Research on Fandom, Small Groups, and 3 Implications for Church Leaders
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has a funny bit where he pokes fun at us sport’s fans. He says that because players are constantly changing teams, we are not really loyal to players as much as we are loyal to the clothes the players are wearing. Sport’s fans are essentially rooting for laundry, that we are standing […]
Small Groups, Rebar, and Culture Blindness
The following post is by Michael Kelley. is an author, editor, and communicator whose works include Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal and Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life. Born in Texas, Michael holds a Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala. Michael and his wife have three children and live in […]
3 Things You Miss When Your Groups Aren’t Aligned
The following post is by Brandon Hiltibidal, and it originally appeared on LifeWay’s Church Leaders blog. Brandon is a former church planter and multi-site pastor. He is part of the Groups Ministry team at LifeWay Christian Resources. He and his wife have two little girls. You can read about his groups ministry and his girls on Twitter: @bmhiltibidal. […]
The Unconnected in Your Church
On Christmas day, some neighbors in a small town in Illinois were surprised to discover that one of their neighbors, Sunatha Simmons, had died. Not only did they learn of her death, but they also learned that she had been dead in her home for more than a year. Her family came to visit from […]
Trade-Offs on Where Your Groups Meet
Michael Porter has famously said that strategy is about making choices, about making trade-off decisions. As an example, IKEA is known for making the trade-off decision of offering great prices over offering great service. It is not that they de-value service, but they have chosen to value “low cost” more. This strategic choice impacts organizational […]
The Trade-Off Discussion: On-Campus and Off-Campus Groups
Michael Porter is a well-known expert on strategy. Porter has articulated “strategy is about making choices, trade-offs.” An effective strategist thus understands the landscape and deliberately chooses a path with awareness and understanding of the trade-offs. A leadership team that is strategic is able to say, “Here are the potential benefits and the potential pitfalls […]
How People Grow…in Groups
In Transformational Discipleship, we unpacked the important relationship between truth, posture, and leaders. God brings about transformation as godly leaders apply the truth to our hearts while we are in a teachable posture. Truth: The Lord transforms us, sanctifies us, through His truth—and His Word is truth (John 17:17). The truth of the gospel and […]