Reader, forgive me. It’s been 7 months since my last blog post. (If you grew up Catholic, as I did, I’m sure that first line has a familiar ring to it.) So . . . where have I been? As I wrote in a blog post back in June 2017, I became editor of Christian Standard magazine a little more …

I am privileged to lead the Small Group Leader Summit Saturday, January 20, from 9 AM to noon. The event will be held at First Church, Burlington, Kentucky, 6080 Camp Ernst Road, in Burlington, Kentucky 41005. SESSION 1: “Things Every Small Group Leader Needs to Know”: I will focus this session on how to avoid leader burnout, toward which small …

Between now and August 31, you can take advantage of discount prices when you purchase World’s Greatest Small Group for your small group leaders. 25% off when you buy 1-19 copies. 40% off when you buy 20+ copies. Go here for more details. Michael Keaton – Small Groups Pastor, Crossroads Church, Newnan, Georgia – is using World’s Greatest Small Group …

The back cover of World’s Greatest Small Group features this audacious claim: Your small group can do what Jesus’ did: Change the World! I wouldn’t make such a claim if I didn’t believe it’s possible. But I believe not only that it’s possible, but that it’s exactly what Jesus wants to happen. It’s what he said will happen. It’s what …

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

I recently met Deborah Ike, who works with church leaders to help them grow their churches and create a life with healthy margins. She is the author of two books, Volunteer Management Toolkit-Church Edition and Protect the Vision: A Practical Guide to Church Risk Management, both available on her website: Velocity Ministry Management. After reading this interview, go check out …

Every small group needs a coach to be healthy, grow, bear fruit, and eventually reproduce themselves. I have tried every coaching model and system I could find, and I made up some of my own along the way. Several times I totally eliminated my whole coaching structure and started over with something new. All I wanted was something that actually …

I teach a “Small Group Ministry & Discipling” seminary class at Cincinnati Christian University that is designed for students who have an interest in starting or further developing a small group ministry in a local congregation. I selected the required textbooks for these leaders and emerging leaders to give them a mixture of adaptable philosophy, biblical values for discipleship in …

As I coach and consult with small group point leaders and churches, I’m finding that coaching leaders is (still) a struggle for many. At the same time, I partner with several organizations that deal with coaching business leaders, and I’m applying what I’m learning in that environment to small group and church ministry. Over the next several posts, I’ll share …

Jesus started his church by calling a few normal, workaday guys to follow him, and then he made a remarkable statement. He told these unschooled, unspectacular, blue-collar guys that he’d turn them into leaders who would make an eternal difference in people’s lives (see Matt. 4:18-20) and ultimately the world. Jesus reiterated the point sometime later when he called together …