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Browse the E-zine Archives 
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Restoring the Relational Church - Moving from “Meeting” in Community to “Living” in Community
It all started in 313 A.D.
The early church lived in community every day (Acts 2:46), encouraging one another daily (Hebrews 3:13). The New Testament reveals the relational nature of the church in that day. In both times of peace and persecution, the believers did life together as a matter of course.
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10 Paradigm Shifts Toward Becoming Lifestyle Rather than Meeting Focused
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If I asked what the central activities of your church are, what would you say? By central, I am talking about the activities that are most emphasized and that consume the most time and resources to make happen. Those activities tend to become the “thing” church participants focus on as to what church is about. That focus becomes a paradigm for many church participants.
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Lift Off! - The Power of Alignment
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We recognize the power of alignment whenever a group of people is willing to divest themselves of self-determined outcomes and invest their talents, will, and energy in a common direction to accomplish a common goal. If your goal is to make disciples that multiply ministry through relationships, then you will want to harness the power of alignment in your church. This does not necessarily mean that everyone attending your church on Sundays will be forever locked into a sermon-based small group series similar to the 40 Days of Purpose by Rick Warren. What we have done to bring the power of alignment to our church family is to extract some of the principles and lessons learned from similar sermon-based small group series and combine them with an annual ministry rhythm that is informed by a common church culture.
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Pulling Off a Successful All-Church Small Group Emphasis
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Too many church dwellers figure that an hour a week in a worship service will eventually turn them into a spiritual dynamo, or at least a strong believer. They are often disappointed when they realize the truth that our spiritual life needs to be holistic. Connecting the weekend message to a spiritual community and to our personal devotions has exponential power much like a great workout routine matched with a healthy diet. An all-church (or campaign) emphasis is like that. It combines the intensity of the weekend message with the small group. There are three significant advantages to an all-church emphasis.
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Building Bridges with Small Group Community
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The Best Small Group Leader Ever once asked a philosophical question: “Who needs a doctor, the healthy or the sick?” The answer seems obvious, but the implication to your small group is more profound. Jesus then revealed his life mission: “I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out” (Luke 5:31, 32, The Message). Matthew’s gospel says it slightly differently: “I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders” (Matthew 9:13).
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Targets, Targets, Targets
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Years ago, our cell church began to target segments of the unreached Houston community. Six week small groups were used to establish relationships between group members and strangers by targeting their shared common needs or interests. We sponsored HOPE (Helping Others Practice English) for Japanese immigrants. This was so successful that we formed a congregation with over 100 of them. FLOC (For the Love Of Children) drew dozens of couples who had autistic children. A “Wild Game Night” drew hunters and fishers. “Biking Together” targeted still another group.
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Holy Smokers! How Tongs, Motorcycles, and Horseshoes are Connecting People into Groups
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Dan was very frustrated with his men’s group. He had an accountability group that met every Tuesday night around the conference table in the church library. Attendance was sketchy. He started with about a dozen guys. That number quickly dropped to a handful and then just a couple of guys. After Promise Keepers, or some other large men’s event, his group would grow, only to diminish once again.
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Bringing Christian Community into Subcultures
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In my mind’s eye I can see it. I can see a life that is seamlessly filled with the love of Christ. I can see myself living out my hobbies, mowing my yard, and enjoying the relationships around me. It is a vision I have had for my life and for others for a very long time. It is what I call a life-integrated ministry that engages popular culture while sharing the Gospel. What and where are these communities for us to engage? They are all around us: bicycle clubs, LAN parties, Texas Hold’em parties, sports leagues, work-out gyms, book reading clubs - subculture after subculture after subculture.
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One Filmmaker’s Perspective on Using Video in Small Groups
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My first memory of watching a video in church was in youth group. It was the early 1980’s when VHS was still new, so I must have been in 5th or 6th grade. The video was a movie about the rapture, and I remember two particular things about it.
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Upside-Down Assimilation: Moving People from Outreach Small Groups to the Larger Church Community
We may get invited by someone we know, but many make their way to church communities because of special programs, reputation of the church, or location of the church building. The entry point is typically the large group gathering. For that reason, we have put a lot of effort into making our worship services places that are welcoming to visitors who don’t already have a close connection within the church. For the most part, our worship services and large group gatherings have been the front door of most churches.
But what about when people find their way into the church community first through a relational small group experience?
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