LifeWay

Group Ministry

Conversations on Group Practices

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 104: Secular Disciple Makers

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:06 — 41.5MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian, Chris, and Brandon discuss secular disciple makers and what we can learn from them as we become better disciple makers for Jesus.

Secular Disciple Makers Discussed:

  • MaryKay Ash
  • Steve Jobs
  • Phil Knight
  • Elon Musk
  • Steph Curry
  • Lebron James
  • Walt Disney

This Episode’s Sponsor: Feeling unequipped for marriage ministry? Woo Marriage is here to help. Backed by research and designed with your church in mind, Woo Marriage provides Christ-centered marriage coaching for your entire church. Get your first month free with offer code LEADERSHIP at WooMarriage.com/FreeTrial.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Leading Small Groups: How to Gather, Launch, Lead and Multiply your Small Group.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 103: Reid Smith on Soul Care

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:40 — 42.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brandon talk to Reid Smith about the importance of soul care for ourselves and the leaders we serve.

Reid Smith serves as the Director of Communities of Purpose for the Small Group Network and has been a Pastor of Groups at Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach County, FL since 2008. He has been equipping leaders in churches of all sizes and stages of growth for effective disciple-making since 1996. Reid has been a contributing author for Christianity Today’s smallgroups.com, LifeWay’s Ministry Grid, and he developed small group training for the North American Mission Board’s Send Network. One of the ways he expresses his love for helping leaders start and multiply healthy groups throughout their churches is through www.reidsmith.org.

Questions asked:

  • Ministry isn’t easy. 80% of pastors feel discouraged (more so for their spouses!), 71% of pastors stated they were burned out and battle depression on a weekly, even daily basis. Only 1 out of 10 ministers actually retire as a minister. Soul-care is obviously vital. What, in essence, is “soul-care”?
  • Practically-speaking, how can we be proactive about our own soul-care to ensure we’re healthy and effective in ministry for the long-haul?
  • What are the biggest threats to soul-care and how do you overcome them?
  • What’s most challenging for you in your personal soul-care?
  • What do you look for in potential coaches?
  • Many leaders see the value of coaching, but they’ve had a hard time making it work. Why do you think that is?
  • Give us a picture of success. Ideally, what does healthy coaching look like? How do you encourage it?

Quotes:

If you have been in ministry for some time, you have probably battled with burnout or depression.

Soul care is addressing a person’s inner world that is largely hidden from other people.

When we are spiritually healthy, our ministry can be sustainable and strong.

Bring others around you that will be lifting you up in prayer.

The enemy wants to take you and your family out.

Replenish yourself on a regular basis. Find out what fills your tank and do it.

Don’t try to please everyone and do everything yourself.

I have to constantly remind myself of things that are true.

The second time that I got run down, I didn’t feel it.

Coaches are the lynchpin for knowing that your group life is healthy.

Relationships have to take priority over the reporting.

This Episode’s Sponsor: Feeling unequipped for marriage ministry? Woo Marriage is here to help. Backed by research and designed with your church in mind, Woo Marriageprovides Christ-centered marriage coaching for your entire church. Get your first month free with offer code LEADERSHIP at WooMarriage.com/FreeTrial.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Leading Small Groups: How to Gather, Launch, Lead and Multiply your Small Group.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 102: Dhati Lewis

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:09 — 40.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brian talk to Pastor Dhati Lewis about discipleship in an urban context.

Dhati Lewis is the Lead Pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta, Georgia and the Executive Director of Community Restoration with the North American Mission Board. He was born and raised in California and later moved to Texas where he completed his undergraduate studies from the University of North Texas. He later earned his master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and his Doctorate of Ministry in Great Commission Mobilization from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

During his time in Texas, he started a college ministry, served as a chaplain to UNTs football team, coached high-school football, became a college pastor, and eventually planted a church. In all these years of ministry, Dhati became increasingly burdened to see healthy disciple-making churches in the city. This burden grew until the Lord gave Dhati a clear vision to plant a church-planting church in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2009, Dhati, along with twenty-five others, moved to Atlanta with the goal to become the last generation of believers who have to leave the urban context in search of sound discipleship.

Dhati is is most passionate about making disciples, equipping urban leaders, and loving his family. He is the author of both the Bible Study and book, Among Wolves: Disciple Making in the City.

Questions asked:

  • What have you learned about disciple-making within an urban environment?
  • What has been most challenging for Blueprint in developing such a unique group ministry?
  • In addition to pastoring Blueprint Church in Atlanta, you are also the VP of the Send Network at NAMB. What is the aim of Send when it comes to equipping churches for discipling their cities?
  • Tell us about the four D’s strategy that your church uses in its discipleship strategy.
  • How do your missional communities use the Venn Diagram of God’s Story, Your Story, Our Story, and The City’s Story?
  • I understand that you have a wall with every church member’s name on it and how they are connected to a missional community. How did that start, and how is it used on a regular basis?

Quotes:

We wanted to be a church that plants churches.

Our part of the city is the cornerstone of gentrification in the south.

A call to membership is a call to discipleship.

Discipleship is not a ministry, it is the ministry.

The misconception is that Christianity has been reduced to conferences, concerts, and church services.

When you create environments where everyone belongs and matters, then they are bringing their giftedness.

We tend to go find the latest book or resource and copy and paste in the church.

God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Leading Small Groups.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 101: Jared Musgrove

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:53 — 39.8MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris talk to Jared Musgrove about how small groups are changing at The Village Church.

Dr. Jared Steven Musgrove is Groups Pastor and an elder serving The Village Church in Flower Mound TX where he orchestrates Home Groups & Recovery Groups. He earned his B.A. in journalism from The University of Oklahoma, his Master of Divinity in preaching from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his Doctorate of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has directed small group discipleship environments in parachurch and local church contexts for over 16 years.

Jared is a contributor to For The Church, Baptist21.com, PreachingSource.com,and LifeWay Groups and serves on boards for Southwestern Seminary and Beta Upsilon Chi. He teaches regularly on groups ministry in various venues, but particularly through the Community Leadership Cohort for groups and discipleship pastors. He is the author of the forthcoming small group guide to B&H Academic’s Superheroes Can’t Save You: Epic Examples of Historic Heresies. Jared is most of all the proud husband of Jenny and father of Jordan and Joshua. You can follow him on Twitter at @jsmusgrove and find out more about the Community Leadership Cohort at leadershipcohort.org.

Questions asked:

  • What is changing in Groups ministry at The Village these days as opposed to what you guys have done for the last 15 years?
  • What biblically clicked for you a few years ago in regard to small groups? Particularly being on staff at a mega-, multisite church?
  • Tell us about the Community Leadership Cohort you guys are starting. What makes it different?

Quotes:

Multisite kind of happened to us and we jumped on that train.

The goal for multisite for us was these campuses would eventually become autonomous churches. It was a long-term church planting strategy.

We decided to collaborate together and send these brand new campuses off in style. It was great for us in groups.

Jesus ministered almost exclusively in homes as he got closer to the crucifixion.

The calling of Abraham in Genesis 12 led to small groups who were ministering to one another.

Those 59 one another passages come up informed by Jesus, taught by the apostles, and have missional output.

You have to have a place to learn your Bible, and you have to have a place to live your Bible. That is in our Home Groups.

This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Leading Small Groups.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 100: Rick Howerton

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:47 — 49.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this special anniversary episode of Group Answers, Chris, Brian, Brandon, and special guest Rick Howerton, talk about the history and future of the Group Answers podcast.

This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Leading Small Groups.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 99: Kevin Queen and Dave Clayton

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:04 — 48.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brian sit down with Pastors Kevin Queen and Dave Clayton to talk about community at every level of leadership.

Kevin Queen is a husband, father, pastor, and communicator. Born and raised in the Atlanta area, he’s a graduate of the University of Georgia, New Orleans Seminary, and Bethel Seminary. Before joining Cross Point’s staff in August 2017, Kevin served for 14 years on staff at 12Stone Church, a large multi-site church with 8 campuses in Metro Atlanta. During his last 10 years at 12Stone, he served as both a Campus Pastor and Teaching Pastor.

Dave Clayton is a disciple, husband, and dad to 3 young boys. Along with his wife, he planted and helps lead Ethos Church, a young, urban church in Nashville, TN that is passionate about reaching the lost, serving the poor, and releasing ordinary people to plant churches all over the world. In addition, he is the founder and lead visionary for Onward, a global family of leaders who are committed to making disciples and planting churches across the world and Awaken Nashville, a city-wide movement unifying churches in strategic initiatives of prayer and fasting in the greater Nashville area.

Questions Asked:

  • Kevin and Dave, give us a brief overview of your churches and how they and you came to be there?
  • Why is pastoring such a lonely world? After all, you are up in front of 1000’s every week.
  • Why are church leaders afraid to build community with other church leaders?
  • What does your community look like? How important is it for your church members to see a healthy model?
  • Tell us about the recent 30-day fasting and prayer movement, Awaken.
  • Kevin, you are a student of revivals. What are the next steps toward a city-wide revival in Nashville?

Quotes:

When we are known and loved, that’s what God does.

We wonder, “If I shared that, would I truly be loved?”

As pastors, we are often ghosted in our past. People naturally leave your church and it leaves wounds on your heart.

If an average person sitting in my congregation has to fight against the current of isolation, I have to fight twice as hard.

Are we going to build fans, or are we going to build a family? If we are going to build a family, getting hurt has to be a part of it.

The world is full of friends that I haven’t met yet.

What we’re praying for is what we’re looking for, and what we’re looking for we tend to find.

I had to first see my own heart. It’s easy to be so disconnected from my own heart.

Now that I’ve seen what’s in my heart, I have to share it with people I trust.

I want to be the chief follower of Jesus, not the best leader in the room.

This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Leading Small Groups.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 98: Leading Small Groups

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:15 — 34.8MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris talk about Chris’ new book, Leading Small Groups: How to Gather, Launch, Lead and Multiply your Small Group.

Questions:

1. Small Groups for the Rest of Us came out in 2015, why did you write Leading Small Groups now?

2. Who is Leading Small Groups primarily for?

3. What do you see at the biggest barrier to someone becoming a small group leader?

3. Walk us through the four stages of leading a small group: Gathering, Launching, Leading & Multiplying.

4. Which stage is the most difficult for a small group leader to navigate?

5. How can a church leader best use this book in training his group leaders?

6. Are there other resources available to go with the book?

Click here for the Leading Small Groups training videos.

This Episode’s Sponsor: One of the greatest predictors of a disciple’s spiritual growth is regular Bible reading. That’s why LifeWay created the Daily Discipleship Guide. To download four free sessions of the Daily Discipleship Guide, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/DDG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 97: Greg Surratt

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:32 — 33.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brian welcome Pastor Greg Surratt to the podcast. Greg is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church, which was planted with the goal of reaching unchurched people in the Charleston area. Greg led Seacoast as it grew from one campus to many, as Seacoast became one of the first churches to pioneer the multi-site approach to the weekend experience. Greg is the president and co-founder of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), which is a global church-planting initiative that has established 804 churches worldwide since its founding in 2000. He is the author of the book IR-REV-REND, as well as a contributor for Outreach Magazine, Ministry Today magazine, and Charisma Magazine. Greg is married to his childhood sweetheart, Debbie, and together they have 4 children and 14 grandchildren. He enjoys photography, fishing, golfing, and rooting for the Cubs,Broncos and Gamecocks.

Questions:

  • Your latest book, Re-Visioning, is kind of a story about the life of Seacoast Church. What led you to write it at this point?
  • You were able to do something that seems extremely rare these days, pass off the leadership of a mega-church successfully without any kind of scandal. What do you credit that to?
  • How important were small groups through the years of evolving ministry at Seacoast? How important is it for you personally to be in community?
  • For all of the small groups and discipleship point people that listen to our podcast, how can they best support their senior pastor?
  • Through your work with the ARC now, you have the opportunity to spend time with and pour into the lives of a lot of young pastors. What is the biggest advice you give them about successfully making it to the finish line?

Quotes:

The book is about keeping your vision fresh through every stage of the journey. Life, church and sheep will knock it out of you.

These are lessons and principles that have been accumulating through a lifetime of ministry. It’s the right time to share it.

There were some fun times, but there were also some incredibly painful ones.

The story is still being written for all of us. My prayer every day is I want to finish well.

Around year four, the first couple with gray hair showed up at church.

You can’t build the church for the next generation, but what you can do is build the leaders for the next generation. – Chip Judd

Small group was a part of what we did from the beginning, but became even more important as we grew.

Seacoast was the slowest growing mega-church on the planet.

The best thing you can do for your leader is be a low-maintenance, high-impact person.

This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Gridvideo features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us.

Group Answers Podcast, Uncategorized

Group Answers Episode 96: Summer and Groups

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:56 — 37.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian, Chris, and Michael discuss how to take advantage of the extra margin during summer to be more present for your family and small group.

Article Discussed:

Dad’s, Don’t Waste Your Summer

Discussion Points:

  • Plan ahead
  • Continue to disciple
  • Plan fun events
  • Do a missional activity

This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Gridvideo features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us.

Group Answers Podcast

Group Answers Episode 95: J.D. Greear

By

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:01 — 44.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris talk to Pastor J.D. Greear about his new book and Bible study, Gospel Above All. J.D. is pastor of The Summit Church, the 62nd president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and cohost of the Ask Me Anything Podcast.

Questions:

1. What motivated you to write this book and make this the cornerstone of your presidency? 

2. Gospel Change, Gospel Multiplication, Gospel Mission, Gospel Grace, Gospel Community, Gospel Victory. Why these specific topics?

3. As we talk about The Gospel Above All, tell us what a group can gain from engaging this message and why it is important for everyone — not just pastors and leaders.

4. What are some traps a church, and maybe even small groups, can find itself in (placing other things above the gospel) and how can this book and study speak to some of those things?

5. One of the chapters in the book, and also a full session in the Bible study, engages the tension we’re seeing more and more in the Gospel and politics. We’re in a very divisive age when it comes to politics. What’s the church’s role in politics, and what are some ways a church can view the gospel above politics?

6. Tell us about your experience with the video shoot, the weather, managing schedules with Veronica, and what you learned from this adventure but also spending time with people like David Platt, Greg Laurie, Rosaria Butterfield, Vance Pitman, Walter Strickland, Jen Wilkin, Kevin Smith, and Al Mohler.

Quotes:

A burden for our church has been thinking about the gospel as being above everything else that we are committed to and everything else that defines us.

The gospel was more important to Paul then anything else he could be about.

What ought to be a gospel people. When people think about us, they should think about the gospel.

There is literally nothing I could do with the 99 that brings Jesus as much joy as going after the one with the gospel.

When the gospel is at work within you, it is going to multiply.

Ordinary believers make disciples.

39 out of the 40 miracles in the New Testament took place outside the church.

An idol becomes an idol because it’s a good thing that takes on too much weight our lives.

We love to swap out gospel for religion.

This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Gridvideo features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.

 

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in LifeWay’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at LifeWay and author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us.

All Ministry Sites

Pastors
Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Digital Resources

Ministry Grid
LifeWay Worship
Digital Church
KidEvent Pro
MyCurriculum Manager
Simulcast Manager
LifeWay Reader eBooks
Generosity
WORDsearch
SmallGroup.com

LifeWay Network

LifeWay Research
B&H
Ridgecrest