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Robert Damon
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 Serves as Associate Pastor (Discipleship) at Valley Christian Church in Apple Valley, Minnesota; also as a leader and consultant for congregations starting or restarting their Small Group Ministries (primarily focused on small to mid-sized congregations). Written several articles on Small Groups, church leadership, and discipleship; uses self-published Small Group Leadership Training Manual for leader "basic training". Speaker for workshops, conventions, college campuses, and churches on small groups and spiritual development, including recent visit to former Soviet Baltic States to teach on small groups and discipleship.
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Articles by this Author
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Evaluation and Flexibility in Small Groups
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There is one primary element that should be strongly emphasized in any discussion about evaluation, especially for congregations just starting a small groups ministry: Flexibility.
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Handling Conflict
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Imagine a home with a sign on the front door, "Conflict is Expected and Welcome!" Most of us would panic when we saw that sign, especially if it was the location where a small group was meeting.
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Managing Conflict
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Potential Areas of Conflict
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Attributes of a Small Group Leader
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The attributes of a group leader can vary, depending on the expectations of the ministry and vision of the ministry leader or pastor. For some, the qualifications might be as simple as "Can you sit up and take nourishment? Is there a pulse?" For others, there may be a "checklist" of qualities, which could include an interview, background check, and references.
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Dynamic and Not-So-Dynamic Meetings
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After literally hundreds of small group meetings and while serving as a consultant of small groups ministry, last week I led what I would classify as the absolutely worst small group meeting ever (but the best example for teaching here).
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Evangelism in Small Groups?
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Evangelism in groups? Gasp! Just when everyone was getting used to the \"touchy-feely\" stuff of groups with fellowship, learning/study, and sharing/prayer, now we have to add evangelism, too?
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Service: A Matter of Focus for Groups
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I’ve heard the stories of the groups that serve meals to the homeless in the inner-city shelter, those that refurbish a house for a single parent, or the group that travels together to eastern Europe to work in a church located in an area that was once part of the former Soviet state.
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Restart With a Bang
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August is upon us. School days are fast approaching, along with fall and winter (already?). Vacations and savings have been spent, and plans are being made for the holidays--“Who’s family is it this year, dear?” Gasp! It’s time for church to “start up” again after the summer break! But wait, we don’t have enough time to prepare! It’s way too soon!
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Discovering Spiritual Gifts in the Small Group Setting
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Small group gatherings highlight multiple aspects of the spiritual community, and none more so than the unique gifts given by God to individual people for specialized roles and responsibilities.
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