Creative Community

This article was written by Jon Ferguson, a pastor in the greater Chicago area. Read more of Jon's thoughts at his blog, Viscosity . A Small Group Explosion - Part I Today I was reminded of Joel Comiskey's book Home Cell Group Explosion. The book was written based on his research of the most prominent and fastest growing small group based churches in the world. They were located in 8 different countries and four distinct cultures. He spent an average of 8 days in each one. More than 700 small group leaders completed his 29 question survey, designed to determine why some small group leaders succeed and others do not when it comes to connecting the unconnected and reproducing their small group. He identified the following factors that DO NOT AFFECT MULTIPLICATION, and in the process de-bunks some widely and quietly held myths. 1. The leaders gender, social, class, age, marital status, or education were not a factor in their ability to multiply their small group. Maybe you...

whoops. a little slow getting this out. sorry. Small Group Study Guide

these answers were the result of a few surveys that were given to select LIFEGroups: "It has definitely drawn me closer in my walk with the Lord" "I am more spiritually sensitive" "Meeting new people and getting more out of the Word" "Helps me get a better perspective of the problems I struggle with" "We learn from each other" "We care for each other" "Fellowship!" How has your LIFEGroup helped you?

Click the links below for a more in-depth small group study of this week's sermon. LIFEGroup Guide in .pdf Format LIFEGroup Guide in .doc Format LIFEGroup Questions from this Sunday's Bulletin: 1. The book of Revelation is all about revealing Jesus (1:1). What are some things we learn about Jesus from the seven seal judgment in Revelation 6? 2. Read Revelation 7:14-17. What do these verses suggest about what heaven will look like? What are you most looking forward to? 3. Read Revelation 8:3-5. What lessons about prayer do you learn from these verses? How would you like your prayer life to change having read these verses? 4. Read Revelation 9:20,21. Why do you think many people will refuse to repent in spite of the terrible judgments they are experiencing? What does this suggest about the urgency of sharing Jesus' story with people now? 5. What technological, political, and other 21st century factors might suggest that the events of Revelation 6-12 could be getting ne...

Since this Sunday's sermon wasn't a part of the Revelation series, this small group guide covers Revelation 5 (last Sunday's sermon was on Revelation 4 and 5). small group guide (PDF) small group guide (PUB)

Occasionally we have opportunity to purchase valuable training materials for our LIFEGroup drivers. Recently we purchased a guide for Leading Bible Studies. If you would like a copy of this document (we can reproduce it up to 1000 times), email david and he'll send it out to you! This Guide will cover: 1. The Study Before the Study 2. Build a Studying Community 3. How to Lead a Good Discussion 4. Questions for Digging Deeper 5. Mature Believers, New Believers, Same Group 6. The Faith-Sharing Bible Study CLICK HERE TO EMAIL DAVID

Click Here for a Full Small Group Study on Revelation 4 (PDF). Click here for the same study as a microsoft publisher document. QUESTIONS FROM SUNDAY'S SERMON 1) In Revelation 4:2-6, Joh describes God's throne in heaven but never portrays what God looks like or ascribes any form to Him. What did he see and why does He describe the scene this way? 2) What does the text tell us about the 24 elders? Read Exodus 3:16; 19:7; Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:6 and identify two important groups of elders in the Old and New Testaments. What conclusions are possible about the identity of the 24 elders based on the use of the term in Scripture? 3) If worship on earth should be a preview of worship in heaven, what could we learn and employ in our worship based on these chapters? 4) Read Revelation 5:8. What does this teach us about prayer? 5) Having studied this chapter, how would you like your participation in our Sunday celebration gatherings to change?

here are some great ideas for building relationships in your small group. These come from the website, Big Ideas for Small Groups . Anyway here you go, by popular demand, the Top 10 Best Icebreakers: 10. Share one food item that best describes the last year of your life. (example: "frozen pizza" because I did a 180-degree turn this year, or "cinnamon roll" because it had lots of twists and turns but overall was pretty sweet) 9. What one item in the kitchen best describes you and your personality? 8. What's your favorite concert you've ever attended? 7. What cartoon character best describes you? 6. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? 5. Complete the statement "I recommend..."(it can be a show, movie, book, restaurant, website, activity, etc.) 4. If you knew could you try anything and not fail (and money was no object), what dream would you attempt? 3. What super-power would you most like to have, and why? 2. If yo...

Kirk Powell Co-Leads a LIFEGroup with Chad Latsch. Kirk agreed to answer a few questions in hopes it might benefit some other drivers. How long has your group been meeting? About 1 year How did your group get its start? Pastor Mike W. asked if we would be interested in "birthing" (industry buzz word) a small group. I know you don't like the phrase "splitting up". What have you done to bring new people into your group? Asked our friends/acquaintances we know that are not involved in a small groiup What is your group doing to be "missional"? We help at Hope's Outlet once a month. How has working at Hope's Outlet impacted your group? It has helped us see what others need, outside of ourselves. We also realize how much God has given us, and not to complain. How could other groups get involved at Hope's Outlet? Call Tim Tabor!!!. I know they will need help with distributing Food trucks before the year ends. What is the best ...

this is an article from " Building Small Groups " Drawing Men into Small Groups A proven plan for reaching reluctant men. From the Church Leaders Answer Book A s one leader put it, "A man is a hard thing to reach!" Yet few ministries have as much potential to revive our families, churches, and communities. When one man turns to Jesus Christ, it breaks a chain of bondage to sin and broken relationships. One changed man can set a family for many generations on a new course of joy, peace, and reconciliation. Here's how churches are redesigning their systems to produce men who love God, provide spiritual leadership to their families, and serve the Lord: 1. Begin with a clear understanding of your purpose for men in the church. The first step is to write down what you're trying to accomplish and why. If your purpose statement were "To equip the men of our church to be spiritual leaders," you probably wouldn't focus on service projects. Inste...

The following is from the Big Ideas For Small Groups blog. It is published by a church in Naperville, IL. At 6:30am on Tuesday mornings, I lead a Men's Group that is preparing to launch 3-5 new Men's Groups for the Naperville Campus. We have a vision to be Men's Groups that: * Connect the Unconnected * Develop 3C Christ-followers * Reproduce Groups and Leaders Well we've been reading from the Bible and studying Walking the Small Group Tightrope and the discussions have been great! This morning we talked about the balance between Truth (studying the Bible) and Life (sharing our story). A "Truth-only" small group solely talks about the Bible and doesn't ask questions of application like "so what?" or "now what?". A "Life-only" group only shares each other's stories and offers advice solely based upon each other experiences as opposed to looking to God's Word and Spirit for wisdom. So what have your exper...