• All Sites:
  • Pastors
  • Leadership
  • Kids Ministry
  • Student Ministry
  • Groups Ministry
  • Women's Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
Lifeway

Group Ministry

Conversations on Group Practices

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Bible Study Insider
  • Groups Resources
  • Free Bible Teaching
Church Leadership
July 1, 2019

The Importance of Rest for the Small Group leader

By Group Ministry

by Will Johnston

Some of you don’t need this post.

If you feel like your day and your week have a good rhythm; if you aren’t burnt out, exhausted, or stressed; if you seem to have enough time to get everything done that you need to do, then feel free to skip this one.

This post is for the people who aren’t sure how they’re going to get everything done, whose task list outpaces their availability, who feel like they’re juggling not just one too many things but three too many things.

If that’s you, I want to let you in on a little secret.  There’s always more to do.

I remember being in college and having this feeling of relief after finals were over.  Suddenly, there was nothing more I had to do.  There was no more homework, no more studying, no more stress.  In an instant, it was all gone.  It was a great feeling.

Unfortunately, I don’t get that feeling very often any more.  There’s always another email, another meeting, another project.  In fact, I’m writing this post at the last minute, the day that I need to send it in, because there’s been so much to do that I’m just now getting to it.

So how do we find rest in the middle of the busyness of life?

I would suggest that we need to find healthy and sustainable rhythms of life.  Our world is not going to get less busy, less chaotic, less demanding.  We have to make good (and often difficult) choices in the midst of the chaos.

What do you need to say no to?

It’s not hard to say no to bad things.

Hey, want to volunteer your time with a hate group?

It’s not that hard to say no to that one. But how about:

Don’t you want your kids to get into a good college? Make sure they’re well rounded and in lots of extracurriculars.

Want to be financially secure? A few real estate investments can help make that a reality.

The church needs people to serve on the missions committee. Would you be willing?

Those things are harder to say no to.  Who doesn’t want their kids to go to a good school, to be financially secure, or to help missionaries share the gospel?  But saying yes to too many things quickly leads to that all-too-familiar feeling of stress.

Just yesterday my pastor shared in his sermon that he and his wife capped their kids’ extracurricular activities to two at one time.  With three kids, that’s still a lot of practices, recitals, games, and lessons, but it helped keep the pace of life more sustainable.

When you take stock of your life now, what are the things you’re currently doing or the “opportunities” that have been presented to you that you might need to say no to?  You might not be able to stop everything you should right away.  You might need to finish out the season, the ministry season, etc., but you can make decisions now that will impact your pace of life going forward.

When do you Sabbath?

Observing the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, but honestly, I don’t think it’s a hard and fast command under the New Covenant the same way that it was under Mosaic Law.

Jesus said in Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  Not keeping the Sabbath is like eating McDonalds for every meal.  It’s not that it’s necessarily a sin.  It’s just not a good idea.  It’s not very healthy.  God gave us the Sabbath as a gift, because He wants good for us.

God doesn’t need to punish us if we don’t keep the Sabbath. Never taking a day of rest is punishment enough in itself.

One of the best decisions I ever made was to set aside one day as a day of rest.  I don’t do it perfectly.  There are certainly weeks that I end up working on my Sabbath.  But setting aside one day where I can do the things I want to do rather than the things I have to do helps keep me sane.

Just one quick note on the Sabbath… it’s not about a list of rules. You might have grown up in a home where Sunday was the Lord’s Day and that essentially meant you weren’t supposed to do anything fun.  I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind when he said that the Sabbath was made for man. Don’t worry so much about what are appropriate and inappropriate Sabbath activities, and just do the things that bring you joy and life.

What is your small group rhythm?

Since this is a resource for small group leaders, I thought I should mention something about healthy rhythms surrounding small groups.

There are different ideas about this.  Some people think small groups should take breaks, that meeting nearly every week all year long is too much.  Others think that it’s weird to take a break from your friends.  If we’re truly in community, truly doing life together, then why would we stop?

Here’s my take on it, I think it can be healthy for small groups to take a break occasionally.  At my church we run our groups on semesters, and there’s a four to eight week break between semesters.  A few of our long standing groups don’t really take these breaks, but they’ll take the summer off.

I don’t necessarily need a break from my friends, but I might need a break from cleaning my house on Tuesday nights or from preparing to lead a discussion every week or from making sure someone has brought snacks.  When someone in my group needs a break, they just don’t show up.  But that’s not really an option for me.  They’re coming to my house.

I’ve found that these breaks help me stay energized and excited about leading a group.  And honestly, I’ve found that they actually help my group members stay excited about being in the group, because even when they say and think they don’t want to take a break, after a few months, they get a bit burnt out.

Rarely will anyone make you rest.  If you want to find rest, you’re going to have to go looking for it and be willing to make some hard decisions.  But if you do, your small group, your friends, your family, and your own soul will thank you for it.

Will Johnston is the Director of Build Community at Eastside Community Church in Anaheim, California. Will graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in theology, did a two-and-a-half year stint on Capitol Hill, and then joined the staff of National Community Church in Washington D.C., where he oversaw small groups.
Church Leadership, Group Leadership, Uncategorized
May 21, 2019

Six Summer Strategies to Invigorate Your Group

By Group Ministry

by Reid Smith

By the end of spring, It’s not uncommon for groups to want to change things up for the summer instead of starting a new Bible study. This comes from a common felt-need to take a break and get refreshed before school, ministries, and so many other things restart in the fall. 

However, if you only saw the summer as a chance to unplug, you’d be missing easy and effective opportunities to invigorate your group. Groups don’t have to break from being together in the summer and potentially breakdown their momentum of community-building. Rather, they can use this season to change gears with their regular meeting rhythms in order to find new ways to grow together in Christ.

  1. Mix it up! Instead of your usual, say, Tuesday, 6:30-8pm time – decide to get together every other Friday for dinner and a movie together. If you meet weekly, try meeting every other week. Or everyone could plan to attend the same service and afterwards do an outdoor activity together.
  2. Morph into a shared interest group. Discover who shares the same interests in your group and organize activities around them. Start out by asking:
  • “What do you enjoy doing the most with your free time?”
  • “If you could invite a few others to join you in an activity, what would it be?”
  • “What special interest, topic, creative hobby or sport do you enjoy doing?”

You don’t have to choose one! Create a “mixed shared interest group” out of the ideas that came up. You might do a specific topical study one week and then softball the next. Plan it all out, but don’t try to do too much; just enough to keep the relational connection and continue building upon the community that God has built so far.

  1. Schedule it! Before the onset of summer, ask group members to bring their calendars to a meeting and plan around the dates people know they are going to be away. Before scheduling, appoint somebody to find out what is happening in your surrounding communities during the summer like farmers markets, festivals, outdoor concerts, etc. Besides community events, other examples of fun activities to put on the calendar include:
  • Going out to a restaurant together and/or the movies.
  • Grilling in a local park or the backyard of somebody other than your typical host.
  • Going to a sports event together or doing an activity everyone can get into like bowling, paddle-boating, volleyball, hiking, etc.
  • Taking a day-trip to the coast, mountains, or state/national park.
  • Watching July 4th fireworks together (invite neighbors to join you and introduce them to others in your group).
  • Having group members pray for one person in their lives they can invite to your group by the end of the summer. (Take a meeting to pray for these people and for what group members hope to see happen in their personal lives by the end of the year.)
  1. Plan a servant evangelism project together. Click HERE for ideas and select a project that would be low risk for people in your group and shows God’s love in practical ways.
  1. Volunteer to help your church with an event or project.
  1. Encourage group members to discover and develop their spiritual gifts. Here’s a simple three-step process: 1) Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12:1-8; Ephesians 4:7-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11. 2) Have each one complete a spiritual gift assessment. 3) Affirm the outcomes for everyone and brainstorm how they could use them to build up the group in the fall.

Group members who wouldn’t take on new responsibilities for the group in the midst of a study might be willing to do so during the different pace of the summer. Seize this season to “test drive” potential co-leaders by giving them bite-size responsibilities that will help you implement any of the strategies above. Also, seriously consider sub-grouping by gender when you change things up in any of these ways because it will help relationships grow deeper and develop new leaders for future groups so more people can be impacted with the love and message of Jesus Christ!

Reid Smith has been equipping leaders in churches of all sizes and stages of growth for effective disciple-making since 1996. He currently serves as a Pastor of Groups at Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach County, FL and has been a contributing author for various publications, including Lifeway’s Ministry Grid. Learn more about how to start and multiply healthy groups throughout your church at www.reidsmith.org.
Group Answers Podcast, Uncategorized
April 17, 2019

Group Answers Episode 96: Summer and Groups

By Group Ministry
https://media.blubrry.com/freebibleteaching/p/s3.amazonaws.com/ministrysites/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2019/03/27140851/GA-96.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:56 — 37.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | Email | RSS

On this episode of Group Answers, Brian, Chris, and Michael discuss how to take advantage of the extra margin during summer to be more present for your family and small group.

Article Discussed:

Dad’s, Don’t Waste Your Summer

Discussion Points:

  • Plan ahead
  • Continue to disciple
  • Plan fun events
  • Do a missional activity

This Episode’s Sponsor: With Ministry Grid’s library of over 3,000 training videos, it’s now simpler than ever to train every volunteer and leader in your church. And this is training you can trust. Each Ministry Gridvideo features an experienced ministry leader who has been where you are now. Learn how to get unlimited access for you and your church at MinistryGrid.com.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us.

Church Leadership
April 16, 2019

Summer is for Family (and that includes your small group)

By Chris Surratt

For a lot of us, summer means more time with family. Kids are home from school and family vacations are the norm. We also tend to have a bit more margin than during the other seasons. As small group leaders, that extra time spent with family should also include our group members. Your small group should be looked at as a family, not a function. With a function, we can take breaks and come back to it when we feel like it. With family, there is no such thing as extended breaks.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take a break from hosting weekly group meetings. Hosting a Bible study every week (or even bi-weekly) can be grueling, so you deserve to take a breather for a couple of months. However, there are many ways to stay connected to our “family” during the summer months without gathering as consistently for a study.

1. Have fun!
Go to a ballgame. Celebrate the Fourth of July fireworks together. Get together for a picnic. Race cars at an amusement park. We can sometimes suck all of the fun out of group life, and summer is a great time to put it back in.

2. Go on a short-term missions trip together.
Nothing bonds a group better than being on mission together. The trip does not have to be international—there are massive needs in communities all around us. Partner with an organization that is already making a difference and take your group on a weekend mission trip.

3. Serve a local missions organization.
There are food pantries, youth centers, and other missional organizations in almost every community. Pick out a Saturday in June or July to serve as a group. If it’s a great experience with an organization making a real difference, commit to an ongoing relationship.

4. Do an online study.
Choose a video-enhanced study on smallgroup.com. But instead of meeting together every week for the discussion, set up a Facebook group page to go through it online. Your group members can watch the video on their own, and then post comments on the page. A great study to try this summer would be “Making Space” by Jeff Vanderstelt.

By getting creative and thinking outside of the box, your group family can still stay engaged in community this summer.

Chris Surratt is a ministry consultant and coach with more than twenty years of experience serving the local church. Chris served on the Executive Teams at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN., and Seacoast Church in Charleston, S.C., prior to becoming the Discipleship and Small Groups Specialist for Lifeway. He is the author of Small Groups for the Rest of Us and Leading Small Groups.
Church Leadership
June 19, 2018

Three Ways Your Small Group Can Make VBS a Success

By Group Ministry

by Ken Braddy

Did you know that VBS grew out of Sunday School? A Sunday School teacher in Illinois became frustrated about the lack of time she had to teach the Bible on Sunday mornings and started a four-week summer Bible study program that later became what we know as Vacation Bible School.

Over a hundred years later, VBS is still one of the primary ways children are introduced to Jesus. 10% of all VBS participants in a single year are identified as “unchurched.”

Here are three ways that Bible study groups can help make their church’s VBS a success. Groups can work together to move kids—and their parents—from the VBS events into ongoing Bible study groups.

  1. Invest time in following up with families. — One of the differences between churches that have successful VBS weeks and those that don’t relates to the follow-up efforts. Churches that are intentional about assigning VBS guests to Bible study groups have a greater return in and influence among people than those that don’t. If you’re going to go to the expense, time, and trouble of providing an annual VBS event, don’t stop short and forget to follow up on every prospect—that includes the parents of VBS kids!
  2. Involve group members in the VBS family night. — A family night during VBS is an important part of your overall strategy of reaching new people for Christ and church membership. Many churches give parents a reason to come back to the church campus, meet teachers, and see their child’s classroom and VBS projects by scheduling a Family Night (usually the Wednesday night during VBS week). A fellowship time with drinks and snacks can also create a “linger” factor and give staff, VBS teachers, Bible study group leaders, and members of adult groups the opportunity to float through the room and interact with guests. If you lead an adult Bible study group, invite your members to have conversations with parents who would naturally fit into your group.
  3. Invite group members to serve in VBS. — Members of your adult group can serve as teachers, greeters, and helpers during VBS. Others may be more limited in the time they can serve, but can help during registration and dismissal times. Adults who are time-crunched might even find serving during set-up or tear-down something they can fit into their schedule.

Ken Braddy manages Lifeway’s Ongoing Bible studies, leads his church’s groups ministry, and blogs daily on Sunday School and small groups at kenbraddy.com.

Church Leadership
June 11, 2018

Six Ways to Squeeze the Most Out of Summer

By Ken Braddy

Summer is almost here – it’s literally just around the corner. How will you and your Bible study group spend your summer break? Chances are your group’s attendance will become more erratic as summer vacations take place and people get away to the mountains or the beach. Perhaps your group doesn’t meet during summer months. Don’t maintain the status quo. Instead, do one or more of these things to squeeze the most out of summer and avoid those summer slumps:

  1. Reach out to absentees – Set a goal of contacting all of your absentee group members during June and July. Some may have joined other churches. Others may have gotten out of the habit of attending your group. Still more may have experienced a crisis and didn’t want people to know. As you discover the ministry needs of your absentees, mobilize your group and meet those needs.

 

  1. Encourage group members to leave your group – What? Leave your group? Summer is when church staff are searching for new group leaders in all age groups. Remember that the goal of your Bible teaching ministry isn’t to have the largest group. The real goal is to help your church in its mission of making disciples. The preschool, children, and student ministries of your church will need new group leaders to serve the youngest members of your congregation. Encourage people in your group to leave and serve others as group leaders themselves.

 

  1. Turn the teaching over to your apprentice – Each adult group needs one apprentice leader whose goal is to start a new group. Summer is a great time to give your apprentice the primary responsibility of teaching the group. Let them practice, and then coach and guide them to become more confident leading a group. With many people away on vacation, summer is a perfect time for people to spread their wings and teach during a time when it may feel safer—attendance is lower in summer months—and for the average person, a smaller group is a less intimidating group to teach.

 

  1. Ramp up your group’s fellowships — Summer movies, barbecues, baseball games, golf outings, a day at the lake, and local day trips can be fun occasions to gather your members and prospects. Summer has a fun, relaxed feel and it is the perfect time to get creative—and busy. Don’t wait for a single occasion when everyone can get together. Instead, schedule multiple events. Having multiple opportunities for fellowship will ensure that at least one of the events fits the schedules of your group members.

 

  1. Schedule an extra Bible study — Why not use the summer months to explore a topic your group is interested in? There are plenty of studies that come in 4, 6, 8, or 10-week sessions. Rotate the study by allowing a different member of the group to host it each week.

 

  1. Serve together — Summer presents plenty of opportunities for entire Bible study groups to serve together. Sharing an experience like Vacation Bible School or another community-centered ministry activity (soccer camp, day camp, etc.) is a great way to build the bond between your group members. Consider asking your people to invest a week of vacation in serving kids from your community, knowing that they will grow in their relationships with one another, too!

 

Ken Braddy manages Lifeway’s Ongoing Bible studies, leads his church’s groups ministry, and blogs daily on Sunday School and small groups at kenbraddy.com.

Group Answers Podcast
June 6, 2018

Group Answers Episode 61: Summer With Your Group

By Group Ministry
http://media.blubrry.com/freebibleteaching/p/ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/groups/EP61_GROUPANSWERS.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:27 — 35.0MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | Email | RSS

On this week’s episode, Brian and Chris discuss service and fun in small groups. Click on the following articles to follow along:

https://groupministry.lifeway.com/2017/06/08/four-activities-for-your-groups-this-summer/

https://groupministry.lifeway.com/2018/05/17/summer-serving-finding-the-right-project-for-your-small-group/

Chris Surratt is a ministry consultant and coach with over 23 years of experience serving the local church. Chris served on the Executive Team at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, and was on staff at Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC, for 15 years. He is also the Small Group Specialist for Lifeway Christian Resources. Chris’s first book, Small Groups For The Rest Of Us: How to Design Your Small Groups System to Reach the Fringes, was recently released by Thomas Nelson. You can follow his blog at chrissurratt.com or follow him on Twitter @chrissurratt.

The Group Answers Podcast is a weekly show designed to resource, train, and encourage small group leaders. Each episode considers current trends and resources as well as timeless truths and methods of discipleship. It is hosted by Brian Daniel, a Bible study and discipleship expert in Lifeway’s Groups Ministry, and Chris Surratt, the small group and discipleship specialist at Lifeway and author of Small Groups For The Rest Of Us.

Church Leadership
May 24, 2018

Five Things to Do Now Before the Fall Groups Semester

By Chris Surratt

It’s the end of May, and for most churches, that means activity for small groups is slowing down. The natural attendance slide into summer is about to commence.

Your groups may not be stopping, but they are shifting gears for the hectic summer months. This time is a great opportunity for groups to point people to spend time working on the ministry—not just in it. We need these opportunities to shift, realign, and refresh our systems.

Here is a list of five ideas and questions that you should start thinking about to prepare for the next season in groups.

  1. Lock in the theme for the fall alignment series.

Start meeting with the teaching pastors now to see where God is leading them to take the church in the fall. What can we creatively do with groups around the teaching theme?

      2. Refresh your leader’s training for new leaders in the fall semester.

It may be time to revisit how you train your new leaders. Check out ministrygrid.com for help on potential training topics. Has the culture shifted since you last built your training? Are there more effective ways to deliver the information?

      3. Build your curriculum map for groups after the fall alignment series.

Start thinking now about the next step for groups after the fall alignment series. Smallgroup.com allows you to easily design a discipleship map for your groups to follow. Where do you want groups to grow spiritually? What is a natural transition from your alignment theme?

      4. Ask current group leaders to identify possible new leaders from their groups for the fall.

Now is the time to start identifying the new leaders for the fall push. Your best recruitment will come from existing leaders tapping their group members on the shoulder. How can we help our current leaders identify and commission new hosts and leaders?

       5. Identify and start recruiting new coaches.

If you are planning on growing your groups (and I hope that you are), you are going to need coaches to help care for all of the newly recruited leaders and hosts. Now is the time to start having those conversations. Recruiting effective coaches takes time and patience. Which current leaders would be a natural fit for coaching other leaders? Are there any former leaders who are not currently leading a group, but would be great at caring for other leaders?

Chris Surratt is a ministry consultant and coach with over 23 years of experience serving the local church. Chris served on the Executive Team at Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN, and was on staff at Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC, for 15 years. He is also the Small Group Specialist for Lifeway Christian Resources. Chris’s first book, Small Groups For The Rest Of Us: How to Design Your Small Groups System to Reach the Fringes, was recently released by Thomas Nelson. You can follow his blog at chrissurratt.com or follow him on Twitter @chrissurratt.

Church Leadership
May 14, 2018

Top 5 Bible Studies for the Summer

By Group Ministry

Top 5 Bible Studies for the Summer

Summer is a time for crazy and spontaneous schedules, last minute plans and activities, and children home all day every day. This will often lead to small groups deciding to take the summer off to lighten the load a little. There are a lot of great things about small groups meeting in the summer like new visitors, more topical Bible study, and more time for community. In order to make the most of your small group’s summer, we’ve rounded up a list of our top five Bible study suggestions.

Unanswered: Lasting Truth for Trending Questions

By: Jeremiah J. Johnston

Tough questions are being asked about Christianity. And most believers are ill-equipped to provide the answers our culture and communities desperately need. Many in today’s church do not know the Bible as well as they should and they struggle with their own “big questions” about the faith. Unanswered covers several challenging topics, including mental health and suicide, paranormal activity, the resurrection, how we got the Bible, suffering, and why God is sometimes silent. This study will show you how to answer, explain, and respond in a deeply winsome and attractive way, as a thoughtful ambassador of Jesus. (6 sessions)

Tell Someone: You Can Share the Good News

By: Greg Laurie

Most Christians are either afraid to share the gospel or feel that they don’t know how to do it, or both. But evangelism is simply telling two stories: Jesus’ and yours (how Jesus changed your life forever). This study helps group members identify people and places already in their daily routines, encouraging and empowering them to share the good news of Jesus Christ. This refreshing look at evangelism from one of the nation’s most prominent pastors and evangelists will help Christians—new and old alike—discover the joy of evangelism as the good news of Jesus naturally overflows into their daily lives. (6 sessions)

Making Space: Doing What Matters Most

By: Jeff Vanderstelt

Do you know what’s most important in life? Do you feel too busy to make time for those things? This Bible study helps you identify the things that matter to God and to you as a follower of Christ and apply godly wisdom to incorporate these activities into your busy life. Each week will address a topic that is important but often overlooked or wrongly engaged. This study gleans wisdom from the Book of Proverbs and from the example of Jesus to help you turn from empty and unfulfilling busyness and devote yourself to doing what matters most. (8 sessions)

Pursuing Holiness: Applications from the Book of James

By: Philip Nation

An honest evaluation of your life may leave you wanting more—not more stuff but more meaning. Pursuing Holiness can put you on the path to a maturing life in Christ. This six-session study of the Book of James equips believers to put the pursuit of a holy life not only in its proper place but also within reach. You’ll learn that endurance, humility, obedience, and prayer can be essential parts of your everyday life. Why? Because a life dedicated to Christ is a life in which holiness is the norm.

(6 sessions)

Detours: The Unpredictable Path to Your Destiny

By: Tony Evans

The biblical account of Joseph clearly demonstrates that God is at work even when life seems to be going wrong. Even today, it’s easy to wonder why God would allow calamity to happen or if He’s in control at all. Whether through uncontrollable circumstances or the pain of personal relationships, everyone has experiences unforeseen changes in life. This study helps believers navigate detours that may take you through trials, injustice, and even betrayal. You will be comforted and encouraged when you learn to rest in God’s redemptive plan and the hope found in God’s sovereign will. (6 sessions)

Group Leadership
May 2, 2018

Three Ways to Keep Your Groups From Dying This Summer

By Caroline Case

As the springtime pollen settles and the summer sun starts to scorch, it’s tempting to allow that summer heat to affect your small groups, too. With vacations and conferences, camps and family reunions, summertime is notorious for poor small group attendance. Yet with the proper attitude and the gusto to plan ahead, below are three ways to keep your groups from dying this summer: 

  1. Plan ahead.

I try to live by the Boy Scout motto, “Always Be Prepared.” And its effectiveness has proven true! For example, when you invite someone to an event such as a wedding, you send out invitations three months in advance so you will increase your odds of more people showing up. The same is true for your small groups: if you provide your group members with your summertime plans—whether that be a new book, an online Bible study, or a group camping trip—the better odds you’ll have that members will prioritize your group on their calendars.

  1. Emphasize the importance of year-round discipleship.

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean we have to get spiritually stagnant. In the same vein of being prepared, try giving a three- to five-minute “blurb” to your group about why you plan on keeping up with meetings over the summer months. Get philosophical, if you must. Because unlike summer, discipleship doesn’t take any breaks. If group members see that you prioritize your ministry, they might prioritize their attendance. 

  1. Have fun.

Some of my fondest memories come from my college small group in the summer at my home church. I looked forward to attending every summer because my primary community came from this small group. Because we could have fun with one another, we could trust one another with our vulnerable moments. Terry hosted “kickball Mondays,” where we’d play (pretty competitively) and go out to dinner afterwards. And when it was time to have our Bible study, Pam would bake chocolate chip cookies. My leaders created a relaxed environment, which enabled us to open up more.

Caroline Case is a proud Nashville transplant from Naples, Florida, who serves as the Production Editor for Lifeway’s smallgroup.com and custom Bible study teams. Caroline has a Bachelor of Communication from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL. She is pursuing her Master of Arts in English at Belmont University in Nashville, where she will go on to pursue her doctorate and teach.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »

Subscribe to Group Ministry

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Subscribe to Podcast

Google PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

All Ministry Sites

Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Digital Resources

Ministry Grid
Lifeway Worship
Digital Church
KidEvent Pro
MyCurriculum Manager
Simulcast Manager
Lifeway Reader eBooks
Generosity
WORDsearch
SmallGroup.com

Lifeway Network

Lifeway Research
B&H

Copyright © 2021 · Lifeway Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved