a Spartan lifestyle, stripped of all the comforts of home? Do you think of abandoning friends, family, a successful career—giving up everything? Most of us will never experience this type of mission, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have one. Our mission field begins where we live—in our families, on the job, with our neighbors, and, yes, even in our church. Over the past year, our church, Saddleback, saw an incredible outpouring of God’s Spirit. Thousands of people were connected under the care of a shepherd. More than 400 small groups were launched in a 13-week period. Yet 50 percent of our church family still needs the care of a shepherd. Maybe your church needs shepherds, too. God may be calling you to care for a circle of friends and help them fulfill God’s dream for their lives. When you touch the lives of others through an authentic relationship, you’re fulfilling Christ’s dream: that a shepherd would care for each of his sheep. Read more…
More Parenting Curriculum here…
Featured Author
Milan & Kay Yerkovich How We Love Our Kids: The Five Love Styles of Parenting Author: Milan Yerkovich, Kay Yerkovich Publisher: WaterBrook Press $14.99 (Price) $9.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Based on years of research in the area of attachment and bonding, How We Love Our Kids shows parents how to overcome the predictable challenges that arise out of the five love styles and helps parents cultivate a secure, deep connection with a child of any age. Retool your reactions and refocus on how you love. Start today. Watch your kids flourish and thrive as they receive what was missing in your love.
http://www.howwelove.com
How We Love: A Revolutionary Approach to Deeper Connections in Marriage Author: Milan Yerkovich, Kay Yerkovich Publisher: WaterBrook Press $14.99 (Price) $8.49 (Your Price) Buy now
If you’re tired of arguing with your spouse over the same old issues and longing for a marriage with more intimacy, then How We Love can help you to transform your relationship with your partner. Learn how your childhood experiences shaped your future expectations of all relationships, especially marriage, and what you can do to develop a more intimate and passionate relationship.
Stories and Testimonials "Of all the myriad of ways my husband and I received help, encouragement, or insight into our marriage, this has been by far the one that made the greatest impact upon us. We'd exhausted virtually every known marriage resource, but this not only sparked a flame, but kindled what will be a lifelong change in our lives. Read More… Signed, Ayumi "Vacillator" Hardy & Charles "Controller" Hardy February 19, 2008 P.S. We felt like we were reading our biographies when we read the "vacillator" and "controller" sections!
What People are Saying About the Book “How We Love” by Milan and Kay Yerkovich “This book offers simple yet profound insights for improving the way you relate, and thus the way you and your spouse relate. The principles will help transform suffering relationships, and they will offer icing on the cake for thriving relationships. Milan and Kay offer you ways to change that are completely doable, and bring great results. The principles also apply to your other relationships. I love this book!” Laura K. Wright - October 27, 2006 “After reading just a few chapters of How We Love, I got the distinct impression that someone had been following me around, reading my mail, and using me as subject material for a book. Milan and Kay show great insight into the intricate “dance” of our relationship with our spouse. Although much of the information in their book is gleened from other sources, they have woven that information, their personal experiences, and examples from therapy sessions into a wonderful tool to improve the relationship between a husband and wife. Reading this book has prompted new conversations relating to our past, and our family relationships.”
Steve Gick - April 29, 2007 “I purchased this book set for my husband (&I) for Christmas. I also bought a large blank journal book. We have been working through each chapter of the book/workbook while answering in the journal (me on the right and my hubby on the left). It has been PIVITOL in our relationship and has really helped us change the way we not only relate to each other, but has helped reframe our total thinking & forgiving process. If you are going to start somewhere - this is the place to do it. Milan is also featured on “New Life Live” radio - and he is the ‘real deal.’ It will be the best money you have ever spent!” S.Click - April 13, 2007 This Book Will Get You & Your Marriage in Great Shape! “I was on the bike this morning in the gym reading How We Love. I typically go for 25 minutes, but I couldn’t put the book down. I kept hitting “5 more minutes....5 more minutes...” Just like working out, if you want to see results in your marriage, you need to not only go to
the gym, but you need to watch what you eat. Gym + eating right = a slimmer, toner body. Understanding how you love + how your spouse loves = a loving relationship based on sharing mutual needs & comfort. When couples work through this book and the workbook together, the results are better marriages and more loving families. Milan & Kay have written a wonderful, insightful book that will change you, your marriage and every willing couple who reads it. I know dozens of couples who have benefitted from their counseling, insights, and authentic marriage that models a Christ-centered love. Walking out of the gym, I tripped on the stairs leading out of the gym. Fortunately, I was holding Milan & Kay’s book in my right hand and as the spine of the book firmly landed on the next stair, it saved me from a serious faceplant on the steps. I know there’s a lesson there for me and everyone who reads this wonderful book. Here’s to understanding how we love and how to become better lovers in our marriage!” Josehep O’Connor - November 13, 2006
Coming To A Living Room Near You!! A blockbuster small group strategy By: Brett Eastman
W
hen was the last time you watched a movie at home with your family and a few friends? Did you call the church office to decide whose house you would go to? Did you ask your pastor who to invite? Probably not! If you are like most people, you just drove over to your local video store, checked out a movie, and called a friend or two. If that’s the case for most Christians, then why do we go to so much trouble signing people up to get into small groups and matching them with a small group leader? Do we not trust them to invite the “right” people? To turn on a DVD or VCR? Or do our church attendees and members not have any friends, family, neighbors or co-workers they would like to hang out with for a few weeks studying a DVD-driven Bible study? I realize this may be a new idea, but ironically it better follows Jesus’ model for forming his own small group community with the 12 disciples. First he spent time with a number of “Christ followers” getting to know them and discerning whether they would be the ones he “asked” to join his own group. Then the Bible says he prayed overnight to confirm if they were the ones, and then the next day he simply asked them to come with him.
The model followed a simple A-B-C plan to create your own community and to not do your life alone but to do life together in community with a few other friends and family. Discover the ABCs of Jesus’ small group strategy: A – Ask God who he wants you or even is calling you to connect with. Reflect on the fact that this is not about a 40 Day journey but a simple but intentional step. God, from the model of the Trinity, to the way he modeled ministry through Jesus, showed us it was a healthy balance of alone to pray and meditate but also a clear call to not do ministry alone but to do ministry and life together! Practically, a senior pastor delivers a message on community on a Sunday morning to set up the vision, asking everyone to follow Jesus’ model of doing life together. Whether it’s 40 Days of Purpose, 40 Days of Community, or any other curriculum series, the formula is the same. The first approach is to say, “Think about your lists in life.” An obvious one is your cell phone list. Ask them -- for the first time in the church’s life -- to turn on their cell phones and look at their contact list. Have them scroll through and pick up a few names. What about their address list at home on the Christmas card list, sports team list, PTA list, neighborhood list, school list, on and on?
Take these lists and have your congregation consider who they would enjoy getting together with for just six weeks. Have them start a list right there in the service! After a moment of prayerful reflection, challenge them by asking, “Would you follow Jesus’ model?” People respond out of obedience, out of a longing to belong, or a desire to help the pastor and their church reach out and extend the circle to a few others. Don’t make this about the cause as much as about the “call to community.” B – Begin calling the names of the 3-5-8-12 names God gave you. The beauty of this model is that it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when you are going to do it and who you’re going to call. You’ve taken care of the if by saying you want to grow like Jesus did. That brings us to the question of when. If everybody’s doing a campaign that kicks off in two weeks, you have two weeks to promote this on the weekend. Trust me on this one, if you give them a message on the value of community from any message in your files, you will be amazed by what happens. Simply say, “All I’m asking you to do is be willing to call the names that God just gave you in the next 24 to 36 hours.” You minimize the “ask” in order to maximize the response. Say to them, “Come on. You can put up with anyone for just six weeks -many of you have spouses that have to live with you for a lifetime.” Challenge them to go home and call two or three people today! Most people will at least get one yes within 24 hours, and then
they are committed. Remind them that these groups don’t have be big, they just need to begin with a man or woman of faith -- not seminary professors or pastors, just a few friends. The Scripture says “Where two or more are gathered (not 22 or even 12 like Jesus).” Have them turn in names they write down on their pages, collect them, and then have the staff pray for them during the week. This will show you are in this with them. You can’t ask them to do something you’re not willing to do. When you have a day of fasting and prayer for those names, it will be one of the most emotional days your staff has ever had. C – Check out the curriculum they can use for the six weeks series. Whether you do sermon alignment or not, still challenge them to pick up a sampler a (DVD/VCR and study guide) as they walk out of the service today. One church put the material in gift bags and had people come up front, like an altar call. In a church of 1,600, they handed out 220 DVD/study guide sampler kits. I went to this church the next weekend and trained over 250 hosts/leaders. For those pastors and church leaders reading this, let me just say, “You can do this!” And it’s possible to do it over the next few weeks. Any one of the Purpose Driven™ six-week curriculum series would work. I just suggest a sermon alignment either before Easter or after Easter. You might want to use one of the ministry or evangelism series
TIPS: Becoming like your hero Father The novel Across the Nightingale Floor is a classic hero tale set in a fictional ancient Japan. Cut off by tragedy from his childhood world, teenage Takeo forges a new life as the adopted son of Lord Shigeru. Shigeru is nothing like the villagers among whom Takeo was raised, but the boy quickly decides he wants to be just like Shigeru when he becomes a man. It’s not just that Shigeru saved his life. Shigeru also has qualities that Takeo wants: wisdom, patience, kindness, and the skills and honor of a warrior. Takeo commits his life to emulating his adopted father/master and fulfilling Shigeru’s goals. Like Takeo, we too were born to be heroes—people who serve God and bring about significant good in the world. But who can save our lives and then show us how to live them? Jesus can. When Simon, Andrew, James, and John first met Jesus, they were already looking for something more in their lives than just fishing. Jesus was a rabbi seeking students. In those days a rabbi wasn’t just an academic lecturer, and a student or “disciple” wasn’t interested in mere information. Simon and his friends wanted someone to teach them truth to base their lives on. They were also seeking a personal relationship with a teacher. They found both in Jesus. Here was someone whose life they could imitate and whose words they could live by. Jesus was not someone who made them think, “I want to know what he knows”; he was someone who made them think, “I want to be like him.”
(Rick Warren’s or Doing Life Together) before Easter to prepare your congregation for the after-Easter assimilation series. After Easter, I recommend any “open” curriculum series on fellowship, discipleship themes, or typical series like John Ortberg’s or Phillip Yancy’s six-session DVD series. For those who want to focus on the Easter theme, the three week Purpose Driven Passion series would also be an excellent choice either before or after Easter along with the Experiencing Christ Together series by Lifetogether. My experience with this “blockbuster” idea is that more than 20% of adults will do this if the senior pastor or small group champion simply stands up and challenges the congregation to go for it. This can be done in the middle of a message and illustrated by a testimony or two. What percentage of your adults do you think will respond to a call that came out of a message casting vision for whatever campaign using whatever series you are going to do? I have asked this question to senior pastors and church leaders for almost a year, the number is always between 50% and 75%. If you do a good job casting Jesus’ vision and talk about the value of community, the benefits of community you will be amazed.
Christ is a hero whose qualities are worth following. Here are the first steps for becoming more like him: 1.
Pray. Set aside some time to pray about this idea of letting Jesus train you in how to live. If you’re new to prayer, you might try just five minutes a day when you get up in the morning or when you arrive at work. You could pray, “Jesus, train me to live today. Train me to think your thoughts. Train me to feel toward people what you feel. Train me to do what you would do.” Then review your day with him. You may find it helpful to write your prayer in a journal.
2.
Spend time at the Master’s feet. Take time to read the four gospels. Bask in these Bible chapters each week. We recommend that you jot down your thoughts about these readings in a journal.
3.
Meditate. If you’ve read the gospels before, try meditation as a way of internalizing God’s word more deeply. Copy a portion of Scripture onto a card, and tape it somewhere in your line of sight, such as on your car’s dashboard. Think about it when you sit at red lights, or when you’re getting dressed in the morning. Ask what God is saying to you, here and now, through these words? Again, record your thoughts in a journal.
More Tips Ahead…
Singles New Start for Single Moms: Dynamic in Influence… Practical in Design Author: Diane Strack Publisher: Thomas Nelson $99.99 (Price) $72.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Making Peace with the Single Life - Word Document (Download)
Accountability and the Christian Single Word Document (Download)
Author: Christianity Today International Publisher: Christianity Today International $4.95 (Price) $4.95 (Your Price)
Author:Christianity Today International Publisher: Christianity Today International $4.95 (Price) $4.95 (Your Price)
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Guilt, financial fears, childcare anxieties, fatigue---don’t let single moms go it alone! This life-changing program will help them find discipleship, companionship, and guidance for shouldering the burden of creating a stable home. Includes 10-lesson DVD; comprehensive facilitator guide with mentor training/ recruitment tips; weekly discussion guide; and a CDROM with printable forms, work sheets, posters, and flyers.
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Singles know and embrace the biblical truth found in Genesis 2:18: The LORD God said, It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. And yet, we also know that some are destined to remain eunuchs for the kingdom s sake (Matthew 19:12). Right now, though, most of us are living somewhere in between. We are alone, but we don t necessarily feel the call to remain single.
Children’s Princess and the Pop Star - VeggieTales DVD Publisher: Big Idea $14.99 (Price) $9.99 (Your Price) Buy now
While milking the cows on her family’s farm, Princess Poppyseed dreams of fame and fortune. But her favorite singer Vanna Banana longs to leave the hectic pace of pop stardom behind. When the two girls accidentally meet, they decide to change places for fun---and discover that sometimes you should be careful what you wish for! Approx. 45 minutes.
In our current culture, we are surrounded by sexual temptation from movies, to magazines, to coworkers, to pornography in many forms. For the Christian single, the constant battle almost can seem too much to bear. As Jason Illian says in his article, some have even suggested that the only answer is to seclude ourselves from our culture or to pray for God to take away our fleshly desires.
Heroes of the Bible Vol.1 Lions Shepherds and Queens Publisher: Big Idea $14.99 (Price) $4.99 (Your Price) Buy now
What do you get when you cross courageous cucumbers, ambitious asparagus, and gorgeous gourds with classic Bible stories? Heroes of epic proportions! This best of the best VeggieTales Bible stories includes Daniel and the Lions’ Den, Dave and the Giant Pickle, and Esther: The Girl Who Became Queen, plus a hilarious bonus feature. 75 minutes total.
Race against the Clock When your group grows in size or your members begin to feel more comfortable talking, you will inevitably feel as though you’re racing against the clock. You may already know the feeling well. The good news is that there are several simple things that can help your group stick to your agreed schedule. The time crunch is actually a sign of relational and spiritual health, so pat yourselves on the back. Check in with the group to problem-solve, because they feel the tension as well. You could begin
your meeting a little early or ask for a later ending time. If you split up weekly into circles of three to four people for discussion, you will double the amount of time any one person can share. Appoint a timekeeper to keep the group on schedule. Remind everyone to give brief answers. Be selective in the number of questions you try to discuss. Finally, planning the time breaks in your booklet before the group meeting begins can really keep you on track.
More Singles Curriculum here…
Leadership Honesty Breeds Group Honesty Here’s a practical way to get your group to open up The best thing you can do to encourage honesty in your group is to be honest yourself. This doesn’t mean spilling your guts about your darkest secrets. It means asking for prayer in an area of your life where you’re genuinely struggling; it means letting go of the myth that the leader needs to appear perfect; it means being genuine in your responses to the questions. One way to develop group honesty is to have each member share four people, circumstances, events, or places that have left lasting impressions on them and made them the people they are today. Because some people have trouble talking about themselves so openly, you can use “hands” as a visual aid click here for a printable set of hands). If you’d rather, trace your own hands and make copies of those. Group members can write or draw thoughts, words, or pictures on the four hands and explain their drawings to the group. If you have group members who think the drawing part is too cute, that’s okay. Different temperaments like different things. The point is to share key influences from their lives, with or without a drawing. Ideally, give people ten minutes to figure out what they want to talk about and do the drawing, and then five minutes apiece to share with the group. If you have eight people in your group, that adds up to fifty minutes. Maybe you want to ask people to share just one person or event that
has left a lasting impression on their lives. The goal is to develop honesty in your group and to help people open up about themselves. If crunched by time, another option is to have people share their lasting impressions and pray together in smaller circles of three or four people. Sub-grouping multiplies the amount of airtime each person gets. You don’t have to worry so much about people who dominate and people who are shy. When you ask someone in each subgroup to facilitate the discussion, you are giving those people a chance to experiment with leadership in a safe way. When people share personal things, the group’s response is crucial. People need to sense that it’s safe to tell the truth about themselves. Emphasize that anything shared in the group stays in the group. Pay attention as people share, and when they’re done, genuinely thank them. Acknowledge when someone says something that moves you. And even if someone shares something that seems bland, let them know you appreciate their story just as much as someone else’s. Finally, be sure that whatever you share about yourself comes from the heart and gives the group a real glimpse of who you are deep down.
Youth Curriculum Doing Life Together Lifetogether Student Series Volume 1 Starter Kit
Lifetogether Student Series Volume 2 Starter Kit
Lifetogether Student Series Volume 3 Starter Kit
Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $47.67 (Price) $37.37 (Your Price)
Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $47.67 (Price) $37.37 (Your Price)
Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $47.67 (Price) $37.37 (Your Price)
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This Life Together Student Edition Leader’s Guide, volume 1 covers Starting to Go Where God Wants You to Be and Connecting Your Heart to Others.
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This Life Together, Student Edition Leader’s Guide, volume 2 covers Growing to Be Like Jesus and Serving Others in Love.
This Life Together Student, Leader’s Guide, volume 3 covers Sharing Your Story and God’s Story and Surrendering Your Life to Honor God.
Experiencing Christ Student Volume 1 Starter Kit
Experiencing Christ Student Volume 2 Starter Kit
Experiencing Christ Student Volume 3 Starter Kit
Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $47.67 (Price) $37.37 (Your Price)
Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $47.67 (Price) $37.37 (Your Price)
Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $47.67 (Price) $37.37 (Your Price)
Experiencing Life Together
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This study guide has six sessions and enables small groups to explore the power and life application of Jesus’ teaching on the five biblical purposes of a Christian life by closely examining Christ’s model in the Gospels.
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This study guide has six sessions and enables small groups to explore the power and life application of Jesus’ teaching on the five biblical purposes of a Christian life by closely examining Christ’s model in the Gospels.
Soul Surfer: Catch God’s Wave For Your Church Kit Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $59.99 (Price) $49.99 (Your Price) Buy now
With its encouraging portrayal of family values, and its uplifting message, the Soul Surfer movie and church campaign is the ultimate combination of faith, film, and family!
This new study guide has six sessions and enables small groups to explore the power and life application of Jesus’ teaching on the five biblical purposes of a Christian life by closely examining Christ’s model in the Gospels.
To Save a Life Curriculum Kit Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $79.99 (Price) $69.99 (Your Price) Buy now
A teen-friendly curriculum based on the must-see Christian indie film from Jim Britts! Just as realistic, relevant, and up-front as the movie, this 7-session resource includes a leader’s guide with messages, activities, group questions, and tips
More Youth Curriculum here…
A Worship Field Trip Many people find that getting out of manmade structures and into the God-made natural world helps them renew their awareness of the Creator’s presence. Where can you go for a worship field trip? Mountains, a forest, a lakeside, a park, and botanical gardens are all great options. If weather makes an outdoor trip impossible, you can create an indoor environment for worship. One way is to darken the room and light lots of candles. An indoor environment also gives you access to electricity for a CD player. Here are some things you can do on your field trip. Some require an outdoor setting, some require indoors, and some can work either way.
the first attribute, and then let everyone praise God for ways they’ve experienced that part of Him. For example: Wisdom “Lord, I’ve seen your wisdom in ... “ “Father, I know you’re wise because ... “ Some other attributes are holiness, majesty, power, kindness, mercy, justice, goodness, beauty, love, truth, omniscience (God knows everything), creation (God made everything), and omnipresence (God is everywhere). •
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Sing, perhaps with worship songs on a battery-powered CD player if you’re outdoors. Take a slow, silent walk for at least half an hour. Pay attention to what you see, hear, and smell around you. Look for beauty that God has put into the world. When you note something beautiful, silently thank God for it. Afterward, talk about this experience with your group. Take half an hour alone to write a list of things for which you are thankful. Then gather as a group to offer your thanks to God. Read aloud some of what you’ve listed. You might take turns, each person thanking God for one thing at a time. Choose five of God’s attributes. Have one person read aloud
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Sit and look at one thing God has made. It could be a landscape or a single object, such as a leaf or a shell. Really look at it. How does it reflect God’s artistry or goodness or power or love? Reflect on this for fifteen minutes, then talk about your reflections with the group. Read a brief Bible passage on your own. Take fifteen to thirty minutes to write a prayer to God about what you’ve read. Afterward, read your prayer aloud in a time of group prayer if you feel comfortable doing so. Some possible passages are Exodus 34:4-7; Psalm 27; Psalm 131; Isaiah 6:1-7; Ephesians 1:3-10; and Philippians 2:5-1l. Share the Lord’s Supper (Communion) together.
Leadership Core Leading for the First Time Sweaty palms are a healthy sign. The Bible says God is gracious to the humble. Remember who is in control; the time to worry is when you’re not worried. Those who are soft in heart (and sweaty palmed) are those whom God is sure to speak through. Seek support. Ask your leader, co-leader, or close friend to pray for you and prepare with you before the session. Walking through the study will help you anticipate potentially difficult questions and discussion topics. Bring your uniqueness to the study. Lean into who you are and how God wants you to uniquely lead the study. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Go through the session several times. If you are using the DVD, listen to the teaching segment and Leadership Lifter. Consider writing in a journal or fasting for a day to prepare yourself for what God wants to do. Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare.
Ask for feedback so you can grow. Perhaps in an email or on cards handed out at the study, have everyone write down three things you did well and one thing you could improve on. Don’t get defensive, but show an openness to learn and grow. Prayerfully consider launching a new group. This doesn’t need to happen overnight, but God’s heart is for this to happen over time. Not all Christians are called to be leaders or teachers, but we are all called to be “shepherds” of a few someday. Share with your group what God is doing in your heart. God is searching for those whose hearts are fully His. Share your trials and victories. We promise that people will relate. Prayerfully consider whom you would like to pass the baton to next week. It’s only fair. God is ready for the next member of your group to go on the faith journey you just traveled. Make it fun, and expect God to do the rest.
Women’s Curriculum Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Contentment Author: Linda Dillow Publisher: NAV Press $15.99 (Price) $8.99 (Your Price)
The Shelter of God’s Promises Participant’s Guide Author: Sheila Walsh Publisher: Thomas Nelson $12.99 (Price) $8.99 (Your Price) Buy now
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Women worry a lot. We fret about our children, our friends, our careers, our spouses---the list goes on and on! If you’re tired of being held hostage to a million “what ifs,” Dillow’s 12-week Bible study will provide the help you need to exchange your anxieties for godly peace and contentment. 240 pages, softcover from NavPress.
The Shelter of God’s Promises Participant’s Guide expands on the teaching and stories explored in the DVD video session. Using Scripture, in-depth biblical teaching, life application, and questions for personal study and group discussion, this guide will encourage and guide group members as they journey deeper into the material.
Create A Caring Church
Seed Pack 1 (DVD Leader Kit)
3 ways your small group can show love to the body of Christ
Author: Priscilla Shirer Publisher: Lifeway $49.99 (Your Price) Buy now
SEED Pack 1 is designed to facilitate three separate small group experiences. Watch the videos included, use the discussion guides together with your group, and go deeper with further study in the Member Book during the week. The homework in the Member Book is designed around Priscilla’s 5 Ps teaching method, helping those who participate to dig deeper into Scripture. It contains DVDs 1-3 (Forgotten,Enough, Control), Member Book 1 and a discussion guide for a small group experience.
Becoming a Woman of Simplicity Author: Cynthia Heald Publisher: NAV Press $9.99 (Price) $8.19 (Your Price) Buy now
Becoming a Woman of Simplicity is the newest addition to Cynthia Heald’s Becoming a. Bible study series. In today’s culture, we have constant communication via cell phones, texting, and social websites. Women are pulled in lots of directions at the same time. Is it possible to clear your calendar, live a simple life, and spend time with God? Cynthia thinks so. Learn what she has to say about living a God-centered and God-paced life, being at rest in who you are in Christ. This Bible study is designed for women and can be done in a group or alone. 11 lessons; paperback.
If you want to create a church community that really cares for one another, the best way to do it is through small groups. When small groups become the vehicle for care-giving, the whole church gets involved in sharing one another’s burdens—a much more personal approach than relegating the task to a committee. The whole congregation should be making hospital visits, taking meals to people when they’re sick or something’s happened, doing childcare when someone’s in crisis and giving money when somebody’s lost a job. The best way to make this happen is to get everyone in groups where they love and care about each other. Then just as it is with family, members do these kinds of things naturally. This is really just another example of how small groups become like extended family. And as many of us live far away from our blood relatives in this day and age, we really need that kind of connection with people. However, for this kind of caring church to be created, it’s got to start with the pastor. He’s got to cast the vision. He’s got to encourage the congregation to get into small groups so they can learn to care for each other. And the best way to do this is for him to be in a small group himself. The church needs to see that he, along with the rest of the church’s leadership, values the model. Read more…
More Womens Curriculum here…
Hosting an Open House If you’re starting a new group, try planning an “open house” before your first formal group meeting. Even if you only have two to four core members, it’s a great way to break the ice and to consider prayerfully who else might be open to join you over the next few weeks. You can also use this kick-off meeting to hand out study guides, spend some time getting to know each other, discuss each person’s expectations for the group, and briefly pray for each other. A simple meal or good desserts always make a kick-off meeting more fun. After people introduce themselves and share how they ended up being at the meeting (you can play a game to see who has the wildest story!), have everyone respond to a few icebreaker questions: “What is your favorite family vacation?” or “What is one thing you love about your church/our community?” or “What are three things about your life growing up that most people here don’t know?” See www.lifetogether.com for more icebreaker ideas. Next, ask everyone to tell what he or she hopes to get out of the study. You might want to review the Group Agreement (pages ???-???) and talk about each person’s expectations and priorities. Finally, set an open chair (maybe two) in the center of your group and explain that it represents someone who would enjoy or benefit from this group but who isn’t here yet. Ask people to pray about whom they could invite to join the group over the next few weeks. Hand out postcards (see www.lifetogether. com for examples) and have everyone write an invitation or two. Don’t worry about ending up with too many people–you can always have one discussion circle in the living room and another in the dining room after you watch the lesson. Each group could then report prayer requests and progress at the end of the session. You can skip this kick-off meeting if your time is limited, but you’ll experience a huge benefit if you take the time to connect with each other in this way.
Creating your own community from Hosting Lifetogether
Making Your Group Real ‘Friends’ Seven principles for deepening small group relationships By: Brett Eastman
D
on’t we all long to be a part of something fun, exciting, and life-giving?
The sitcom Friends captured this desire. Every week, 50 million people watched six actors pretend to have relationships with one another. Its popularity was fueled by the deep longing we all have to be connected in community. The advertising world has caught on to this yearning as well. MCI promises to connect us with “friends and family.” The felt need is clear. But the real need is found in the biblical word, koinonia, which means “fellowship.” God’s plan from the beginning was that each one of us would belong to a spiritual community, where we all would be known and we would know others. How can we create a community like this? How can we connect with one another? Here are seven principles to help you CONNECT with the people in your group and to help them connect with one
another: 1. Create a “one-another” community. In the New Testament there are more than 50 different references to “one another”: love one another, bear one another’s burdens, pray for one another, serve one another. This can’t happen only on Sunday mornings; it needs to happen in other settings, like small groups. Once you’ve invited your circle of friends and they show up, remember you don’t have to be a Bible scholar to create a one-another community. Your job is to ask the questions, look around the room, and wait for someone to respond. When someone voices a response, affirm them, no matter what they say. Don’t feel like you have to answer every one of the questions yourself. It’s like a ping-pong game: just get it started and keep the ball in play. Another way to create a one-another community upfront is to schedule socials and meals together. Pull families together and get to know each other. Schedule casual gatherings, like a pizza dinner, before the meeting starts. During this time, your group has time to check in on prayer requests. Throughout the six weeks, rotate homes, so that people embrace the group as their own. 2. Open your heart. Being authentic lets your group know you don’t have it all together either. When we communicate openness, that makes it safer for everybody else to be open as well. It’s healthy to say, “You know, that’s a good question. I don’t know,” or “I’m not sure.” You are the role model, and they’ll follow your example. When you’re authentic, your group will be more authentic. 3. Naturally group members together for deeper discussion. It’s important that every meeting permits discussion time. When your group gets larger than seven, it’s more difficult for everyone to share. So break into discussion groups of three to four people. The more airtime an individual has, the greater the life application -- and that’s when you’ll see lives transformed. Also, this allows time for people to share prayer requests. You don’t want to get halfway around the room during prayer request time and suddenly say, “Oops, we ran out of time.” Break into smaller groups so you have time to share prayer requests, as well as pray for one another. Remember: When people feel heard, they feel loved; when they feel loved, they return; and when they return, life trans-
TIPS: How to get your group to open up One concern of nearly every small group leader is how to get everyone to open up. This is especially problematic in larger groups. If your group has more than seven people, here’s a great technique for encouraging sharing: Separate your group into discussion circles of three or four people. With a greater opportunity to talk in a small circle, people will connect more with the study, apply more quickly what they’re learning and ultimately get more out of it. A small circle also encourages a quiet person to participate and tends to minimize the effects of a more vocal or dominant member. And it can help people feel more loved in your group.
formation happens. 4. Never run from challenges, questions, or even conflict in your group. Remember, the Bible says “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17, NIV). The group that doesn’t have sparks actually doesn’t have much life. Healthy groups have conflict. There are practical things you can do, however, to ensure
When you gather again at the end of the section, you can have one person summarize the highlights from each circle. Small circles are also helpful during prayer time. People who are unaccustomed to praying aloud feel more comfortable trying it with just two or three others. Also, prayer requests won’t take as much time, so circles will have more time to actually pray. When you gather back with the whole group, have one person from each circle briefly update everyone on the prayer requests. People are more willing to pray in small circles if they know that the whole group will hear all the prayer requests. More Tips Ahead…
group moves from being “your” group to “their” group. Remember to rotate the facilitation of the group at least by the second or third week. Get out your group calendar and record where the group will meet, who will host, who will lead worship, and who will bring refreshments. This will develop ownership on a variety of levels. Also make sure that each group member has a responsibility. Some people may not be ready to lead worship or plan a ministry project, but everybody can take a responsibility by teaming up and doing something together. It could be planning a social, following up on absent group members, or participating in a ministry project. Sign them up, pair them up, and follow up. If you don’t follow up, it won’t happen. 6. Cultivate a group of friends. The Bible says that early believers gathered in temple courts and house to house, week to week. This model ensured members would always connect with one another, even if they missed a meeting at the temple.
that conflict doesn’t dominate your small group. First, make a group covenant. This agreement outlines the ground rules for your group. If you write down your expectations early on, conflict will occur less later on. Second, facilitate discussion to help evaluate the progress of your group. After a few weeks, assess how things are going and just throw out the questions: “How’s it going? What is one thing you like? What is one thing you’d change if you could?” You may want to have them do it on 3x5 cards to make it safer. Issues that arise from these responses are ones to address immediately so controversy doesn’t ensue. 5. Encourage shared ownership. When this happens, the
Because the early church embraced this model, they added to their numbers daily. Everyone wanted to be a part of the fellowship. Who are you going to add to your circle? If you invite friends to join the group, they’ll have a greater tendency to come back themselves because they’ll be surrounded by friends. 7. Take time to do life together. Don’t miss anniversaries, wedding parties, baby showers, job promotions, and even house closings. Celebrate one another’s lives. On my birthday, my small group made my favorite dinner and favorite dessert. They asked how they could pray for me. Though the group isn’t supposed to be about me, on my birthday they wanted the whole night to be about me. The beauty is that they loved on me and made me feel special. This is the longing in each of our hearts.
Men’s Curriculum Wild at Heart Video Discussions Author: Doug Fields, Brett Eastman Publisher: Zondervan Youth Specialties $47.67 (Price) $37.37 (Your Price)
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Dare to be the man God created you to be! In eight provocative lessons on authentic masculinity, John Eldredge challenges you to abandon passivity and actively pursue your God-given dreams. Encouragement for men to walk the road least taken---and important insights for the women who love them! Includes a CD-ROM with promotional materials. Three DVDs, approx. 4 hours total.
Creating Team Players 5 ways to get everyone committed to contributing to your group
When it comes to getting everyone to participate in your small group, it’s important that you—their leader—know your level of openness is the primary factor in setting the tone for the group’s involvement and openness. Along with that, here are 5 ways to get your small group members to participate in group life: 1.
When you ask the first question, you should answer it first. When you’re done, simply ask, “How about somebody else?”
2.
Don’t rush responses, but learn to enjoy silence. Wait patiently with roaming eye contact. You might count to 7 or say, “I can wait longer than you!”
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As soon as someone says anything, affirm their response, whether it is a great answer or a oneword response. Make it safe for people to share their thoughts.
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Ask for volunteers to read the Bible passage or a paragraph from a book. But don’t put anyone on the spot unless you know they don’t mind reading. Read more…
Risk: Are You Willing to Trust God with Everything? Book & Workbook Author: Kenny Luck Publisher: Random House, Inc $13.99 (Price) $10.49 (Your Price) Buy now
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Do you dare to let Jesus take control of your life? Jesus challenges God’s man to throw predictability, control, safety, and comfort out the window and go to the next level in their faith. By trying to eliminate risk from your life, you actually block Christ’s work in your life. Kenny Luck, men’s pastor at Saddleback Church, challenges men to put all their trust in Jesus.
Dare to Be Uncommon: Leader Pack (Book & DVD) Author: Tony Dungy Publisher: Group Publishing $24.99 (Price) $15.49 (Your Price)
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Super Bowl Champion Tony Dungy has spent his life shaping young men. Now in Dare to be Uncommon, Tony Dungy is ready to share core truths he wants every man to understand, live by, and pass onto others. This leader pack is designed to explore key principles found in Tony Dungy’s Uncommon. Through Scripture, discussions, and activitiesplus character building insights and candid ‘pep-talks’ from Tony Dungy-men will be challenged to examine their lives and aspire to a true life of significance. A life of renewed integrity.influence.and faith.
Business by the Book Workshop in a Box DVD Kit
Game Plan for Life DVD Leader Kit
Author: Crown Financial Ministries Publisher: Crown Financial Ministries $74.99 (Your Price) $100.00 (Price)
Author: Joe Gibbs Buy now Publisher: Lifeway $99.99 (Your Price) $99.99 (Price)
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NIV New Men’s Devotional Bible Bonded leather, black Author: N/A Buy now Publisher: Zondervan $32.49 (Your Price) $44.99 (Price)
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10 Things I Learned from my Dad
Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know by Rick Howerton, Global Small Group Enviromentalist at NAV Press My father was one of the greatest guys you’d ever meet. He was also one of the most impressive pastors I’ve ever seen. There are a few principles and practices that he lived out that any small group leader would do well to embrace. 1. A smile as big as all outdoors and laughter that fills a room sets the conversational thermostat at the right temperature for almost any gathering. 2. Being available 24/7 is the responsibility of anyone who ministers to others. 3. Individuals who take advantage of the leader who has made himself available 24/7 must be given very specific boundaries. 4. Formal education is not the key to effective ministry… calling, passion, sincerity, and love for others and God is. 5. Everyone deserves grace and no one is above needing it. 6. A carefully chosen song heard by someone at the right moment in the right setting is a powerful tool for prying a closed heart wide open. 7. Young men are willing to listen to and learn from a man they respect. 8. Integrity is the springboard to substantial influence. 9. Deal with a gossip before his/her gossip creates relational chaos. 10. If you invest in people they’ll invest themselves in the ministry you lead.
Rick Howerton Rick is one of the premier leaders in the smallgroup movement. Having facilitated an untold number of small-group journeys over the last 17 years, his passion is contagious. This guy honestly believes that small groups can and will change the world! An experienced small-group pastor (he built one church's small-group ministry from nothing to 450 members in just a few short years), Rick is also a church planter. His son recently became the senior pastor at The Bridge, taking over for Rick at a church plant he started that is built around healthy small groups. Additionally, Rick is a highly sought after smallgroup speaker leading thousands of people in scores of conferences nationwide every year including breakout sessions at the recent Saddleback Small Groups Conference.
Rick Discusses Small Group Ministry Trends
All for One and One for All: Building a Leadership Team The statement, “Together Everybody Accomplishes More,” (TEAM) is especially true in small groups. The Bible clearly teaches that every member is a minister. Be sure to empower the group to share weekly facilitation as well as other responsibilities, and seek to move every player onto a team over time. Don’t wait for people to volunteer, because that probably won’t happen! From the outset, try to get everybody involved. The best way to get
people in the game is to have the group suggest who would serve best on what team and in what role. See the Healthy Small Group Team feature on for several practical suggestions. You could also talk to people individually ask for volunteers in the group, but don’t miss this opportunity to develop every group member and build a healthy and balanced group over time.
Featured Authors
Kay Arthur
Max Lucado
Andy Stanley
Beth Moore
Kay Arthur, international Bible teacher and four-time Gold Medallion award-winning author of over 100 books. Read more... http://www.precept.org/
A gifted minister and author for more than twenty years, Max has served as an associate minister in Miami as well as a missionary church planter. Read more... http://www.maxlucado.com
Andy Stanley, senior pastor of the fast-growing North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Read more... http://www.northpoint.org/
Beth Moore is a woman of purpose, preparation, prayer and passion. Read more... http://www.lproof.org
Ray Vanderlaan
John Ortberg
David Jeremiah
Anne Graham Lotz
He is the host of the video series “That the World May Know,” and has been intrigued with the meaning and message of Jesus Christ since Read more... http://www.followtherabi.com
John Ortberg believes his calling is to lead people to “spiritual formation,” which is how people become more like Jesus. Read more... http://www.johnortberg.com
Dr. David Jeremiah is the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California, and chancellor of San Diego Read more... http://www.davidjeremiah.com
Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, is the president and CEO of AnGeL Ministries Read more... http://www.annegrahamlotz.com
Joel Osteen
Kay Warren
John MacAuthor
John Piper
Joel Osteen is a native Texan and the Pastor of Lakewood Church, which according to Church Growth Today is America’s largest Read more... http://www.joelosteen.com
Kay Warren is the founder of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Read more... http://www.kaywarren.com
John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California and president of The Master’s College & Seminary. Read more... http://www.gty.org
John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more... http://www.desiringgod.org
Mark Driscoll
Chuck Swindoll
RC Sproul
Francis Chan
Pastor Mark and Grace founded Mars Hill Church in Seattle in October 1996. The church started as a small Bible study in their Read more... http://www.theresurgence.com
In the summer of 1977, the sermons that Chuck Swindoll preached at the First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton, California Read more... http://www.insight.org
Dr. R.C. Sproul is the founder, chairman and president of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education ministry Read more... http://www.ligonier.org
Francis Chan is founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. He is also the founder of Eternity Bible College. Read more... http://www.francischan.org
1. What’s your preferred ice cream flavor? Where do you usually enjoy it?
2. How many brothers and sisters do you have? What
Great n o i t a s r e Conv s r e t r a t S
is your birth order?
3. Which do you prefer: the hustle and bustle of city life or the quiet and serenity of country life? Why?
4. What’s your all-time favorite meal, and how often do you enjoy it?
5. What’s one of your nicknames? What do you prefer to be called?
6. As a child, what was your idea of fun?
7. What’s a phrase your parents often said to you as a child that you promised yourself you’d never say, but now you catch yourself saying all the time?
8. As a kid, what did you want to grow up to be? 9. What’s one of your hobbies?
10. What books have made a big impact on you?
11. What was the most recent compliment that surprised and delighted you?
12. What’s something about yourself that you hope will never change?
13. Are you more of a rule breaker or a rule keeper? Why?
14. Would you describe yourself as an extrovert or an introvert? Explain.
15. What’s your dream job?
16. What’s one of your greatest achievements?
Good questions draw people in and 17. What one word sums up your high school experikeep a conversation flowing. ence? Why?
Be on the lookout for good questions. 18. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “fun”? Below are some suggestions: 19. What are you a “natural” at doing? What skills have you just always had?
20. How often do you leisurely eat a meal with friends?
Simple Small Groups
A User-Friendly Guide for Small Group Leaders By: Bill Search, Small Group Pastor Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY
Publisher: Baker Books $13.99 (Price) $9.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Connect, Change, and Cultivate are three words that can simplify the vital work of a small group leader. Bill Search, small groups pastor for one of the nation’s largest churches, lays out three “patterns” for success that don’t lock you into one approach, the latest fad, or complicated procedures. These biblically grouped C’s can make whatever small group model you like best work better. Whether you’re a first-time facilitator or a seasoned veteran, a pastor or a volunteer leader, applying these principles will enrich the spiritual life of any small group. >> Download a PDF sample
Don’t Lose Heart: A Leader’s Vision You are a strategic player in the heavenly realm. Helping a few others grow in Christ could put you squarely in the sights of Satan himself. I Corinthians 15:58 (NASB) says, “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Leading a group is not always going to be easy. Here are the keys to longevity and lasting joy as a leader:
ship, nine out of ten people say, “I’d love to!” So why not ask? b. Delegate responsibilities after the first meeting. Doing so will help group members grow, and it will give you a break as well.
c. Most importantly, cultivating your own walk with God puts you on the offensive against Satan and increases a. Be sure to refuel your soul as you give of yourself the joy zone for everyone in your life. Make a renewed to others. We recommend that you ask a person to meet decision right now to make this happen. Don’t give Satan with you for personal coaching and encouragement. When a foothold in your heart; there is simply too much at stake. asked (over coffee or lunch) to support someone in leader-
Saddleback Church Authors
Rick Warren
Kay Warren
John Baker
Steve Gladen
Pastor Rick Warren appeared on many lists of top evangelical Christian leaders in the early 21st century, aided by the popularity of his books, The Purpose Driven Church (1995) and the best-selling The Purpose Driven Life (2002). A Southern Baptist preacher’s kid fresh out of a Texas seminary, Warren believed God was calling him to move to booming Orange County, Calif., south of Los Angeles, to start a church. He and his wife held the church’s first meeting in their living room in 1979, with one other family. Read more…
Kay Warren is the founder of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. She is an author, international speaker, and advocate for orphans and for people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Married to Rick Warren, together they founded Saddleback Church in 1980. Kay authored Dangerous Surrender: What Happens When You Say Yes to God and co-authored Foundations, a systematic theology course used in churches around the world. Read more…
John Baker is the founder of Celebrate Recovery®, a ministry born out of the heart of Saddleback Church. Over the last sixteen years, nearly 10,000 individuals have gone through this Christcentered recovery program at Saddleback. The Celebrate Recovery program is now being used in 12,000 churches nationwide. Over 500,000 individuals have completed the program. Read more…
Steve joined the staff of Saddleback Church (www.saddleback.com) in February of 1998 as Pastor of Small Groups, where he oversees the strategic launch and development of the small group community. Steve also founded the Small Group Network, a network for leaders of small group ministry in 2006 (www.smallgroupnetwork.com). Read more…
Kenny Luck
Eric Rees
Tom Holladay
Brett Eastman
Tom Holladay is a teaching pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. In addition to his pastoral leadership and weekend teaching ministries, he assists Rick Warren in teaching Purpose Driven Church conferences all over the world. With Kay Warren, he is the coauthor of Foundations: 11 Core Truths to Build Your Life On. His most recent book is The Relationship Principles of Jesus. Tom and his wife, Chaundel, have three children. Read more…
Brett Eastman founded Lifetogether in 1989 after serving as the Small Group Champion at Saddleback Community Church with Rick Warren and before that at Willow Creek Community Church with Bill Hybels for over a decade. Today he serves as a producer and consultant in the area of small group ministry, curriculum production, church innovations and strategic partnerships. Read more…
Senior Pastor at Saddleback Church
Men’s Pastor at Saddleback Church Kenny Luck is the Founder and President of Every Man Ministries. His enthusiasm for God and life is contagious, as is the zeal that sustained him through a wide range of achievements. He has served as a former missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ, the Communications Director for the Josh McDowell Ministry and the CEO of New Life Clinics West. Read more…
Author, Speaker & Director of HIV/AIDS Ministry Initiative at Saddleback Church
Pastor of Life Purpose at Saddleback Church Erik Rees is pastor of the Ministry and S.H.A.P.E. Discovery teams at Saddleback Church. He also dedicates time to equipping pastors from all around the world on how to do the same within their church. Erik is the author of S.H.A.P.E. and Congratulations... You’re Gifted, and his greatest joy in life is spending time with his wife and three children. Read more…
Celebrate Recovery Pastor at Saddleback Church
Teaching Pastor at Saddleback Church
Small Group Pastor at Saddleback Church
Recruiting a Co-Leader How help from God and group members takes the worry out of leading
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here are few other tasks in the family of God that surpass shepherding Jesus’ flock—which is what you as a leader are doing. As you prepare to lead—whether it is one session or an entire series—keep in mind that you are not alone. God knows everything about you, and he knew that you would be asked to lead your group. It is common for all good leaders to feel unready to lead. Moses, Solomon, Jeremiah and Timothy were all reluctant to lead. But as he did for them, God promises to us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Remember, you don’t have to try to do this alone. Pray right now for God to help you build a healthy leadership team. If you can enlist a co-leader, your experience will be much richer. This is your chance to involve as many people as you can in building a healthy group. All you have to do is call and ask people to help—you’ll be surprised at the response.
Small Group Leader FAQ’s Who may attend this group? How long will this group meet? Who is the leader? Where do we find new group members for our group? How do we handle the childcare needs in our group? Click for more questions and answers
Best Sellers Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desires with God Not Food Pack, Participant’s Guide and DVD Author: Lysa TerKeurst Publisher: Zondervan $31.99 (Price) $20.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Pack containing one softcover guide and one DVD. In this six-session video study, Lysa TerKeurst helps women discover the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. The reality is, we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave so we’d ultimately always desire more of Him in our lives. Many of us have misplaced that craving towards overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. For a woman struggling with unhealthy eating habits, Made to Crave will equip her to: *Break the ‘I’ll start again Monday cycle’ and start feeling good about herself today *Stop beating herself up over the numbers on the scale and make peace with the body you’ve been given *Discover how your weight loss struggle isn’t a curse but rather a blessing in the making *Replace justifications that lead to diet failure with empowering Go-to Scripts that lead to victory. *Eat healthy without feeling deprived * Reach your healthy weight goal while growing closer to God through the process.
Fearless DVD-Based Small Group Kit Author: Max Lucado Publisher: Thomas Nelson $34.99 (Price) $24.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Can you imagine your life without fear?Max Lucado presents six DVD sessions that offer hope and calm in a time of unprecedented fear in our nation and the world. Designed for individual study or a small group experience, Fearless draws from Jesus’ encounters with people in frightening situations giving evidence that we can trust God through these scary times.
Crazy Love, Book and DVD Author: Francis Chan Publisher: David C. Cook $44.98 (Price) $29.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Sharing from his own life struggles and sacrifices, author Francis Chan issues a call for selfless, Christ-like living. It’s crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe—the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor—loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response?
Walking with God in the Desert Faith Lessons Pack: Discovery Guide and DVD Author: Ray Vander Laan Publisher: Zondervan $36.99 (Price) $23.49 (Your Price)
The Invisible War--3 DVDs and Study Guide Author: Chip Ingram Publisher: Living On The Edge $24.95 (Price) $17.99 (Your Price) Buy now
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Faith Lesson Packs include the DVD with Leader’s Guide plus one Discovery Guide. Order additional discovery guides for each member in your group.
In a culture where witches are no fairy tale, Chip Ingram reminds Christians of the battle being waged against them! Using Ephesians 6 as his foundation for these eight sessions, the host of Living on the Edge reveals what believers need to know to prayerfully defend themselves---and their families---against Satan’s daily spiritual warfare.
More Best Sellers Curriculum here…
Up & Comers Philippians DVD Series: To Live is Christ & To Die Is Gain Author: Matt Chandler Publisher: The Hub $199.95 (Price) $159.99 (Your Price) Buy now
The story begins in Philippi, where Paul introduces three individuals that were all enslaved without the gospel. These individuals included, Lydia, the fortune telling slave-girl, and the hard working jailer. Their lives portray dysfunction and emptiness but are completely transformed by the Gospel. True joy and Christ’s love begin to live within them, giving them a life of purpose. Paul himself was enslaved and then by God’s grace and mercy he could pen these popular words “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream Author: David Platt Publisher: Multnomah Publishers, Inc. $14.99 (Price) $7.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Take a transforming journey in authentic discipleship. As the pastor of a large and wealthy congregation, David Platt began to see a discrepancy between the reality of his Church and the way Jesus said His followers lived. In Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, Platt examines how American Christianity has manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences and challenges readers to rediscover the path.
Weird DVD: Because Normal Isn’t Working Author: Craig Groeschel Publisher: Zondervan $24.99 (Price) $15.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Normal people are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of their relationships are, at best, strained and, in most cases, just surviving. Even though we live in one of the most prosperous places on earth, normal is still living paycheck to paycheck and never getting ahead. Lust and frequent ‘casual’ sex are far more common than purity and a healthy married sex life. And when it comes to God, the majority believe in him, but the teachings of Scripture rarely make it into their everyday lives.
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day Author: Mark Batterson Publisher: Multnomah Publishers $13.99 (Price) $8.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time...several times? These memories leave you with an ill taste in your mouth, and nothing good seems to come from them. But what if the seemingly messy pieces of your life were actually strategically positioned by God? What if you’ve actually been in the right place at the right time every time? In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day will help you make sense of your past. You’ll begin to connect the dots to see clearly how God has been preparing you for future opportunities. With a God’s-eye perspective, you’ll soon be thanking Him - even for lions, pits, and snowy days.
Curriculum By The Book Curriculum comes in many shapes and sizes: study guides, DVDs, workbooks, etc. but sometimes a new “Christian book” can be your best curriculum! Simply choose the book of your choice, have your group read a chapter each week, and then come prepared to discuss it when you meet. During the time when you’re not together, have each group member write down one “significant truth and personal application” they got by simply reading the text, not by following a DVD or doing a study guide with all prepared questions. Facilitate group discussions on what group members discovered that week.
Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit Author: Francis Chan Publisher: David C. Cook $14.99 (Price) $7.99 (Your Price)
Veneer: Living Deeply in a Surface Society Author: Timothy D. Willard, R. Jason Locy Publisher: Zondervan $17.99 (Price) $11.49 (Your Price)
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Today’s church admires the gift of the Holy Spirit, but have we neglected to open it? Chan tears away the wrapping paper and the ribbons to uncover the source of the believing community’s true power for witness and service. He issues a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Spirit of the living God. Paperback.
To veneer means to cover something with a material that is “more desirable as a surface than the basic material of the object.” This may be a great way to cut costs on a remodeling project, but it’s no way to live the Christian life. Exploring the impact of culture on life and faith, Timothy Willard and Jason Locy offer a 21st century take on an age-old challenge for Christians: how to be in the world, but not of it.
City on Our Knees: If You Gotta Start Somewhere, Why Not Here Author: tobyMac Publisher: Bethany House $19.99 (Price) $6.99 (Your Price)
The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn’t Exist
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Inspired by the #1 hit radio single! Join Grammy-winning artist tobyMac for a soul-searching exploration of what it means to step out and take action for your faith. Through compelling stories and Scripture, you’ll see how Christians past and present have set aside differences and come together---bringing whole communities to their knees. 224 pages, hardcover from Bethany.
Author: Craig Groeschel Publisher: Zondervan $19.99 (Price) $10.99 (Your Price) (Limited Time Price) Buy now
Does your belief in God impact your life? If the answer is no, you may be a Christian Atheist. A Christian Atheist is someone who believes in God, but lives like He doesn’t exist--you believe in God, but worry all the time, or you believe in God, but trust money more. In The Christian Atheist Craig Groeschel shares from his own journey of growing up in a “Christian” household, but the most that faith required was to attend church several times a year. When Groeschel discovered that the real key to faith is intimacy with God, everything changed. Discover a powerful, intimate relationship with God for yourself and you’ll never be the same.
Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential Author: Joel Osteen Publisher: FaithWords $13.99 (Price) $9.99 (Your Price) Buy now
In Your Best Life Now Joel Osteen reassures you that living life to your fullest potential is within your reach. He explains how your journey to a brighter future begins with these seven steps: • Enlarge your vision • Develop a healthy self-image • Discover the power of your thoughts and words • Let go of the past • Find strength through adversity • Live to give • Choose to be happy In a straightforward style, Osteen teaches you that your self-image should mirror exactly what God says abut you, not what you feel or think. And he encourages you to be a person of faith; for if you can see the invisible, God will do the impossible.
Building Character Together
Authenticity: Living a Spiritually Healthy Life
Friendship: Living a Connected Life
Author: Brett Eastman, Dee Eastman, Todd Wendorff, Denise Wendorff $8.99 (Price) $2.99 (Your Price)
Author: Brett Eastman, Dee Eastman, Todd Wendorff, Denise Wendorff $8.99 (Price) $2.99 (Your Price)
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What does it take to build character? How do you instill godly qualities inside yourself that are displayed consistently through words, actions, and attitudes that reflect what Jesus himself is like?
Faith: Living a Transformed Life
Service: Living a Meaningful Life
Obedience: Living a Yielded Life
Influence: Living a Contagious Life
Author: Brett Eastman, Dee Eastman, Todd Wendorff, Denise Wendorff $8.99 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price)
Author: Brett Eastman, Dee Eastman, Todd Wendorff, Denise Wendorff $8.99 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price)
Author: Brett Eastman, Dee Eastman, Todd Wendorff, Denise Wendorff $8.99 (Price) $2.99 (Your Price)
Author: Brett Eastman, Dee Eastman, Todd Wendorff, Denise Wendorff $8.99 (Price) $2.99 (Your Price)
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Explore the famous friendships of David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, Jesus and Peter, and three more while practicing the five elements of a Purpose Driven Life: Connecting, Growing, Developing, Sharing, and Surrendering.
Learn about six different aspects of faith from famous biblical characters like Joshua, Jacob, and Job and your own faith will be transformed.
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Living a Meaningful Life focuses on Service. Examples of God’s servants are: Moses, Deborah and Dorcas, Nehemiah, Noah, Esther, and David.
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Learn about obedience and becoming more like Christ with your small group as you study the experiences of Mary, Abraham, Rahab, James and John, Isaiah and Hosea.
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The examples of Levi, Daniel, and Nicodemus and how they influenced those around them are a few of the characters you will be studying with your small group while practicing the five elements of a Purpose Driven Life
Discover the Power of Pairs The best resolutions get swept aside by busyness and forgetfulness, which is why it’s important for group members to have support as they pursue a spiritual goal. Have them pair up with spiritual partners in Session 2, or encourage them to seek out a Christian coworker or personal mentor. If they do this, they will grow like never before. This simple prescription can increase everyone’s success rate by a factor of ten. You can promise that they’ll never be the same if they simply commit to supporting each other with prayer and encouragement on a weekly basis. It’s best to start with one goal in the area of greatest
need. Most of the time that area will be either evangelism, or consistent time with the Father in prayer and in reading the scriptures. Cultivating time with God is the place to start; if group members are already doing this, they can move on to a second and third area of growth You just need a few victories in the beginning. Have spiritual partners check in together at the beginning or end of each group meeting. Ask them to support each other with phone calls, coffee times and email messages during the week. Trust us on this one, you’ll see them grow like never before.
Build Community Through Communion L
ooking for a wonderful means of worshipping as a group? Why not lead your group in sharing the Lord’s Supper? If you’ve never done this before, the idea certainly seems daunting, but here is a simple form by which your small group can share this sacrament. Of course, churches vary in their treatment of Communion so you may need to adapt these suggestions to your church’s beliefs.
bread, remind them that this represents Jesus’ broken body on their behalf. Simply state, “Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ Let us eat together,” and eat the break as a group.
Steps in Serving Communion
6. When everyone has been served, remind them that the cup represents Jesus’ blood shed for them. Simply state, “The cup of the new covenant is Jesus Christ’s blood shed for you. Jesus said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ Let us drink together.” Then drink the juice in a group.
1. Out of the context of your own experience, say something brief about God’s love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, commitment, tenderheartedness or faithfulness. Connect your words with the personal stories of the group. For example, “These past few weeks I’ve experienced God’s mercy in the way he untangled the situation with my son. And I’ve seen God show mercy to others of us here too, especially to Jean and Roger.” If you prefer, you can write down ahead of time what you want to say.
5. Pray silently, and serve the cup. You may pass a small tray, serve people individually, or have them pick up a cup from the table.
7. Conclude by singing a simple song, listening to a praise song, or having a time of prayer in thanks to God. Practical Tips in Serving Communion
2. Read 1 Corinithians 11:23-26*: 1. Prepare the elements simply, sacredly, and symbolically. The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when 2. Be sensitive to timing in your meeting. he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after 3. Break up pieces of cracker or soft supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup bread on a small plate or tray. Don’t use is the new covenant in my blood; do this, Small Group Communion large servings of bread or grape juice. You whenever you drink it, in remembrance of By Bryan Crute should think about using grape juice— me.” For whenever you eat this break and and not wine—because wine can cause drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s some people to stumble. death until he comes. 3. Pray silently, and pass the bread around the circle. While the bread is being passed, you may want to reflect quietly, sing a simple praise song, or listen to a worship tape. 4. When everyone has received the
4. Have all of the elements prepared beforehand, and just bring them into the room or to the table when you are ready. *Here are some other good Communion passages: Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-20, 1 Corinthians 10:16-21 or 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.
A Message from
Pastor Rick Warren
on the
Power of Recovery T
he Bible clearly states “all have sinned.” It is my nature to sin, and it is yours too. None of us is untainted. Because of sin, we’ve all hurt ourselves, we’ve all hurt other people, and others have hurt us. This means each of us need repentance and recovery in order to live our lives the way God intended. You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression that “time heals all wounds.” Unfortunately, it isn’t true. As a pastor I frequently talk with people who are still carrying hurts from 30 or 40 years ago. The truth is - time often makes things worse. Wounds that are left untended fester and spread infection throughout your entire body. Time only extends the pain if the problem isn’t dealt with. What we need is a biblical and balanced program to help people overcome their hurts, habits and hangups. Celebrate Recovery is that program. Based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory, our recovery program is unique, and more effective in helping people change than anything else I’ve seen or heard of. Over the years I’ve witnessed how the Holy Spirit has used this program to transform literally thousands of lives at Saddleback Church and help people grow toward full Christlike maturity. Most people are familiar with the classic 12 step program of A.A. and other groups. While undoubtedly many lives have been helped through the twelve steps, I’ve always been uncomfortable with that program’s vagueness about the nature of God, the saving power of Jesus Christ, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. So I began an intense study of the Scriptures to discover what God had to say about “recovery.” To my amazement,
Life’s Healing Choices
I found the principles of recovery, and even their logical order, given by Christ in his most famous message, the Sermon on the Mount. My study resulted in a ten-week series of messages called “The Road to Recovery.” During that series, my Associate Pastor John Baker developed the workbooks, which became the heart of our Celebrate Recovery program. I believe that this program is unlike any recovery program you may have seen. There are seven features that make it unique: This recovery program is based on God’s Word, the Bible. When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount,
he began by stating “Eight Ways to Be Happy.” Today we call them the Beatitudes. From a conventional viewpoint, most of these statements didn’t make sense. They sounded like contradictions. But when you fully understand what Jesus is saying, you’ll realize that these eight principles are God’s road to recovery, wholeness, growth, and spiritual maturity. This recovery program is forwardlooking. Rather than wallowing in the past, or dredging up and rehearsing painful memories over and over, Celebrate Recovery focuses on the future. Regardless of what has already happened, the solution is to start
making wise choices now and depend on Christ’s power to help me make those changes. This recovery program emphasizes personal responsibility. Instead of playing the “accuse and excuse” game of victimization, this program helps people face up to their own poor choices and deal with what they can do something about. We cannot control all that happens to us. But we can control how we respond to everything. That is a secret of happiness. When we stop wasting time fixing the blame, we have more energy to fix the problem. When you stop hiding your own faults and stop hurling accusations at others, then the healing power of Christ can begin working in your mind, will, and emotions. This recovery program emphasized spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. The 3rd principle calls for people to make a total surrender of their lives to Christ. Lasting recovery cannot happen without this step. Everybody needs Jesus. Celebrate Recovery is thoroughly evangelistic in nature. In fact, the first time I took our entire church through this program over 500 people prayed to receiver Christ on a single weekend. It was an amazing spiritual harvest. And during the ten week series that I preached to kick-off this program, our attendance grew by over 1,500 people! Don’t be surprised if this program becomes the most effective outreach ministry in your church. Today, nearly 73% of the people who’ve been through Celebrate Recovery have come from outside our church. Changed lives always attract others who want to be changed. This recovery program utilizes the biblical truth that we need each other in order to grow spiritually and emotionally. It is built around small group interaction and the fellowship of a caring community. There are many therapies, growth programs, and counselors today that are built around one-on-one interaction. But Celebrate Recovery is built on the New Testament principle that we don’t get well by ourselves. We need each other. Fellowship and accountability are two important components of spiritual growth. If your church is interested in starting small groups, this is a great way to get started. This recovery program addresses all types of habits, hurts and hang-ups. Some recovery programs deal only with alcohol or drugs
or another single problem. But Celebrate Recovery is a “large umbrella” program under which a limitless number of issues can be dealt with. At Saddleback Church, only one out of three who attend Celebrate Recovery are dealing with alcohol or drugs. We have dozens of other specialized groups too.
Finally, this recovery program produces lay ministers! Because Celebrate Recovery is biblical and church-based, it produces a continuous stream of people moving into ministry after they’ve found recovery in Christ. Eighty-five percent of the people who’ve gone through the program are now active members of Read more
Deepening Life Together Romans, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Promises of God, Study Guide
Fruit of the Spirit, Study Guide
Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price)
Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price)
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Explore Paul’s systematic presentation of the gospel that he had been preaching for more than twenty years, as well as the practical application of the gospel in everyday life with your small group, Sunday school class, or Bible study group. Read more…
Acts, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price) Buy now
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The most important promise God ever made was that he would restore the broken relationship between himself and those who bear his image. What happened in the garden and what were the long-term effects on God’s creation? Read more…
Parables, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Deepening Life Together video Bible studies guide small groups into a deeper understanding of the Bible, and a deeper relationship with God and others. Read more…
Praying God’s Way, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Perfect for small groups, Sunday school and Bible studies, Deepening Life Together is a great way for believers to rediscover the joy of God’s Word while growing closer with fellow Christians at the same time. Read more…
Revelation, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Perfect for small group ministries, Sunday school classes, and Bible study groups, this unique DVDbased small group series includes everything a new or experienced leader needs to successfully start or sustain a healthy small group. Read more…
Ephesians, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $5.99 (Your Price) Buy now
How and what is the proper way to pray? Will God really answer all of our prayers? Deepening Life Together helps answer these questions and many more. Read more…
How and what is the proper way to pray? Will God really answer all of our prayers? Deepening Life Together helps answer these questions and many more. Read more…
Ruth, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price) Buy now
As you study Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, you will unpack principles from God’s Word that reveal God’s divine purpose and plan of bringing redemption to his people and the outworking of that purpose in the life of the believer Read more…
Ruth: 4 sessions is a part of the Deepening Life Together series that’s designed to help you dig deeper into the Word of God. Each study in the series is taught on DVD by dynamic and inspirational teachers with commentary by scholars Read more…
from Lifetogether 15 New DVD Series Deepening Lifetogether
Based on Purpose-Driven Life principles, the Deepening Life Together curriculum will help your small group understand the Scriptures better and grow closer together through group meetings and lively discussion. The kit includes biblical and topical studies from scholars, preachers, and trusted teachers on Acts, Ephesians, John, Parables, Praying God’s Way, Promises of God, Revelation, Romans and more. Each DVD contains Leader Lifters, Creative Elements, Dynamic Teaching, and Worship Music. Study Guides also include group forms and assessments to track your spiritual growth, frequently asked questions, journaling notes, Leadership 101, leader notes, and more!
Paul, Study Guide
James, Study Guide
Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price)
Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price)
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Paul: 4 Sessions teaches on the apostle Paul who did more than any other person in the ancient world to assure that Christianity became a crosscultural movement rather than an obscure Jewish sect. His writings make up much of the New Testament. But how did Jesus take a young hothead who persecuted Christians and turn him into the first evangelist to the Gentiles? What can we learn from the way Paul responded to God’s call?
Psalms, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price) Buy now
Psalms: 4 Sessions concentrates on the authors of these poems and hymns and how they used them to express their feelings toward God. Each of the four sessions guides you through the Scriptures, cultivating a dynamic group discussion and helping you grow in a deeper relationship with God and others. With leader notes and training, this DVDbased small group series includes everything a new or experienced leader needs to successfully start or sustain a healthy small group.
Sermon on the Mount, Study Guide Publisher: Baker Books $8.99 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price)
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Deepening Life Together video Bible studies guide small groups into a deeper understanding of the Bible, and a deeper relationship with God and others. Each DVD features inspirational teaching by trusted scholars and pastors edited with engaging graphics and footage from the Jesus film. The study guides are based on the Five Biblical Purposes and enhance fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship
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Go deeper in your faith life by studying Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In these 6 sessions you can discover God’s standard for ethical living and how we can let God work within us in order to move us on toward holiness? Each of these 6 sessions guides you through the Scriptures, cultivating a dynamic group discussion and helping you grow in a deeper relationship with God and others.
Deepening Life Together Kit Publisher: Baker Books $249.99 (Price) $124.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Sit Back & Relax—It’s time for a movie night! Every group needs a change up, a shift in their schedule, or just time when you take a break from small group study. You can’t keep the pedal down all the time, especially this time of year when everyone is still in a holiday mode and you haven’t settled on your new curriculum. A movie night creates an environment where your group can come in after a busy day, grab some pizza, and not have to say a word. The following movies are all built on Christian values and will leave your members inspired, encouraged, and grateful they showed up this week. They also make great gifts, so order one for your family, friends, or small group leaders, today!
Fireproof, Special Collector’s DVD Provident Music Distribution / DVD CBD Price: $5.99 Retail: $19.99
Soul Surfer, DVD Affirm Films / DVD CBD Price: $21.99 Retail: $30.99
The astonishing true story of a courageous 13-year-old surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack---but never lost her faith! You’ll be inspired by how Bethany Hamilton overcame physical and emotional trauma to return to competitive surfing with the help of her family---and God. Stars AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood, and Dennis Quaid. (PG.) 106 minutes.
The Inheritance, DVD
At the lush Evenswood estate in Concord, Massachusetts, Edith Adelon (Cari Shayne), a beautiful orphan, lives as the paid companion to the daughter of the wealthy Hamilton family, although they regard her as one of their own. As the Hamiltons await a trio of visitors for the annual Greens Cup horse race, Beatrice Hamilton (Meredith Baxter) asks for Edith’s help in finding a suitable husband for a cousin, Ida Glenshaw (Brigid Walsh Brannagh), with one of two visiting elegible bachelors.
Alliance Atlantis / DVD CBD Price: $4.99 Retail: $6.99
Facing The Giants, DVD Thomas Nelson / DVD CBD Price: $8.19 Retail: $9.99
Created by a church in Georgia to evangelize non-believers and encourage believers, this inspiring story about a losing high school football coach with a new game plan will have your whole town talking about trusting God for the impossible! After six consecutive losing seasons and fear surrounding his life, coach Grant Taylor turns to God in desperation. Taylor and his Shiloh Christian Eagles soon discover how faith plays out on the field and off! Rated PG. Approx. 112 minutes.
Faith Like Potatoes, DVD Affirm Films / DVD CBD Price: $11.99 Retail: $14.99
Fireproof, the latest film from the creators of Facing the Giants and Flywheel, is now available on DVD! Starring Kirk Cameron, the Fireproof movie portrays the inspiring love story of a firefighter, his wife, and a marriage worth rescuing. At work, Capt. Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron) lives by the old firefighter’s adage: “Never leave your partner behind”. At home, he lives by his own rules. His job is to rescue others. Now Caleb Holt has to face his toughest job ever, rescuing his wife’s heart. Rated PG. Approx. 119 minutes.
Where there’s love, there’s hope. Adapted from the best-selling autobiography Faith like Potatoes, this inspirational film weaves together the moving journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith - unseen until the harvest. This powerful DVD includes God’s Farmer, a gripping, 54-minute documentary on the real life of Angus Buchan. Rated PG. Approx 116 minutes.
Finances How to Manage Your Money: An In-Depth Bible Study on Personal Finances Author: Larry Burkett Publisher: Moody Publishers $15.99 (Price) $8.99 (Your Price) Buy now
With God’s financial plan, the possibilities for contentment are guaranteed and the opportunities to be used by Him are endless. In the How to Manage Your Money Workbook, trusted financial author and teacher Larry Burkett leads you on a step-by-step adventure to eyeopening biblical principles and offers powerful applications you can use immediately.
Reaching Your Financial Destiny, Curriculum Kit Author: Dr. Bryan E. Crute with Lee Jenkins Publisher: Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church $21.95 (Price) $16.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Purpose. Plan. Potential. These are the words that best represent how God views your finances. Quite a contrast to the words most people feel about their finances. People typically feel overwhelmed, discouraged or even shamed about their money. In this exciting new small group series Pastor Bryan E. Crute will share how God’s perspective on our finances is so radically different than our own.
Journey to Financial Freedom: A Coaching Participant Manual, Book & CD Author: Larry Burkett Publisher: Crown Financial Ministries $9.00 (Price) $7.19 (Your Price)
TIPS: Don’t Lose Heart: A Leader’s Vision
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The Journey to Financial Freedom is designed to be a helpful tool in the ministry of budget counseling. It contains forms for developing spending plans and assignments based on important scriptural financial principles that will impact future financial decisions. Please Note: This manual is not intended for personal study without the guidance of a budget counselor. It is intended to be used by volunteer budget counselors who have completed the Money Map Coach Training Course. This is not a stand-alone budgeting workbook.
You are a strategic player in the heavenly realm. Helping a few others grow in Christ could put you squarely in the sights of Satan himself. I Corinthians 15:58 (NASB) says, “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Leading a group is not always going to be easy. Here are the keys to longevity and lasting joy as a leader: •
• •
Be sure to refuel your soul as you give of yourself to others. We recommend that you ask a person to meet with you for personal coaching and encouragement. When asked (over coffee or lunch) to support someone in leadership, nine out of ten people say, “I’d love to!” So why not ask? Delegate responsibilities after the first meeting. Doing so will help group members grow, and it will give you a break as well. Most importantly, cultivating your own walk with God puts you on the offensive against Satan and increases the joy zone for everyone in your life. Make a renewed decision right now to make this happen. Don’t give Satan a foothold in your heart; there is simply too much at stake.
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More Finance Curriculum here…
Opening Gifts Isn’t Just For Kids
8 tips to help your small group open up and develop their spiritual gifts By: Brett Eastman I grew up with a single mom, two sisters, a girl cousin, and an aunt. One Christmas morning we were sitting around the tree rifling through presents. We tore a package open and showed it to the entire family. One time I opened my gift, and I pulled out … a skirt! The family exploded in laughter. Late on Christmas Eve, my mom had gotten the gifts all goofed up. I am reminded how each of us receives different gifts, and when we open them up others can look at them and affirm them or say, “You know what? I don’t think that’s yours—it’s probably somebody else’s.” The Bible teaches that spiritual gifts are given for the common good of the body of Christ. And the Body is blessed when those gifts are opened, engaged, and exercised. But if they’re never opened, they’ll never be experienced. It’s like walking by a Christmas tree and leaving all the packages wrapped. As a small group host, one of your chief goals is to help your small group identify and develop their spiritual gifts. Below is an acronym (CHAMPION) to help you lead your small group in this key area: 1. CELEBRATE every member’s spiritual gifts. While everybody is blessed with abilities and skills, an individual understands their unique God-given gift whey they trust Christ with their lives. God uses circles of friends—the body of Christ—to affirm and help develop those particular gifts. We need to mirror one another. Once I told a friend I thought I had a
How to help others develop their gifts
certain spiritual Hosting Lifetogether: Session 4 gift, and I was wondering what he thought. He said, “I really don’t think it’s that gift. It’s this gift, Brett.” Soon following that encounter, another person said, “Brett, you need to be focusing on this particular gift in your life.”
If you don’t create an atmosphere for your small group members to get this type of feedback, you may be leaving a package wrapped up with a nice little bow on it. Take the thing, shred the paper, open it up and have everybody kind of go, “What do you think?” Here it is!” Be gentle, but don’t be afraid to help them identify and develop their spiritual gifts. 2. HAVE every member take a baby step toward using their gifts. A small group is the smallest form of the body of Christ. Within each group there are just enough gifts to accomplish exactly what
God wants to do in every single small group, and in every single church, and ultimately around the world. His dream is for all of us to get in the game. Try to assign a role or responsibility to everybody in the group. Do this regardless of where they’re at in their spiritual journey; just get them moving in an area where they think their gifts are. Also, take time to encourage them. Say, “Hey, you’re so good at this!” or “Thank you for that.” or “Have you ever thought of this?” These are opportunities to get them in the game. 3. AFFIRM every individual’s gift and every step they take in ministry. No matter what steps they take, you and your group need to be hootin’ and hollerin’. Ask the group, “Hey guys, wasn’t that fantastic?” It doesn’t matter what they did, just praise them. Also encourage members to test-drive ministries: children’s ministry, youth ministry, music ministry, or the mission team. Introduce them to areas where they could be involved and urge them try and participate in one. Another good way for a member to find a fit is to do a spiritual gift assessment. From those results, they’ll be able to see where God uniquely made them to fit in. 4. MOTIVATE every member to develop their God-given shape for life. One way to do this is to say, “What things would you guys like to do? What are some ideas?” Fill a whiteboard, and then say, “Who should fill these individual roles?” They’ll fire out some names. Then ask, “Who would you like to join you in accomplishing this particular deal?” And they’ll give names of individuals who they enjoy hanging with. One turn deserves another, so rotate the responsibilities every month--or every series--so each time everyone’s doing something different but at the same time together. This won’t happen overnight, but dream to have this happen over time. 5. PUT them into teams in order to mobilize everyone. Jesus didn’t send out his disciples alone; He sent them out in pairs. Use the power of pairs to accomplish any task. If you have people at different spiritual levels, one is kind of a newbie and one is a longtime believer, pair them together. This makes the new believer feel safe and empowers them to accomplish something they would never do on their own. Read more…
A curriculum designed to help you develop your gifts
What Made Jesus Cry: A Leader’s Focus In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus looked at the crowds following him and saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He was moved with compassion, because they were “distressed and downcast” (NASB); the NIV says they were “harassed and helpless.” The Greek text implies that he was moved to the point of tears. Never forget that you were once one of those sheep yourself. We urge you to keep yourself and your group focused, not just inwardly on each other, but also outwardly to people beyond your group. Jesus said, “Follow me . . . and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) We assume that you and your group are following him. So how is your fishing going? As leader, you can ignite in your group Jesus’ compassion for outsiders. For his sake, keep the fire burning!
Spiritual Gift Assessment Sharing Your Life Mission Everyday Gifts
Preaching (1 Cor. 14:3)
Design/Develop
Evangelism (Acts 8:26-40) Discernment (I John 4:1) Apostle (Romans 15:20) Teaching (Eph. 4:12-13) Encouragement (Acts 14:22) Wisdom (I Cor. 2:1, 6-16)
Operate/Maintain Excel Repair Follow the Rules
Missions (I Cor. 9:19-23, Acts 13:2-3)
Pioneer
Service (Acts 6:1-7, I Cor. 12:28) Mercy (Romans 12:8) Hospitality (I Peter 4:9-10) Pastoring (I Peter 5:2-4) Giving (II Cor. 8:1-7) Intercession (Col. 1:9-12)
Interests Serve/Help Perform Lead/Be in Charge Prevail
Music (Psalm 150)
Organize
Organize
Planning
Arts & Crafts (Exodus 31:3-11) Healing (James 5:14-16) Miracles (Mark 11:23-24) Hosting (Heb. 13:7, 17) Administration (I Cor. 14:40) Faith (Romans 4:18-21)
Acquire/Possess Improve Persevere Influence
Experiences
Spiritual
Entertaining
Operate/Maintain Excel Repair Follow the Rules Painful Ministry
Pioneer
Recruiting
Serve/Help Perform Lead/Be in Charge Prevail Educational
Acquire/Possess
Distribute a copy of the worksheet to each member in your group. Have them fill it out & then share it, with the group affirming or adding. Then assign base roles or empower the member for ministry outside the group.
Improve
Click here to download
Persevere Influence VocationaL
Strengths
Evaluating Artistic/Graphics Teaching Repairing Mechanical Operating Public Relations Landscaping Musical
Managing Interviewing Writing/Editing Feeding Resourceful Welcoming Arts & Crafts Ministry
Researching Counseling Promoting Recall Counting/Classifying Composing Decorating
TEMPERAMENT
YOUR SHAPE
Gifts (Spiritual)
Interests (Passion)
Familiar Experiences
Small Group Gift Assessment
Temperment (Personality)
Small Groups Gifts Guide Strengths (Talents)
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
WHAT DO OTHERS SEE?
WHAT COULD BE NEXT?
Share The Load
Dividing responsibilities not only eases your leadership burden, it helps your group members grow
F
irst Corinthians 12:7 says that God gives every believer spiritual gifts for the common good of the body. But if your small group is like most, it’s led by just one person—you! Not that you’re probably complaining, but that’s a huge burden. Aside from that, it’s also keeping everyone else from growing in their gifts. The load usually falls on one person because many leaders feel like the only way to get things done is to do it themselves. And it doesn’t occur to group members to volunteer because they don’t know that taking on a responsibility is part of being a full member of God’s family. This contributes to group members thinking they don’t have any spiritual gifts because they’ve never had a chance to experiment. So tactically, how do you motivate people to step up to the plate and discover their gifts in the process? 1.
2.
Read through Acts 2 as a group and talk about that community’s demonstration of all five purposes of the church (for more information on the purposes, click here). Just as that community brought the purposes into their homes—not just into the temple—so should all five purposes be going on in your group. And this requires group “load sharing.” Deal with shared ownership in a developmental way. Take into account people’s spiritual age. If they’re seekers—not even sure if they believe in Christ—don’t ask them to do anything. Just welcome them in the group. If they’re new
believers, give them a small role. Don’t overwhelm them. If you’ve got mature believers, you can dump the truck on them. They can certainly handle it. Also take into account your small group stage. If your group is brand new, give people baby-step responsibilities. Perhaps you can have a potluck and let everyone bring something. The balance here is that you don’t want people afraid to show up next week because they feel overwhelmed with responsibility. If your group has been together for a while, you can nudge people a little more to take on something bigger. A good first step would be to pass out a sign-up sheet for helping with the group’s worship time. 3. Don’t expect people to go it alone. Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. You can ask a couple of people to team up to host a social evening for your group. Or ask two people to share the job of coordinating the prayer list. Teaming up makes it much less scary for people. The best time to ask people to take on a role is right after a great group meeting. Nine out of ten will say yes to a responsibility if you ask them then. Ask them to do it for the next three weeks—not forever. Or ask people to coordinate one project. If you ask members for help and the room goes quiet, don’t just drop it. Follow up with people after the meeting. If you’re nervous to ask for help, remember the Holy Spirit will be right there with you every step of the way.
How do you pick a bible for yourself or for your group? 4 questions you want to answer
1. I want to bring my Bible to church to read along during worship. 2. I have never really read the Bible and would like to see what it actually says. 3. I really want to study the Bible. I want to know about the writers, the history, the geography, the language. All of it. 4. I want to read the Bible to help me grow spiritually. When you have some idea of what you want, click here to see our selections of Bibles.
1. I want to bring my Bible to church to read along during worship. Although many churches provide Bibles in the pews, lots of people still want to bring their own. If you are new to the Bible and want one for this purpose, ask your pastor what version is being used in worship and get that. This will avoid the confusion of hearing one thing and reading a different set of words. Some people, however, like reading along in a different version to note the differences. If that’s you, you’ll still need to check what is being used in worship and then pick something else according to the other criteria below. Be aware that some paraphrases, like Peterson’s The Message, do not include verse numbers, so you may be doing some scrambling to find what is being read. In either case, you will have to become familiar with how to find a passage of Scripture from the citation (e.g. John 3:16). While churches with Bibles in the pews will often give you the page number from which they are reading, that will probably not be the same number in your own Bible.
2. I have never really read the Bible and would like to see what it actually says. The Bible was originally written in two languages: Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament. So, the
first thing to realize is that unless you are deeply familiar with the classical forms of both those languages, you are looking for a translation of some kind. I can only speak here to English translations, but that is also the language where the choices are the most varied. The next thing to understand is that any and all translations of the Bible represent a certain degree of interpretation by the translators. The ancient Greek and Hebrew of the Bible are no longer spoken in the world today. The old manuscripts don’t include punctuation or sometimes even spaces between the words. The Hebrew doesn’t include the vowels and doesn’t distinguish between past and present tense. There are words whose meanings are uncertain and words that could mean several different things, depending on the context and the attitude of the author. Scholars work long and hard to get it right, but one of the reasons you have “revised” versions of various translations is because new information has come to light, either because of new archaeological finds or new research. All translations are interpretations. At the Massachusetts Bible Society we recommend getting a translation that has been worked on by a large group of scholars. While it is impossible to remove all bias, the larger groups of translators are less likely to be overly partisan. We tend to recommend the
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) or Today’s New International Version (TNIV) for that reason. For those fascinated by the differences, there are parallel Bibles that will give you two or more translations side by side. And for those who are learning the ancient biblical languages but still need some help, there are interlinear Bibles that will put an English translation along with the Greek or Hebrew. A note here about paraphrases. A translation attempts to render a text from one language into another as exactly as possible. With a translation you can ask, “I wonder what the original Hebrew was for that word?” and find an answer. A paraphrase tries to give the general meaning of a text in contemporary language. Where the original language might have one word, a paraphrase might spin the meaning out to a whole paragraph. In some cases, like Clarence Jordan’s famous Cotton Patch paraphrases, contemporary places and situations are substituted for the original. In telling about the temptation of Jesus, for example, Jordan has the devil take Jesus up on top of First Church in Atlanta! Currently the paraphrase by Eugene Peterson called “The Message” is very popular. The Living Bible is another example of a popular paraphrase. A paraphrase can be a wonderful way to hear a familiar text in new ways. They are very easy to read and can be a good way to stimulate discussion. Pastors will often read
HELPFUL TIPS ON SELECTING YOUR NEXT BIBLE Originally the Bible was written in Hebrew (and some Aramaic) for the Old Testament, and Greek for the New Testament. It is a profound challenge—and responsibility—to translate Scripture into the native tongue of the reader in such a way we can understand what God has said. The first translation of the complete Bible into English was completed by John Wycliff in 1382, and now there are more different versions of English translations available than in any other language. Here at Christianbook.com we carry over 30 different English translations. This of course presents a considerable challenge when choosing a Bible. We want a translation that faithfully and accurately renders God’s word in words that we can understand—regardless of our cultural background, reading level, or experience with the English language. It is a daunting task to wade through available translations. We have assembled these few pages to give you some background on the most commonly used English translations and so help you choose the translation which best suits your needs. Browse all translations. Learn more about the history of the Bible and Bible translations—Bible History. Learn more about—Translation Reading Levels. Learn more about Bible Translations— Books about Bible translations.
from a paraphrase in a sermon to help make connections from biblical to contemporary times. But a paraphrase should not be used for study. When a passage is paraphrased instead of translated, you are getting the opinion of the person doing the paraphrase to a much greater degree than is evident in a strict translation. As long as you bear that in mind, a paraphrase can be a rewarding tool, but they should be used with caution.
3. I really want to study the Bible. I want to know about the writers, the history, the geography, the language. All of it. Then you want a study Bible. A good study Bible has an introduction to each book of the Bible telling you about the date and authorship of the book and something about the historical incidents to which the book refers. Some will also talk about the literary style of the book and even give you an outline. A study Bible will have many notes within its pages, usually at the bottom of the page. Sometimes the notes take up more of the page than the text! These will help clarify
How literal is your Bible?
the meaning of a word, translate weights and measures into something more familiar, give an indication of other ways a word might be translated, and refer you to other passages in the Bible that are similar or that are quoted in the passage. Study Bibles will also have maps and charts, and sometimes a concordance to help you look up a passage when you only remember a word or two. When selecting a study Bible, be aware that all those extra notes and information also contain the theological biases of the people who wrote them. Like with the translation recommendations above, we recommend notes compiled by a large group of scholars rather than a single individual or small group for that reason. The study Bibles associated with the New International Version will have notes that reflect more conservative theology and the study Bibles associated with the New Revised Standard Version will have notes that reflect more liberal thought. There are also Bibles that are designed for a very specific area of study. There are Bibles that focus on archaeology, for example.
4. I want to read the Bible to help me grow spiritually. Then you want a devotional Bible. Unlike the study Bible that gives you notes about the historical context of the Scriptures, a devotional Bible is filled with short devotions and questions that help you think about how a passage might apply in your daily life. Like with anything else these days, the array is huge. You can find devotional Bibles for just about every demographic and lifestyle. There are devotional Bibles for men, women, youth, college students, people of color, those in recovery, mothers, couples, athletes, Catholics, and many more. To decide what is right for you, go into a bookstore and read some of the sidebar panels in the various devotional Bibles. More than with either translations or study notes, the life applications of devotional Bibles allow particular agendas to shine. Especially if you are looking for a devotional Bible for your teens or confirmands, you will want to determine if the messages in those sidebars are ones you want conveyed to your children.
Doing Bible Study Together Building your personal resource library Bible Explorer 4.0 Limited Edition on DVD-ROM
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Why build your own personal library? • • • •
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The ESV Student Study Bible is ideally suited for students who are serious about God’s Word—who want to learn more about what the Bible teaches and how the Bible applies to all of life. With 16,000 clear, concise study notes, the ESV Student Study Bible provides numerous new features—including 1,000 “Did You Know?” facts, more than 100 new Bible character profiles, and 15 new topical articles. It also features a new glossary of key terms, more than 80 full-color maps and illustrations, an extensive concordance, 80,000 crossreferences, and free access to the online Student Study Bible with the purchase of any print edition. Read more…
This Text Bible offers readers the clear and accurate New Living Translation along with features such as a topical verse finder, full color maps, words of Christ in red, and a full color presentation page at an affordable price. 8 point type, 962 pages, hardcover from Tyndale. • Presentation Page • 8 point text • Double-column format • Words of Christ in Red • Translation and textual notes • 16 Full-color maps • Tyndale Bible Verse Finder Index
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The Chronological Study Bible is the only study Bible that presents the text of the New King James Version in chronological order—the order in which the events actually happened—with notes, articles, and full-color graphics that connect the reader to the history and culture of Bible times and gives the reader a dramatic, “you are there” experience. Features include: • The entire New King James Bible with translators’ notes, arranged in chronological orderthe order in which the events and writings Read more
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The Gathered and Scattered Church By: Mark Howell
H
ow would you describe your church? How would you characterize the model your church has adopted? Are you an admittedly attractional church? Are you an externally focused church? Do you have missional aspirations? Are you attractional but want to be missional when you grow up? One of the most challenging and inspiring books I tripped across in the last few years was The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. Last year I reviewed The Tangible Kingdom Primer, a “spiritual formation tool designed to prepare your heart for mission.” If you haven’t picked those two books up, I highly recommend them. I’m pretty sure you will also find a lot there that inspires and challenges you (a desirable confluence of emotions). While at the Exponential Conference in Orlando earlier this year I had the chance to hear Hugh and Matt talk about their newest book, And: The Gathered and Scattered Church. I have to tell you, I immediately was captivated by what I took to be the central idea or acknowledgment. Here it is: Although many of us who will read this book are admittedly part of the gathered church, we know we need to be missional if we’re going to truly reach the unchurched majority (whether you’re talking about the world in general or the United States in particular).
Author Bio
Mark Howell Mark is the the founder of SmallGroupResources.net, offering consulting and coaching services that help churches across North America launch, build and sustain healthy small group ministries. You can read his blog at www.markhowellive.com. He is also the guy behind SmallGroupResources.net, StrategyCentral.org and @markchowell. There are several things I really appreciate about And. First, I love the fact that And approaches the issue from both sides of the equation. Where most books that would be described as being written from a missional perspective are almost exclusively that (they often ignore the fact that we’re already gathered), this one includes a way of looking at the other side of the equation (i.e., how to move from gathered to gathered and scattered). A second very important thing about And is that for Hugh Halter and Matt Smay this isn’t theory. In fact, this is the developing story of Adullum, their church in the Denver area. And answers the question, “What do you do if a more missional, more organic approach actually works and you begin to gather a church?” How do you help what you’ve gathered remain engaged in scattering? Third, although there is plenty here that is practical and it delivers both a biblical understanding of the calling and a practical illustration of their methodology…And acknowledges that it is very much a work in progress. I think that might be what I appreciate the most about Hugh and Matt. They’re intensely engaged in the life themselves, but as they’re working it out they don’t claim to have all the answers…only the calling. If you’re looking for help in moving your gathered church into a more scattered lifestyle, I highly recommend And: The Gathered and Scattered Church.
What Constitutes a Meeting?
report kept showing no activity and I discovered from their Coach that this group partnered with our city officials to sponBy: Eddie Mosley sor the Christmas shopping and the delivery of Christmas gifts to boys and girls. They had worked almost daily for two weeks to n reading a lot of Small Group books, blogs and tweets, I organize this effort. Yet, they stated, “we did not meet”. have felt compelled to voice my perspective of community Then there were more of the “we did not meet” groups that life and what Small Groups are accomplishing. We have a lot invited unchurched friends, had supper together, then attended of Sunday School history in our church. Their nature is to take Christmas Musical. These leaders did not understand that we attendance weekly. want to hear about life, not attendance. Attending the musical We use Church Teams (web-based Small Group Software) to would constitute a meeting in my book. Life-change can happen track SG activity (not just attendance). I’ve noticed the practice as we live out the Bible, not just during the time we are in a of taking attendance has carried over to our current culture of studying it. Small Groups, both on-campus and off-campus. Weekly reports Sharing and hearing the stories of God working in your group from groups come in with the box checked “we did not meet”. is more important than just knowing who showed up for the They only report attendance if they conduct a pre-planned Bible Bible Study meeting. We Study. hope to produce a culAuthor Bio I hear stories from our coaches about Small Groups who ture that looks for God Eddie Mosley submitted “we did not meet” who are doing life together weekly. to be active in all our One group did not Eddie Mosley is activity and are working report meeting for Check out a executive director to help groups to journal four weeks. So I FREE PREVIEW of GroupLife at these activities of God. checked with their of Eddie Mosley’s book LifePoint Church, These weekly reports are Coach to see if there a multisite campus in Smyrna, a great way to journal were problems. Publisher: Tennessee. He consults and speaks to and share about God’s NAV Press “Oh, they have had churches and at conferences, includactivity in your group as $14.99 (Price) three group meming LifeWay and Saddleback events. He guides you to live out $9.49 (Your Price) bers who bought Mosley has written articles for His Word. SmallGroups.com and Lifeway homes or moved to Bible study is imporChurch Resouces. He also serves as apartments in the tant and expected, but area point leader for the Purposelast month. They please share your stories Driven Small Group Network. have helped them of other activities, events move for the last Check out his blog: or service projects that several weeks.” http://eddiemosley.com/ your group is doing. Buy now Another group
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From the best-selling author of Heaven comes a life-changing devotional journey anchored in the hope-giving sermons of Prince of Preachers Charles Spurgeon! Together with Alcorn’s encouraging commentary, the 19th-century pastor’s confident and soul-stirring words will inspire you to “breathe the home air” of heaven as you live for Christ on earth. 242 pages, 5” x 7” hardcover from Tyndale.
Healthy Groups Produce Healthy Lives: A Leader’s Goal
Dangerous Surrender A video devotional from Kay Warren
As you undertake this new curriculum, especially if this is your first time as a leader, make sure you begin with the end in mind. You may have heard the phrase, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” It’s vital for your group members to review their spiritual health by using the Personal Health Assessment and Personal Health Plan. You’ll do part of the Health Assessment with your group in Session 2, and share your results with spiritual partners for support and accountability. Each member will also set one goal for thirty days. The goal will be tied to the purpose you are studying in this particular guide. We strongly encourage you to go even further and do the entire Health Assessment together. Then during another group session (or on their own), members can set a goal for each of the other four purposes. Pairing up with spiritual partners will offer invaluable support for that area of personal growth. Encourage partners to pray for one another in the area of their goals. Have partners gather at least three times during the series to share their progress and plans. This will give you and the group the best results. In order for people to follow through with their goals, you’ll need to lead with vision and modeling. Take the entire Health Assessment yourself, and give some serious thought to realistic goals that God would have you reach. Share your goals with the group, and update them on how the steps you’re taking have been affecting your spiritual life. If you share your progress and plans, others will follow in your footsteps.
More Devotionals Curriculum here…
Twelve Conference
Special Discount for readers of the Doing Lifetogether Magazine Use promo code CR112 to get the $25 rate for an individual license or code CR212 to get the $125 rate for a site license
TWELVE THE 2011 GLOBAL ONLINE GATHERING FOR SMALL GROUP MINISTRIES AND MINISTRY LEADERS
THE BASICS Date: September 14-15, 2011 Time: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (pst)
“Twelve” has been synonymous with small group Christian community since the Upper Room. There’s a suggestion of holy gathering when you say it. “Twelve.” On September 14-15, 2011, Twelve delivers twelve hours of unpacking life in community with leaders actively working in small group ministries of all sizes all across this country. Over two days we will explore together what God is blessing to uncover the mysteries of discipleship in community, to examine small group community as a missional unit, to sense God’s holy purpose in bringing together the Body in small numbers, and to consider why He has called us to this. Twelve. Ron Wilbur
Pastor of Small Group Life at Saddleback on the Twelve
Location: Online Cost: $45 per individual license* $195 per site license* $600 per area license* Use promo code CR112 to get the $25 rate for an individual license or code CR212 to get the $125 rate for a site license
Get more registration details *Current pricing available through August 10, 2011.
A Preview of the Twelve
Hot Topics The Hole In Our Gospel Personal Quest Six-Session DVD Author: Richard Stearns Publisher: Thomas Nelson $19.99 (Price) $14.99 (Your Price) Buy now
A Six-Week quest based on the book The Hole In Our Gospel with DVD sessions, group discussion, Bible study, and personal application in the companion Study Guide, available separately. Speakers on the DVD sessions include author and World Vision U.S. President Rich Stearns, Max Lucado, Lynne Hybels, Rudy Carrasco, Justin Dillon, Ryan Dobson, Renee Stearns, Philip Yancey, Bruce Main, and Bill Hybels. Read more…
The Lord’s Prayer Small Group Kit, DVD & 7 Study Guides Author: Dr. Bryan E. Crute Publisher: Destiny Metropolitan Worship Church $63.95 (Price) $49.99 Buy now (Your Price)
Just Walk Across the Room, DVD Curriculum Author: Bill Hybels Publisher: Zondervan $99.99 (Price) $62.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Guide your congregation step-by-step to the next level in personal evangelism with this transforming 4-week experience! Hybels urges us to stay attuned to and cooperate with the promptings of the Holy Spirit by learning to “live in 3-D”---developing friendships, discovering stories, and discerning the appropriate next steps. This kit consists of three integrated components that expand on the principles set forth in Bill Hybels’ book Just Walk Across the Room. Read more…
A Journey to Victorious Praying DVD: Finding Discipline and Delight in Your Prayer Life Author: Bill Thrasher Publisher: Moody Publishers $14.99 (Price) $11.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Deep in the heart of every man or woman is the longing to know the heart of God. When you understand the heart of God, your future will be secure. When you know the heart of God, your life will be enriched. When you know the heart of God, peace will be yours. So why don’t we experience or even understand the heart of God towards us? Read more…
Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? DVD & Participant’s Guide Author: Philip Yancey Publisher: Zondervan $34.98 (Price) $24.99 (Your Price) Buy now
In theory, prayer is the priceless point of contact between us and God. In practice, it’s often frustrating, confusing, and mysterious. Yancey explores this enigmatic intersection where we meet God, asking--and answering---key questions: Is he listening? What’s the point? Can prayer be more satisfying? Does it change his mind? My mind? Or both? 352 pages, softcover from Zondervan. Read more…
Do you want to become a man or woman of prayer? The goal of this DVD, which is a companion to A Journey to Victorious Praying by Dr. Bill Thrasher, is to assist in the journney toward becoming a person who prays. This video is set up in sections to follow along with the companion Study Guide which is also available separately. Feel free to use it however you deem fit. Sprint through it in just a few weeks or mosey along for a few months. This DVD will work for individual, partner, or group study. No matter whom you choose to share this journey with, make sure to pray for each other often as you seek God’s best for your prayer lives. Join Dr. Alvin VanderGriend on a journey that will transform your group’s prayer life from duty to devotion! Kit includes theLove to Pray softcover devotional book/study guide; softcover 40 Days of Prayer Strategy Guidelines; DVD with eight 15-minute teaching presentations; CD-ROM of printable promotional materials and sample teaching segments; and CD-ROM of sermon outlines corresponding to seminar themes. Read more…
Small Group Leader Resources Worship DVDs iWorship@home, Volume 12 More in iWorship@Home Series Publisher: Integrity Music $14.99 (Price) $12.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Integrity’s iWorship @ Home DVDs offer 14 of the world’s most treasured worship songs set to breathtaking visuals, inspiring a moving multimedia adventure perfect for personal and family times of worship. Volume 12 includes “All Because of Jesus,” “Desert Song,” “Lead Me To the Cross,” and more.
iWorship@home, Volume 11 More in iWorship@Home Series Publisher: Provident Music Distribution $14.99 (Price) $12.99 (Your Price) Buy now
iWorship@Home DVD, VOl. 11 offers 14 of the world’s most treasured worship songs set to breathtaking visuals, inspiring a moving multi-media adventure perfect for personal and family times of worship. Titles include “Ancient Words,” “Grace Like Rain,” “Hungry (Falling On My Knees),” and more.
Small Group Leader Training By Bill Donahue
Leader Resources How to Ask Great Questions Publisher: Karen Lee-Thorp $8.99 (Price) $6.99 (Your Price) Buy now
In this study, you’ll learn when and how to ask effective questions, and how to promote follow-up discussions that will lead from good thinking to life application. Ideal for small-group leaders, Sunday school teachers, and anyone who regularly leads group discussions or committee meetings, How to Ask Great Questions will equip you to: build relationship between group members; help people analyze a passage of the Bible or other book; draw out opinions, feelings, and assumptions; bring discussions to greater levels of depth and focus; guide people in applying the Bible to their lives; and facilitate problem-solving and decision-making in group settings.
The Billy Graham Christian Worker’s Handbook Publisher: Billy Graham $9.99 (Price) $14.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Looking for easy-to-use guidance for counseling and sharing Christ with others? Developed for the people who respond to calls during Billy Graham’s televised crusades, this comprehensive and compassionate resource includes background information, helping strategies, and the complete text of select Scripture passages for over 80 topics---from abortion and abuse to witnessing and worldliness. 320 pages, spiralbound softcover from Grason.
Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, Revised Publisher: Bill Donahue $16.99 (Price) $11.49 (Your Price) Buy now
It’s no secret---small groups have the power to change lives and are the key to building a thriving biblical community! This comprehensive resource is packed with information, practical tips, and insights that will teach your leadership team about smallgroup philosophy and structure, discipleship, conducting meetings, and more. Updated charts, diagrams, and resource lists. 208 pages, softcover from Zondervan.
Life Together Worship Series: Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day, DVD/CD Set Publisher: Word Entertainment Inc $16.98 (Price) $12.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Throughout the last decade, the explosion of opportunities for believers to gather outside the traditional church setting to learn about their faith and worship together has tremendously increased. Read more
Developing People
3 ways to encourage your group members to serve
A
s a leader, you are actually in the people development business. Your role as leader is to motivate your group members to discover and start using their gifts and abilities to develop their own unique ministry design. There are three key ways you can help develop your group members: 1.
Start by doing a gift-discovery exercise as a group. If you’ve never done this and would like to, click here for more details.
2.
Model service yourself. A lot of your group members may not want to serve—yet. But if you show up with your own journey of discovering and use your gifts for service, they’ll be inspired to follow your example. They need to see that you too are developing. Your model is more important in this group than anything else that will be said or done in your meeting. So why not tell them the story of how you ended up leading this group? Tell them what it means to you to have an opportunity to serve God in this way. If you were reluctant to try it or you needed to develop your abilities over time, let them know that. And if you’re committed to serving God in some particular way right now, other than leading your group, let them in on that too. Don’t tell your story so it sounds like you’re a superhero. Let them see your human flesh, and God’s divine power.
3.
Affirm the strengths you see in your group members. If your group has been together for six weeks or more, they are already starting to notice each other’s strengths. Now let them hear from you—and each other—what those strengths are. So many people see all their weaknesses and none of their strengths. They need to hear what others see in them. So whatever you do, affirm. One good way to do this is by writing down their strengths on index cards or greeting cards and giving them to your members. Then ask other group members to do the same for each other.
Thanks for your faithfulness to enter the people development business. May God bless you in it.
Multiply the Good Life How to change the world by casting vision for your leaders. By Brett Eastman, Founder, Lifetogether, Inc.
Y
ears ago, John Kim began leading a men’s Bible study with just ten guys. The momentum of the group exploded, and before any of us knew it he had 60 men weekly meeting in his house. John helped orchestrate a church-wide campaign, which resulted in 35 more men’s groups. Soon, almost 200 men’s groups came under his care. John’s life was spiritually multiplied. There are solid principles, that follow the acrostic MULTIPLY, that have helped men like John and others to multiply exponentially the ministry under their care. Motivate them until it hurts. People are motivated by vision that is constantly and consistently placed before them by their leaders.
Helping others come to know this is one of the few things we can do here on earth. This is where the desire for multiplication starts: understanding it, believing it, and helping others catch the vision. Love them enough to let them go. To let the little chick fly, to let the butterfly go, to let the little one become all God has planned is an act of love. The truth is when people gather in smaller groups things happen. Everybody gets a chance to talk more – airtime is doubled. Vocal people tend to not dominate a group as much. Quiet people tend to talk a little bit more. Everybody feels loved and additional leaders are raised up naturally.
Throughout my years in the ministry I have seen ministries grow in ways I never thought possible. For example, a church I worked with had 7,000 adults at their weekend services, but only a couple hundred in groups. In a matter of eight weeks they were able to multiply the number of groups in their church to 350. New hosts were raised up and hundreds where assimilated into groups.
Let those you have raised up go so they can become all God has purposed.
Why? We cast a vision, and God provided exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we asked or even thought.
The leaders may be healthy, but are the members healthy? Go into each group and conduct a health assessment. See where everybody’s at in the area of evangelism. Seek the leader’s personal plan for the group by asking, “When are the people in your group going to multiply their spiritual life?”
Understand God’s heart for the world. It is God’s dream to find a shepherd for every one of his sheep. It is His lost sheep, above all else, that breaks the heart of God. As a caregiver, it is important you go back to your group of leaders and cast this vision: Jesus had a heart for people.
Transform lives, not just leaders. It is important to recognize that your job is not just to encourage other leaders. Your job is to look beyond the lives of the leaders into the members.
The ultimate goal for any small group is transformed lives. Changed lives reveal the glory of Christ, reaching out to change the lives of others. It’s not just about building or growing but actually changing
people from the inside out. Inspire your groups on a monthly basis. There are a number of different ways to accomplish this goal. One is by interacting with the leader of each group. Another is by visiting each group over the course of a three- or four-month period. If you interact with your groups more frequently they’ll begin to know and trust you. Remember the cliché, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” As a coach you are the representative of the church, so when you show up, either through a note, a call or a one-on-one meeting, it shows the pastor cares. Plan reunions and relationship easing opportunities. This is one of the greatest tools you have. When you pull together your leaders for this family reunion, ask what God is doing in their lives and the lives of their members as well as say thanks for taking a step of faith. When leaders come together for this time of celebration, young leaders are inspired by seasoned leaders to develop in their journey. Butch and his wife, Lisa, were coaches who cared for about 25 small groups. During one of these family reunions, we laid hands on them and prayed for them as they championed their small group community. After that night, God led them to recruit seven new coaches to care for the next wave of leaders. We ended up having 200 leaders under Butch and Lisa’s care. When people are about ready to multiply their group you want to show up as a coach and to pray for them. Send them off with a commission just like Christ did with his own disciples. List their circles of life. When you meet with your leaders have them
draw five circles on a piece of paper. Categorize the circles by family, friends, fellowship, firm (work arena), and fun. In each circle write down the name of someone who doesn’t know Christ or who would enjoy or benefit from being a part of a small group. Have each of your leaders commit to praying for the opportunity and boldness to invite those people to their group. You are God’s agent of change. There was a guy named John who encouraged me to get involved in my first group. He promised to help, coach, and shepherd me. And he did throughout my college years. He didn’t know it, but he planted the seed that resulted in me going into full-time Christian work. I am grateful that he was willing to multiply his life in mine. Now I have the privilege to do the same in the lives of others. Be an agent of change. The best is yet to come. God is still at work in your church, community, and your life. May He have His way with your heart, as the world around you changes as a result.
Transformation Takes Time How small group leaders cultivate spiritual growth. By Brett Eastman, Founder, Lifetogether, Inc.
O
ur small group, like most small groups, is comprised of people with varying degrees of Christian maturity. One lady arrived as a spiritual seeker. Within time, she committed her life to Christ and was baptized. The evening of her baptism was a special time for our small group, as we celebrated her decision and prayed with her. Both seasoned prayer warriors and new believers lifted up praises and petitions; new believers prayed out loud and learned that there is no right or wrong way to pray. Because of this one event, others deeply grew in their prayer life. Those who never would have prayed out loud when they first joined ended the year praying. That kind of spiritual growth is exciting, but it doesn’t happen immediately. Transformation takes time. Despite the tendency to want instant spiritual growth, hosts are there to help members grow stepby-step, sometimes inch-by-inch. How do you do it? Following the acrostic CULTIVATE, here are nine simple steps to get you started. Clarify the pathway of life. You need to begin with the end in mind. Ask, “What is the goal?” According to the Bible, the goal is to present every man and woman complete in Christ. There isn’t one person in your circle who doesn’t want to grow. Your role is to find
out how to move each member ahead. Jesus’ call is clear. He wants to move us from a seeker of Christ to a student in Christ who is studying the Word and growing in our faith. However, most people get stuck at the midway point. After we learn to be a student, Christ wants us to be a servant. Generally, 20 percent of
people jump into a servant role. Your job is to let the other 80 percent know that God calls every one of his people, according to his or her unique giftedness, to be a servant in the body of Christ. Then let them know that everyone is called to be a shepherd. We are not all called to be leaders, pastors, or teachers. Your challenge to
them is: “Follow me as I follow Christ.” You’re the one who’s done it, so lead them forward. Consider charting out where people are, and then help them see where God wants them to be. Start with yourself, and pray about where you need to grow. Understand your members’ spiritual goals and dreams. All of us have them and want to work on them. Challenge your members to find one thing God wants them to work on—they’ll know it once they ask God. Then ask them to write it down. It might be reading God’s word for the first time in their life, finding balance in their busy life, or finding an opportunity to serve or share Christ with a nonbeliever. You might use a health assessment to check their spiritual pulse. Once they are aware of what God is calling them to do, continue to challenge them in that area. Have them write down one tangible step they can take to begin to fulfill that dream. Listen for God’s heart for each person. You need to look for the moments when their eyes water, when they get fired up, or when they
lose interest. When you see such reactions, you know something is happening in their hearts. Listen beyond their eyes and their physical presence for what God might be doing deep in their soul. Here is your chance to help bring those heart-felt desires out. Transformation happens best through group discussion. The greatest transformation happens when you take the information from the teaching session and apply it. This doesn’t happen in groups of 8-20 people; you have to divide them into smaller discussion groups of 3-4 people. In smaller groups, individuals have more air time and more time for application of the truths from the lesson. Encourage them to share their goals. Expect them to achieve them together in their divided groups, and try to maintain the groups throughout the entire study. As Ecclesiastes says, two are better than one.
God is in the middle of that cord, helping people grow and move to the next level. Inspect that which you expect. If you cast out a spiritual challenge, like reading the Bible or taking on a new leadership role, write it down and continue to bring it back to focus at your small group meetings. You might ask somebody to keep track of those things that are more than prayer requests. Ask the group to praise God for the results of the first three weeks of working on their goal. Then ask them what one problem they are struggling with, and help them come up with a plan for overcoming it over the next few weeks. When you put them in pairs to discuss these goals, usually the discussion goes deeper and there is greater accountability. Validate every step. You need to say, “Hiphip-hooray!” and “That-a-boy! That-a-girl!” Don’t forget to affirm even the smallest of steps. One man brought a Bible to his small group, and the leader said, “Fantastic. Now you might want to read it.” Celebrate every step. Look for whatever progress there might be, and affirm them. As a group, you may agree to celebrate when someone shows progress— memorizing their first verse, praying out loud, reading a book of the Bible, or leading their first session. Your job is to ask, “Who is working on what, and how can we help you get to the next step?” Don’t forget to include yourself. Leaders are also on a spiritual journey. Ask whom they would like their spiritual partner/mentor to be. Nine out of ten Christians—and even spiritual
seekers—want to grow spiritually. But nine out of ten don’t know how to make it happen alone. You are the catalyst to help members find spiritual partners. Start with yourself, and ask someone in the group to be your partner for the next six weeks. Then ask the group whom they would like to partner with for the next six weeks. Ideally, men pair with men, and women with women. At the end of the meeting in which you pair them up, have them exchange e-mail addresses and spend some time setting goals and praying together. Encourage them to celebrate when they take steps in their spiritual journey. Remember, sheep need a shepherd, but shepherds need shepherds as well. Together you accomplish more than you could ever do alone. Shared goals make a difference. If you all stack hands and vow to do one ministry project together—just one over the course of six weeks—it will happen. Just ask your group what interests them and what the group could accomplish together. Then ask people to take on positions to start getting it done. Our group was moved to feed the homeless. We made a plan and then made barbecue chicken meals. Read more...
The Power of Community By Randy Frazee
Building a Culture for Community By: Bill Donahue
More than a Strategy When I ask pastors to describe their church’s community life many say, “We have small groups.” That’s like describing your family vacation to Europe by saying, “We’re taking an airplane.” It does not describe the experience you want to have or the environment you want to create. It simply defines one pathway for making the journey. Groups are an essential component of community life. But “having meetings” and “starting groups” will not guarantee a rich experience of community. You must also change your culture.
Video Preview of ‘Building a Culture of Community’
Many churches adopted the small group and evangelism strategies of para-church movements from the 1960-70’s. But in doing so we extracted the means (groups) from the culture (the university or military base) and wondered why groups didn’t work. We removed a community-centered, developmental disciple-making model (groups in a campus setting) and transplanted it into a program-centered, event-oriented culture designed for large gatherings (most churches.) But the patient rejected the transplant. Erwin McManus says it well.
“The problem in many of our congregations is not that we of a triune God who dwells in perfect oneness? We usually have chosen a wrong strategy… but that we have an unview the church redemptively but fail to view it relationally. healthy culture.” Indeed, we had created a cultural mismatch. Second, we must see leaders as shepherd-guides, as fellow sojourners into community. Many people could nurture a Changing the Culture While Building Group Life little community if we are willing to take the risks to empowFour culture changes must occur for any group-based miniser and support them along the way. There are more leaders try to thrive. First, we must change how we envision the local than you think. church. Are we simply having services and classes or are Third, let’s get past the “groups = meetings” mentality. Groups we a relational community reflecting the nature and activity are more than meetings. Groups are called to build relational community during and between formal meetings. And small groups thrive best when part of a mid-sized community of Author Bio 30-50. In this way a fuller expression of community life is Bill Donahue experienced, spiritual growth is pursued together, compassion is expressed to the needy, and the mission of the church Dr. Bill Donahue, Ph.D., is Presiis fulfilled. Fourth, instead of open chairs we connect people dent and Founder of The LeaderSync to community by living open lives. Initially we engage people Group whose mission is connecting in our neighborhoods, in social gatherings, for coffee, serving life-changing leaders with worldtogether, at services—wherever the Spirit is at work. And then changing opportunities. He is a popular conference speaker, prolific we invite them into the life-giving environment of a smaller author and strategic voice in areas group. of leadership development, group life, and vision clarity. Bill is also I spend my time now coaching catalytic leaders, churches co-Founder of The Communitas Network, helping church and group ministries through these cultural changes. And leaders build transformissional communities. I am encouraged by what I see. So, if you want to change the community dynamic of the church, change the culture. Bill has authored over a dozen books and training reWhere the culture is communal, groups thrive. Where the sources for leaders including the best-selling Leading culture is not relational, group life becomes just another proLife-changing Small Groups and Coaching Life-Changing gram on an already busy church calendar. Leaders (with Greg Bowman), the popular DVD training series ReGroup™ (with Henry Cloud and John Townsend), Build a culture for community and then watch your small and Building Biblical Community (with Steve Gladen). group strategy really begin to flourish. He resides in Dundee, Illinois with his wife Gail, son Ryan and daughter Kinsley.
Experiencing Christ Together in a Sunday School Setting S
unday school is one of the best places to begin building community in your church, and the many DVD and Small Group guides work in concert to help your Sunday school leadership team do it easily and effectively. Here is one way to use the DVD in a Sunday school class: • Moderator introduction: welcome the class, and read the Scripture passage for the session • DVD teaching segment: ten to fifteen minutes • Small group discussion: divide into small groups of eight to twelve and using the questions from the curriculum, discuss how the passage applies to each person in the class So often Sunday school consists of the star teacher with little involvement from others. To do this effectively means recruiting a host of people to participate in the Sunday school program. We recommend four teams: Moderators. These are the facilitators or leaders of the class. Their role is to transition the class through each step in the time together. For example, the moderator will welcome the class and open with prayer. In addition, he or she will introduce the DVD segment by reading the Scripture passage for the session. We recommend that you recruit several moderators. That allows you to rotate the moderators each week. Doing so takes the pressure off people to commit to every week of the class—and it offers more people opportunity for upfront leadership. One church recruited three sets of moderators (a total of six) because the Sunday school leaders wanted to use the curriculum for twelve weeks. They knew that out of twelve weeks, one set of moderators would, likely, burn out; it’s difficult for anyone to provide leadership for twelve straight weeks.
Discussion Guides. These are people who lead the follow-up discussion after the DVD teaching segment. If, for example, your Sunday school runs for an hour, you may want to plan on fifteen to twenty minutes for the DVD teaching segment and an additional twenty to thirty minutes in small group discussion afterward. One church recruited many of its seniors to lead the discussion groups. Some of them had felt excluded from ministry, and the role of discussion guide opened the door for them to serve. Each discussion guide needs only to read through the passage and the questions in each study guide for preparation. After the DVD teaching segment, the moderator of the class asks the discussion guides to stand up. Then, people circle their chairs around each discussion guide. It’s an easy way to create small groups each week. You may need to help some groups find more people or other groups to divide once more, if they end up too large. One church asked some of the discussion guides to move their groups into different rooms, because the seniors had a hard time hearing. Hospitality Coordinators. These are those who oversee the food and drink for the class. Some classes may not provide this, but for those who do, it’s important that multiple people join the team, so one or two people don’t burn out over the course of the class. Technical Coordinators. There’s nothing worse than a DVD player that doesn’t seem to work. Recruit at least one person to oversee making sure the DVD works each week. It’s best, though, to recruit two or three people, in order to rotate them throughout the Sunday school series. It’s important that the technical team has made sure the DVD player works before the class begins. One church decided to gather all the adult Sunday school classes together for a twelve-week series using the LIFE TOGETHER DVD and study guides. What happened was amazing—instead of Sunday school starting off with 140 people and ending up with half that many at the end of the fall, attendance stayed high the entire time. Instead of one Sunday school class being led by one or two teachers, more than thirty-five people were involved in some kind of leadership—as moderators, discussion guides, hospitality (food) coordinators, or technical coordinators. The fifteen-minute time at the beginning of Sunday school for coffee and snacks (fruit, coffee cake, etc.) proved just as valuable as the content portion! The fall program gave the church a new vision for how Sunday school can support the larger issue of spiritual formation and life change. For more ideas and practical tools to strengthen your small group ministry, go to www. lifetogether.com.
From Soloist to Choir How one church transformed its Sunday school ministry through small groups By: Brett Eastman
S
unday school is one of the best places to begin building community in your church, but often Sunday school consists of star teachers—and few people end up in leadership as a result. This is the story of how one church moved from a soloist (the rock-star Sunday school teacher) mentality to a choir (a host of people providing leadership) philosophy of Sunday school ministry.
their chairs around each fencepost, who then led the group in follow-up discussions. They also recruited more fenceposts each week than were needed, because, again, they knew that few would make all 12 Sundays. They wanted to spread out the work. What happened was amazing—instead of Sunday school starting off with 140 people and ending up
At Glen Ellyn Covenant Church in Glen Ellyn, IL, the vision and planning team decided that one of the first steps in implementing a new church vision was through the adult Sunday school program. For 12 weeks this fall, the entire adult Sunday school met in the church gym to watch the Doing Life Together DVD Teaching Series. Following the 20-minute DVD teaching clip, circled their chairs, people divided up into groups of 8 to 10, and then discussed the questions from the Doing Life Together study guides. The vision and planning team recruited three sets of moderators (three couples), who opened the Sunday school time with prayer and announcements and Scripture reading. They recruited three sets because they knew that out of 12 weeks, one set of moderators would, likely, burn out; it’s difficult for anyone to provide leadership for 12 straight weeks. After the introduction, which included reading the Scripture passage provided by the curriculum and DVD, the moderators transitioned into the DVD teaching clip. Each lesson was visually interesting and the speakers were outstanding. After the DVD teaching time, the moderators asked all the “fenceposts” to stand up. Twenty-five fenceposts— or discussion guides—had been recruited to lead the discussions following the teaching. So, people circled
with 70 or 80 at the end of the fall, attendance stayed high the entire time. Instead of one Sunday school class being led by one or two teachers, more than 30 people were involved in some kind of leadership—as a fencepost, as a moderator, or as a hospitality (food) coordinator. The 15-minute time at the beginning of Sunday school for coffee and snacks (fruit, coffee cake, etc.) proved just as valuable as the content portion! The fall program gave the church a new vision for how Sunday school can support the larger issue of spiritual formation and life change. Their purpose was to “do life together” as a congregation this fall, and the Sunday school portion was fully integrated in accomplishing what they set out to do.
Small Group University Small Group University provides a proven pathway to train new and existing small group leaders in any size church at any stage of their small group ministry.
Hosting Lifetogether Group Leaders Kit-DVD & Guide Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Lifetogether $24.95 (Your Price) Buy now
This 6-session DVD and companion study guide will provide the initial or in service small group leader/host training based on the 5 purposes. This series is perfect for new hosts training either in a classroom, coaching huddle or self paced online study. The package includes six video teaching sessions on DVD based on the five purposes, personal testimonies, and inspirational stories for your leaders to study on a daily basis.
Coaching Lifetogether Supervisors Kit-6 DVD’s & CD’s and Handbook Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Lifetogether $49.95 (Your Price) Buy now
The Coaching Lifetogether Training Series is the first DVD training series of its kind designed for experienced leaders and emerging small group coaches and community leaders in your church. This series will help recruit, train, and develop your leaders of leaders! This series shares proven strategies and transforming principles straight from the front lines of ministry. You will learn timely methods to apply timeless truths of coaching your new and existing small group leaders and their small groups. The 6 lesson series comes complete on DVD and CD and includes a 150 page comprehensive training handbooks.
Building Lifetogether in Your Church Ministry Kit (6 DVDs & Church Leaders Handbook) Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Lifetogether $79.95 (Your Price) Buy now
The Building Lifetogether Training Series is designed for a senior pastor, church leader, or volunteer small group champion helping to launch and lead a healthy small group ministry in your church. This 6-lesson series provides practical how-to’s for starting and sustaining your small groups. Whether you are trying to sustain the new groups you have recently begun or trying to multiply your existing small groups, Building Lifetogether will become your personal coach on how to get there. The 6 lessons come on both DVD and CD with 170-page training handbook.
Creating Your Own 40-Day Campaign Author: Brett Eastman Publisher: Lifetogether $63.99 (Your Price) Buy now
Create Your Own 40-Day Campaign is the first ever “40-Day” campaign training program for local churches. Designed to coach you and your campaign leadership team through the 10 major categories for hosing a successful church-wide campaign in your church. An excellent resource to help host your first custom church campaign or as a “plug-and play” companion to any off the shelf curriculum series. It comes complete with a 10 CD audio teaching Series and a bonus CD that includes hundreds of templates, files and transferable resources.
Bestselling Churchwide Campaigns The Love Dare Bible Study—Leader Kit Author: Michael Catt Publisher: Lifeway The Love Dare Bible Study Leader Kit helps a leader facilitate a marriage-centered Bible study experience for individuals and couples.
One Month to Live— Book and Study Guide Author: Kerry Shook Publisher: Random House, Inc Learn to make every minute count with the Shooks’ 30-day challenge.
Outlive Your Life Church Bible Study Kit Author: Max Lucado Publisher: Lifeway The Outlive Your Life Bible Study will challenge you to get off your knees, roll up your sleeves and start serving God in practical ways.
The Prodigal God, Curriculum Kit Author: Timothy Keller Publisher: Zondervan Using his characteristic intellectual approach to faith issues, Timothy Keller uncovers an unexpected message in the familiar---and often misunderstood---New Testament parable of the prodigal son.
Courageous DVD Church Campaign Kit Author: Michael Catt Publisher: B & H Publishing Group Courageous is the title of a 2011 movie about four law officers who discover leading a family takes even more bravery than fighting crime!
Old Testament Challenge Vol 1 Kit Author: John Ortberg Publisher: Zondervan Create a fresh enthusiasm for God’s Word in your congregation this year!
The Purpose Driven Life Curriculum Kit Author: Rick Warren Publisher: Zondervan Life Small Group Curriculum is a six-week, video-based small group study of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
The Story: Church Campaign Kit Author: Michael Catt Publisher: Lifeway There’s a new story unfolding. People in churches and in homes everywhere are experiencing God’s word in a whole new way.
Fearless Small Group DVD Kit and Extra Discussion Guide Author: N/A Publisher: Thomas Nelson Can you imagine your life without fear?Max Lucado presents six DVD sessions that offer hope and calm in a time of unprecedented fear in our nation and the world.
Where Do We Go From Here? Much could be said from the trenches of the campaigns... But after listening to some of the most successful small group champions they all boil things down to a few do’s and don’ts! Their thoughts on the “Do’s” are simple… 1. Do it again! “40 Days of Purpose is and was one of the most successful campaigns we have ever had in our church,” Scott Mawdesley from Christ Fellowship Church, Florida. Many churches are repeating or reviewing the campaign and many are using the new Doing Lifetogether DVD Teaching Series the second time through. Gary Kendall from Indian Creek Church in Kansas said “We went through 40 Days of Purpose a year ago but our people need to be reminded year after year. The “Beginning Lifetogether” DVD series allows for our people to hear six of the best authors and speakers in the country and it’s a great compliment to what I was teaching on the weekend. Read more…
Brett Eastman
Connecting Everyone
Steve Gladen Resources Pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church
Small Groups with Purpose Publisher: Baker Books $12.99 (Your Price) Buy now
This 6 DVD set and workbook will teach you the essentials of implementing a Small Group Ministry at your church.
Steve joined the staff of Saddleback Church (www.saddleback.com) in February of 1998 as Pastor of Small Groups, where he oversees the strategic launch and development of the small group community. Read more... http://www.smallgroups.net/
Leading Small Groups with Purpose Publisher: Baker Books $13.99 (Your Price) Buy now
This 6 DVD set and workbook will teach you the essentials of implementing a Small Group Ministry at your church.
Designing a Healthy Small Group Ministry DVD
Building Healthy Small Groups CD Set
This 6 DVD set and workbook will teach you the essentials of implementing a Small Group Ministry at your church.
Building Healthy Small Groups is for pastors and small group point people.
Small Group Leader Training Kit
DVD Small Group Leader Training
The Small Group Leader Training kit will help you train your small group leaders to balance the biblical purposes from the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.
In this 3 DVD and PDF workbook set Pastor Steve Gladen trains your Small Group leaders how to foster spiritually healthy small groups by balancing the Great Commission and Great Commandment in their groups.
Spiritual Health Assessment & Planner
Don’t Lead Alone CD Set
The Spiritual Health Assessment and Health Planner is the one tool that helps measure the level of spiritual health in the human heart and gives individuals an action plan to help people grow in their walk with Christ.
This will give your small groups the empowerment they need to get everyone in their small group involved. This is the easiest way for groups to get every one of their members to “own” the group. Steve Gladen’s on his Journey as a Small Group Champion
250 Big Ideas Book 250 Big Ideas offers small group leaders 250 innovative and proveneffective ideas to help cultivate the five purposes.
Premiere Small Group Episode 4
Episode 3
Episode I
Episode 2
doing
lifetogether membership
For Small Group Leaders $24.95
Click here to join
The Doing Life Together Membership Program is designed to cultivate a core group of small group leaders, co-leaders and ministry leaders a one year subscription to monthly downloadable content, newsletters and pre-recorded live coaching sessions, training seminars, author interviews throughout the year. For a limited time you can register for the Doing Life Together Membership for only $24.95 for an individual membership or you can receive an unlimited church license for only $99.95 per year. Join today and become on of the inaugural members to this exciting program.
Doing LIFE Together Membership Subscription Features include:
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
One complimentary subscription of the new Doing Lifetogether Magazine 6 free downloadable video training session 6 free downloadable companion print outlines Weekly Doing Lifetogether Today Newsletter One downloadable copy of the hosting Lifetogether leaders guide One downloadable copy of the coaching Lifetogether handbook Regular subscription to the bi-monthly Small Group TV show Regular subscription to the bi-monthly Small group show Electronic copy of the Small Group University Training Program Fully certified Small Group University content and courses Monthly electronic copies of selected small group curriculum Special Discounts to Small Group Conferences and Training Programs Live interviews and testimonies of Small Group Ministry leaders Monthly "Small Group Town Hall" meetings with Brett and other authors 6 Session Live basic small group leader training seminars 6 Session Live advanced training seminars Free downloadable small group resources And so much more...
doing
ministry together
membership For Small Group Ministry Leaders $99.95 The Doing Ministry Together Membership Program is designed to resource a growing community of small group ministry leaders seeking to start and sustain a healthy small group ministry in their church. Whether you are a Senior Pastor, Staff Member or volunteer church leader trying to champion small groups in your church this program is for you. The goal of this program will be to both resource you with the premier small group ministry CONTENT and provide you the ongoing COACHING needed to launch and lead a healthy growing small group ministry in your church that seeks to transform lives through community in order reach our communities for Christ. The New Doing Ministry Together Membership will include all the features delivered through the Doing Lifetogether Magazine and much more. The program will provide the opportunity to give and receive regular communication, latest ministry innovation, breaking small group news, ministry leader training programs, church success stories, churn campaign ideas, small group pastor interviews, and an unlimited library of free downloadable small group ministry resources. This resource truly can be the single most effective resource you will ever find to training your new or existing small group leaders. For a limited time you can register for the Doing Ministry Together Membership for only $99.95 for an individual membership or you can receive an unlimited church license for only $149.95 per year. Join today and become on of the inaugural members to this exciting program. All new members registering by August 28th will receive a free downloadable copy of the new Advanced Small Group Leader Training Course titled "Coaching Lifetogether --- How to Create a Healthy Small Group and Their Members" and receive FREE access to the upcoming LIVE 6 session tele-coaching training seminar hosted by Brett Eastman, the founder and President of Lifetogether. You or your leaders won't want to miss out on this exciting fall kick off event! Simply order your individual or church membership today and we will forward you the details on our free upcoming seminar.
Doing MINISTRY Together Membership Subscription Features include:
• Complete Doing Lifetogether Magazine Subscription • Complete Doing Lifetogether Membership Subscription • Unlimited access to our online video training programs for Small Group Ministry Leaders and their Groups • Electronic access to our entire set of word for word transcriptions of the entire leadership library—over 500 pages of training materials • Free registration to our LIVE small group ministry leader training course and full color downloadable materials • Complete access to our new small group ministry leader training materials, full color handbooks and companion teaching outlines • Complete download of the new full color Small Group Ministry Leaders Handbook, “Building Lifetogether: How to Build a Healthy Small Group Ministry in Your Church”
• Complete download of the new full color Advanced Small Group Leader Training Program, “Coaching Life Together: How to Build a Healthy Small Group and Their Members” • Regular broadcasts of the new “Small Group Show” from Steve Gladen and Brett Eastman • New fully certified “Small Group University” training course for Small Group Ministry Leaders, Directors and Coordinators • Live interviews with Small Group Movement leaders and Small Group Authors • Monthly “Small Group Town Hall” meetings with Brett and other Feature authors • Free Registration to our 6 Week Live Advanced Small Group Ministry Leader Training Course: Building Lifetogether • Free downloadable small group resources from your favorite authors and publishers • And of course much more throughout the year...
Call 1-800-609-8709 or E-mail Jamesbaldwin@lifetogether.com
Ministry and Publishing Partners Publishing Partners Ministry Partners
Produced Authors • Erwin McManus
• Mark Mittelberg
• Kay Warren
• Steve Stroope
• John Ortberg
• John Baker
• Kay Arthur
• Bill Cornelius
• Chip Ingram
• Dave Stone
• Todd Hunter
• Dave Gibbons
• Carl George
• Bruce Wilkinson
• Steve Douglas
• Joe Stowell
• Josh McDowell,
• Stomie Omartian
• Karen Kingsbury
• Anne Ortlund
• Chuck Colson
• Tony Campollo
• Henry Cloud
• Bob Coy
• Nancy Beach
• Tim Keller
• Mike Breaux
• Max Lucado
• Randy Alcorn
• Randy Frazee
• Tom Holladay
About The Author Brett Eastman served as the Small Group Champion at Saddleback Church and Willow Creek Community Church for over a decade. Brett has produced and either authored or co-authored over 200 small group curriculum series including the bestselling Purpose Driven Small Group curriculum, Doing Lifetogether published by Zondervan, which has sold over 3,000,000 copies. He also was the primary designer behind the 40 Days of Purpose Campaigns that fueled over 25,000 churches around the world. He also wrote and produced the first Purpose Driven small group series for Rick Warren that influenced the development of over 50 small group series to date. Brett received a B.A. in Marketing from San Diego State University. He then worked in technology and training in the Silicon Valley, partnering with companies like Apple, Xerox and Novell. He later earned his Masters of Divinity degree from the graduate school of Biola University, Talbot School of Theology and received a Management Certificate from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. In 1989 Brett founded Lifetogether, a ministry committed to championing the small group movement around the world. Brett has produced award-winning resources for the top 100 Churches and Christian Ministries Today. Some of the publishing partners include Zondervan, Tyndale, Baker Books, Thomas Nelson, Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, Serendipity, Purpose Driven Ministries, David C. Cook, just to name a few. Dee Eastman is the real hero in the family, who, after giving birth to Joshua and Breanna, gave birth to identical triplet girls— Meagan, Melody, and Michelle. Dee is the Director of the Daniel Plan at Saddleback Church and co-leader “The Journey” a women’s Bible Study at Saddleback Church. The Eastman’s live in Las Flores, California.