Why do some churches grow and multiply, some plateau, and others decline?  It’s a question I’ve considered for a long time, and my experience as well as everything I read and study and all the people I talk to reinforce my theory that growing churches do certain things and have a particular mind-set largely absent in stagnant and declining churches. …

I share these leadership TIPS each weekday on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to help equip ordinary people to lead extraordinary churches, groups, classes, ministries, businesses, teams, families . . . whatever you lead! Then I compile each week’s TIPS here on Fridays. Please share them with your friends. I’ve made it easy for you! #Leadership #TIPoftheDay: “You’re not living a …

GUEST POST by C.J. Stephens, Small Groups Minister at Northeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky   I hear the stories over and over again. They vary in subtle ways, yet they’re always about that person in your group—the one who seems to have everything together. Their life is going perfectly. Their family is great. They are making more money than they …

Here are this week’s all new Leadership TIPS … for all kinds of spiritual leaders. Each day this week, we Tweeted them, posted them on our Facebook page, and posted them on LinkedIn. Use these tips in your ministry. Retweet or repost them to your friends and followers! #Leadership #TIPoftheDay: Ask yourself, “Why has God entrusted me w/ leadership? What …

God often takes us places we didn’t plan to go. As I got into my rental car in Louisville, Kentucky, to head out to The Groups Conference in Mattoon, Illinois, where I was speaking last weekend, I set the route I wanted to take in Google Maps and headed out. I was driving along the highway with the radio cranked …

Here are the Small Group Leader TIPS for the last week as Tweeted, posted on our Small Group Leadership Facebook page, and posted on LinkedIn. This week’s TIPS focus on building healthy authentic community / unity even in a political environment. Small Group Leader TIP of the Day: #politics #election2016 #unity #JesusforKing #SGLeadership pic.twitter.com/acq0nKIbsU — Small Grp Leadership (@michaelcmack) November …

How do you discuss politics civilly in such a politically charged culture? Or should you even try? Your group members may debate whether you should even talk about politics in small group meetings. Some would maintain that this could fracture a good group. Here’s my take: your group should be a great place to discuss politics IF you handle it …

Clowns have been seen entering small group meetings. What do you do as a leader when this happens? Do what Jesus did. Jesus’ small group was full of clowns. Except for its leader, this leadership-training group seemed to lack any observable spiritual leadership potential. A bunch of oddball characters and mess ups. I can hear Jesus talking with the Father: …

I was recently asked this question via email from a church leader in Canada: There has been some question in the past at our church about how long a group should be together. A thought had been to “shake” things up or break up groups on purpose and in doing so that it would help. My opinion is that it …

Small groups can either divide us or bring reconciliation. We can’t deny that a level of racial divide exists in the U.S. (still) today. I’m not pointing fingers for who is responsible for this and I hope you don’t either. But I want to move beyond that fact and look at the state of our small groups. Are they places …