I'm starting a new blog series today about commitment and small groups, which is kind of ironic, in a way, because this is my first post of 2014. I'll try to do better ... I promise. What does it mean...
Tag: For Leaders of Leaders
SG Movement/History
Where Is the Small Group Movement Today?
Lately I have been studying the beginnings of the small group movement in order to better understand what we can learn today. Last week I spoke to +Ralph Neighbour, and he gave me some incredible insights. Movements typically develop over...
SG Movement/History
Lyman’s Legacy
I wrote yesterday about Lyman Coleman and his thoughts on small groups as an assimilation strategy for the church. Today, I want to share some more personal thoughts about Lyman. I first met Lyman Coleman in 1992 when I wrote...
External-Focus, SG Movement/History
Lyman Coleman: Small Groups Are Much More Than an Assimilation Strategy
I spent a day with Lyman Colemen recently and talked about small groups ministry over the last 60-some years. Lyman founded Serendipity House and for more than 30 years, he spoke at church conferences across America. At that time, he...
Ministry Leaders
Top 10 Small Group Ministry Launch Failures
In my ministry over the years I've seen many blunders as churches launch small groups. I've made my own share as well. Later, people in the congregation say stuff like, “See, small groups didn't work here,” but that wasn't really...
External-Focus
What Keeps Us from the Mission
Last week Andy asked me an interesting question: "How far should we go in getting involved with non-Christians?" Andy and I are in a men's group together and we were sitting in a coffee shop talking about people we meet...
Ministry Leaders
It’s Not About Small Groups!
Recently, I was commenting on a discussion on the Small Group Churches site about why small group ministries sometimes fail in churches. The author of the original post, +Andrew Mason, suggests three very good reasons this happens, but I believe...