+Ralph Neighbour is one of the pioneers of the groups movement in the U.S. I believe we can learn much from men and women like him who paved the way for us. Dr. Neighbour has a heart not only for healthy, holistic, Christ-centered groups, but for the church and God’s kingdom. And out of this passion he challenges and encourages us …

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 time in three (or up to about eight, depending on what sociologist you read) levels: LEVEL 1: Emergence. This is …

I was sitting in a small groups seminar in 1993, mesmerized by Lyman Coleman as he stood by his overhead projector, training leaders as nobody else could. This is good stuff, I thought, but what will these folks do when they get back to their churches? What will they do two or three years from now when they run into …

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 a feature article about him for The Lookout magazine (right). I had called Serendipity House, the ministry he founded, to …

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 was the voice of the American small group movement. Mike and Lyman Coleman, August 2013 Lyman Coleman leading a Small …