Custom Church Resources

By Tyler Quillet

I speak with pastors and church leaders about their small groups weekly. I keep up with groups on social media focused on small group ministries. I have small group inquiries thrown my way almost daily. I know what you’re thinking: What are these people talking about, discussing, and doing when it comes to their groups ministry? I’m glad you asked. 

Far and away, what I hear more than anything is, “What do you know about sermon-based Bible studies? What are other churches doing when it comes to sermon-based studies? Would this be a good option for us?” When thinking through these questions, it’s important to recognize that what works for one church may not be successful for another. You need to know your church family and prayerfully decide how to lead your groups ministry. 

That said, sermon-based groups are a great option to consider. For those who use sermon-based studies, the alignment allows individuals and families to focus on the same text and topic in the sermon, small group, individual study, and family devotions throughout the week.

However, many leaders are confronted by the question, Who has the time to write sermon-based resources for adults, students, and children? Most church leaders simply don’t have the time in their week. That’s where Lifeway’s Custom Church Resources team comes in. We create Biblical solutions for the specific calling and context of your church. Whether this be sermon-based, a long-term discipleship plan, a simple short-term series, daily devotions, or more, we create based on your specific needs.

Our team can take your sermon text, topic, or even your full manuscript to create curriculum for your groups that aligns with your sermon. We create studies based on your needs and in a way that reflects the culture and context of your church. This may include heavy teaching content for a traditional Sunday school class, a shorter facilitator guide for a typical small group setting, or some simple questions to help keep your group discussion moving. Whatever your needs, we’ll incorporate your language and your church’s style guide to make your studies look, feel, and sound as if they came out of your church office. 

Take a look at custom church resources to see the many ways our team can serve you and your church family. On our site, you can view many sermon-based samples and click the “Get Started” button to set up a time to connect. We’ll answer your questions, share with you how we can serve you in this partnership, and discuss what next steps might look like. 

What are pastors saying about Custom Church Resources?

“We can do what we’re supposed to do here every day in serving this church and being a part of the ministry here and meeting the needs of the people without having to spend hours in the office doing something that we’re not really used to doing. So, handing it over to a trusted expert who can take it and put it together for us, and we know it’s gonna be good, we know it’s gonna be theologically correct, and we know there’s not going to be surprises. It’s been fantastic. It’s been really good.”

Jim Herndon

Small Groups Pastor, Second Baytown Church 

Baytown, TX

“I have been so happy and surprised at how beautiful the partnership is, and how great the collaboration is. I really feel like we have an added member to our team that’s not in-house. It’s incredibly affordable for a church our size….Not only are they helping with the application of the truth, but they are helping me think of ways I could even teach the truth.”

Barrett Bowden

Lead Pastor, Island Community Church

Memphis, TN

Have you been writing your own guides but feel like you don’t have the time, the content has become stale, or the responsibility has become overwhelming? Let Custom Church Resources take that burden from you, learn your church’s DNA, and write your group studies for the specific calling and context of your church. Set up an appointment today. I look forward to hearing from you!

Tyler Quillet Tyler Quillet is the Team Leader for the Small Group Publishing and Custom Church Resources teams at Lifeway Christian Resources. He lives in the Nashville, TN area with his wife, Cathie, and two boys, Cylas and Bowen. Tyler is the author of Yet: Embracing God’s Faithfulness in the Midst of Grief. Before his time at Lifeway, he spent 15 years as a pastor. Tyler is passionate about serving churches and pouring into church leaders in a variety of ways.