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Bill Tenny-Brittian
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 Bill Tenny-Brittian is a consultant with Easum-Bandy Associates specializing in small groups, emerging church paradigms, and spirituality practices for real people. He is a popular workshop leader and the author of several books.
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Articles by this Author
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Re-Starting Small Groups
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While serving conventional churches, many have experienced difficulty in getting small groups up and running. It might make you wonder what makes it so difficult to get them started. Here are a couple of thoughts, as well as a few suggestions, for getting them started.
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Cell Biology for the Church: Why Small Groups Don’t Multiply
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"Charles" is the pastor of a growing, mainline church near my home. I met with him this week to talk about his home fellowship groups. The goal of this church’s small groups is to be evangelistic and multiply. The problem is, more than six years after the launch of the small group program, the groups have achieved neither. My job, if I choose to accept it, is to find out why, to offer some insights, and to, perhaps, provide some solutions.
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The Fine Art of Coaching Small Group Leaders
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Coaching appears to be the "next big thing" when it comes to church leadership. It seems almost everyone either (1) wants to be a coach, or (2) wants to be coached. The fact is, everyone needs a coach, but a great teacher does not necessarily make a good coach.
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Is the Church Driving a Wedge In Our Families?
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Back in the 60s, Billy Graham asserted that the eleven o'clock hour on Sunday is the most segregated hour of the week. Of course, he was talking about racial and ethnic issues, but there is another segregation that has been going on in church for many years: the segregation of our households. Today in many, if not most, of our church's worship services, our kids stay with their parents until _________. In some churches, that blank is just after the children's chat. In others, it is until mom or dad walks the tot to the nursery or Kid's Church in another part of the building. Today's church is sadly notorious for adding to the fragmentation of the family. Why not? Fragmentation is part-and-parcel of our Western society.
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Starting Over: Re-Launching Small Group Ministry
Once upon a time, someone tried to start a "small group program" in your church and it failed miserably. The whys and wherefores of the failure are irrelevant. The fact is, though, now you are stuck with the ever-present naysayers whose mantra is, "We tried that…." In spite of that, you know small groups are still the most efficient way to disciple, so you are committed to a resurrection. The question is, will you use a bulldozer or something with a bit more finesse?
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From Talk to Walk
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Everyone "knows" that the hope for effective personal spiritual transformation lies in small groups. Certainly, there are many people willing to share how their small group has brought them comfort, support, and encouragement. Indeed, relationships are more easily built in small groups than in almost any other church venue. However, when it comes to facing the question, "As a result of your small group participation, are you a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ in your day-to-day life?" the answers often get a bit more foggy.
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