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Group Answers Podcast
January 27, 2021

Group Answers Episode 189: Jeff Martin on Leading a Volunteer Movement

By Group Ministry
https://media.blubrry.com/groupsmatter/p/media.blubrry.com/lifewayleadership/p/groupministry.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2021/01/GA-189.mp3

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On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris talk to Jeff Martin about his new book, Empower: The 4 Keys to Leading a Volunteer Movement. In “Empower,” Jeff drills in to four key principles that can unlock a volunteer-led movement. They were unearthed from an event he founded in 2004 called “Fields of Faith” that focused on giving ordinary people the microphone. It has impacted and united millions of people, thousands of volunteers, and countless community organizations. Each year, over 250,000 people gather on one night in communities across the country.

Questions

  • What prompted you to write this book?
  • Who did you write it for?
  • What are some common mistakes that leaders of volunteers make?
  • What is holding back most volunteer-based ministries and organizations?
  • Does your book have any implications in the Covid era?

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 22, 2021

Derwin Gray on Making Peace

By Deborah Spooner

Peace.

Throughout history, the world has been devoid of lasting peace. In this midst of this reality, followers of Jesus seek the deepest peace that only Christ can give.

How do we understand biblical peace? How can we start to let it rule our hearts and minds? How can we strive to bring peace into our groups? How can these conversations even begin?

In his latest Bible study on the Beatitudes, Derwin Gray shares about peacemaking. We can learn from his wisdom excerpted below. 

The Call to Make Peace

As Jesus continued His prescription for happiness, He said,

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God

Matthew 5:9

Reread Matthew 5:7-8. How are these three Beatitudes related?

Pursuing peace (Matt. 5:9) is intertwined with hungering and thirsting for righteousness and being merciful (Matt. 5:7-8). Becoming a peacemaker requires that God has first brought us into peace with Him through the forgiveness that comes by grace through faith in Jesus. Then out of the overflow of the Holy Spirit’s power God enables us to live righteously and mercifully in response to the gospel.

Read Romans 5:1.

What did God do to pursue peace with us?

Notice that Jesus said happy are the peacemakers not happy are the peaceful. What’s the difference between those two things?

God’s righteousness has always been about embodying God’s love, and God’s love is always merciful. The good life—a life of happiness—is loving God, ourselves, and all of humanity. In the kingdom of God, there‘s “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Peace isn’t passive. Being peaceful is a fleeting state of mind. Peacemaking is an active, God-given pursuit. It’s the intentional act of God in Christ reconciling us to Himself through the cross and enabling us to extend peace to others. Making peace is hard, happy gospel-work.

Does it surprise you to hear that peacemaking is “work”? Why must peace be actively sought instead of passively assumed?

First-Century Expectations

The world Jesus lived in was chaotic, violent, and tumultuous. Jewish men were awaiting the Messiah to usher in peace by eradicating the Romans from their homeland, and the Romans believed Caesar would usher in peace. Rome’s method of ensuring peace was through force and brutality.

How was Jesus’ peace different from the peace the world expected?

Jesus saw and experienced Roman oppression, hardships of being poor, and living on the margins. Jesus’ peace extended beyond the borders of circumstance. Others’ expectations couldn’t contain it. People could only experience the peace Jesus taught about through communion with God. When we say the happiness He taught about was more than the good feeling you get when something nice happens to you, we know Jesus meant it. He experienced it constantly.

Making Peace When It’s Hard

Read Romans 12:19-21.

Why must we make peace despite difficulty?

What keeps you from experiencing peace and making peace with others?

Is there anyone against whom you’re holding a grudge and withholding peace? How might letting that go lead to a greater sense of happiness?

When Jesus correlated our happiness with being peacemakers in a world of violence, injustice, and hardship, people would have seen that as radical. Jesus’ method of eradicating the Romans from the Promised Land wasn’t to cast them out with the sword but to usher them into the peace of God, so they could become peaceful people. For Jesus, seeking vengeance is a tool of the ungodly. The Prince of Peace entered a world devoid of peace to create peacemakers.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, help us to be people of peace in a world that needs the peace You secured with Your blood on the cross.

This post has been excerpted from The Good Life Bible Study. To try the first two complete Bible study sessions and their corresponding teaching videos, visit Lifeway.com/NewBibleStudies. 

Group Answers Podcast
January 20, 2021

Group Answers Episode 188: Evan Owens on Mental Health

By Group Ministry
https://media.blubrry.com/groupsmatter/p/media.blubrry.com/lifewayleadership/p/groupministry.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2021/01/GA-188.mp3

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On this episode of Group Answers, Brian and Chris check in again with Evan Owens about caring for people with mental health issues in our churches and groups. Evan currently serves as the Executive Director of REBOOT Recovery. He is certified in military ministry and has personally facilitated trauma recovery groups for over 350 combat veterans and military spouses. REBOOT is a non-profit that helps veterans, first responders and their loved ones to heal from the moral and spiritual wounds associated with service-related trauma.

Questions

  • This year has obviously been a difficult time for mental health. What are you seeing in your practice at Reboot?
  • First responders and frontline health workers have been especially hit hard this year. How are you helping them, and what can we do?
  • What are steps we should take to make sure we are staying healthy through all of this?
  • How can group leaders best take care of hurting group members as they start to regather in 2021?
  • What should a leader do if someone in their care is in crisis?

Resources

REBOOT Recovery

[If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You can also text a crisis counselor by messaging 741741.]

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
https://media.blubrry.com/groupsmatter/p/media.blubrry.com/lifewayleadership/p/groupministry.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2021/01/GA-186.mp3

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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 Ashley Anderson is community groups leader at Church of the City in New York, New York.
Dave Enns Dave Enns is the pastor of life group ministries at North Coast Church in San Diego, California.
Jon Hughes Jon Hughes is adult ministries director at Community Christian Church in Chicago, Illinois.

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 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

Online Bible Study
December 17, 2020

Online Bible Studies Are Moving!

By Deborah Spooner

January is one of the best times for starting online Bible studies. 

As the new year rolls in, many of us experience waves of excitement and hope for what’s to come. We plan practical steps for growth, goal achievement, and making the year a great one. But, it can be difficult to keep resolutions. We often lose steam by the time February arrives. 

Online Bible studies are a practical step to ensure you don’t lose momentum on your Bible reading goals and plans. 

What’s changed for 2021?

Historically, we’ve hosted our online Bible studies in two ways. We initially ran our studies through a blog platform (like this one). More recently, we’ve held online Bible studies through Facebook Groups. Although these have been solid options that have been useful to facility great study and discussion, we are getting an OBS hosting facelift for 2021. We’re joining Lifeway’s Online Bible Study platform.

What is this “new platform”?

If you’ve done a Lifeway associated Bible study in the past, you may already have experience with the platform! The Lifeway Online Bible study platform, which previously only hosted Lifeway Women’s studies, has undergone changes to be able to include both men’s and women’s studies, as well as studies suitable for a mixed audience. Further changes have updated the user experience to be even more welcoming and easier to use!

When can I try it out?

Two Bible study options will give you a chance to try a Groups Bible study on the updated OBS platform, starting this January. Don’t miss out!

Battle Plan for Prayer (Alex Kendrick & Stephen Kendrick)

Launching Tuesday, January 5, 2021

This is an eight-week video-based Bible study that helps you develop a deeper walk with God as you seek the Lord for your battles. Through this study, you’ll be equipped to create their own prayer strategy, learning to be specific and deliberate in prayer. This study features teaching by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick on the following topics: what prayer is and is not, why God wants us to pray, specific areas of prayer, specific strategies for prayer, and more.

U-Turns (Tony Evans)

Launching Wednesday, January 6, 2021

This is a six-week video-based Bible study about God’s direction over your life. Dr. Tony Evans shows you the reality of human freedom, the consequences that come from bad choices, and the way to reverse the consequences. By aligning your life choices under God’s Word and pursuing an intimate relationship with Him, you can experience the abundant life Jesus has for you. You get to choose whether or not you want that and sometimes, you get to witness God change the direction of your life.

How do I sign up

It’s simple. Click on the study titles above to visit the associated Online Bible study’s page on the updated platform. On that page, you’ll see instructions about how to register and how the Online Bible study experiences work. If you have more questions about online Bible studies, check out this post.

What is an online Bible study?

If you’re not familiar with this type of study, our online Bible studies are simple to understand and easy to join. Each study corresponds to a printed (or digital version) of a Bible study from Lifeway groups. When you sign up for the OBS, you gain access to the teaching videos that are typically 10 – 20 minute sessions that are typically accessed through purchasing a Bible study leader kit. But, with OBS, we offer these videos for free!

Each week, we post a video that corresponds to a session in the printed (or digital version) of the Bible study and post questions. Anyone joining the OBS is able to answer questions and comment back to others who also answer. These studies build community with people across the US (and abroad!) and encourage an enriching Bible study experience within the virtual group.

You don’t want to miss out. See you there!

Group Leadership
December 14, 2020

Bible Studies for the New Year

By Deborah Spooner

Who’s ready for 2021? This question might have the most unanimous answer we’ve heard this year.

Instead of focusing on the challenges, loss, and grief of 2020, we want to look ahead. What might 2021 bring? How can we take positive steps in what we can impact even if what we cannot control still seems chaotically out of control?

We’ve done some work for you.

Here is our round up of our top studies for the New Year. Studies that will help you make a fresh start. Studies that will guide you in going deeper into God’s word. Studies that show you Jesus in scripture’s storyline or teach about specific biblical figures–all year long.

Let’s choose to grow in our faith in 2021.

Bible Studies to give you a fresh start

My New Life
A New Christian’s Guide to Building Your Life on God’s Word
The new Christian can become easily overwhelmed trying to figure out how to be a Christ-follower. For the believer to grow, it’s necessary to have an understanding of God’s Word, God’s character, prayer, the gospel, and so much more. This study explains these deep truths in short and simple to understand chapters. Whether completed individually or with a mentor, this study, it will help a new believer grow in knowledge of God’s Word and provide a foundation on which daily trust in Jesus will grow for the rest of their lives. (6 sessions)

The Good Life (Derwin Gray)
What Jesus Teaches about Finding True Happiness
Everyone wants to be happy. We spend our money, time, and energy chasing our version of the good life. And on the way, we run ourselves into physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. But what if the happiness we’re all striving for isn’t the happiness we were created for? In the Beatitudes, Jesus revealed the shocking, countercultural path to true flourishing. It comes not through wealth, fame, or laughter but through poverty, obscurity, and mourning. True happiness comes from a heart directed toward the kingdom of God and satisfied in Jesus the King. This study demonstrates how Jesus taught us to search for, find, and hold on to the good life. (8 sessions)

Bible studies by popular and trusted authors

James (Matt Chandler)
Faith Works
This 13-session study examines the core message of James: the relationship between faith and works. In our own ability, we cannot stand in the face of adversity. Without faith we could never find the strength to trust God. We would never be able to see above the trials we meet and to keep our eyes focused on the King while counting our trials as joy. This is the essence of James. We don’t work to be saved; we work because we are saved. Faith apart from works can never be sustained. (13 sessions)

Something Needs to Change (David Platt)
A Call to Make Your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need
When David Platt took a trip to the Himalayan mountains, the staggering hardship he witnessed transformed the trajectory of his life. Now, in this study, he’s inviting you to reflect and wrestle with him as he describes his life-altering trek through the Himalayas. You’ll ask hard questions alongside Platt about human need, suffering, faith, the gospel, and our role. For Christians, ignorance of profound human need is not an option. Neither is indifference. It’s time to explore what it means to follow Jesus in a world of urgent physical and spiritual needs. (8 sessions)

No More Excuses (Tony Evans)
Be the Man God Made You to Be
Sometimes circumstances in life make it difficult for men to be all God wants them to be. But Tony Evans urges men to stop looking at their circumstances as excuses and instead to see them as challenges and opportunities for success. Exploring the examples of men of God throughout the Bible, this study will challenge you to lay down your excuses, stop compromising, and fight to be a man of character and commitment. Despite your setbacks, failures, and pressures, you can still find purpose, meaning, and direction in life and become the man God has called you to be. (8 sessions)

Bible studies to keep you learning all year

Characters
A Year-Long Exploration of the Bible Through the Lives of Its People
This new seven-volume series progresses through the Bible by focusing on key characters in Scripture. By studying these individuals, we can learn from their examples and see God loves His people and works through us for His glory in the world. Each volume contains six-sessions.

Gospel Foundations
A One-Year Journey through the Storyline of Scripture
From cover to cover, the Bible is the story of God’s plan to redeem sinners through Jesus—the gospel. Gospel Foundations tells that story. From the creators of The Gospel Project, this six-volume resource is comprehensive in scope yet concise enough to be completed in just one year. Each seven-session volume is video-enhanced to help your group engage in discussion with a clear understanding of how each text fits into the storyline of Scripture.

One choice at a time, we can strive to have a Christ-centered 2021. Here’s to the new year (and the same, life-giving, awe-inspiring gospel)!

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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?
  3. 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?
  1. 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)
  1. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!”
  4. 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.
  5. 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!

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 Leadership
December 1, 2020

Bible Studies for the Christmas Season

By Group Ministry

It’s Christmas, the best time of the year. Even as we walk through a season where “best” looks a little different, our firm reason for the season remains unchanged.

Christ is born. He is Immanuel, God with us.

As you prepare for the weeks leading up to Christmas with the new year around the corner, your Bible study (as a group or individuals) doesn’t need to halt. By choosing from several unique Bible study options created to meet various needs, you can find the perfect fit for your group as a whole and your specific members.

Bible Study Resources for Personal Study

  1. Foundations or Foundations New Testament (Robby & Kandi Gallaty)

With Foundations, you can read through the foundational passages of the Bible in one year, while having the flexibility of reading 5 days per week. In Foundations: New Testament, you’ll do the same through the 27 books of the New Testament. Along with supplementary devotional content each day, you’ll use the H.E.A.R. journaling method: Highlighting, Explaining, Applying, and Responding.

  1. Pray Like This: A 52-Week Prayer Journal

This journal will help you know God more intimately and invigorate your prayer life by applying the Lord’s Prayer every week for a year through daily Scripture reading and journaling exercises.

  1. 10-Minute Audio Devotions

Brief but powerful, these audio devotions will help you navigate through fear, stress, and anxiety. Each CD features approximately 10 minute devotions from some of today’s best Christian communicators such as Tony Evans, David Jeremiah, Matt Chandler, and more.

Bible Studies about the Life of Jesus

  1. Characters: Jesus

What if you could spend six weeks studying the life of our Savior and Lord? In this Bible study, a part of the Characters Bible study series, you’ll dive into learning about Jesus as the Son of God, Master Teacher, Miracle Workers, Crucified Savior, Risen Lord, and Fulfilment of Prophecy.

  1. Gospel Foundations: God With Us

The Bible is not a collection of scattered stories and books. From cover to cover, the Bible is the story of God’s plan to redeem sinners through Jesus—the gospel. In this Bible study, you’ll dive into the life of Jesus by studying His birth, preparation, miracles, teaching, crucifixion, resurrection, commission, and more. A part of a larger collection of Gospel Foundations study, this will help you see Christ throughout the storyline of Scripture.

Bible Studies Relevant Now

  1. Onward (Russell Moore)

In shifting times, we need a church that speaks to social and political issues with a bigger vision in mind: that of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christianity seems increasingly strange and even subversive to our culture, we have the opportunity to embrace the distinctiveness of the Christian faith and to be marginalized for the sake of the gospel.

  1. The Church & The Racial Divide (Trevor Atwood)

In light of racial tension in America, many Christian leaders are talking earnestly about racial reconciliation. The average Christian may not fully understand why racial reconciliation is a gospel imperative. And the average pastor may not know how to pursue it. This Bible study features a multi-voice video series from evangelical leaders that sheds light on issues of race, culture, and the gospel, and equips small groups to take action.

  1. Counter Culture (David Platt)

How does truth affect how we respond to the social issues of our day—realities such as poverty, slavery, abortion, sexual immorality, the degradation of marriage, the neglect of orphans and widows, racism, and persecution? David Platt believes that the truths of the gospel should compel us to a contrite, compassionate, and courageous personal response to social issues in the culture. Using biblical foundations, practical illustrations, and personal exhortations, this study is a pointed yet winsome call for readers to faithfully follow Christ in counter cultural ways.

Bible Studies from Best-Selling Dr. Tony Evans

  1. No More Excuses

Tony Evans urges men to stop looking at their circumstances as excuses and instead to see them as challenges and opportunities for success.

Exploring examples of men of God throughout the Bible, this study will challenge you to lay down your excuses, stop compromising, and fight to be a man of character and commitment. Despite your setbacks, failures, and pressures, you can still find purpose, meaning, and direction in life and become the man God has called you to be.

  1. No More Excuses: A 90-Day Devotional for Men

No More Excuses: A 90-Day Devotional for Men will challenge you to lay down your excuses, stop compromising, and fight to be a man of character and commitment. Each day, you’ll find a Scripture verse, short devotion, and thought-provoking question to help you find purpose, meaning, and direction in life and become the man God has called you to be.

  1. U-Turns

In U-Turns, Tony Evans shows the reality of human freedom, the consequences that come from bad choices, and the way to reverse those consequences. By aligning your life choices under God’s Word and pursuing an intimate relationship with Him, you can experience the abundant life Jesus has for you. You get to choose whether or not you want that. If you do, you will see how God can work to redeem the negative consequences of decisions you’ve made.

  1. Pathways

The story of Esther appears to be a series of coincidences that deliver the Jews from certain death. However, God selected Esther for a particular purpose at a particular time in the history of His chosen people. Pathways will help you discover the power of God’s providence in the midst of your personal pain, fear, gain, loss, and love. You’ll see that God has a purpose for your life, and He uses every action and event that occurs in it to make that purpose a reality.

  1. Detours

It’s easy to wonder why God would allow calamity to happen or if He’s in control at all. Whether through uncontrollable circumstances or the pain of personal relationships, everyone has experienced unforeseen changes in life. By walking through the life of Joseph, this study helps believers navigate detours that may take you through trials, injustice, and even betrayal. You will be comforted and encouraged when you learn to rest in God’s redemptive plan and the hope found in God’s sovereign will.

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