Articles for tag: Small Group Leaders

July 19, 2018

Christian Standard

How Orange Is Changing the Face of Children’s Ministry and Curriculum

By Amy Fenton When you work for a company whose name is a color, you get questions (and occasionally weird looks). Sometimes people think I work for the fitness place with a similar name . . . nope. Sometimes people think my boss, Reggie Joiner, likes that color. He does like it, but that is not why we are called Orange. For us, Orange is the company name because it reflects our strategy. We recently celebrated our 11th year of the Orange Conference, and as I stood in the back of the room on our last day, I thought about

May 3, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Join the Celebration

By Mark A. Taylor Sure, you enjoy reading posts at this website, but now may be the time for you to give our print magazine a try. We have an offer that gives you so much more than the posts we add to this site each month. It”s our 150th anniversary, and we have a special (read “low cost”) way for you to join the celebration. Now you can get a whole year of CHRISTIAN STANDARD delivered to your home for only $15.00. That”s way less than HALF our normal subscription price! In fact, it”s lower than almost all of

April 21, 2015

Michael C. Mack

The Incredible Opportunity of “I Don”t Know”

By Michael C. Mack It”s been said that teachers and facilitators should get comfortable with the words “I don”t know.” When someone asks a question in a small group or class, it”s one of the best discipleship opportunities you will ever have! Rather than saying, “I don”t know, but I”ll find out,” try saying, “I don”t know, but let”s all research that before our next meeting. Here are some places you might find the answer. . . .” Suggest Bible passages to look up, sound biblical websites to explore, or a minister (or other leader or professor who is known

February 18, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Beyond the Problem

By Mark A. Taylor Let”s not dwell on the fact that too many know too little about God”s Word. After clarifying the situation (and more than one writer at our site this month gives troubling facts and examples), let”s talk about how to solve the “know problem” all around us (not only in our neighborhoods, but in our churches too). We’re posting many stories and strategies to help your church increase biblical literacy where you are. From this wealth of help, several principles stand out. “¢ People want to know the Bible better. When presented with an accessible plan for

October 29, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

Self-Fed

By Mark A. Taylor Usually my wife and I grab something at a restaurant after church on Sunday morning, but a few weeks ago the church fed me lunch. It was an information meeting for small group leaders at our church, and the menu was box lunches from one of my favorite local cafes. I tried the chicken salad sandwich. Never had it before””it was great! There were extra meals on hand after the meeting, so each of us could take a couple home with us. My wife and I enjoyed ours the next day. So that means the church

July 10, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Ethan Magness

ETHAN MAGNESS Pastor of spiritual formation and director of Semester in Ministry, Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland Ethan Magness is difficult to describe. He was a math major and an athlete (swimmer). He is an intellectual and he pours himself into people by throwing parties. He really isn”t into sports but annually joins our NCAA basketball brackets contest and almost always finishes in the top three. As pastor of spiritual formation, Ethan is a gifted teacher who launched GrowingU at Mountain Christian Church to teach Scripture and discipleship, but he focuses on training small group leaders and teachers rather than

June 16, 2013

Michael C. Mack

What Is a Small Group?

By Michael C. Mack The question keeps popping up. At conferences, in Internet discussion groups, whenever small group leaders get together, the question is asked, discussed, and sometimes even argued. You”d think we”d know the answer by now. A small group minister asked, “What exactly is a small group? There is a crucial advantage to having groups that are highly intentional about spiritual growth, external ministry, and living missionally””that is, reproducing both disciples and groups. At the same time, many people in the church are not ready to be part of such a group. Some people are just looking to

October 13, 2012

Michael C. Mack

The Vitality of Christian Community: Find This Book and Read It! (Part 10)

By Michael C. Mack   The Relational Way: From Small Group Structures to Holistic Life Connections M. Scott Boren Houston: TOUCH Publications, 2007 The model of the church today stands in stark contrast to the church of the New Testament. In this book, Scott Boren calls for a new restoration””a restoration of the “relational way” that is at the very heart of God and his design for his church. The ideas Boren proposes are revolutionary within our culture; indeed, they are counter-cultural, which is exactly what he intends and proposes in this book. If you are not directly involved in small groups,

November 27, 2011

Christian Standard

Beyond How-to

By Mark A. Taylor Roy Lawson once wrote at this site that he generally avoids books about leadership. I haven”t pressed him, but I”m guessing his point is something like this: There must be some substance beneath our leadership methods. “Casting vision” and listening to the team and being decisive, along with a dozen other useful tactics, don”t mean much from a would-be leader who is not himself a person worth following. So let”s read books that nourish the soul and expand the mind before we go looking for technique. And yet many among us devour leadership books and seminars

January 24, 2011

Christian Standard

Why Churches Should Euthanize Small Groups

By Brian Jones A few years ago I brought in a nationally recognized pastor to do some consulting for our church. One of the things I remember most about my time with him was a side conversation we had about small groups. “I haven’t really figured out the small group thing,” I confessed to him. “Well, Brian, that’s because they don’t work. Small groups are things that trick us into believing we’re serious about making disciples. The problem is 90 percent of small groups never produce one single disciple. Ever. They help Christians make shallow friendships, for sure. They’re great

July 18, 2010

Christian Standard

They Trust Me, They Trust Me Not

By Dave Ping Richard had been on the staff of a rapidly growing church for six months, and things were going great. “Some of the small groups I”d started were thriving and some were just getting off the ground when suddenly we discovered that our perfect church wasn”t as perfect as we thought. Our senior pastor, a dynamic preacher who”d befriended me and mentored me in ministry, was caught having an affair with a female staff member. “Suddenly the church I loved was engulfed in a storm of hurt, betrayal, and distrust. And I was just as grieved and stunned

January 17, 2010

Christian Standard

A Sabbatical for Volunteers

By Wilbur Reid III Volunteer church leaders are busy. In addition to the typically demanding workweek, they have family responsibilities: driving kids to practices, maintaining the lawn, staying up with housework and laundry, and everything else that makes a healthy and happy home. On top of that, they feel a calling and responsibility to support the kingdom of God in their local church. They spend hours each week as elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, nursery workers, and small group leaders. They maintain the building and grounds, sing in the choir, and work with the youth group. This busyness leads to

July 20, 2008

Christian Standard

More Than the ABC”s

By Darrel Rowland The emphasis on making disciples is not subtle at Mountain Christian Church. It”s displayed in three-foot-high letters inside the church building. It”s in the bulletin every Sunday. It”s emphasized everywhere from new members classes to gatherings of the church”s top leadership. “The purpose of this church is to make disciples””more and better disciples.” “One thing that has helped us perhaps as much as any other thing is a crystal clear focus with a mission that everyone understands and knows,” senior minister Ben Cachiaras says. “Every line item in our budget we hold accountable to that mission, every

June 18, 2008

Christian Standard

Shepherding: A Bigger Task Than Most Are Accomplishing

By Mark A. Taylor What is the elder”s most important job? Almost 300 elders answered that question for Arron Chambers (read his article), and more than three-fourths of them said shepherding. But in the two hours or so per week most of these elders give to elder duties, they spend less than half that time actually shepherding. In fact, almost a third of those surveyed say they spend less than one-quarter of their time (that”s 30 minutes for most of them) doing the task they”ve agreed is most important. Yet Knofel Staton concluded, in the Bible study he wrote for

June 4, 2008

Christian Standard

Four Standards for Small Groups

By Mark A. Taylor After reading this week”s small groups articles, you may wish we had talked to all the writers in one room at the same time. The variety in their approaches would no doubt stimulate a lively discussion about “the right way” to do small groups. Yet, in spite of any potential disagreements, several common principles are clear. According to this week”s writers, here”s how to have successful small groups: Begin with the Bible.  Jim Putman, whose church involves thousands in small groups every week, says “The Bible plays a central part.”   Mike Mack, who not only

January 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Defining the Win for Junior High Small Groups

By Johnny Scott Have you ever come home from a convention with great enthusiasm about your new small group master plan? You have the best volunteers ever, and you”ve communicated to parents and fellow church staff in meticulous detail how the program will be a success. The curriculum was field-tested by the leaders and chosen by the student leadership team. Everyone is excited. But somewhere between the “back-to-school kickoff” and Christmas break the impact you envisioned fizzles out. What went wrong? It just didn”t seem to add up. Let me propose you take a step backward. Ask yourself, “How did

October 31, 2007

Christian Standard

Why Not Take Two or More?

By Mark A. Taylor If you read many magazines or receive many parachurch periodicals, you”ve likely been reading about the impact of recent postage hikes. Some publications are changing their trim size to cut costs or conform to new regulations. Some previously free publications are now charging a subscription price or asking for donations. Some are imploring readers to send timely change-of-address notices because of higher charges they”re receiving for forwarding issues. We”re not doing any of those things, but we are making one small change. Effective with our December issues, CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The Lookout are increasing the postage/handling

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