Community

January 13, 2021

Group Answers Episode 187: Leading in a Deeply Divided World

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On this episode of Group Answers, Chris talks to Will Johnston about how we navigate tough conversations in our groups, especially after the events of January 6.

Will Johnston is the Director of Build Community at Eastside Community Church in Anaheim, California. Will graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in theology, did a two-and-a-half year stint on Capitol Hill, and then joined the staff of National Community Church in Washington D.C., where he oversaw small groups.

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 Leadership

January 11, 2021

Small Group Launch Checklist

By Group Ministry

By Reid Smith

Leaders launching new small groups want to have a strong start and welcome input on how to do so. Try offering just enough guidance so they know what to do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER their first meeting without overwhelming them. This is an example of a resource you can customize to help small group leaders think through important steps so their new group can launch successfully and stay together for the long-haul.

BEFORE

1.Invite as many of your friends as you can think of…

◦Share your vision for the group—why you’re doing it and what you hope people will walk away with.

◦Try to describe the dynamic of the group and the people who will be a part of it.

◦Create an invitational ripple effect by having your friends and new group members invite their friends too.

2.Invite more people than you have room for (usually only one-half to two-thirds of those who confirm actually show up!). Start with as many people as possible at the beginning because there’s usually some attrition.

3.Tell people this will initially be a short-term experience that you’re confident they’ll love and then they’ll be able to decide if and in what way they’d like to continue.

4.Let them know there will be food…lots of good food! (If group members commit to bring food to the next meeting, this increases the likelihood they will return.)

5.Phone or text those interested a day or two before your first meeting.

6.Pray for your new group and those who plan to come!

7.Review any leader/host material and the upcoming study session in advance.

DURING

1.Welcome and introduce yourself (be relaxed, be real, and have FUN!).

2.Share a little background as to why you chose the focus of the group and tell them basically what each meeting will look like.

3.Allow time for people to introduce themselves and to share why your group stood out to them.

4.Acknowledge God’s Presence with you (Mt. 18:20) and share how you believe the Lord will use your new group experience to transform your lives. Depending on how many people are present who are not a part of your church, you can touch briefly on how your group will help to fulfill your church’s mission by living out the biblical purposes of God together.

5.Model authenticity and affirm each person’s input as you facilitate discussion.

6.Encourage participants to invite their friends, co-workers, neighbors, parents of their kids’ friends, and other unconnected people at your church to future meetings.

7.Close your group time in a brief prayer and get a picture.

AFTER

1.Let your Pastor or Coach know how everything went and how they can pray for you!

2.Follow-up with those who didn’t show up by calling them to let them know you missed them, how great the first meeting was, and also to remind them of when the next meeting is going to be.

3.Spread the word on social media with your photo and welcome people to join you.

4.Remind your new group members of your next meeting (and any food they might be bringing) a day or two beforehand.

5.Review the upcoming session and tailor the discussion questions based on who God has placed in your group.

6.Start pondering and praying about who you believe could co-lead with you and eventually launch out with their own small group.

7.Over time, share bite-size roles and responsibilities with your group members, see what people gravitate toward, and let them run with it! Rotate the facilitation of the study and discussion as well.

Reid Smith has been equipping leaders in churches of all sizes and stages of growth for effective disciple-making since 1996. He lives in Wellington, Florida where he serves as a Groups Pastor at Christ Fellowship. You can find more of his helpful resources at www.reidsmith.org.

Group Answers Podcast

January 6, 2021

Group Answers Episode 186: What We Learned About Groups and Community During This Pandemic

By Group Ministry

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On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brian catch up with three previous guests about the lessons they learned from doing groups in 2020, and how they are going to apply them in 2021.

Ashley Anderson is community groups leader at Church of the City in New York, New York.

Dave Enns is the pastor of life group ministries at North Coast Church in San Diego, California.

Jon Hughes is adult ministries director at Community Christian Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Group Leadership

January 4, 2021

Why I Joined My First Group and Why I Would Do It Again

By Group Ministry

By Cheri Liefeld

Five years ago, I both started and joined my first small group. I wanted friends at my church and desperately needed community. I felt alone in a big crowd, yet each week I ran out the door to my car instead of stopping to get to know other people.

I was going to join a small group until our church launched free-market groups based on interest. I discovered I could start a group based on two passions: being a foodie and my faith. In the weeks leading up to our launch, I worried no one else would share the same desire. To my surprise, six women showed up that first night. They were just like me, longing for connection. For most of them, it was also their first small group.

At the time, I didn’t realize how beneficial joining a small group would be. It ended up being the starting point for reengaging in ministry, deepening my relationship with Jesus, and making Eastside my home. Here are just a few of the reasons I would do it again.

We crave community. Each week we gathered around the table for a meal, shared our lives, and talked about Jesus. I fell in love with small groups and saw the vital role they play in both the church and people’s lives. Most people don’t join a group and lead one, but many people in our churches feel isolated and feel like the community they see around them is escaping them.

Owning a small business where I worked alone most days made it hard to meet people. Sitting around the table that first night, I realized how much I missed the community of other believers. The laughter and honest sharing around the table each week filled my soul. God did not create us to live life alone. When we come together each week, we find power in encouragement, conversation, and prayer.

Accountability is key. Agreeing to be in a small group brings some much-needed accountability, in a good way. When someone is tired at the end of the day and wants to go home, a text saying, “Can’t wait to see you!” provides the extra motivation to attend. Making plans to sit together at church or worship nights also keeps people on track. Going through a study keeps us in the Word. We can wrestle over passages of Scripture together, allowing people space to work out what they believe.

In a group, we can challenge each other to rethink what is not working in our lives and the next step to bring about healthy change. Most of all, we point people to Jesus. The group is hopefully a safe place to express opinions and doubts. With a mix of love, encouragement, and truth, we can honestly look at ourselves and admit when we need help.

We grow in Groups. One of my favorite things about joining a small group is watching others take the next step on their spiritual journey. I experienced this. My life improved spiritually, socially, and emotionally when I took that first step to join a small group. Each time we launch new groups, I hear stories from other people who experience the same thing.

We encourage small group leaders to help people take their next step. They will introduce this idea to the group and ask them to pray about where God is calling them to grow spiritually. This exercise helps people intentionally pray and take their next steps. People start reading their Bible, they get baptized, and sometimes they launch a new small group.

When people are isolated, and without community, it’s easy to doubt their value and forget who they are in Christ. As a group, when we see someone’s gifting and encourage it, it’s life changing. As leaders, it is a privilege to encourage people to follow how they feel God is leading. When they nervously take that first step, we are there to cheer them on. My friend Jen kept saying she was not a leader to anyone who would listen. One day she responded to my invitation to join a leadership group saying, “God told me to, but I am not a leader!” Years later, she is still leading a small group of women.

Small groups are natural connections for discipleship to take place outside of small groups. One of our small groups of young women invited a few older women to come and share with their group. After those meetings, connections formed, which built one-on-one discipleship relationships. Mentor moms from our MOPS groups started a yearly 6-week discipleship class. In a church our size, these types of relationships wouldn’t have happened outside of the connections made in small groups.

We long to belong. The first Sunday after our meeting, I ran into two of my new small group members. I found a reason to stay and talk, eventually met more people, and felt like I was part of something bigger. It’s funny how I had gone there for two years, sat in the same section, and had never seen any of them before.

A sense of belonging is essential. Feeling like we are part of a bigger picture, being known, and valued breaks down walls.

With each new small group I launch, I witness the same phenomenon occur. Group participants are excited to recognize their new friends at a service and soon start making plans to sit together. Being in a small group creates that bridge to making the church feel like home.

We have the opportunity to help others. Every time our group serves together, I am amazed at the depth of bonding that occurs. We want our groups to make a difference and ask that they serve together at least once a session. Coming together to help others is powerful. Small talk combined with the shared experience of serving and making a difference adds a layer to our friendship that doesn’t occur while sitting in a circle each week.

When we serve, we get to be part of God’s bigger plan. The opportunities to connect locally and globally crack open our hearts and help us discover passions God has placed within. We see the needs in our community.

We need each other. Life is hard and messy. I started taking steps to get involved because I was caring for a parent and had a moment when I realized if anything happened, we didn’t know anyone at our church to turn to for comfort, support, and prayers.

The New Testament has numerous “one another” verses telling us how to care for others. How we care for each other is important to God.

We have the opportunity to care for one another, pray for one another, and celebrate with one another. Whether we are raising kids, caring for aging parents, or facing personal health or financial challenges, we will all find ourselves in need at some point. Small groups keep us from facing these issues on our own. Through our Group Me text chain, one of my group members will jump on and say, “I need prayer right now.” We stop and pray. We have seen the power of prayer and the impact that it has had on our friends and families.

I might have started my first group for personal reasons, but the group changed me. I will never tire of watching people join a group and find their place.

Cheri Liefeld is the Director of Small Groups at Eastside Community Church in Anaheim, California. She was previously Director of Women’s Ministry at Mariners Church. She is a writer and loves to gather people around the table. You can read more at adenturesinthekitchen.com.

Group Answers Podcast

December 30, 2020

Group Answers Episode 185: Bonus Classic with Andrew Peterson

By Group Ministry

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On this classic episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris talk to author and musician, Andrew Peterson.

Andrew Peterson is an award-winning singer-songwriter and author. The second book in his Wingfeather Saga, “North! Or Be Eaten” (2009) won the Christy Award for Young Adult Fiction, and the fourth, “The Warden and the Wolf King” (2014) won Children’s Book of the Year in 2015 from “WORLD Magazine.”

In 2008, driven by a desire to cultivate a strong Christian arts community, Andrew founded a ministry called The Rabbit Room, which led to a yearly conference, countless concerts and symposiums, and Rabbit Room Press, which has published thirty books to date. He’s been married for 24 years to his wife Jamie, with whom they have three children.

His new book, “Adorning the Dark”, is both a memoir of Peterson’s journey and an encouragement for artists, written in the hope that his story will provide practical tools to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ.

Question asked:

Why did you decide to create The Rabbit Room community?
Community seems to be important to you – The Rabbit Room, Behold the Lamb of God tour – why is it important to have a community – even in the world of artists?
How do you keep a consistent community when you’re constantly on the road as a musician and speaker?
What prompted you to write “Adorning the Dark”?
For whom did you write this book? Can those who don’t work in the arts and may not consider
themselves a creative person use this?
What is one thing you have learned about creativity and the Christian life in your 20 years as a
singer/songwriter, that you wish you could go back and tell your younger self?
How does our calling as Christians intersect and inform the “great mystery of creativity”?

Resources mentioned:

Group Answers Podcast

December 9, 2020

Group Answers Episode 182: The Future of Sunday School with Ken Braddy

By Group Ministry

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On this episode of Group Answers, Chris, Brian, and Ken discuss what Sunday School might look like in 2021 and beyond.

Ken Braddy is LifeWay’s Director of Sunday School and manager of adult ongoing Bible studies. He blogs regularly about Sunday school and groups at kenbraddy.com.

Questions Discussed

What are some of the trends that you are seeing?
What will be the major obstacles?
What are some tools churches can use to help groups start strong in 2021?
Will we ever be back to “normal”?

Group Leadership

December 7, 2020

Five Steps and Ways to Engage in Holiday Outreach

By Group Ministry

By Reid Smith

The holidays present a great opportunity for believers to step out together in sharing their faith. This time of year is busy for many people so the temptation is to press pause on meeting together and not resume until well after the holidays are over. However, with a little advanced planning, you can help your group members take steps to grow in their personal evangelism and show lost ones the way home. You can encourage your group members to share their faith over the holidays by taking these steps:

Challenge and pray. Start out by saying something like: “Hey everyone, what do you think about reaching out, as a group, sometime over the next month? I think it would be great for us to talk about ways we could show God’s love to people beyond our group this Christmas season. What do you think?” Then pray and ask for God’s wisdom and direction in your brainstorming.
Share a story of how the Lord impacted you through personal evangelism. Be candid while telling a story about how you shared your faith and what God did in your life as a result. Were you nervous or did you have doubts? What did the Lord do in your life as a result?
Talk about who, specifically, you want to impact with God’s love and pick a date. Think of a group of people who share something in common that you can reach out to in person. Questions that might help:

Who do you sense God placing on your heart while praying?
What groups of people would be most encouraged by a visit or help? (Hospital patients, prisoners, widows, single parents, senior care facilities, homeless people, etc.)

How can we express God’s love in personal and tangible ways?
What is realistic for us to do? (Consider the people in your group, schedules, etc.)
What date can we mark on our calendars now to do this?

Take the pulse of your small group and invite each member to take a role. Get a sense of people’s level of excitement and nervousness and offer multiple opportunities for them to be involved:

Communications (scheduling, sending info/reminders, etc.)
Supplies (purchasing and bringing whatever is necessary)
Transportation (arranging a way everyone can meet and travel together)
Prayer (covering each person and the outreach in prayer—updating everyone on how God is answering prayer)
Storyteller (take notes during the outreach and write a story of the lives impacted that you can share with your church’s leadership)
Childcare (somebody to look after the kids during the outreach)
Food (prepare and bring food for the outreach or coordinate a celebratory debrief back at the host home immediately following the outreach)

Let your church’s small group ministry leadership know about it. This is good because (a) others can be covering you in prayer that your outreach will make more of an impact and (b) it encourages storytelling so people in your church can be encouraged by one another’s faith (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:25).

Sometimes it helps to jump-start your small group’s brainstorming of what you’ll do together by sharing a few ideas, so here are five ways to consider:

Visit those who are hurting or lonely! Arranging a visit to a senior care facility or hospital is easier than one might think and most places are very open to visitors. Call ahead to arrange a day. Make cards in advance or bring some to create with the patients (since they may not be able to do this themselves). Sit with them, listen, read to them, pray with them. Patients/residents are often grateful somebody would think of them and take time with them.
Throw a Christmas Party! Have small group members invite their friends for a fun night together with your group. Play Christmas music or a movie in the background, have something creative for the kids to do together, play a game and have dinner together. God can use this mixer in natural ways to create conversations that result in your guests wanting to learn more about your small group and church. For example, you could ask guests what they did to celebrate Christmas when they were children (e.g. traditions) and what they do now.
Free Christmas Gift Wrapping! Call a local store and speak with the store manager, letting them know you’d like to set up a table that simply has a sign saying, “Free Gift Wrapping.” Clarify that it’s a no strings attached act of kindness. You’ll find that a number of people will come by and take you up on this without probing—pray for them. Others will inquire, enabling you to share how your small group wanted to show God’s love to your community in a practical way. This will open the door to invite people to “come and see!”
Serve your community in Jesus’ Name! Check out servantevangelism.com for ideas and identify needs in your community that touch your group’s heart where serve together, e.g. provide school supplies for underprivileged kids, food delivery, helping the homeless, etc.
Serve your church! Your small group can actually extend the evangelistic impact of your church this Christmas simply by asking leadership where the most help is needed. Encourage your small group members to invite friends along to help out and share on social media.

Of course, any of these ideas create opportunities to invite people to Christmas services that they might be impacted by the love and message of Jesus Christ! The expected outcomes of engaging in holiday outreach is that believers will grow in their personal evangelism, groups will forge a closer bond as a result of this faith-stretching experience, and those who have yet to believe will be exposed to the life-changing message of the gospel!

Group Answers Podcast, Uncategorized

November 25, 2020

Group Answers Episode 180: Monthly Check-In with Jared Musgrove

By Group Ministry

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On this episode of Group Answers, Chris and Brian check in with Jared Musgrove. Dr. Jared Steven Musgrove is Groups Pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, TX and co-founder and Executive Director of communityleadership.org. He is married to Jenny and father to Jordan and Joshua.

Questions:

We have been talking a lot on this podcast about potential drift in discipleship and spiritual disciplines. What are some things you do personally to keep fit spiritually?
How are you helping your groups and group leaders be healthy during this season?
Do you give your leaders specific training or encouragement for caring for their group members?
How are your online groups going? Will that be an ongoing strategy?
What are your priorities as you plan for groups in 2021?

Group Leadership

November 20, 2020

Jesus: The Servant in a Time of Suffering

By Deborah Spooner

Jesus. We know He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Hebrews 12:2; 1 Timothy 6:15). But we can easily lose sight of this awe-striking reality as we go about our daily tasks. This is only increased as we experience seasons of upheaval, uncertainty, waiting, or suffering—a lot like what many are presently experiencing.

How do we remember the profound reality that Christ is the Suffering Servant, obedient to the Father above all else? How can we personally experience this reality and then share this life-giving truth with our groups in transformative ways?

We can start by studying and letting ourselves think more deeply on these realities of Jesus. Then, we can pose questions to ourselves and others.

As a starting point, consider this timely Bible study selection:

The Father declares His pleasure with the Son.

Read Mark 1:9-11.

John the Baptist came preparing the people for the arrival of Jesus. But Jesus would not be the conquering king the people expected; God had sent the Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah. The people of Israel needed to understand the humility of their king, but they needed to understand His greatness as well. John confessed that he was not even worthy to untie the sandals of the One coming.

Jesus’ hometown was nothing to brag about, consistent with the circumstances of His birth. Nazareth was a backwater village, the wrong side of the tracks which nothing of notoriety ever came from. Jesus left this remote village of no reputation and was baptized by John to begin His earthly ministry.

But why? We know from John’s message that he was calling everyone everywhere to repentance, and that the sign of repentance was baptism. But Jesus was—and is—the perfect Son of God. He had no need to repent of sin because He was not a sinner. So why be baptized by John?

Jesus’ baptism was, first of all, an issue of obedience to the Father. In the Book of Matthew, we see that John did not want to baptize Jesus because of His greatness. Who was he, John—the forerunner, to baptize Jesus the Messiah? If anyone was baptizing anyone, it should be the other way around. But Jesus explained that His baptism was not for sin, but rather to obey the commands of the prophets. Even from the beginning of His ministry, we see Jesus’ priority was to do exactly what God had sent Him to do.

But there was another reason for Jesus’ baptism. He was baptized to identify with sinners. Though Jesus was not a sinner, He was to be counted among the sinners. By being baptized as sinners were baptized, Jesus associated with those who needed to repent and believe. A few years after this, He would identify in a deeper, more profound way, when He would take the sins of the world on Himself at the cross. He who knew no sin would become sin so that we might be given His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).

So Jesus, the perfect Son of God, went down into the water and came back up. It was a shadow of what was to come. Jesus would go down into death as the sacrifice for sin and come back up, raised to new life never again to die.

Jesus identified with sinners in obedience to the will and plan of His Father, and His Father expressed His pleasure. The text tells us that immediately the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. And the Father pronounced His approval: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased” (Mark 1:11).

This same pronouncement that was given to Jesus because of His perfect obedience is credited to us because of that same obedience. When we believe in Jesus, His perfect righteousness is credited to our account, and we are positioned as the children of God.

How amazing to hear this from on high. How amazing to be adopted into God’s family, co-heirs with Christ. How amazing to be counted righteous in Christ. How amazing to know that God has not made a mistake when He formed us and when He called us into His family. How amazing to hear, because of the gospel, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!”

Why is it important to remember that Jesus’ priority was obedience to the Father, especially as you walk through seasons of suffering?

What practical difference does it make to you, as a Christian, to know that your Father in heaven is pleased with you?

The above content is excerpted and added to from the Gospel Foundations series, Volume 5: God With Us – The Gospels. Find out more about this Bible study which studies the life of Jesus here or learn more about the entire series here.

Group Leadership

November 9, 2020

Ten Ways to Welcome Seekers into Your Group

By Group Ministry

By Reid Smith

The best groups are high in health and impact for God’s Kingdom. For both to be true, a small group leader must be prepared to welcome people into their group’s life regardless of where they are at in their commitment to Christ and His Church. We reflect the beauty and greatness of our God when we accept one another just as Christ accepted us (Romans 15:7).

The more small group leaders know how to welcome and encourage people who are seeking truth and reaching out to God (whether they realize it or not) the more effective they will be with engaging them with the gospel in transformational ways. To that end, here’s ten recommendations for how you can welcome spiritual seekers, build relationships with them, and inspire everyone to grow in their relationship with Jesus!

Don’t assume. Consider newcomers as seekers until you learn otherwise. Believers who are new to a Christian gathering tend to convey something about their faith/church commitment up front. If they do not, chances are they either do not have a relationship with God or may not have a strong one. It’s important to avoid making assumptions about what your guests believe. Rather, look for ways to affirm the truth God has already started to impart to them as Paul did in Athens (Acts 17:22-23, 28-29).
Be a connector. Warmly introduce seekers into your small group and connect them with a few people as they come in, helping them to strike up conversations before your study begins. If possible, learn a little about them before they show up to their first meeting as this will help you to introduce them to others in a more personal way. Do your best to remember facts they share about who they are, their family and friends, and how they found your group. Use what you know about them to ignite conversations with other group members. The likelihood of seekers returning increases by at least 50% if they experience a sense of belonging through connection with others.
Empower them. Find out what subjects your truth-seeking guests have an enthusiasm or expertise in and talk about that! People like to talk about things they know about. Seekers will feel more empowered and comfortable talking about things of interest to them. If you listen with interest, you will show that you are interested in them as people and they won’t feel like a project.
Introduce your group. Take a minute on the front end to say what your small group is about and invite input from others so that guests can get exposure to some of the other personalities present. In a small group situation, most people prefer to get a good feel of the dynamic before jumping into the discussion. The more free people feel to participate, the more likely it is they will return.
Include and affirm. Prioritize seekers in your small group time by making it a goal to help them feel safe and a valued part of the gathering. Look for ways to include them socially and affirm any contribution they make to the conversation. One of the simplest ways of helping a newcomer feel ‘at home’ in your small group is to repeatedly call them by their first name. Express appreciation for their input. When seekers say something that does not harmonize with Scripture, don’t be surprised or correct them. Rather, be positive and say something like, “Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!” Discipleship happens through trust-filled relationships that develop over time.
Break it down. Use relational terms to explain theological concepts in your Bible study. For example, salvation is having a relationship with Christ or being friends with God now and forever. Redemption is Jesus helping us to connect with God and know Him. Do your best to stay away from Christian jargon.
Don’t over-accommodate. Most newcomers like to be acknowledged but may not like to stand out or be spotlighted in front of a group…so don’t focus on them. If you keep things normal, your small group will feel more natural and comfortable to them. You can be sensitive to your small group’s form without changing its function. Be yourself and allow the group to be itself. Don’t hesitate to pray or worship in your group if seekers are present. Sometimes this is exactly what God uses to gather lost people to Himself (see Acts 2:46-47.) If somebody needs prayer, pray for them. If you are planning to worship, just do it. Don’t attempt to explain it for seekers. They likely want to see things how they really are and would rather not have you disrupt the flow of what you do on their account.
Talk about being difference makers. Healthy groups have regular conversations about how they can be Jesus’ hands and feet and impact our world with His love and message. Don’t miss the opportunity to demonstrate to seekers in your midst that you genuinely want to show God’s love to people and make a difference in your community. Have that conversation spontaneously or just say you would like to talk about it next time. This allows you to revisit your group’s commitment to evangelism and shows spiritual seekers that your group is…
- Outward-thinking and it’s not all about those in your small group—this actually helps guests feel safer because it makes the communal nature of your group feel less cultic and more caring.
- Serious about making a commitment to share God’s love and grace to a waiting world. People want their lives to make a positive impact on others. This helps them to see that your small group can help toward this goal, making group time a worthwhile investment of their time.
Have a soft landing and end on a high note. When you have truth-seeking guests, leave plenty of time for people to socialize at the tail end of your group. Newcomers tend to be interested in being more personal toward the end of a group than the beginning. This will give time to connect your small group members to guests further and have fun and relaxed conversations. Also, studies show that when something ends positively the entire experience becomes a good memory for people, and one they are more apt to repeat. In private, let newcomers know how much you appreciated them coming and that you really hope you get to see them again!
Don’t hesitate to follow-up. Let your guests know you hope to see them again! If a seeker came with somebody, encourage their friend to welcome them back. Sometimes small group leaders hold off from following up in this way because they are afraid of being intrusive or coming across as pushy. Most guests appreciate this act of kindness and it makes your small group more inviting overall. If you do not risk the remote possibility of coming across as intrusive in your follow-up, newcomers may feel like they are intruding. Revisit prayer needs when you follow-up with them by naturally weaving them into your conversation. This shows you were listening and that you care.

You want group members to have more than permission to invite their friends…let them know you WANT them to invite their friends. This attitude is one of the greatest contributing factors to a small group making an evangelistic impact. Small groups can and should always serve to encourage personal outreach.

A small group that has an open home, open hearts, and open hands is a group that is replete with life-giving possibilities. By following the ten recommendations above, you will create an environment where the hospitality of biblical community will receive and reach many spiritual seekers for Jesus Christ!

Small Group Launch Checklist

Why I Joined My First Group and Why I Would Do It Again

Five Steps and Ways to Engage in Holiday Outreach

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