CATEGORIES
Small Group Evangelism
09.09.10
My Interview with Boyd Pelley, Small Groups Analytics III, Connecting Every Person in the Ministry
Over the last two days this blog has been featuring an interview with Boyd Pelley. Boyd spearheads Churchteams.com, a web-based ministry helping churches utilize analytics to further God's Kingdom. Picking up where we left off…
Rick: That's fantastic. Hey let me jump back to the bigger picture of analyzing the ministry whole so that the small groups pastor can conclude what aspect of the ministry needs to be shored up. Would you tell us some of the categories of analysis that are required for a small group pastor to gain a correct snapshot of the ministry they're leading?
Boyd: I see the need for snapshots at three levels. First of all, the executive level. This is the most common one people have. Basically it is the number of groups, enrollment and attendance month to month. The second level is the ministry level. This metric shows the consistency rates of each group so that you can see which groups are healthy and which ones are stressed. I know of very few churches doing this without Churchteams. The third level is the individual level that shows leaders and their coaches consistency rates of individuals.
I've mentioned consistency because it is a far better indicator of individual and group health than mere attendance. We call this metric the "low-hanging" fruit because it is relatively easy to capture. Beyond consistency, we are also developing systems to measure things like ownership and spiritual growth progress in a number of areas. There's a lot to this that the next few years will flesh out more clearly.
Rick: You and I both know from working with small group churches, there are at least seven different systems for doing groups, everything from house churches to the free market system. Will Churchteams work for any of those?
Boyd: You know from the very beginning I knew that we'd have to build it for everything from Sunday School to G12 to Free Market systems. Our setup process allows you to customize the language, the tool and morph it so that it exactly reflects the strategy of small groups a church has chosen to use.
Rick: You just mentioned Sunday School. Are a lot of Sunday School churches utilizing this?
Boyd: We're starting to see more and more headed that direction. I have been pleased to see some churches using blended models be so pleased with what the tool does for their off-campus groups that they have moved to using it with their on-campus groups as well. One advantage over the traditional records room model for Sunday School is the way the tool communicates weekly to everyone enrolled. Typical inreach consists of directors and teachers calling folks. It gets awkward to continue calling after 4-5 times, but weekly e-mails showing attendance and sharing class prayer and other information seem to provide the right relational distance for connection without the awkwardness.
09.03.10
Nine Things to Remember When Discipling Men
This past week my church asked if I'd do a session for our men on discipling men. I gotta tell you, it brought about a lot of personal soul-searching. When it was all said and done one of the outcomes was a list of "things to remember" when leading men. The list below may help you as you lead men in your small group, accountability group, or some other kind of group.
- Men need to see a vision. They need a mental image of the final outcome.
- Men need social time, not just meeting times. Social time on the golf course, at the pool hall, on the ball field, etc… is what will make the meeting time come to life.
- Men are warriors and need an enemy to fight and a battle to win. This is just the heart of a man. Be certain they know who the enemy is, Satan.
- Men need a bar raised high. Boredom sets in quickly when a goal is easily attainable.
- Men don't read. Many men are not going to pick up a book and read it. You may be a book junky, they may junk the book.
- Men will dodge real life issues by deflecting and talking about facts. For instance, you might ask a guy what God is teaching him during his daily time with God. His response might be to tell you he had his quiet time three times this week. You'll need to dig deeper.
- Men need a safe place and a safe person to tell real life stuff to but they need time to know they can trust you. You'll need to open the door to this kind of transparency by revealing your stuff first.
- Men will lie to you. Every accountability list I've ever seen had as the last question something like this… "Were any of your responses misleading or all out lies?" Don't declare a man the enemy because of this, he's been taught by society to protect his influence in this way. Simply help him step into the light of honesty so God can redeem his heart.
- Men need MODELS, not INFORMATION.
08.30.10
Visionaries, God-Inspired Visionaries, and Taking Jesus to Every Street and Cul-de-sac
Throughout Christian history there have been Visionaries and there have been God-Inspired Visionaries. Visionaries are people who dream man-accomplishable dreams. God-Inspired visionaries are leaders who see in their mind's eye God-sized, humongous, unsettling, seemingly unattainable obligations. But unlike your run of the mill visionaries, God-Inspired visionaries are unable to consider that the vision God has given them is unattainable. In fact, when others discourage, discount, or try to dismantle the dream God has given them, they move forward undaunted, like a lion already in full pursuit of her prey completely aware that she will run it down and be successful. I spent the weekend in Tracy, California with some God-Inspired Visionaries.
Church leaders from various denominations, differing doctrinal ideologies, trained in seminaries with contradictory considerations have come together with a God-sized vision, to see 1,000 small groups started and accomplishing biblical community in a town of 80,000. I am dreaming this dream with them. Why? Because the passion of God-sized visionaries spills over on anyone who gets close enough to experience the intensity and intentionality of dreamers of this caliber.
Many senior pastors and small group pastors are simply visionaries. They envision having a healthy small group ministry for their church. They organize for it, build teams made up of individuals from their own congregation to make sure the machine runs smoothly, and get paid to do so. They do what the job description says and the Personnel Committee or Elders celebrate that they have a well-oiled small group machine for their one congregation.
Would it be that more small group pastors and senior pastors could become God-sized Visionaries, willing to join other church leaders to take on the entire community, the community where those far from Christ live, on streets and cul-de-sacs, in towns and villages, and urban areas and rural farmlands?
A few characteristics that will be necessary…
- A willingness to go on the adventure of a lifetime
- The courage to discount the dissenters and traditionalists
- An awareness that you will win the war but will be covered with the scars of the battle
- The ability to journey beyond ordinariness and settle in the land of extraordinariness
- A passion so cavernous that you will sacrifice more than those in your circle of relationship believe healthy or right
We can bring Jesus to the world through small groups but only if we can kill our competitive nature, agree that all believers are the church not just those attending my church or those who make up my denomination, embrace a unity of spirit setting aside secondary doctrinal concerns, make Jesus the centerpiece of the message, and become God-sized Visionaries.
I'm praying that there will be more God-sized Visionaries like the senior pastors, small group pastors, and volunteers I spent the weekend with in Tracy, California. Why? What is now "small group ministry" just might become a movement!
08.09.10
What the Evangelical Small Group World can Learn from Anne Rice
This week, Anne Rice, author of 28 books including Interview with a Vampire, one of the best-selling novels of all time announced, "For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out." Before you declare her once again an atheist, an ideology she once embraced but set aside in 1998 but then returned to the Catholic Church, read another statement made this week, "I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else." She goes on to cite her reasons for exiting the church, "In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."
Anne's statements reveal what many people's perception of today's church is.
- She is made up of a quarrelsome people.
- She is hostile to those whose moral values differ from her own.
- She is prone to argue and debate.
- She is an infamous group having a poor reputation with those outside of her ranks.
- Due to the reputation noted in the four points above many people's conscience will not allow them to continue to be associated with her.
Anne's statements also unmask some misunderstandings concerning those who are being the church as Jesus designed her to be.
- The church is not anti-Democrat (although I must confess, way too many followers of Christ equate being a Christian with being a Republican). She does find it her obligation to be a conscience to the community and will contradict either party when they espouse legislation contradicting God's expectations found in the Bible.
- The church is not anti-women. She embraces gender equality and the roles of each gender as they believe God designed them to be.
- The church is not anti-artificial birth. In fact, most denominations have no regulations against artificial birth control.
- The church is not anti-gay. She loves those who are gay and is willing to walk alongside anyone held captive by any sin as they journey towards freedom from that sin. Jesus-like followers of Christ embrace meaningful relationship with those who are living a gay lifestyle even if they are not striving to find the freedom Christ offers.
- The church is anti-secular humanism as secular humanism is a world-view that contradicts a biblical world-view. A biblical world-view is God's design so that humankind can be reunited with Him and so that humankind can exist in a safe environment as laws are built around the values found in the bible, values unveiled by God for the benefit of all people.
- The church is not anti-science as science proves the existence of God.
- The church is not anti-life, in fact she is pro-life for the unborn, for those who are in the process of dying, and exists so that everyone on planet earth has an opportunity to experience eternal life.
What Anne Rice is Telling the Evangelical Small Group World:
- Welcome those far from God into your inner circle/small group/home. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:10-13
- When inviting not-yet-followers-of Christ to your group, welcome them into your home to discuss spiritual matters, don't mention the name of your church or that your church sponsors the group.
- Be careful to speak more of Jesus than you do your church. Those far from God or those who have been spiritually abused by the church will shut down the conversation if they think you represent the organized church.
- Utilize the spiritual gifts of both men and women in group life. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
- Exhibit humility and think more highly of others than yourself when hosting a conversational Bible study. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philip. 2:3-4
- Don't allow foolish debates during group gatherings. "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." 2 Tim. 2:23
- Don't allow discussions on political matters during group gatherings.
07.29.10
Falling Out of an Airplane... Stories That Inspire and Instruct Small Group Members Are Vital
Real stories from real people inspire group members, create heroes for them, and are a model of what God can and will do if we are keeping our eyes open. Reading stories like the one you find below to your group members is like handing them a list of things to do. The difference, the list tells them what to do and is just more "instructional material." A story captures the heart while giving direction. I promise you, the story/heart is much more likely to motivate to action than the list.
Falling out of an Airplane, What Really Happened to Deb Douglas
Clumsy. No grace. That would be me. I fell out of a plane and went tarmac diving in Atlanta Hartsfield. I was on my way to Ridgecrest, NC to teach on small groups but I took an unplanned "trip". It was not a
vacation. Sections of the deplaning ramp were overlapping with the last section at a strange angle. My shoe caught in the gap and I went flying without a plane. The weight of my laptop in my backpack pushed me hard toward the grit, gravel, and grunginess of the gate area, continuing gravity's path over my head, slowing only when it collided with my neck, before landing onto the tarmac. The result was a crashed laptop, tarmac rash, bruises, sprained wrist, and a torn ligament. It could have been worse. Minutes later there's a fire truck, ambulance, 6 paramedics, police, and several supervisors.
That trip set into motion a series of events that I can only describe as God waves. Arriving in Ridgecrest, I was met by a car service driver for the 40-minute ride. After a quick stop for a burger, the driver announced he had calculated the number of his days left on this earth. I really wanted to focus on me and my pain; it was one of those kinds of moments. But this man had been put in my path for a
reason so I dove into listening to this man's concern and sharing truth with him. The number of days on this earth are not a matter of concern to me because my eternity began the day I asked Jesus to be my Lord. The driver continued to talk about death. I shared how God loves us and desires all of our days to be spent living in relationship with Him. As he pulled up to the doors at the camp, the driver said I was different than most of the people he drove, even those he had driven out to the camp in the past. I asked him why; his answer was the way I talked about God, as if He was real.
Two days later, I'm waiting for my ride back to the airport. The same driver pulls up in the midst of a mountain-rattling thunderstorm. Within seconds of stowing my umbrella and getting settled, the driver
tells me again how many days he has left on this planet. He's rattled from a near collision on the interstate. I comment about his obsession with death. He shared how his mother had said he could never go to heaven because of his life choices. He believed in God but could not accept a Jesus that would exclude him from heaven. I told him how much God loves all of us, no matter our choices, our sins. God is eager to forgive and be in a relationship with us. I explained how that relationship begins. At this moment, the man pulled the car over; tears are turning his eyes red. He says he can accept what I am saying
because he said he could see it in my eyes. He turns away and when he returns his gaze to me, he said, "you have changed my life." He had crossed the line of faith. I got to be the one who showed him how to get over his fear, to find the truth in the midst of lies.
I left the car rejoicing. If I'd done what I wanted to do after the fall, I would have gotten right back on the plane and headed home. But I had an appointment, a divine appointment. Feeling like I'd done what I had come to do, I settled in to wait for my delayed flight back to Atlanta. The possibility of making the Atlanta-Shreveport flight was slim but I hobbled my way through the airport. Arriving at the gate, I discovered the flight was held for me. I was in unbelief. I'm the person who stands and watches the plane she's suppose to be on lift off into the sunset, not have it wait an extra 15 minutes for me to arrive. As I make my way to the one remaining seat, I thanked all the growling passengers, unhappy to have had to wait for this person wrapped up in bandages.
I make it to my seat, and turn to thank the young man seated next to me. As our eyes meet, he says, "What's your philosophy on life?" For the next hour and a half, I answered questions centering on how to not only know who Jesus is historically but personally. He listened, talked through his previous perceptions, and relayed his story. The flight ended before he came to a place of acceptance. He thanked me, accepted my card, and said he saw things differently after our conversation.
If I hadn't had the fall, Delta would not have held the flight for me. I would not have had the opportunity to tell a young man that Jesus desires a relationship and how to make that happen. To be honest, if my hand hadn't been injured, I would have been on my phone, checking emails and texting instead of engaging in conversation with the car service driver.
Maybe it's like this: life gets busy. A little bump creates waves that take you places you would never imagine…away from the busy. Walking with Christ is about being read to ride the waves to where ever they are taking you. The choice is to either see the waves as a destructive tsunami or the wave that will give you the perfect ride. I'd rather surf the waves!
06.22.10
Eight Small Group Leader Got-To's
One… Got to… “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27b
Two… Got to… Empathize with your small group members. John 11:35
Three… Got to… Mentor a future leader. 2 Timothy 2:2
Four… Got to… Protect your small group members from false teaching. Titus 1:9
Five… Got to… Model prayer. Luke 11:1 - 4
Six… Got to… Be willing to give up all for the cause of Christ. Luke 14:26
Seven… Got to… Be a witness of the gospel of Christ. Acts 1:8
Eight… Got to… “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col. 3:16
06.11.10
The Naked Truth about Small Group Evangelism
I learn much from many small group leaders, pastors, and experts. One man not only teaches me, he stretches me. He doesn't allow me to remain in my comfortable stereotypes. He demands an accounting and expects a response to his hard questions based on more than my opinions or some author I've read. Every minister needs someone like this in their lives. His name… Randall Neighbour.
Randall has written a book that each of us should spend some time in, "The Naked Truth about Small Groups." One of Randall's accurate assumptions is that small group members who are followers of Christ should speak of their journey with Jesus to unbelievers. He writes…
"If you and I became friends, we'd probably share areas of spiritual weakness, what we think God is saying to us, and what we're hoping God will do in us and through us in our work, families, and relationships. This is what healthy Christian friends do with one another. We talk about our faith and our struggles with our faith.
However, when Christians spend time with unchurched friends, many do not share matters of spiritual importance. They are confident the unbeliever will not understand, and they'd be right! But there's incredible power to be a witness for Christ when a believer speaks to his or her unbelieving friends in the manner used when interacting with Christian friends.
I've had numerous unchurched friends turn to me and say, "You know, I can tell you really love God and I can see he really loves you. I don't have that with God." If I had not shared what I wanted God to do in my life to be more Christ-like and what I was leaning on him to do as my Master, they would think I'm no different than anyone else. Sharing with my unchurched friends in the same way I share with my fellow small group members builds a contrast for the unbeliever that is genuine and attractive.
I couldn't agree more. If we have a relationship with someone, we talk about them in everyday conversation. Our not-yet-follower-of-Christ friends want to meet those we talk about and they want to get to know them. No canned speeches necessary, no list of acronyms to be introduced, no inventory of laws to be proclaimed. Long before we can tell our pre-Christian friends how to cross the line to faith we must first let them see through our conversations with them that Jesus is more than a concept, more than a principle, more than an debatable historical figure. They must first know that Jesus is our friend, our Lord, our Master and the Creator of the Universe. When they realize through our unveiling of His place in our lives that He is the ultimate friend, Lord, Master and Creator then they will be able to realize that He is the Giver of Life… eternal.
05.28.10
Overlooked Small Group Essentials IV... The Importance of Being on Mission Together
Few things bond a group more than being on mission together. The dreaming of it, the planning of it, the accomplishment of it, and the celebration of it bonds group members like few other experiences. I would suggest that your group do one of the following (even better, dream up ideas of your own) at least three times a year.
- Find a single parent in your neighborhood and spend a day grooming the yard, cleaning the house, baby-sitting the kids, changing the oil in the car, and pay for and send the single mom for a manicure and pedicure. Let them be pampered while you’re group is being Christ to them.
- Find a local ministry that serves the poor, spend a Saturday working with and for that ministry.
- If you are close to a major city, take sack lunches and drinks to the homeless. Sit down and eat with them if possible. This will only take a few hours and will be life-changing for many of your group members.
- Go on a mission trip together. Nothing will bond your group more than five to seven days serving another people in another culture together.
As you go be sure you tell the individuals you are serving that you are there because you’re being Jesus to them. If God opens the door, share the wonderful story of Jesus life, death, resurrection, and transforming power to the individuals you meet. If possible, give each person you meet a Bible.
Your group will grow, your connections with one another will be enhanced, and your respect for another will grow exponentially.
05.27.10
Overlooked Small Group Essentials III... The Importance of Taking into Account Your Group Members Lifestyles
Remember this… Small groups are made up of fellow followers of Christ who do more than just go to gatherings of the church and involvement in whatever your group is doing. Most of them have jobs (and some of them work 60 hours or more per week), some of them have the most exhausting job of all, taking care of kids and a house and meals and paying bills, etc…, others of them have committed themselves to other important organizations like Habitat for Humanity or a local soup kitchen or an organization that helps teenage mothers who are pregnant, etc… a few of them have aged parents they care for or grandchildren they are forced to raise. Bottom line… In today’s culture, many of our group members are pushed and pulled in many, many directions which makes the way we do group something to consider.
If you want to see your group members grow and flourish you may want to consider a few of the following suggestions.:
- Wwhen you sense that most of your group members are overwhelmed, cancel a meeting giving them a night to rest. A few may push back. They may believe it “unholy” to miss “bible study.” Remind them that “sabbathing” is an important aspect of the Christian life.
- If your group is made up of mostly young couples you probably already have childcare in place. When your group needs to rest their minds and just hang out, have your childcare people come to the home where the group meets as they always do, but the adults in the group should just go to supper or bowling or to a movie together. Be sure to alert the person/persons doing childcare that the group is going to be longer than normal then pay them accordingly.
- Do a bible study on the importance of the Sabbath, reminding them and giving them permission to say no to everything one day a week to rest. I assure you… some will say that they just can’t. Ask them to join the experiment with you. Process the experience at the next meeting. If they continue to Sabbath weekly, they will learn to plan to accomplish everything in six days and will find great meaning and fulfillment in following God’s directive. Not only that, they’ll have better attitudes and enjoy life like they may never have before.
- Utilize a new system for doing group. I worked with a church made up of very busy people that utilized the following cycle for doing group. The first week of the month the entire group came together for a normal group meeting. The second week of the month the men did something social (bowling, going to a sports event, etc…) while the wives watched the children in their own homes. The men were expected to invite an unbeliever to join them. The third week of the month the group met for a normal group meeting. The fourth week of the month the women did something social while the men watched the children in their homes. The women were expected to invite an unbeliever to join them. The fifth week of the month everyone came together for a cookout or went out to dinner, etc… and invited the unbelievers they connected with the second or fourth week of the month. This system created more meaningful relationships, elevated and made for more effective evangelism, while continuing to create fully devoted followers of Christ.
Your group members run hard. Be creative and make their lives easier by interrupting their running so they can breathe. I assure you, it will make your group healthier both physically and spiritually.
05.25.10
Overlooked Small Group Essentials I... The Importance of Being Hospitable
I just got off a 6:10 a.m. flight from Nashville to Chicago. It’s my estimation that every person on that plane started their day before 4:00 a.m. Much like the people attending your group meeting, the individuals seated throughout that plane were tired and anxious. Every one of those passengers had hurriedly completed tasks, dealt with last minute issues, and hurriedly made their way to an appointment of their choosing.
The stewardess was less than gracious. As we ducked our heads to get onto the small aircraft she turned her head and continued conversation with her co-workers. It was obvious that the individuals she felt imposed upon to impress were the pilot and co-pilot. When asked a question she responded with a blunt and mean-spirited, “I don’t know.” When she asked if someone wanted a drink, eye contact was non-existent and her tone of voice led you to believe that she hoped each individual would make her life easy. And if you’re like me and you work hard to cheer up the disheartened and you make it your mission to get a smile, don’t even think about it. At one point her glare made apparent her discontent with happy people. It was obvious she was either having a bad day or was simply an inhospitable person.
A thought ran through my head… She is the sole representative of this airlines, the sole chance for a good first impression, the one individual who will determine whether or not I choose this airlines again.
When your small group meets or is out together or you’re at weekend worship and you invite someone to consider trying out your group, remember… it’s not the content of your meeting that will determine whether or not they consider joining the group. It’s not the topic that will ultimately keep them coming back to the group experience. It’s not the food that is served that will in the end entice them to make group life part of their own, it’s the hospitality of the group that catches and keeps people coming back to a small group.
By the way… Will the stewardess receive grace from me? Sure. Every individual deserves grace. But I’ll do my best to fly other airlines from now on.
