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Church Leadership
September 19, 2019

Links We Love

By Group Ministry

The Simplest Way to Grow Your Love of the Bible – Michael Kelley

Here is an expression that, even if you don’t use it, I believe will resonate with you if you’re a Christian: I want, to want… “Wanting to want” means this: It means that as Christians, we are to have a different value system than that of the world. We are to value things that, in the eyes of the world, might often look like a waste of time. We are to make eternal kingdom investments rather than spending our time, finances, and emotional energy on earthly things.

3 Things for Christian Parents to Remember When Their Kids Play Sports – LifeWay Men

Here we are again – another season starting up. For our family, it’s basketball. I suppose it could be any number of other sports for you and your kid especially with year round travel leagues and all. Because the season is starting up, it’s time for me to remind myself of a few things. The reason I need to be reminded is because I see the tendency in myself to be “that dad.”

Answering 5 Questions about Starting a Bible Study – LifeWay Women’s Ministry

Starting a Bible study group can be intimidating. If you’re considering starting a small group Bible study, you probably have many questions swirling around in your head, like: What Bible study or Bible passage should I choose? Whom should I invite to participate? Can I even lead a Bible study? What preparations need to take place? Does my pastor need to know? Let’s tackle these questions one at a time to give you confidence in what God has called you to do!

3 Ways Not to Use Social Media in Your Church – LifeWay Leadership

Social media is an extremely useful tool. The way that you utilize social media personally will greatly differ from the ways that you use social media for your church, ministry, or job.

3 Questions to Test Your Ambition – Eric Geiger

C.S. Lewis gave a graduation commencement speech to graduates at Kings College at the University of London. The students were graduating from a prestigious school with their whole lives in front of them, and Lewis talked to them about their ambitions. He knew many of them would land a great job and long to be in the inner circle of wherever they worked. Lewis called it “the inner ringer.” He warned them that their desire to be in the “inner ring” is like peeling back the layers of an onion. In the end there is nothing left. When you get to the place you thought would satisfy you, you realize there is another ring. There is always going to be another ring. Lewis said this: “As long as you are governed by that desire you will never get what you want. You are trying to peel an onion: if you succeed, there will be nothing left… The quest for the inner ring will break you unless you break it.”

 

Church Leadership
July 29, 2019

Top 5 Articles to Send Your Leaders before Fall

By Deborah Spooner

Fall is right around the corner. Kids are going back to school, the weather is falling back into cooler days, and you may be stepping back into your small group routine. As you get ready for the fall kickoff, how can you prepare your leaders?

Small group leaders can gain key wisdom from this roundup of practical small group leadership articles.

The Top Five Questions Every Small Group Leader Has

Every small group leader has questions. Most have lots of questions. It can be intimidating to take on the leadership of a group, but you can be assured that (almost) every small group leader has the same doubts, concerns, and questions that you do. The second that we as leaders think we have it all figured out is when we should stop being leaders. I have discovered that the best leaders always have questions—and they’re not afraid to ask them.

How to Train Your Small Group Leaders to Deal with Just about Anything

One of the great privileges of leading small groups is having the opportunity to help someone work through a tough issue. Yet, the fear of dealing with these issues can actually cause a leader to never step up to lead, or to quit or do all they can to remain on the surface to avoid an issue. It’s also what can cause a well-intentioned leader to become a “Bible answer assault person,” quoting Bible verses at someone hoping to fix the problem, unaware of how to come alongside the person and help.

Three Ways to Improve Your Skill as a Small Group Leader

When I enlist leaders for new groups, I look for one key trait: a teachable spirit. The value of any teacher—whether he or she has never led a group or has been leading groups for fifty years—is his or her desire to learn—and keep learning. Unfortunately, too many leaders assume they know exactly how to lead a group, and that assumption is based on how someone once led them. Too often, bad teaching skills are simply passed down through the years.

The Importance of Rest for the Small Group Leader

Some of you don’t need this post. If you feel like your day and your week have a good rhythm; if you aren’t burnt out, exhausted, or stressed; if you seem to have enough time to get everything done that you need to do, then feel free to skip this one. This post is for the people who aren’t sure how they’re going to get everything done, whose task list outpaces their availability, who feel like they’re juggling not just one too many things but three too many things.

3 Things a Small Group Leader is Not

The number one barrier to someone stepping up to lead a small group is the word leader. Take five seconds right now and think about what you imagine when you hear that word. Go ahead, I’ll wait. What came to mind? A CEO of a large company? A head of state? The senior pastor of your church? We all have preconceived ideas of what a leader should be, sound, and look like. I imagine someone who is tall (I’m short), extroverted (I’m an introvert), a scholar (I, um … struggled), and forceful (definitely not me). Basically, someone who is the opposite of me.

Deborah Spooner is a Minnesota-born analytical creative serving as a Marketing Strategist for LifeWay’s Groups Ministry. As a pastor’s daughter with a background in Digital Communications and Media and Biblical & Theological Studies, you can find her at her local church, in deep conversation, or with a book or pen in hand as she seeks to know Christ more and make Him known.

 

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