Community
« Previous EntriesThe Destructive Force of Gossip
Thursday, June 12th, 2008In a month or so we begin a series traveling through Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. I’ve been thinking about chapter four a bit in the last few weeks and Paul’s emphasis on activity that will build healthy community (hence, my previous post about passive aggressive behavior).
Here is another community-frustrating activity that Christians [...]
Passive Aggressive Behavior
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008So you’ve probably seen the Stuff White People Like site which helped spawn Stuff Christians Like. Well, here’s one that I think Christians like - passive aggressive behavior. Yeah, I know, not as fun as “How metrosexual is your worship leader” - that was hilarious, btw (link). But anyway…
You know what I’m [...]
Activate: The Four Fs - Facilitate
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008The Last step in the Groups process from Activate is to actually facilitate your group (remember Big idea #10: Apprentice…Not Expert).
Facilitate Principle #1: Training Group Leaders
Group Leaders Training
Half-day training per semester will allow you to laser focus your training and maximize your leaders time.
Training is different than selection (training comes after apprenticing and selection).
Holding your [...]
Activate: The Four Fs - Fill
Monday, June 9th, 2008The next step in their process is developing a system to fill your groups. (For fuller description read the book.)
Key Questions:
What date will group sign-ups begin for the upcoming semester?
When will online sign-ups be available?
How many Sundays will we push group sign-ups?
What are the newsletter deadlines for getting group sign-ups listed?
What is the last day [...]
Activate: The Four Fs - Form
Friday, June 6th, 2008Form Step #1: Make the Big Ask
Big Ask Principle #1: If you don’t ask, you won’t receive.
Big Ask Principle #2: Leading a group is not an obligation…it is an opportunity.
Big Ask Principle #3: Asking people to lead helps them climb the leadership ladder.
Setting the Bar - What will be your requirements for a leader?
Your Calendar [...]
Activate: The Four Fs - Focus
Thursday, June 5th, 2008I want to just list off some ideas they discuss in this section. I’ll try to be organized but I don’t intend to be exhaustive (read the book if you want that ).
You can never start planning too early.
You will find yourself in a time crunch if you don’t start planning each [...]
Activate: Rethinking Small-Group Leadership
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008Big Idea #10: Think Apprentice…Not Expert
Conventional Wisdom: Group leaders need to be biblically knowledgeable, longtime Christians and must undergo extensive training in order to lead a group effectively.
Reality: Serving as an apprentice/coordinator in a group will prepare potential leaders to lead a life-changing small group on their own, regardless of how long they’ve been Christians [...]
Activate: Rethinking Small-Group Strategy
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008Big Idea #7: Think Easy…Not Hard
Conventional Wisdom: People are willing to go through a multiple-step process to join a small group.
Reality: One-step sign-ups, which make getting into a group faster, easier and less intimidating, will greatly increase the number of people who decide to join a group.
Big Idea #8: Think Ahead…Not Behind
Conventional Wisdom: Thinking about [...]
Activate: Rethinking Small Group Methodology
Monday, June 2nd, 2008So far I’m really liking Activate (only finished with the first section). Here are their big ideas.
Big Idea #1: Think from the Inside Out…Not from the Outside In
Conventional Wisdom: Take care of those on the inside first.
Reality: Small groups that focus on serving their own members rather than on reaching out to others quickly [...]
LifeConnection C-Groups
Friday, May 30th, 2008I just received my copy of Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas’ newest book, Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups, yesterday. I just thumbed through the table of contents and I’m really excited to read the book. While I highly doubt it’s an entirely new approach to groups I can tell that [...]
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