This Spring is going to be AMAZING in Life Groups at Four Corners! You all are helping offer over 23 new Life Groups tomorrow at our first "Get in a Group" event.
This morning's Leadership Training, I thought, went well and hopefully has us all on the same page. Below are links to the packet we didn't quite get through with all the missing blanks filled in, the Cliff Notes from today's meeting and the list of all the groups offered tomorrow. Thanks for braving the elements and coming out to the church this morning.
LEADERSHIP TRAINING PACKET (filled out)
CLIFF NOTES FROM LEADERSHIP TRAINING
LIFE GROUPS AVAILABLE FOR SPRING 2008
ONLINE SIGN-UP FOR SPRING LIFE GROUPS
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Life Group Leader as a Spiritual Guide
I subscribe to Christianity Today's Small Group resources newsletter and it has been a boon for information and wisdom. In the current issue they talk about the Small Group Leader as a spiritual guide and the role you play in shaping someone's their spiritual journey.
Check out Tom Bandy's article for some great insight on guiding your group. Also...think about subscribing to the newsletter yourself.
Check out Tom Bandy's article for some great insight on guiding your group. Also...think about subscribing to the newsletter yourself.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Prepping for 2008
I've started preparing for the new year a little earlier than usual. My mind is constantly turning toward what lies ahead for our Life Groups, Creativity and Outreach. I certainly do not want to fascinate myself obsessively with what could happen instead of the reality in front of me. But I think is pertinent for me as a leader to constantly evaluate and flex to create a more vibrant environment for success.
I have fallen out of the habit of reading as I once did so I have started the literary engines again. I just ordered three books from Amazon..."Creating Community" by Andy Stanley, "7 Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry" by Bill Donahue and "The Big Idea" by Dave Ferguson. Excited to see what wisdom I can glean and where it all leads...
- Ryan
I have fallen out of the habit of reading as I once did so I have started the literary engines again. I just ordered three books from Amazon..."Creating Community" by Andy Stanley, "7 Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry" by Bill Donahue and "The Big Idea" by Dave Ferguson. Excited to see what wisdom I can glean and where it all leads...
- Ryan
The 5 M's of Life Group Leadership
Christianity Today has a great article about the 5 M's of Life Group Leadership. Some profound and insightful aspects that will help any group thrive.
1. Minister to the needs of your members.
"...one of the critical roles of a small group leader is to shepherd the people in your group. Does the word "shepherd" scare you? It shouldn't. God has provided you with the gifts and abilities to care for those in your small group."
2. Mentor their spiritual maturity.
"An effective small group leader seeks to cultivate the spiritual habits of his or her group."
3. Motivate the "shape" (spiritual gifts) of your members for ministry.
"You, as the leader of the group, must model this principle. It's the "trickle down" approach to spiritual maturity. What your members see in you is what they begin to emulate in their lives."
4. Multiply the life and mission of your members.
"It's not enough for your members to stay members. Every member must become a multiplier—to multiply their life through passing on the faith to others, through starting a new small group, through training others to assist in the development of the small group."
5. Model a surrendered heart.
"God works best in our weakness—when things are blowing apart—that's when God is strong. Worship God no matter what your circumstances with a thankful and hopeful heart. Your soul—and the very health of your small group—is at stake."
1. Minister to the needs of your members.
"...one of the critical roles of a small group leader is to shepherd the people in your group. Does the word "shepherd" scare you? It shouldn't. God has provided you with the gifts and abilities to care for those in your small group."
2. Mentor their spiritual maturity.
"An effective small group leader seeks to cultivate the spiritual habits of his or her group."
3. Motivate the "shape" (spiritual gifts) of your members for ministry.
"You, as the leader of the group, must model this principle. It's the "trickle down" approach to spiritual maturity. What your members see in you is what they begin to emulate in their lives."
4. Multiply the life and mission of your members.
"It's not enough for your members to stay members. Every member must become a multiplier—to multiply their life through passing on the faith to others, through starting a new small group, through training others to assist in the development of the small group."
5. Model a surrendered heart.
"God works best in our weakness—when things are blowing apart—that's when God is strong. Worship God no matter what your circumstances with a thankful and hopeful heart. Your soul—and the very health of your small group—is at stake."
Sunday, November 11, 2007
How guilt stops the called
John Piper has a great article about how the current epidemic of sexual immorality within the church leadership is not the most looming danger for the church at large...a sad mistake most everyone makes. Instead the true danger is the guilt associated with so many Christians struggling with sexual addiction.
"…so many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ. The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair."
How many of us sit on our dreams because of our pasts? How much of our baggage defines us instead of the forgiveness granted us through Christ?
"…so many young people are being lost to the cause of Christ's mission because they are not taught how to deal with the guilt of sexual failure. The problem is not just how not to fail. The problem is how to deal with failure so that it doesn't sweep away your whole life into wasted mediocrity with no impact for Christ. The great tragedy is not masturbation or fornication or pornography. The tragedy is that Satan uses guilt from these failures to strip you of every radical dream you ever had or might have. In their place, he gives you a happy, safe, secure, American life of superficial pleasures, until you die in your lakeside rocking chair."
How many of us sit on our dreams because of our pasts? How much of our baggage defines us instead of the forgiveness granted us through Christ?
Friday, October 12, 2007
Taking it deeper...
One of the things I love about a healthy life group is self-awareness and a desire to move deeper. You can ask questions about where you are and where you want to go without much fear. You reach a crossroads where decisions must be made.
At our last Life Group one of our members said frankly she wanted to move into some of the deepest questions of faith. The rest of the group echoed the sentiment and we dived in. So we've taken an exciting turn after a lot of time spent getting to know each other, our stories and gathering the trust together necessary to have a conversation of faith. And I'm looking forward to where this goes as we use Greg Boyd's book "Letters from a Skeptic" as a catalyst.
At our last Life Group one of our members said frankly she wanted to move into some of the deepest questions of faith. The rest of the group echoed the sentiment and we dived in. So we've taken an exciting turn after a lot of time spent getting to know each other, our stories and gathering the trust together necessary to have a conversation of faith. And I'm looking forward to where this goes as we use Greg Boyd's book "Letters from a Skeptic" as a catalyst.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
What makes you pursue faith?
That's the question our life group chatted about last night. We have been meeting as a group for just over 3 months and slowly have been investing in each other. I'm amazed at the chemistry that has been generated even though we knew each other vaguely before getting together.
The reasons we pursue faith vary greatly but at the core lies a few similarities that may be universal...a desire to have a legacy of meaningful impact and influence AND a sense of wrong and right in this chaotic world. It lead to some great conversations and, I believe, in the end a sense that our life group was a safe place to simply say, "I don't always know why I pursue faith...".
Jill and I have found the "model" we use for Life Groups to be very effective...intentionally casual yet it always leads us to meaningful conversations about life and God. And beyond it all we find these people as dear friends. A slow run up to the deeper things...building relational trust over time. Too many times people rush into the "God-stuff" without spending time earning the right to be heard...we forget these are people and not simply ticks on a salvation score card.
Life Groups have given Jill and I true enjoyment of church...a place of friends and community where the deep conversations happen but also life simply gets lived together. Up to this point in our lives that was what was missing in our church experience.
The reasons we pursue faith vary greatly but at the core lies a few similarities that may be universal...a desire to have a legacy of meaningful impact and influence AND a sense of wrong and right in this chaotic world. It lead to some great conversations and, I believe, in the end a sense that our life group was a safe place to simply say, "I don't always know why I pursue faith...".
Jill and I have found the "model" we use for Life Groups to be very effective...intentionally casual yet it always leads us to meaningful conversations about life and God. And beyond it all we find these people as dear friends. A slow run up to the deeper things...building relational trust over time. Too many times people rush into the "God-stuff" without spending time earning the right to be heard...we forget these are people and not simply ticks on a salvation score card.
Life Groups have given Jill and I true enjoyment of church...a place of friends and community where the deep conversations happen but also life simply gets lived together. Up to this point in our lives that was what was missing in our church experience.
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