Articles for tag: Group Dynamics

June 7, 2018

Christian Standard

Intergenerational Small Groups: Mix It Up a Little!

By Jessie Clemence I invite you to peek inside our kitchen on a small-group night. Four baby boys and a preschooler are strapped into various high chairs around the table. Three young fathers are trying to assemble dinners for their offspring while a mother nurses a newborn in the living room. The room smells heavily of tacos and mushed-up baby food. Four older adults work side by side with the young mothers, feeding babies and sneaking cookies to toddlers when their parents aren’t looking. A pile of Bibles is stacked on the coffee table for the upcoming study, but only

February 29, 2016

Michael C. Mack

When to Call On Group or Class Members

By Michael C. Mack Normally, it”s best not to call on individual members during a class or group meeting. As a leader, your goal is to promote discussion, not quiz members. Most people don”t like being put on the spot. Your goal is to create an atmosphere of genuineness, openness, vulnerability, and acceptance. To do that, a free-flowing dialogue works best. Calling out specific people to contribute can sabotage that objective. But there are at least four exceptions: 1. The Quiet Person. Don”t automatically call on the quiet person. That”s the last thing they want to happen, and it may

February 26, 2016

Christian Standard

Our Target? Everyone

By Eddie Lowen For a long time, I believed every church needed a target group: the irreligious, the unchurched, men, young families, singles, young adults . . . some group that is underrepresented in most established churches. But my thinking has shifted. I am now cautious about identifying target groups. Let me walk you through the New Testament passage that altered my philosophy and shaped our church”s mission language. Acts 10 introduces Cornelius, captain of the Italian Regiment. It”s safe to assume Cornelius looked and sounded much like the soldiers who brutalized and killed Jesus. That unsavory association made Cornelius

April 27, 2014

Christian Standard

Circle Up

By Susan Lawrence “Then Jesus told his followers to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. So they sat in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he thanked God for the food. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. All the people ate and were satisfied” (Mark 6:39-42, New Century Version). I don”t know if the groups of 50 and 100 sat in circles or

January 5, 2013

Michael C. Mack

How Small Is a Small Group?

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: What size should a healthy small group be? ANSWER: This is one of the most frequently asked questions about small groups, and as with many questions, the answer is, “It all depends.” Here are three factors to consider when determining group size.   Group Types Small groups come in a variety of types with different purposes and needs. An accountability group, for example, works best with about 2 to 4 members. A serving group, and some more socially oriented groups, can be quite large, in the 20s or 30s. Holistic groups, discussion-based groups, and a

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