Steve’s Tips – October 2009

by Steve Gladen

The key to health in a small group is balance of the biblical purposes. Here are some suggestions to pass along to your Small Group Leaders.

FELLOWSHIP – Never cancel a meeting due to the number of people who might be absent. Remember that every single meeting is a divinely arranged appointment for you to minister God’s grace and love to whomever He brings. If just a few people show up for your meeting, be sensitive to their needs. Don’t hesitate to tailor your lesson and/or group time to the few who show up. Appreciate the opportunity that this smaller group gives you to get to know each other better.

DISCIPLESHIP – Plan a weekend group walk though a park or along a nature trail. Decide on a time and location. Encourage group members to take along a Bible and even a lawn chair or blanket. When everyone arrives, instruct each person to go off separately and be alone with the Lord for an hour. When everyone returns to the meeting place, ask for volunteers to talk about their experiences. What did they realize about the value of this time? What did they sense God was saying to them? How hard was it to be quiet, and to focus on the Lord? How might this experience help you develop a regular time?

MINISTRY – Which group member has a neighbor with a need? Perhaps the yard could use work, some baby-sitting would be helpful, or the car could be washed and waxed. Meet that need, whatever it is – and be sure to take along some cookies or brownies when you put your love into action.

EVANGELISM – We human beings have a God-given responsibility to take care of the earth (Genesis 1-2). Spend some time talking about what that stewardship assignment means. Then, to put into practice what you’ve learned, be good stewards of the planet by doing one of the following:

• pick up litter along a highway or in a park
• plant a group garden and share in the work as well as in the produce
• start compost by recycling vegatable wastes (rinds, peels, pulp, and seeds)
• recycle newspapers, plastic, paper and aluminum and use the cash for a mission project

WORSHIP – Ask group members to bring a favorite worship CD to a meeting. Take turns sharing a much-loved song. Encourage group members to either sing along or to enjoy a quiet time of worship as they follow along with the words. Never be afraid to include music or singing in your group time.

For more ideas like these, read 250 Big Ideas for Purpose Driven Small Groups by Steve Gladen. More ideas next month!

 

Steve Gladen is the founder of the Purpose Driven Small Group Network and Pastor of Small Group Community at Saddleback Church.

Steve’s Tips – November 2009

By Steve Gladen

Pass these suggestions along to your Small Group Leaders to promote health and balance in your small group.

FELLOWSHIP – Give each person a list of all of the group members. Ask them to take the list home, spend some time in prayer, and then finish the sentence: “What you bring to the group is…” for each person listed. Remind the group members to bring the list with them to the next meeting. At that meeting, go around the circle and have each of the group members read what they wrote about a particular person. Then go around the circle again for the next person listed. Repeat until everyone has been read to. It will be a great encouragement for each person to hear what a blessing he or she is to the other group members.

DISCIPLESHIP – Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) tells us, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by deceitfulness.” Read this verse to your group, emphasizing the phrase “encourage one another daily”. Then challenge the people in your group to find a day in the coming week when they can encourage twenty different people. Talk about the experience at your next meeting.

MINISTRY – Use connections in your small group or the larger church family to find the name and address of someone serving in the military. Then be creative as you put together a care package to send to that person. Be sure to include a note letting that person know that you are praying for him or her. Also, if that person is separated from family, consider serving the family in some way as well.

EVANGELISM – The football season is a great time to start a men’s seeker group. Enjoy the games together and then, when the season is over, keep meeting, but for a different purpose (In the aftermath of the season, depending on your team, you may find yourself leading a grief recovery group!). Build on the bonds formed during football games and continue to meet and nurture these relationships. Even before the football season is over, you might invite the wives to join the meetings. If they join during the season, they may want to watch the game, or they may want to do something else with the other wives until after the play-offs. This might be a chance for the women to get together to do some Christmas shopping.  After the season the women could form a group that meets at the same time as the men’s group.

WORSHIP – Before moving into your prayer time, set the mood of the room by dimming the lights or softly playing some instrumental music in the background. These small acts can help the people in your small group quiet their hearts and focus on the Lord.

For more ideas like these, read 250 Big Ideas for Purpose Driven Small Groups by Steve Gladen. More next month!

Steve Gladen is the founder of the Purpose Driven Small Group Network and the Pastor of Small Group Community at Saddleback Church.

Steve’s Tips – September 2009

by Steve Gladen

Looking for some tips to help balance your small groups? Pass these suggestions on to your leaders: 

FELLOWSHIP – Put together a scrapbook that traces the history of your small group. Include pictures of regular meetings as well as holiday parties, service projects, church events, and whatever else you’ve done together. The scrapbook is a great way to see how your group has grown and reached out to others. Be sure to review the book together anytime your group is about to give birth to a new group, or gathers with a group that had spun off earlier. 

DISCIPLESHIP – Bring a plant to your group and set it in the middle of the room. Talk about the similarities between the growth and health of a plant and the growth and health of a Christian. Also ask, “Who is spiritual fertilizer for your growth? Who is it that makes you want to grow in your knowledge of the Bible, grow to become more like Christ, or grow in your Christian service in the world?” At the end of the group meeting, give the plant away to someone who has contributed to the growth of other group members. 

MINISTRY – In 1 Corinthians 12:18 (NLT) we read, “But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it.” And every single person who is part of the body of Christ is important. Have your group select a person who works faithfully behind the scenes in your church. Write notes of encouragement letting that person know that even though his or her service is often unseen, it does not go unnoticed by you, or more importantly, by God. 

EVANGELISM – Your group can reach around the world with Christ’s love by sponsoring a child in a developing country. Your monthly support will provide the child with food, clothing, and education. As a group, take time to pray for and write letters to the child as well. Contact World Vision at www.worldvision.org or Compassion International at www.compassion.com for more information. 

WORSHIP – Have someone in the group slowly read Psalm 23 aloud, and emphasize the personal pronouns in the passage. In the first line, for example, the reader would say, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Encourage group members to close their eyes and try to picture in their minds the rich images of these verses. Silently worship Jesus, your shepherd! 

For more ideas like these read 250 Big Ideas for Purpose Driven Small Groups. More next month! 

Steve Gladen is the Pastor of the Small Group Community at Saddleback Church and founder of the Purpose Driven Small Group Network

Steve’s Tips – August 2009

by Steve Gladen

Looking for some tips to help balance your small groups? Pass these suggestions on to your leaders:

FELLOWSHIP – Have group members share a brief account of their spiritual journey. These stories are a great way to get to know each other better. The stories can also prompt group members to extend compassion, patience, and love to one another.

DISCIPLESHIP – Ask the entire group to read the same passage(s) during their daily quiet time this week. For example, you might consider having them read John 17 each day for five days. Encourage them to read slowly and to take notes on what they observe and what insights God gives them. The next time your group meets, read that passage out loud and ask people to share some of their thoughts with the group.

MINISTRY – A servant does whatever needs to be done. So talk to your group about taking on a project at your church that no one else really wants to do. After the group has agreed to get their hands dirty, contact your pastor or a staff member to determine what project to tackle. Depending on the project, this could be a great opportunity to involve your kids in ministry as well.

EVANGELISM – Invite some seeker friends to enjoy a barbecue with your group. Encourage each group member to invite at least one friend. Keep the time together light and fun. Make sure to be sensitive to them as you plan your evening. This would probably not be the time, for instance, for thirty minutes of prayer! Your guests will undoubtedly notice your camaraderie and perhaps be curious about your group. If they seem interested, invite them to check out the group at the next meeting.

WORSHIP – Plan a group prayer walk. Pick a route and have your group pray together as you walk. Notice your surroundings as you walk and use what you see as direction for your prayers.

For more ideas like these read 250 Big Ideas for Purpose Driven Small Groups.  More next month!

Steve Gladen is Pastor of the Small Group Community at Saddleback Church and founder of the Purpose Driven Small Group Network.

Steve’s Tips – July 2009

The key to health is balance. This is true in everyday life as well as group life. Balance of the Biblical purposes ensures group health.

Here are a few ideas for groups to take steps in each of the five purposes.

FELLOWSHIP: Pass out graph paper to the group members.  Ask them to first make a timeline of their life along the bottom of the paper and then to indicate with a graph whether the events were high points, low points, or somewhere in between.  Have each member take a minute to share their “life line,” holding it up for others to see.

DISCIPLESHIP: Pass out a piece of paper to each person in the group. Have each person list the top ten qualities of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Ask people to share their answers with the group. Record the ideas on a piece of butcher paper that everyone can read, and see if you can reach consensus on the top ten.

MINISTRY: Take some extra Bibles to your group meeting so that everyone in the group will have a Bible. Have your group open their Bibles to the gospels (You might even assign a different group to each of the four gospels). List together all the times that Jesus modeled servanthood. Take time to read some passages aloud. Close with a discussion of what we can do to be servants in our home, church, place of business, and neighborhood.

EVANGELISM: Take construction paper, scissors, and markers to a group meeting. Ask everyone to develop a list of friends who need to know Christ. Then have them use the supplies you brought to make a Bible bookmark that will remind them to pray for the people whose names they write down.

 In the weeks that follow, encourage group members to use their reminders and pray for those people on their list.  Once every month or so, you might ask members to report on any new interest in spiritual things or even a new commitment to Christ made by the people they listed

WORSHIP: Start your group at about 9 p.m. on a Friday night.  Create a special room for the kids to all sleep in.  Provide sleeping bags and plenty of pillows. Have your regular group meeting with the adults.  Know that without time restrictions, prayer will move at a more relaxed pace.  After the study, have a midnight snack break.  Next, encourage each group member to lead a half-hour prayer session.  After that or around 5:00 a.m., whichever comes first, have a time for praise reports and then celebrate God’s goodness with a group breakfast. This is an event that your kids will remember, and it will model for them a real commitment to prayer.

For more ideas like these read 250 Big Ideas for Purpose Driven Small Groups.  More next month!

Steve Gladen is Pastor of the Small Group Community at Saddleback Church and founder of the Purpose Driven Small Group Network.

Steve’s Tips – June 2009

by Steve Gladen

The key to health is balance. This is true in everyday life as well as group life.  Balance of the Biblical purposes ensures group health.

FELLOWSHIP: Ask one or two people to share how the Lord worked in their lives during the previous week.  It is always inspiring to hear what God is doing in people’s lives.  These stories will encourage group members to consider how God is working in their own lives. These stories are just as important for the people in your group who are not yet believers. They need to know that God is active in our lives in very real, very personal ways.

DISCIPLESHIP: Have group members talk about the person in their life who has had the greatest spiritual impact on them. Why was that person such an important influence? What was it about that person’s character, words, or actions that sparked spiritual growth?

MINISTRY: As a group, list people who serve in your church. You might want to group them by ministry. Then spend some time praying for these faithful servants. Afterwards, ask each group member to choose one or two different people from the list and write them a note of encouragement on behalf of your group. Provide paper and pens so that the note writing definitely happens.

EVANGELISM: Find a family in the community who needs some work done on their home. Gather for a Saturday work party and help with yard work, housecleaning, or painting. Have someone in the group (or someone from another group) bring lunch over for you and the host family to enjoy together (You may want to work just in the morning and call it a day after lunch). Explain that this project is an act of love from your small group and church.

WORSHIP: It’s harder to forget God’s abundant blessings and it’s easier to avoid the sense that he is distant when we keep a prayer journal. After all, that sense that God is far away usually comes because, like the Israelites, we forget all that God had one in our lives and in our group’s life. But writing down our prayer requests, and later noting when and how God answered our prayers, helps us remember God’s faithfulness. Of course, we know that he never leaves us or forsakes us, we are forgetful creatures. Periodically ask group members to bring their journals to the small group meeting for a night of sharing.

For more ideas like these read 250 Big Ideas For Purpose Driven Small Groups. More next month!